Beaumont Leys is a suburb and

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

in north-western

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, in the

district, in the ceremonial county of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire ...

, England. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 16,480. Locally, Beaumont Leys is usually used in reference to the large

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...

, built within the administrative division, centred on Strasbourg Drive.

Geography

Beaumont Leys is located within the city boundary of Leicester, although prior to the 2011 census, the

Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible for ...

considered Beaumont Leys as an environ, distinct from the city. Beaumont Leys is bordered by the wards of Abbey to the east, Fosse to the south-east and

New Parks New Parks is residential suburb of the city of Leicester, in the Leicester district, in the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England. It was also an electoral ward of the City of Leicester whose population at the 2011 Census was 17,128. ...

to the south. North and west of the area are the

villages of Anstey and Glenfield.

History

The word 'Beaumont' means 'beautiful hill/mountain'. The area before the 1970s was mainly farmland and a sewage system, however started to be invested in by the council and local private housing companies. The area was largely developed from the 1970s onwards, and continues to expand into the surrounding countryside. It includes several large housing estates, industrial areas (including the main factory for Walkers) and a large area of modern housing (some of it known as "Anstey Heights"). Newer areas of Beaumont Leys include the Anstey Heights, towards Castle Hill Park and the village of Anstey, as well as the Thurcaston Park housing developments on the North side of Beaumont Leys and Bradgate Heights on the land surrounded by Glenfield, Anstey and Beaumont Leys. The Thurcaston Park development is expected to have 2000 homes once the estate is finished.

Civil parish

Beaumont Leys was formerly an extra-parochial tract, from 1858 Beaumont Leys was a civil parish in its own right until it was abolished on 1 April 1935 and merged with Leicester, parts also went to Anstey and

Thurcaston Thurcaston is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Thurcaston and Cropston, in the Charnwood district, in Leicestershire, England. It was the home of Bishop Hugh Latimer. It borders the villages of Anstey and Cropston, ...

. In 1931 the parish had a population of 169.

Amenities and facilities

The

Beaumont Shopping Centre Beaumont Shopping Centre is in Beaumont Leys, on the edge of Leicester. The shopping centre is owned by British Land and managed by GVA. History The Fletcher Mall portion of the property was sold to Cervidae in April 2021. Facilities Th ...

is the main facility, one of the largest shopping areas in the city suburbs. There is also a church, a large leisure centre, a library and a police station nearby. Smaller shopping precincts tend to be on land that was previously occupied by farms. There are also several schools including

Babington Academy Babington Academy (formerly Babington Community College) is an 11–16 mixed secondary school with academy status in Beaumont Leys, Leicester, Leicestershire, England. It is part of the Learning without Limits Academy Trust. The school reloca ...

and

Beaumont Leys School Beaumont Leys School is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Leicester, England, which caters for students aged between 11 and 16. The school has one of Leicester's four Learning Support Units and one of two City Learning Ce ...

. The latter is now a specialised science school and was rebuilt in 2009 with a City Learning Centre built next to it. Primary schools in the area include Beaumont lodge Primary school, heatherbrook primary school and Glebelands primary school. The area includes a large industrial estate, which includes the main

Walkers Crisps Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer mainly operating in the UK and Ireland. The company is best known for manufacturing potato crisps and other (non-potato-based) snack foods. In 2013, it held 56% of the British crisp market. Walkers ...

factory and

Office Depot The ODP Corporation is an American office supply holding company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. The company has combined annual sales of approximately $11 billion, and employs about 38,000 associates with businesses in the United States. ...

, as well as a smaller industrial estate to the south. The

Leicester Lions Leicester Lions are a speedway team which originally operated from 1968 until 1983.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. The club returned to speedway for the 2011 Premier League season, moving up to the Elite League ...

speedway team compete in the Elite League and their home track is at Beaumont Park.

Transport

Beaumont Leys is mainly served by

First Leicester Leicester Citybus,Companies House extract company no 2000072< ...

and

Centrebus Centrebus is a bus company based in Leicester operating services in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland. Centrebus have a 51% shareholding in High Peak Buses and since December 2019 through c ...

. The A46 trunk road bypasses Beaumont Leys and is accessible by the Anstey Junction. The A46 leads on to the M1.

References

{{Authority control Areas of Leicester Former civil parishes in Leicestershire