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| Lutterworth | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Church Street  High Street _(March_2024)_(5).jpg) St Mary's Church | |
  Lutterworth Location withinLeicestershire | |
| Population | 10,833 (2021) |
| OS grid reference | SP541848 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LUTTERWORTH |
| Postcode district | LE17 |
| Dialling code | 01455 |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Lutterworth Town Council |
| |
Lutterworth is an historicmarket town andcivil parish in theHarborough district ofLeicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, close to the borders withWarwickshire andNorthamptonshire. It is located 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometres) north ofRugby and 12 miles (19 kilometres) south ofLeicester. At the2021 UK census, Lutterworth had a population of 10,833.[1]
Lutterworth was originally anAnglo-Saxon settlement; the name Lutterworth is possibly derived from theOld Englishhlūtreworð meaning 'enclosure on the RiverHlūtre' (which is likely an old name of theRiver Swift). The nameHlūtre itself is probably derived from the Old Englishhlūttor meaning 'clear' or 'bright'.[2] Lutterworth was mentioned in theDomesday Book of 1086.[3]
Lutterworth was granted itsmarket charter in 1214 byKing John and became a small but busymarket town.[3]
In the 14th century, the religious reformerJohn Wycliffe was rector of Lutterworth between 1374 and 1384, and it was during his time here that he is traditionally believed to have produced thefirst translation of the Bible from Latin into English.[4] The Irish statesmanRobert le Poer was also parish priest here c. 1318.
Lutterworth Grammar School was founded in 1630; by 1676 the population of Lutterworth had reached 644.[3]
In the days of thestagecoach, Lutterworth was an important stopping place on the road fromLeicester toOxford andLondon, and many formercoaching inns remain in the town.[3] The town also contains a number of well-preservedhalf-timbered buildings.[5]
Sir Frank Whittle, inventor of thejet engine, developed some of the world's first jet engines at theBritish Thomson-Houston works in Lutterworth, and in nearby Rugby, during the late 1930s and the 1940s, with his companyPower Jets. A replica of his first jet aircraft, theGloster E.28/39, stands in the middle of a roundabout just south of the town as a memorial and a number of papers and documents relating to Whittle's development of the jet engine are displayed at the town's museum.[6]
TheM1 motorway was built just to the east of Lutterworth in 1964, and theM6 motorway was built a few miles to the south in 1971.[7]
At the time of the first national census in 1801, Lutterworth had a population of 1,652; this had nearly doubled to 3,197 by 1901.[3] By 2001 it had reached 8,294. Further population growth in the 21st century brought the population up to nearly 10,000 by 2017.[1]
The parish church ofSt Mary was originally constructed in the 13th century and underwent major restorations in the 19th when a large tower replaced the original spire. The church contains some notable 15th century wall paintings which have been uncovered and restored.[5]
One of the landmarks in the town is the 17th century building on the corner of George Street and Leicester Road on the northern edge of the town centre, previously a tavern called the Cavalier Inn. Originally called the "Ram Inn" – that part of George Street was called Ram Lane – it changed its name in the early 1970s after a brewery "makeover". It is said that the brewery did not like the name Ram Inn and prudishly renamed it "the Cavalier" after claims that wounded royalist soldiers sheltered in Lutterworth following theBattle of Naseby in 1645. The building has been modified over the years; it retains its rustic charm with stone walls and low ceilings and beams.[citation needed] In October 2010 the Cavalier Inn closed and was changed to a log-burning store, retailing log-burning fires and similar products and services.[citation needed]
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The architect ofLutterworth Town Hall wasJoseph Hansom, who also designedBirmingham Town Hall and took out the first patent of the horse-drawnhansom cab.[8]
Another of the landmarks of the town centre is the thatched roof and timber-framed building now known as the "Shambles Inn". This former abattoir and butcher's is the oldest timber-framed building in Lutterworth, dating back to the 16th century. It was first used as a public house from 1791 until 1840, when it was converted back to a home and butcher's shop. In 1982 it was converted back into a public house and named the Shambles.[9]
In February 2023, the Shambles caught fire, causing damage to the upstairs, the B&B and the house.[10] The Inn has since been rethatched and reopened.
