Woodhouse, often known to locals as Old Woodhouse, is a small village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the heart of Charnwood, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,319, including around 300 term-time boarders at the Defence College. The parish includes the larger village of Woodhouse Eaves. The parish of Woodhouse was formed in 1844. The village is located between the larger Woodhouse Eaves and

Quorn Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 11 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin. Quorn is sold as both a cooking ingredient and as ...

villages, the village contains a mixture of small cottages and large modern houses. It is a commuter village for both

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 ...

and

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 ...

, as well as further afield. Beaumanor Hall, ancestral home of the Herrick family, was used as a listening station during the war, and intercepted signals intelligence for

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and Bletchley Park estate, estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire), that became the principal centre of Allies of World War II, Allied World War II cryptography, code-breaking during the S ...

. The Hall is now owned by Leicestershire County Council and is used as an educational base with outdoor activities. In 2005 Welbeck College moved to the village, on the edge of the grounds of Beaumanor Hall. The village has 130 homes and around 400 people living in it. The oldest part of the village is the church, St Mary-in-the-Elms, which dates back to the 15th century with 17th- and 19th-century renovations. On the side of the church near to where the Herrick family are buried are a number of old indentations showing where arrows were sharpened for hunting. The village was originally linear; however, the army barracks created a more nucleated village with more modern housing than the typical Georgian architecture seen throughout. The village has no services and relies on surrounding villages and towns for shops etc. The village is low on the settlement hierarchy.

The Martin family

The most famous past residents of Woodhouse include the Martin family, formerly of

Anstey, Leicestershire Anstey is a large village in Leicestershire, England, located north west of Leicester in the borough of Charnwood (borough), Charnwood. Its population was 7,697 at the 2021 census. This figure is expected to increase due to the building of a ...

, who gave their name to the Anstey Martin High School and were once an extremely powerful family in Leicester. They left Anstey and moved into the Brand. Col Sir Robert Andrew Martin, who lived at The Brand, was Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire from 1965 to 1989 and a distinguished soldier.

References

External links

Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Leicestershire Borough of Charnwood {{Leicestershire-geo-stub