120-564: The Charnwood Forest Canal, sometimes known as the "Forest Line of the Leicester Navigation", was opened between Thringstone and Nanpantan , with a further connection to Barrow Hill, near Worthington , in 1794 It marks the beginning of a period of history that saw the introduction of railways to supplement canals and, in the end, superseding them, leading eventually to the Midland Counties Railway . It
240-606: A competitive advantage. The Nottinghamshire coal miners responded to this by proposing a railway line extending from the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway , which had been opened in 1819. This eventually led to the building of Midland Counties Railway , which became a founding partner in the Midland Railway . Subsequently the Charnwood Forest Railway (opened in 1883 and closed in 1963) took over part of
360-516: A demand from passengers came as something of a surprise to the directors, but a carriage was hastily built, and very soon the line was carrying about 60 passengers a day and their fares were repaying one per cent of the capital. In time, both first and second class was provided. On payment of the fare at the departure station, each passenger would receive a metal token marked with the destination. This would be given up on arrival and reused. Small four-wheeled wagons and coaches, painted plain blue, comprised
480-557: A gradient of 1 in 17 against the load The line was standard gauge, with fish-bellied rails on half-round oak cross-sleepers, but longitudinal timbers were used in Glenfield Tunnel. Construction began almost immediately but soon ran into trouble, particularly with the tunnel. Initial boring had suggested that it would not need a lining. However, it turned out that about 500 yards (460 m) would be through sand, requiring much more expensive construction, and in fact doubling
600-484: A hall and connecting corridor at the rear in 1975. The former Wesleyan chapel was occupied by a number of knitware companies before opening as The Chapel Fitness Centre in 1996. In August 2021 the Chapel closed for good and with the enclosed grounds was put up for sale In 1901 Charles Booth purchased an 18th-century farm house on The Green, known as 'Thringstone House', for the purpose of providing local inhabitants with
720-655: A junction with the 4 ft 2in gauge Ticknall Tramway at Worthington to the foot of the Swannington incline. Leleux states that it never made a physical connection with the L&;SR. However Hartley states that by November 1833 the first loads of coal from the Coleorton Railway were being worked up the Swannington incline, though by teams of horses due to problems with the winding engine., and Clinker states that L&SR traffic returns show 138 tons of coal from
840-529: A large influx of families from Scotland and north-east England into the village as a result of northern colliery transfers. This estate is characterised by its Caledonian road-names such as 'Melrose Road' and 'Elgin Walk' ('Shrewsbury Walk' is the anomaly, named in honour of Thringstone's longest serving vicar, who died in 1958). The Carterdale complex was also begun in the sixties and the Glebe Farm estate came in
960-444: A meeting place for social, recreational and educational activity. This venture, which became known as the 'Thringstone House Club', proved so successful that in 1911 Booth engaged his cousin, the architect Harry Fletcher of London to add the imposing two-storeyed hall to the rear of the premises and founded The Thringstone Trust, a registered charity. The Trust deed states that the institute and its grounds shall be used in perpetuity for
1080-462: A religious house, the priory came into the possession of the Beaumont family, who converted it into a residence, so that the few remaining ruins are partly medieval, but chiefly domestic Tudor (e.g. fireplaces and chimney-stacks). Francis Beaumont , the great Elizabethan dramatist, was born here in circa 1584. In the 1690s, the priory was acquired by Sir Ambrose Phillipps of Garendon Abbey, though by
1200-509: A remarkable 81 years. The large red-brick, six-bedroomed parsonage house (by Henry Robinson of Derby, 1878–79) was demolished in 1999 and the site has since been developed by the Badgers Croft complex. The vicarage has since transferred to Whitwick. There have only been nine Vicars of Thringstone in 140 years A primitive methodist chapel was opened on Loughborough Road, near to The Green, in 1863. A contemporary newspaper account of
1320-415: A setting where people attending activities in the centre can associate at the end of the evening. A warden is employed and has done much to develop activities in the centre. The association has adopted a development plan and is challenging itself to respond to the needs of a community hit hard by the closure of the coal pits and which is also seeing some growth as a number of new estates bring younger people to
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#17327696703361440-554: A sixteen-mile line could be built for £75,540. Subscriptions amounting to £58,250 were raised at this meeting. The remainder of the £90,000 necessary for the construction of was raised through Stephenson's financial contacts in Liverpool . The act of incorporation for the line, the Leicester and Swannington Railway Act 1830 ( 11 Geo. 4 & 1 Will. 4 . c. lviii), obtained royal assent on 29 May 1830. Authorised share capital
1560-404: A small hosiery factory until the 1980s, after which it was converted into a restaurant, operating under a succession of names, including Lal Quila (Indian); La Dolce Vita (Italian) and School Cross (English). For several years now, the building has been used as a residential home for adult individuals with learning disabilities. Small coal workings existed in the area from medieval times, but until
1680-523: A total of £140,000. The engineer for the railway was Robert Stephenson , with the assistance of Thomas Miles, while George Stephenson raised part of the capital for the line from businesspeople in Liverpool. The line was to run from West Bridge, in Leicester, at a location alongside the navigable River Soar; the intention was to be able to continue the transit of coal by water. The line was to run to
1800-553: Is a group of volunteers whose remit is to record flora and fauna, provide education in wood-lore and improve the habitat of the woods from the A512 ( Loughborough to Ashby Road), to Swannymote Road and Loughborough Road, Whitwick , with kind permission of the owner, Mr P de Lisle. Leicester and Swannington Railway The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&SR) was one of England's first railways, built to bring coal from West Leicestershire collieries to Leicester, where there
