Birstall is a large village and civil parish within the Charnwood borough of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, England. It is three miles north of

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

city centre and is part of the wider Leicester Urban Area. It is the largest village in Charnwood, with a population only marginally lower than the neighbouring town of Syston at the 2001 census.

Village

Birstall lies on the A6 and is the last major settlement before Leicester when arriving from the north. Birstall thus forms part of the Leicester Urban Area. The village centre lies just off the A6, along Sibson Road. The village contains two supermarkets, a garden centre and a variety of other shops. There are a number of schools, including Highcliffe Primary School, Riverside Primary School, Hallam Fields Primary School and The Cedars Academy. The village contains the Church of St James the Great, Birstall, the St Teresa Roman Catholic church and Birstall Methodist Church. There is a large housing estate in the north-west of the village, leading off Greengate Lane. The

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runs along the eastern side of the village, which is adjacent to Watermead Country Park, a series of lakes in the bottom of the Soar Valley, which have been set aside as a recreational area and

country park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a specific meaning. There are around 250 designated c ...

. To the north of the village, the A6 meets the A46 Leicester Western Bypass and then continues on towards

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood (borough), Charnwood Borough of Leicestershire, England; it is the administrative centre of Charnwood Borough Council. At the United Kingdom 2021 census, the town's built-up area had a popula ...

along the Soar Valley. The closest village to Birstall is Wanlip, a smaller village, with the village of Rothley being the next closest. The villages of Thurmaston and Syston are also nearby. Birstall shares its southern border with the City of Leicester. The symbol of Birstall is a cedar tree. The original tree stands in Roman Road. It was once in the grounds of the now demolished Birstall Hall. The area of the parish is .

History

The village's name means .

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

remnants have been found in the village and surrounding area. The village was called Burstalle in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

when it belonged to Hugh de Grandmesnil.''Domesday Book: A Complete Translation''. London: Penguin, 2003. p. 655 Willard held these lands for Hugh and the of meadow and a mill were said to be worth three ounces of gold. The village began its growth with the arrival of the

Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its Great Central Main Line, London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company ...

in 1899. From then onwards development has continued and still continues to-day. Between 1901 and the 2001 the population grew from 611 to over 11,000.

Hallam Fields

A new housing development called 'Hallam Fields' commenced construction in 2006. It occupies land to the west of the A6, between the 'Gates' estate and the A46. The development will take ten years to complete, consisting of up to 900 properties including schools, shops, offices, industrial units and a fire station. It has been described as a mini Poundbury. By April 2010 it had 11 streets. These are Archdale Close, Bridge Green, Dale Close, Far Pastures Road, Halfpenny Close, Hallam Fields Road, Little Connery Leys, Pinfold Close, Brook Furlong Drive, Palmer Square and Lady Augusta Road. North of the development, on the roundabout connecting the A46 and A6 is a new service area with a KFC, a

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petrol station and an Ibis Budget.

Places and buildings

Schools

*Highcliffe primary school *Riverside primary school *Hallam fields primary school * The Cedars Academy ''Note: Longslade Community College and Stonehill high school merged to become The Cedars Academy''

Parks

* Watermead Country Park *School Lane recreational park *Harrogate park

Golf club

*Birstall Golf Club—founded in 1901—one of the first golf clubs in

Local organisations

* 1947 (Birstall) Squadron— RAFAC squadron located within the grounds of Riverside primary school.

Transport

The main village areas of Wanlip Lane and Harrowgate Drive are served by Centrebus service 22A and First Leicester 22B while the A6 corridor is served by buses between Leicester and Loughborough operated by Kincbbus Skylink and Arriva Midlands service 127. The Birstall

Park and Ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...

service is at the northern end of the village and is operated by Roberts Travel Group with buses into Leicester City Centre during the daytime. The

steam railway has its southern terminus near the village, where the A6 meets the Leicester outer ringroad at Red Hill Circle. Just north of Red Hill Circle, and west of the A6, is Red Hill filling station. The railway forms the boundary of the southern end of Birstall Golf Club.

Twin towns

* Rixensart,

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant ( ; ; ) is a province located in Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region) and the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut. Walloon Br ...

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References

{{authority control Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Leicestershire Borough of Charnwood