About the Claybrookes

 

 

The villages of Claybrooke Magna and Claybrooke Parva are only a mile from High Cross, known as the centre of Roman England, as it was the point where the Roman Watling street crossed the Fosse Road, two principle Roman roads.  Little sign is evident now other than the remains of a monument, built to mark the spot in the 17th Century but later destroyed by lightning.  This road to the Claybrookes was formerly the B577 to Lutterworth but has recently been de-classified.  In the 18th and 19th centuries on the main coach road from London to Holyhead and there are two well preserved mile posts, one in each of the villages.
Claybrooke Magna is the larger of the two villages with a population of around 400 people.  There are around 30 houses in the village built in the 1990s, but some of the housing is much older with buildings dating to Victorian and Georgian times, with some half-timbered Tudor houses by the Vineyard.  A little way out of the village is an old water-mill, still in working order, which is driven by the small stream which winds its way through the area. 

Claybrooke Parva, although now the smaller of the two villages, is the site of both the church and the village school.  The church is thought originally to be part Anglo-Saxon with later additions in Norman and Medieval times.  It has a square tower with a working clock, the tower houses a peel of 8 bells which regularly ring out over the countryside. In the body of the church are monuments to former local residents and a list of vicars stretching back to the 13th century.  The roof beams are particularly fine examples of medieval craftsmanship, but sadly affected by death watch beetles and will need very expensive restoration

Next to the church is a magnificent rectory built in 1710, now a private home, it has the remains of an ancient moat in its garden.  Across the road is Claybrooke hall, once the home of the Dicey family and a former director of the Midland Railway, which ran through nearby Ullesthorpe.  The Hall is being carefully restored to its former glory by Mr and Mrs Barker, its current owners.  There are a number of other substantially older houses in the village with some later additions in the 1970s

The school was founded in 1810 by a charitable trust, the Marc Smith Charity, which still owns the grounds and raises money for educational grants to children from the area.  Although the original building dates from 1810 the school boasts modern facilities and a number of later extensions.  Although only having around 65 pupils it has a covered swimming pool for the children which was paid for by PTA fund-raising

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Claybrooke Magna Parish Council also conducted a survey recently to create a Parish Plan, the results of the survey can be viewed Here

 

 

Around & About the Claybrookes

 


The area is still very rural, despite its proximity to motorways, so local attractions centre around the availability of walks through the attractive countryside.  Of particular interest to walkers and campers is a 3 miles stretch of the Old Fosse Road which is now closed to traffic.  It leads from a field at High Cross which allows views far to the North across Leicester to the hills of Charnwood Forest.  Its further end, near Frolesworth is marked by a recently-planted arboretum, at Fosse Meadows, where there is a car park and information boards for those interested in the natural habitat of birds and animals.  Many other footpaths cross the area, please see the maps.  Some of these are waymarked as part of the Leicestershire Round, a series of connected walks in Leicestershire regularly visited by ramblers.

The area is still very rural, despite its proximity to motorways, so local attractions centre around the availability of walks through the attractive countryside.  Of particular interest to walkers and campers is a 3 miles stretch of the Old Fosse Road which is now closed to traffic.  It leads from a field at High Cross which allows views far to the North across Leicester to the hills of Charnwood Forest.  Its further end, near Frolesworth is marked by a recently-planted arboretum, at Fosse Meadows, where there is a car park and information boards for those interested in the natural habitat of birds and animals.  Many other footpaths cross the area, please see the maps.  Some of these are waymarked as part of the Leicestershire Round, a series of connected walks in Leicestershire regularly visited by ramblers.

 

Local Attractions

  1.  
    Claybrooke Mill - a working water mill dating back to the 16th century.
    Claybrooke Church - Vicar Jenny Bradshaw
    Frolesworth Church - Vicar Jenny Bradshaw
    Village Playground - Children are welcome to use the facilities which include swings and a slide plus adventure playground bridge and chain walk. The playground is situated at the bottom of Laurel Fields, just off Main Road.
    Village Hall – See separate page
    Lutterworth - Museum, library, Town Hall, St. Marys Church

 

 

Stanford Hall

 

Near Lutterworth; signposted off A426,A427,A50,A5,M1 exits 18 and 20 M6 exit 1.
Home of the Cave family, ancestors of the Lady Braye, since 1430. Present Hall built by Smiths of Warwick in 1690s and still occupied by the Cave family. It contains antique furniture, fine pictures (including the Stuart Collection) and family costumes.

The grounds include a walled rose garden, nature trail, souvenir shop and a craft centre most Sundays. Visit the motorcycle see a replica of Percy Pilchers 1898 flying machine. Events most Sundays from early May.

tel 01788 860250