1920-462: Is a small cruciform structure built in 1862 entirely from Charnwood Forest stone in the Early English style. The building was designed by James Piers St Aubyn (1815–1895) and has an unusual plan, consisting of a broad nave with shallow transepts and a round-ended sanctuary, with a round-ended vestry on its north side. A small bell-cote containing one small bell sits at the western end of
2040-407: Is also aesthetically pleasing and the building is perhaps most commonly described as, 'pretty'. During the incumbency of Revd Alan Burgess, the church was provided with small extensions on its north side to incorporate kitchen and toilet facilities. The Victorian pipe organ of 1882 was also dismantled and its frontage refashioned to frame a replacement Allen electronic organ. The churchyard contains
2160-400: Is not part of a civil parish. The 2001 population of 4,325 compares with 901 in 1801 - the growth in population being a result of the industrial revolution, particularly local coal-mining . However, due to radical boundary changes in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such demographic comparatives relate to significantly different geographical areas. The most tangible way of understanding
2280-464: Is one of several buildings with Grade II listed status. Others are The Old Manor House on Brook Lane (formerly thatched, 17th century); Forest View House (adjoining the now demolished Rose and Crown public house on The Green, with blind central windows, possibly bricked up to avoid window tax , three-storeyed, 18th century); St Andrew's Church, Main Street (by St Aubyn, 1862; the tomb of Charles Booth in
2400-648: The Danelaw during the 9th century) with the Anglo-Saxon suffix, tun, meaning 'farm' or 'village' - hence Traengr's tun. Another source suggests that 'Thring' may mean land that was difficult to work. Thringstone is mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086 as the Derbyshire village of "Trangesbi". A water-mill existed here in the 13th century and survived till about 1935. Some dilapidated outbuildings and
2520-609: The English National Forest . Until 1875, Thringstone had been a township within the ancient parish of Whitwick . The township of Thringstone, based on a feudal ( manorial ) division of land carved out during the Anglo-Saxon period, comprised Thringstone village (then known as South Thringstone) and the hamlets of Peggs Green and Rotten Row in an area known as North Thringstone. Thringstone became an independent and autonomous civil parish in 1866, though this
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#17327696703362640-575: The Leicester and Swannington Railway was authorised, which greatly affected the transport situation in the area. The canal company was dismayed to receive a formal request by the Earl of Stamford that the Forest Line be put into good order to carry limestone . A proposal was drawn up to convert the canal to a wagonway or railway throughout and a bill was presented to parliament but was opposed and
2760-531: The Leicestershire pits were still unable to compete with their Derbyshire rivals and in February 1799 the canal's feeder reservoir at Blackbrook burst its banks following exceptionally severe frosts, causing much damage to the canal and surrounding countryside. That proved to be the last straw for the Leicestershire coal-owners and the getting of coal hereabouts was to remain a modest concern until
2880-529: The nave roof and a south porch was added in 1911, in memory of the first vicar, Edwin Samuel Crane, MA, designed by Thomas Ignatius McCarthy of Coalville. The church was paid for by grants and public subscription, zealously elicited by Francis Merewether, MA (Vicar of Whitwick and Rector of Coleorton ) and cost £750 12s, building work being undertaken by the firms of Messrs William Beckworth of Whitwick and Elliott of Ashby-de-la-Zouch/Burton. Merewether
3000-517: The "Bauble Yard". They also kept the Star Inn on Main Street. They made plates, jugs, views, egg-cups and other trinkets which were sold at the local monastery . Others were exported to America and some sold at fairs and at the seaside and the industry flourished for some years. It eventually came to an end around 1900 in the face of cheap imports from the European continent. Saint Andrew's Church
3120-496: The 1790s the buildings were ruinous, with only two sections still roofed. The village is bordered by the Grace Dieu and Cademan Woods. Grace Dieu Wood is traversed by the redundant track bed of the Charnwood Forest Railway , which also passes over an impressive six arch viaduct near the priory ruins. The woodland is noted for vast carpets of bluebells in spring and the railway was once referred to as 'the bluebell line'. There
3240-559: The 1980s. Thringstone was once the centre of another industry unique to this part of Leicestershire, and which still leaves its mark in the name of 'Bauble Yard'. Bauble was the local term for a variety of alabaster ornaments, some manufactured by John Tugby in around 1850 at Pegg's Green, which was then in Thringstone parish. The alabaster came from Derbyshire . Another bauble firm was Peters and Son, who came to Thringstone from Coleorton in 1870 and set up their works in what became
3360-590: The 20th century, the coalfield was hampered in its competition with the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire fields even for the Leicester market owing to poor transport facilities. Toward the end of the 18th century Joseph Boultbee, the tenant of collieries at Thringstone, and others fought to change this and were successful in getting opened the Charnwood Forest Canal between Thringstone and Nanpantan in 1794. Horse-drawn tramroads were built to transport coal mined at Swannington and Coleorton to
3480-645: The Booth family had left the area and it was impossible for them to maintain an active status as trustees. Trusteeship of the institute was transferred to the Leicestershire County Council . The institute is now known as the Thringstone House Community Centre and a member of the Booth family (James Gore Browne) remains as honorary president of the institute, which proudly lays claim to be the oldest of its kind in
3600-698: The Coleorton Railway were conveyed on the L&SR in November 1833 and assumes that this used the incline. The Coleorton Railway ceased working during 1860, and part of its course was operated as a siding from the Ashby to Derby line, which opened in 1874, following a similar alignment to the Ticknall Tramway. Other branches were made: they were the Bagworth Colliery branch, opened in July 1832;