To the west of the town [2.5 mi (4.0 km)] is a large logistics and distribution centre calledMagna Park, which is the main source of employment in the Lutterworth area. Magna Park is built upon the site of the oldBitteswell aerodrome. Also near Lutterworth isStanford Hall.
A controversial issue in the town is how to manage the traffic flows emanating from Magna Park and the nearby M1 and A5 trunk roads. Approximately 3,000 heavy goods vehicles pass through the town every day and pollution levels are reported as being high.[11]
The Census 2011 summary also indicates an overall growth in residents' vehicles, which is likely to add to traffic and pollution concerns according to the Census summary.[12]
On the Greenacres housing estate in the town there was an estate public house, recently called "The Sir Frank Whittle" and previously called "The Balloon". This building was sold by the brewery to the Co-op who changed the use and structure of the premises to be the new Co-op store in the town. TheCo-op food store previously located on George Street closed, being replaced by a branch ofthe original factory shop,[13] in June 2014 coinciding with the opening of the new store.
Lutterworth lies on theA426 Leicester–Rugby road, adjacent to theM1 motorway at junction 20. It is also located within a few miles of theM6 motorway andA5 trunk road. A southern bypass, theA4303, was opened in 1999, providing a route for traffic from the M1 to the A5 to avoid Lutterworth town centre.
The nearest railway station to Lutterworth isRugby, about six miles to the south. The town formerly hadits own railway station on the formerGreat Central Main Line, which opened in 1899 and closed in 1969.[3]
Historically there were another two railway stations close to Lutterworth: The first wasUllesthorpe & Lutterworth, about 3 mi (4.8 km) to the north west, on the formerMidland Railway (later part of theLMS) line from Rugby toLeicester, closed on 1 January 1962. The second wasWelford & Kilworth, at one time known as Welford & Lutterworth, some 5 mi (8.0 km) east on theLondon & North Western Railway (also later LMS) line from Rugby toMarket Harborough andPeterborough, closed on 6 June 1966.
Arriva Midlands,Centrebus andFox Connect are the main operators of bus services around Lutterworth with services intoLeicester,Market Harborough,Rugby, andHinckley.
The town supports two individual local football teams :Lutterworth Athletic, who play at Hall Lane, andLutterworth Town, who play at Dunley Way, play in theMidland League Division One[14] and theUnited Counties League Premier South[15] respectively. Lutterworth Tennis Club is located just outside Lutterworth on Hall Lane. Banger Racing was staged on farmland adjacent to the Coventry Road (the A4303} until the late 1990s.
There are two primary schools in Lutterworth: John Wycliffe Primary School and Sherrier Primary School. Sherrier was originally housed in aVictorian building on Churchgate before moving to a new location on Bitteswell Road in 1983.[16] Sherrier featured on the BBC TV children's TV programmeBlue Peter on 5 February 2008.
The local secondary schools areLutterworth High School (for ages 11–16) on Woodway Road andLutterworth College (for ages 11–18) on Bitteswell Road, both of which achieve good results in applicable exams. A new Studio School calledSir Frank Whittle Studio School opened in 2015 (for ages 14–18) that offers purely vocational courses. In 2019 the Sir Frank Whittle Studio School closed due to a lack of students and minimal further interest, because of its proximity to Lutterworth college the building was incorporated into their site for the use of the sixth form.[17]
Feilding Palmer Hospital, run byLeicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is situated in the town. It has a ward which provides general rehabilitation and palliative and end of life care.[18] Under the Leicester, Leicestershire and RutlandSustainability and transformation plan it is proposed to close.[19]
The 1973 sitcomMe, myself and Nigel Wright was set in an ostrich farm near the town.[20]
Lutterworth istwinned with:[21]
... The school was formerly housed in a Victorian building in Churchgate before being amalgamated with the Infants on this site in 1983 ...
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