3720-603: The Ibstock Colliery branch, opened in 1832; the Long Lane (Whitwick) Colliery branch, opened in 1833; and a branch to Snibston Colliery, opened in 1833. Two further branches to Snibston were built up to 1850; they were followed later by the Nailstone Colliery branch, opened in 1866, and Ellistown Colliery Branch, opened about 1875–1876. Five locomotives were built by Robert Stephenson and Company for
Charnwood Forest Canal - Misplaced Pages Continue
3840-455: The L&SR on 1 January 1847. The Midland Railway had acquired 16 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles of railway, eight locomotives, six carriages, and twelve goods vehicles. The line was not physically connected to any other railway. In July 1847 the Midland got Parliamentary authorisation to make a new railway from Leicester to Burton, incorporating part of the L&SR into the route. The L&SR
3960-473: The L&SR. They made a generous offer and they took possession in 1847. At first the Midland Railway line and the L&SR were not connected, but the Midland Railway constructed a route from its main line to Burton, using part of the L&SR. The MR by-passed the inclines for its new route, but most of the other parts of the L&SR continued in use until 1966. The MR Burton line continues in use at
4080-570: The Lord of the Manor is recorded as T. Boultbee, Esq. Population would have grown significantly during the 18th century, when Thringstone and Whitwick became concerned with the framework knitting industry. The work was carried by journeymen to and from the manufacturers in Loughborough and Shepshed . In 1844, Thringstone is recorded as having 160 frames. In 1776, the workhouse at Thringstone
4200-419: The Midland Railway supplied a proper branch train of six-wheel carriages hauled by a Midland 0-6-0 tender locomotive. The cross-sleepers were found to cause difficulties, especially in cuttings, and some sections were replaced with stone blocks. However the stone blocks required constant packing to maintain line, level and gauge, and were considered to be harder riding than timber sleepers. Nevertheless, some of
4320-548: The Midland Railway, successor to the Midland Counties Railway, made an offer to purchase the L&SR. The motivation of the Midland Railway was partly to exclude competing railways that might take on the L&SR. The offer was excellent, and the L&SR shareholders agreed on 20 August 1845. The Midland Railway (Leicester and Swannington Railway Purchase) Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. ccxliii) ratified it as from 27 July 1846. The Midland began working
4440-624: The Midland counties, and only the second south of Manchester, after the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway . A second act for the company, the Leicester and Swannington Railway Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4 . c. lxix), was obtained on 10 June 1833 giving authority to increase the share capital by £10,000. There was a third act of 30 June 1837, the Leicester and Swannington Railway Company Act 1837 ( 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. lxvi), which authorised £40,000 increase in share capital, making
4560-839: The Old Groby Quarry, close to the centre of Groby village. Later extensions linked to other quarries in and near Groby: the Castle Hill Quarry (after 1870), the Bunney Hill Quarry, the Sheet Hedges Wood Quarry (1890s), and the Dowry Quarry (1907 to 1916). The wagons were hauled by a stationary engine at the summit of the hill beside the Ratby Road. The loaded wagons were pulled there from the quarries and then they ran downhill to
4680-569: The Royal Fusiliers in 1880, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War . In 2003, the building's impressive truss rafter roof was restored to its original appearance, having been substantially boarded over in 1952 as part of a cost-cutting exercise. The roof and the building's semi-circular sanctuary combine to afford an extremely attractive interior, whilst externally, the building's simple pointed style and use of local granite
4800-670: The Soar Navigation from Loughborough to Leicester , and to build the Forest Line. The considerable height difference between Nanpantan and Loughborough would have required a number of locks, for which there was not enough water, so the canal terminated at Nanpantan where goods had to be transhipped onto a horse-drawn wagonway which connected to Loughborough wharf . The tramway was engineered by William Jessop who used an iron edge-rail railway, in contrast to his partner Benjamin Outram , who, for other such lines, preferred
4920-664: The Stordon Grange moated farmhouse (to Osgathorpe) and the Thringstone Smock Mill (to Swannington, and now known as the Hough Windmill). Following World War II, Thringstone village grew massively due to homogeneous estate housing developments. The Booth Road area was begun in the forties, followed shortly afterward by the Hensons Lane prefabs. The Woodside Estate was completed in 1964, bringing
Charnwood Forest Canal - Misplaced Pages Continue
5040-535: The War Memorial Window, unveiled in 1920 by Lt Col Tom Booth DSO of Gracedieu Manor. This window was originally intended as a personal memorial to Theophilus Jones, the Thringstone headmaster and depicts St Alban (Britain's first Christian martyr). This subject would almost certainly have been chosen to parallel Mr Jones' equally unenviable place in British history: he is commonly believed to have been
5160-474: The Whitwick tithes, refused to pay, was arrested, but on paying a fine was pardoned and released. In 1462, King Edward IV granted land at Thringstone previously in the possession of John Beaumont to Richard Hastings. However the manor was back with the Beaumont family by 1494, when Thomas Beaumont was in possession and by 1550 it had passed to another John Beaumont. In 1552, this Beaumont, who had been given
5280-416: The area following the opening of large collieries, Merewether was motivated to build the church (and also a school) to help counteract the perceived papist revival. Merewether - along with Sir G H Beaumont (ninth Baronet of Coleorton Hall) - was the chief benefactor of Saint Andrew's Church, each donating £100. Until 1875, the building acted as a chapel of ease to Whitwick and was served by curates under
5400-446: The area known as "Rotten Row". But by far the most radical geographical and social changes to the village came during the 20th century, beginning in the years after World War I . In April 1936, Thringstone Civil Parish was dissolved and outlying parts of the township were transferred to Belton (68 acres), Coleorton (98 acres), Osgathorpe (482 acres), Swannington (70 acres) and Worthington (12 acres). The remainder of Thringstone (142 acres)
5520-509: The arrival of the Leicester and Swannington Railway some thirty years later. The expansion of the local coal-mining industry from around 1830 onward had a big impact on population. The population of Thringstone in 1801 was 901. This had grown to 1,298 by 1851, of which some 52% were non-native to the village, having migrated here from other areas. The coal-mining era came to an end in North West Leicestershire during
5640-539: The authorised line was called for. In addition, a rebate was offered to other coal owners whose workings were near to the open section but not connected by rail; the rebate was in recognition of the cost of road transport from those pits to the railway, and of the breakage of coal due to the additional transhipment. The rebate proved very effective and those pits forwarded considerably increased quantities. The usual train consisted of twenty-four wagons of 32 long hundredweight (1.6 t ) each. The idea that there would be
5760-413: The benefit of the inhabitants of Thringstone and the surrounding parishes of Whitwick , Swannington , Worthington , Osgathorpe , Coleorton and Belton . Booth bestowed an endowment of £3000 and a further endowment of £400 was later made by Mrs Booth for the women's section. By 1950, trust monies left by the Booth family were insufficient for all that was needed in changed times; moreover, members of
5880-609: The canal wharf at Thringstone Bridge, and once at the Nanpantan terminus the coal was re-loaded on to a further stretch of tramroad to take it to the main navigation at Loughborough . These railroads are said to have been the first in the world to use the standard gauge, and a deep cutting left by one of its branches can still be found in the field at the back of the Glebe Road housing estate in Thringstone. The cost of three transhipments of coal between trucks and barges meant that
6000-545: The cart driver, and the engine struck it. Mr Baxter the line manager suggested the use of a steam trumpet or whistle and by Mr George Stephenson's instructions such an appliance was at once constructed by a local musical instrument maker and it worked satisfactorily. If this is factual, it would appear to be the creation of the first steam whistle. However many factories used steam power supplied by stationary steam engines to drive mill machinery, and it seems remarkable that steam whistles had not been in use to indicate for example
6120-644: The chapels at Thringstone became known respectively as the Loughborough Road and Main Street Methodist Churches. This arrangement was continued until about 1964, at which point the old Wesleyan chapel was sold off for industrial usage. The Loughborough Road Church was then used by the amalgamated congregations and still exists as the Thringstone Methodist Church. This premises was extended by the addition of
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#17327696703366240-659: The church building itself. Elsewhere, a plaque to Booth's memory can be found in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral London. Booth purchased a copy of Holman Hunt's famous painting, The Light of the World and presented it to the cathedral in 1904. Holman Hunt's widow was among hundreds of mourners at Booth's funeral in 1916. Buried in the graveyard are the first two Vicars of St Andrews Church - Edwin Samuel Crane MA (1845–1907) and his eventual son-in-law, Cheverton Shrewsbury MA (1872–1958), whose combined incumbency spanned
6360-486: The church yard is also a listed monument); Lily Bank Farmhouse (17th/18th century) and Lily Bank Dovecote to the rear (18th century). Some of these, and other houses and buildings of interest in the village, have recently been provided with blue plaques. The old schoolhouse on Main Street was built in 1844 on land donated by E. M. Green, Esq.; a plaque can still be seen above the main entrance reading, 'Fear God Honour The King. South Thringstone National School. AD 1844'. This
6480-404: The colliery owners. There was to be one tunnel, at Glenfield , just over a mile in length. Nine underbridges and one overbridge would be needed, and sixteen level crossings over public roads. The line was to be single throughout, except at stations. The terrain was difficult, and due to the limited power of locomotives at the time, the line was built with two rope-worked inclined planes. One
6600-503: The commissioners appointed to visit Gracedieu Priory following its dissolution, by buying the nunnery buildings at his own valuation. When his misbehaviour at the Treasury was uncovered twenty years later, Gracedieu was also granted to the Earl of Huntingdon, though Beaumont's widow managed to regain possession of it in 1574. The Manor of Thringstone is recorded as having been the property of Henry, Earl of Huntingdon in 1640. A return of
6720-549: The community. Thringstone is represented on the North West Leicestershire District Council by David Everitt and Leon Spence, who maintain the village's long tradition of electing Labour candidates. Since May 2013 Thringstone is also represented at County Council level by Leon Spence, as part of the Whitwick electoral division. The late Mr Walter Johnson and Mrs Agnes Smith served as district councillors for Thringstone for many years during
6840-600: The company saying that he would be willing to make a line from the Coleorton colliery area to the L&SR at Peggs Green if the L&SR would meet the parliamentary costs of obtaining an authorising act of Parliament. The L&SR agreed to this arrangement and the Coleorton Railway received its authorising act of Parliament, the Coleorton Railway Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4 . c. lxxi), on 10 June 1833. It opened in 1834, using horse traction. It ran from
6960-466: The completion of the Grand Union Canal towards Rugby – were all supportive of Leicester's development. As early as 1790 a railway connection from Swannington was proposed: [On 12 July 1790] a meeting was held at the castle of Leicester in order finally to determine upon a general plan of navigation in this country. Lord Rawdon opened the business of the meeting... and laid before them
7080-511: The country. The centre is administered according to the aims and objects of the Thringstone Community Association. It has a strong educational focus and a clear sense of having a community development role. Architecturally, the community centre buildings have a great deal of character, comprising a gabled, white-washed 17th-century farmhouse fronting The Green with, at the rear, a large two-storeyed hall overlooking
7200-508: The descent occupying eight or nine minutes. The Swannington incline was 48 chains in length on a gradient of 1 in 17. It was operated by a stationary steam engine. The engine developed problems at the end of November 1833, and arrangements were had to be made to get horses to haul wagons up the incline. The working of the incline was entirely suspended on 7 March 1834, when the Breedon Hill lime and Peggs Green coal traffics stopped using
7320-435: The directors, the company's only open second-class carriage and ten new coal wagons with improvised seats, conveying in all about 400 passengers. It left West Bridge at 10:00 and reached Bagworth at 11:00 "A slight delay was caused by the engine chimney striking the roof of the tunnel at a point where the platelayers had temporarily raised the track to pack a 'low' place. The train was halted specially at Glenfield Brook to enable
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#17327696703367440-543: The end of November 1833. There had previously been plans to extend at Leicester across the Leicester Canal to Soar Lane. The decision was taken to revive the Soar Lane branch on 22 October 1832. On 10 June 1833 the necessary act of Parliament was secured; an opening bridge was required over the Leicester Canal. The branch was brought into use on 4 October 1834. The Bagworth incline was 43 chains in length and
7560-460: The estimated cost of the tunnel. During its construction, on 5 April 1831, one of the contractors, Daniel Jowett, fell down a working shaft and was killed. Three separate contractors gave up their contracts and had to be replaced. The novelty of a tunnel attracted the interest of local people and in March 1832 temporary gates were placed at the entrances "so as to keep out intruders on Sundays until
7680-688: The fallen are commemorated on a brass tablet and a second tablet was added in 1948 to commemorate the four men from the parish who died in World War II. Relatively few men from the Thringstone district enlisted in the armed services during World War II due to the country's need for increased coal production. Another military hero, Thomas Elsdon Ashford V.C. was married in Thringstone Church to Betsy Ann Sisson in 1891. Elsdon had been decorated with Britain's highest military honour following an act of bravery whilst serving as private soldier in
7800-535: The first soldier to be killed on home soil during World War I, being killed during the German Bombardment of the Hartlepools , 16 December 1914. [Other sources suggest that he was amongst the first four to be killed during this particular incident]. By the end of World War I, a further 26 men from the parish had fallen, and it was decided to dedicate the window to their collective memory. The names of
7920-479: The gradient 1 in 29. It was self-acting: the loaded wagons descended by gravity, pulling up the lighter, empty ones by means of a hemp rope. The rope passed around a large horizontal pulley at the top. When a train from Leicester arrived at the Bagworth station at the foot of the incline, the locomotive was detached and the empty wagons connected to the rope. The loaded waggons had been brought by another locomotive to
8040-558: The graves of at least twenty-three men and boys who died through accidents in the local coal mining industry. Youngest of these was John Albert Gee (aged 13), who - along with 34 others - lost his life in the Whitwick Colliery Disaster of 1898. Also in the churchyard is the final resting place of the Rt Hon Charles Booth PC (1840–1916), the philanthropist and pioneer of old age pensions. Mr Booth
8160-563: The idea and even came to consider a canal of their own linked to either Loughborough or the proposed Ashby Canal . By 1790 serious opposition to a branch canal from Loughborough to the coal field, known as the "Forest Line", had been won over and the following year the Leicester Navigation Company obtained an act of parliament , the Leicester Navigation Act 1791 ( 31 Geo. 3 . c. 65) to extend
8280-446: The junction with L&SR, speed being controlled by a brakesman. Two horses were aboard for the downhill journey; they drew empty wagons back up the incline. Sir George Beaumont owned lands and colliery workings at Coleorton, to the northwest of Swannington. He had anticipated that the Leicester and Swannington Railway would be extended to Coleorton, but the L&SR directors decided not to do so. On 28 September 1832 Beaumont wrote to
8400-522: The jurisdiction of the Whitwick vicars. Thringstone became an independent ecclesiastical parish on 29 October 1875, since which time there have been nine incumbents. Despite becoming a parish in its own right, the church at Thringstone retained the ecclesiastical title, Whitwick Saint Andrew-cum-Thringstone until the 1980s. The church is one of forty-two nationally in the patronage of Her Majesty The Queen (in Right of her Duchy of Lancaster ). The church contains some stained glass by Kempe and Co, including
8520-435: The line. The first was Comet , shipped from the works by sea and canal. The second engine, Phoenix , was delivered in 1832; both had four-coupled wheels. Phoenix was sold in 1835 to work in the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway . The next were Samson and Goliath , delivered in 1833. They were initially four-coupled, but were extremely unstable and a pair of trailing wheels were added. This 0-4-2 formation
8640-467: The magnitude of the undertaking: Although but a single line 16 miles long, it was only the fifth line to be authorised in England and was opened six years before Birmingham was connected to London by rail. The Glenfield Tunnel was by any standard a major undertaking, and in 1830 called for great courage on the part of the engineer and the proprietors. When completed it was the first locomotive railway in
8760-729: The most haunted locations in Leicestershire due to the site's association with a 'White Lady' apparition, most commonly seen drifting across the A512. The most famous sighting is said to have occurred in 1954, when a 'bus driver is said to have stopped to pick up a woman waiting by the shelter opposite the ruins, only to find on drawing up his vehicle that she had vanished. Sightings of unexplained phenomena in this area are well documented and are also referred to in Paul Devereux's book, 'Earth Lights' (1982) Following its dissolution as
8880-481: The north end of Swannington village, together with three colliery branches, to Whitwick , Ibstock and Bagworth . In addition there was to be a branch in Leicester to the North Bridge, although that was never made. The colliery branches, and the land acquisition for them, were authorised by the Leicester and Swannington Railway Act 1830, but the actual construction of them would be the financial responsibility of
9000-505: The office of Master of the Rolls, was 'discovered to have grossly wronged the King', having purchased for himself lands with royal funds, amongst a host of other dishonest deeds. Beaumont subsequently surrendered his possessions to the King and in 1553, the Manor of Thringstone was granted to Francis, Earl of Huntingdon. It was this same John Beaumont who, in 1534, had abused his position as one of
9120-527: The old dry mill race remain. Grace Dieu Priory was built at about the same time. In 1309 the Manor of Thringstone passed into the hands of one Robert Tebbe. In 1360, it is recorded that Adam, son of Robert Tebbe, was the owner of the Manor and water-mill of Thringstone. In 1391, Henry Tebbe of 'Threnguston' had a violent quarrel with the Benedictine priory of Upholland in Wigan . Tebbe, who farmed part of
9240-640: The opening of the Erewash Canal the following year allowed a ready supply of coal from the Nottinghamshire coalfields into Leicestershire at reduced prices. In 1785, proposals to extend the Loughborough Canal south from Loughborough to Leicester were opposed by the influential Leicestershire coalmasters, even when a canal linking the mining area to the canal at Loughborough was also proposed. Gradually, however, they warmed to
9360-400: The opening reads, 'the comfort of the worshippers has been taken into account by the introduction of two gas stoves... and the chapel is to be lighted with a handsome gas chandelier of twelve burners'. The erection of the primitive chapel was followed by the opening of a Wesleyan Methodist chapel almost directly opposite in 1872. The two movements were united nationally in 1932, after which time
9480-538: The outline of a plan, viz., the [River] Soar to be made navigable to Loughborough , and a cut, or railway, from Swannington and the neighbourhood to the Bason at Loughborough. In the 1820s the Leicester Navigation was carrying 56,000 tons of coal annually for Leicester and 59,000 tons for other markets. There was good quality coal nearby around Swannington but no usable transport link, so it was cheaper to bring coal thirty miles by canal from South Derbyshire. William Stenson
9600-416: The passenger carriage was attached to these and the corresponding return loaded trips. Apparently, special passenger trips were run for a few weeks after opening, until the novelty of a train journey had worn off. At first only Bagworth colliery was connected to the line, and accordingly income from mineral traffic was far below what was planned. Pressing ahead with the construction of the northern section of
9720-424: The passengers, especially the ladies, to remove the effects of the enforced sojourn in the tunnel." The return journey conveyed two wagons of coal in addition. The general public were able to travel to Bagworth and back by a second special train at 16:30. On the next day, the ordinary train service started; this usually consisted of three empty wagon trains each weekday, leaving West Bridge at 08:00, 13:00 and 16:30;
9840-507: The permanent gates can be put up". A formal opening of the first part of the line took place on 17 July 1832; a passenger journey for proprietors and directors and their friends only, ran from the West Bridge terminus in Leicester to the summit level at Staunton Road crossing, a distance of 11 miles 55 chains (19 km). The inaugural train was drawn by the locomotive Comet and consisted of an open wagon specially covered in for use of
9960-415: The population growth relevant to the place defined as Thringstone since World War II is that evidenced by large-scale residential development in the village proper, from the late nineteenth century. If it were not for the evolution of the coal-mining industry and related migration, it is quite probable that the village would have remained a rural and sparsely populated community. A notable demographic impact on
10080-618: The present day. The industry of Leicester was dominant in the county and the region generally, but it was limited by poor transport links. The developing industry brought about a huge demand for coal. During the closing years of the eighteenth century, the opening of turnpikes , and improvements to the River Soar – the Loughborough Navigation in 1778; the Leicester Navigation in 1791) and then in 1814
10200-483: The railways in protest against a rate increase. However the traffic resumed on 11 May. Traffic at Swannington was never heavy, and the collieries there were soon worked out. The Coleorton Railway had been made to bring coal and other minerals from Worthington to Swannington, being transshipped to the L&SR, but this traffic ceased in 1860. Calcutta Colliery was the last to be closed, in 1892, but it had to continue being pumped out to prevent inundation of other pits in
10320-436: The rolling stock. For many years facilities for passengers remained primitive; tickets were procured at local inns; passenger carriages were attached to goods trains. At West Bridge carriages were drawn into a siding by horses once they had been detached from the goods wagons. It was well into the 1870s before a platform was provided, and the conveyance of passengers at the rear of coal trains continued until 1887. From that time
10440-527: The route of the Forest Line between Grace-Dieu and Shepshed , including the aqueduct over the Blackbrook. Remains of the canal can still be seen in places, particularly: 52°45.4′N 1°20.0′W / 52.7567°N 1.3333°W / 52.7567; -1.3333 Thringstone Thringstone is a village in the North West Leicestershire district, in Leicestershire , England. About 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Coalville , it lies in
10560-399: The rural valley of Thringstone Brook. The hall carries a louvred ventilation turret on its western gable which, together with brick buttresses erected to reinforce the north and south walls in the late 20th century, gives the building a distinctly ecclesiastical appearance. Today, there is a great deal of involvement from local people. The centre has a bar which is open every evening providing
10680-498: The same day as the Leicester and Swannington Railway, joining the line about halfway between Glenfield and Ratby. The junction was made by a turntable into a loop siding off the L&SR main line. The branch closed around 1843. After the L&SR had been upgraded by the Midland Railway, the Groby branch was re-opened around 1866–1870. A proper running junction with sidings was put in place. The branch ran northward for over three miles, to
10800-410: The same degree as parts of Whitwick, Snibston and Hugglescote. A walk along Brook Lane, The Green, Main Street and Lily Bank reveals some pleasing domestic architecture, ranging from the 17th century to present day. One of the oldest properties - The Gables on Main Street is thought to date from the mid-17th century and an extension to the west bears the date, 1682, carved into a stone recess. The Gables
10920-470: The seventies, with the Springfield development arriving in the eighties. To some extent, Thringstone has become an extension of Coalville (within living memory, it was relatively isolated) although, thanks to contiguity with Gracedieu Wood and the preservation of other greenbelt areas, it manages to retain something of an individual identity and has not been absorbed into the urban sprawl of Coalville to
11040-487: The start and end of the working day. Clinker is dismissive of this story for several reasons; in particular the board minutes recorded considerable detail of trivial events, yet this is not reported. The L&SR had not faced competition for some time, but in 1835 the Midland Counties Railway was proposed, for a line from collieries in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to Leicester and Rugby. The Midland Counties Railway
11160-475: The stone blocks continued in use until at least 1885. The remainder of the line from Staunton Road to Ashby Road opened on 1 February 1833 or a few days before that. From Ashby Road to Long Lane, Coalville, was opened on 22 April 1833 for coal traffic and on 27 April 1833 for passengers, completing the intended extent of passenger operation, as from that point to Swannington would be used for mineral traffic only. The continuation to Swannington probably opened at
11280-450: The top, and they were attached to the other end of this rope. Their greater weight pulled the empty ones to the top. In the middle of the incline there was a passing place and from this loop to the top there were three rails, the centre rail being common to both up and down movements; the object of this was to account for the width of the wheel and the position of the rope. 10 or 12 loaded waggons of about 6 tonnes each were run down at one time
11400-399: The traditional iron L-shaped flange-rail plateway . Wagonways also linked the other terminus of the Forest Line at Thringstone to the coal mines and to the limestone quarries at Barrow Hill and Cloud Hill. Considerable difficulties were encountered in constructing both the Soar Navigation and the Forest Line, and it was not until 1794 that they were both opened. Use of the Forest Line
11520-409: The twentieth century; Mr Johnson was the grandfather of current Thringstone Councillor, Leon Spence. The ruins of Grace Dieu Priory stand on the outskirts of Thringstone in a valley bounded by a small brook (Grace Dieu Brook) at the edge of Cademan Wood, part of Charnwood Forest , and situated on the A512 road from Loughborough to Ashby de la Zouch , Leicestershire . The ruins are known as one of
11640-403: The vicinity. Coal was brought down the incline for the pumping engine, until electric pumps were installed in 1947, and the incline was closed on 14 November 1947. In 1843 a serious accident took place on the Bagworth incline. A train of goods wagons and an empty passenger carriage was being lowered down the incline when it slipped from the incline rope, and ran at high speed down the incline and
11760-582: The village, connected with coal-mining, also occurred during the 1960s, when many families migrated to the village from Scotland and the North East of England as a result colliery transfers, resulting in the creation of the Woodside Estate. Following the demise of the local coal-mining industry, population has been sustained due to the development of alternative commerce in nearby towns and cities, easily accessed by improvement in transport. Lying on
11880-587: The western fringe of Charnwood Forest is a geological structure, not exposed at the surface, known as the Thringstone Fault . Formed during prehistoric volcanic times, the fault runs from Bardon Hill to Ticknall and forms an abrupt boundary to the eastern part of the Leicestershire and South Derbyshire coalfield. The name Thringstone is probably derived from an amalgamation of the Danish ( Viking ) personal name, Traengr (this area having come under
12000-729: The year 1564 states that there were in that year 26 families in Thringston (sic), 17 in Whitwick and 25 in Swannington . The district had been devastated by the Black Death a century before, and this accounts for the very small population. In 1846 it is recorded that "J. Boultbee, Esq., is lord of the manor; but the greater part of the soil belongs to E. Dawson, Esq., and the Cropper, Piddocke, Green and other families". In 1871,
12120-400: Was Atlas, the first ever six-coupled inside cylinder design. These engines were more stable than their outside cylindered counterparts. So far all the engines had been provided by Stephenson, but the directors decided to try one of Edward Bury 's locomotives. An 0-4-0 , Liverpool, was delivered in 1834 but it proved unequal to the loads hauled by Atlas. The next engine bought for the line
12240-462: Was Vulcan, an 0-6-0 by Tayleur and Company . The last two were constructed by the Haigh Foundry , Ajax , 0-4-2 and Hector , 0-6-0 . The historian Clement Stretton relates that towards the close of the year 1833 a collision took place between a train at a cart crossing the line near Thornton. The engine was “Samson”. The engine driver had a horn but could not attract the attention of
12360-429: Was a Church of England school until transferred to Leicestershire County Council in 1950. Few buildings can have had such varied usage as this over the years: the building was originally also used for Anglican services on Sundays, until the parish church of Saint Andrew was opened in 1862. A new county school was built off John Henson's Lane in 1967, at which point the old premises was sold for industrial usage. It served as
12480-408: Was a regular worshipper at St Andrews Church and two of his daughters were married here He is buried with his wife, Mary Catherine (1847–1939), who was one of the distinguished Macaulay family and their simple, recumbent marble tombstone carries a inscription, raised in lead, summarising Booth's work and which is often sought out by visitors. The tomb was designated a listed monument in 2002, along with
12600-433: Was a theologian of markedly low church views who preached and wrote prolifically against Ambrose de Lisle's Roman Catholic mission and was incensed by such developments as the founding of Mount Saint Bernard Monastery in his parish and the opening of a Roman Catholic day school at Turry Log, within the township of Thringstone, in 1843. There can be little doubt that, quite apart from the rapid population growth that affected
12720-655: Was also one of the first uses of edge-rails for a wagonway . (This should not be confused with the Charnwood Forest Railway .) Until the end of the eighteenth century the City of Leicester had received its supplies of coal by packhorse from the Charnwood Forest coal mines around Swannington . However, in 1778, the Loughborough Canal opened up the River Soar from the Trent to Loughborough , and
12840-408: Was also used for Hercules, the next engine to enter service. These were the first six-wheeled goods engines with inside cylinders and, after the flanges were taken off the centre pairs of wheels, were so satisfactory, that Stephenson decided never to build another four-wheeled engine. By 1834, traffic had increased to such an extent that more powerful engines were needed and the next to be delivered
12960-485: Was at Bagworth; on a gradient of 1 in 29 it was self-acting, loaded wagons descending pulling up empty wagons. Originally it was to have been powered by a stationary steam engine. The top level was the summit of the line at an altitude of 565 feet (172m). The engine was built by the Horseley Coal and Iron Company ., and was equipped with a very early example of a piston valve . The other was near Swannington, on
13080-409: Was authorised on 21 June 1836. The line opened on 4 May 1840. The Leicester Navigation immediately suffered from the competition and lowered its rates considerably. This put the cost of coal from those regions below that for which West Leicestershire products could be sold, forcing their owners to reduce their own prices. The L&SR was in turmoil, looking for an alternative business, and in 1845
13200-436: Was dissolved on 1 April 1936 when outlying parts of the parish were transferred to Belton , Coleorton , Osgathorpe , Swannington and Worthington and the remainder was transferred to the civil parish and Urban District of Coalville. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1,566. The geographical area known as Thringstone today bears little resemblance to that known as Thringstone before World War II . In 2023, Thringstone
13320-569: Was engaged on the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway . Stephenson and his son Robert Stephenson , then 25, visited Leicester by invitation in the Autumn of 1828. George Stephenson agreed to become involved in making a railway line from Swannington to Leicester; the first formal meeting to project the line was held at the Bell Inn in Leicester on 12 February 1829. At a further meeting on 24 June 1829, Robert Stephenson stated that
13440-409: Was great industrial demand for coal. The line opened in 1832, and included a tunnel over a mile in length, and two rope-worked inclined planes; elsewhere it was locomotive-operated, and it carried passengers. When it was built, the L&SR was the only railway in the area, but the Midland Railway (MR) was formed and had a main line through Leicester, opened in 1840 and its directors decided to acquire
13560-500: Was limited until the Blackbrook Reservoir feeder was finished. During the floods of 1799 this collapsed, destroying some earthworks and an aqueduct, and the canal went out of use for two years. Even after some repairs were carried out, further damage occurred and what little trade there had been did not return. Stevenson suggests "the problems ... stemmed partially from the hybrid nature of its construction." That is, it
13680-420: Was not passed. The company tried to sell off the land of the canal piecemeal but this was deemed to be illegal without an act of parliament . In the end a landowner who wanted to buy some of the land agreed to pay for a private bill and the Forest Line was officially abandoned in 1846. It was not until 1832 that the opening of the Leicester and Swannington Railway allowed the Leicestershire miners to regain
13800-441: Was noted as being capable of receiving thirty persons. The expansion of the local coal mining industry, beginning in the first third of the 19th century, induced still further demographic change and the population had grown from a figure of 901 in 1801 to 1,298 by 1851, of which some 52% was non-native to the village, having migrated here from other areas. In 1885, the parish was reduced in size to enlarge Coleorton Civil Parish with
13920-431: Was part canal, part wagonway . However, note that Griffin has suggested that technical, financial and legal problems at the coal mines served by the canal caused the amount of coal to be carried to be reduced to uneconomic levels. In 1808 the company sought to abandon the Forest Line but were advised that this would require a costly act of parliament , so they turned this down, and the unused canal became derelict. In 1830
14040-467: Was part-owner of Long Lane Pit near Whitwick (close to present-day Coalville ). Frustrated by the situation, he visited the industrial north-east of England in 1827 and observed the success of the Stockton and Darlington Railway . Seeing a railway as a solution to his local difficulty, he enlisted the support of the wealthy weaver John Ellis , and together they travelled to see George Stephenson , who
14160-628: Was transferred to the Urban District and Civil Parish of Coalville. Thus, the old parish of Thringstone had a much larger area than that known as Thringstone today, having also included the hamlet of Peggs Green . The village proper that we now refer to simply as 'Thringstone', was at that time referred to as 'South Thringstone', with outlying parts known as 'North Thringstone'. The boundary changes, dissolving an ancient manorial division of land, meant two notable landmarks formerly classed as being in Thringstone were ceded to other villages - namely
14280-402: Was wrecked. The company decided to discontinue the use of the incline for passenger traffic. Passengers had to disembark from their trains and walk up or down the incline to rejoin the train. The L&SR did not make any branch lines itself, although from the beginning, mine and quarry owners were encouraged to make their own connecting mineral lines from their workings. This branch opened on
14400-544: Was £90,000. The act prescribed that the company might carry goods, that is, operate as a carrier and not merely as a provider of the route for independent carriers. George Stephenson was consulted about the track gauge to be selected for the line, as compared to that of the Canterbury and Whitstable line, and is quoted as saying: "Make them of the same width; though they may be a long way apart now, depend upon it they will be joined together some day." Williams stresses
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