Lutterworth

Coordinates: 52°27′31″N 1°12′10″W / 52.4585°N 1.2029°W / 52.4585; -1.2029

Lutterworth
Market Street, Lutterworth
Lutterworth  Lutterworth shown within Leicestershire
Population	8,293 (2001[1])
OS grid reference	SP541848
Civil parish	Lutterworth
District	Harborough
Shire county	Leicestershire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LUTTERWORTH
Postcode district	LE17
Dialling code	01455
EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	South Leicestershire
Website	Lutterworth Town Council
List of places: UK • England • Leicestershire

Lutterworth is a market town and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Rugby, in Warwickshire and 24 km (15 mi) south of Leicester. It had a population of 8,293 in the 2001 UK census.

Transport

Lutterworth lies on the A426 Leicester–Rugby road, adjacent to the M1 motorway at junction 20. It is also located within a few miles of the M6 motorway and A5 trunk road. The town once had a station on the Great Central Railway; however, since its closure the nearest railway station is now at Rugby. A southern bypass, the A4303, was opened in 1999, providing a route for traffic from the M1 to the A5 to avoid Lutterworth town centre.

St Mary's Parish Church, Lutterworth

History

The name of Lutterworth is probably derived from the Old Norse name "Lutter's Vordig" meaning Luther's Farm.^[2] Lutterworth was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The town was granted its Market Charter in 1214 by King John and continues to hold a market to this day.

In the 14th century religious reformer Canon John Wyclif was Rector in Lutterworth's Parish Church of St Mary between 1374 and 1384, and it was here that he is traditionally believed to have produced the first translation of the Bible from Latin into English.

In the days of the stagecoach, Lutterworth was an important stopping-place on the road from Leicester to Oxford and London, and many former coaching inns remain in the town. The town also contains some historic half-timbered buildings, some of which date back to the 16th century.

Altogether three railway stations have borne the name Lutterworth, but only one was actually in the town. The first was "Ullesthorpe & Lutterworth", about 5 km (3.1 mi) to the north west, on the former Midland Railway (later part of the LMS) line from Rugby to Leicester, closed on 1 January 1962. The second was "Welford & Kilworth", at one time known as "Welford & Lutterworth", some 8 km (5.0 mi) east on the London and North Western Railway (also later LMS) line from Rugby to Market Harborough and Peterborough, closed on 6 June 1966. The third (the only one actually in Lutterworth) was on the Great Central Railway (later part of the LNER), the last main line to be constructed from the north of England to London, opened on 15 March 1899. Detractors of the Great Central point out that Lutterworth was the only town along its whole route not previously served directly by another line, and that the Great Central's presence had no real effect on the town, since it remained at roughly the same size throughout the line's existence, only growing substantially since the line's closure on 5 May 1969. {Disputed as the GC Rly directly contributed to the establishment of the Wycliffe Foundry - later called Folsain Wycliffe Foundry. Also the establisment of George Spencer knitwear "Vedonis" factory. Post WW2 the local council then Lutterworth Rural District Council, voted against accepting 'Birmingham Overspill' development the effect of which would have developed Lutterworth in a similar manner to nearby Daventry which was of similar size at that time.}

The architect of Lutterworth Town Hall was Joseph Hansom, who took out the first patent of the horse-drawn Hansom cab. He built Lutterworth's town hall as a prototype for his later design of Birmingham Town Hall.

The parish church is St Mary's.

Whittle memorial

Sir Frank Whittle

Lutterworth's other claim to fame is that Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine, developed some of the world's first jet engines at the British Thomson-Houston works in Lutterworth, and in nearby Rugby, during the late 1930s and the 1940s. The engine for the UK's first jet aeroplane, the Gloster E.28/39, was produced in Lutterworth. A statue of the plane stands in the middle of a roundabout just south of the town as a memorial. For many years there was a pub on Leicester Road called "The Frank Whittle". It was demolished in the 1990s and replaced with a car show room. During 2010 that showroom has also now been replaced with residential apartments. In the centre of the town on the Greenacres estate, the public house previously known as "The Balloon" has been renamed as "The Sir Frank Whittle" so the connection of the name to the town is intact.

The Cavalier Inn

One of the Established Landmarks of the town is the 17th century building on the corner of George Street and Leicester Road, a Tavern called The Cavalier Inn.

The Cavalier Inn (The Cav to its locals) is located just on the north edge of the town centre of Lutterworth and dates back to the 17th century. Although the building has been tastefully modified over the years, it still retains its rustic charm with granite walls and low ceilings and beams.

Originaly called "The Ram Inn" - that part of George Street was called Ram Lane- it changed it name in the early 1970s after a brewery 'make-over' which greatly improved the interior. It is said that the Brewery did not like the name Ram Inn and prudishly re-named it 'the Cavalier' after claims that wounded royalist soldiers sheltered in Lutterworth following the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

In October 2010 the landlady of 30 years elected to retire, and the pub has now closed. The building itself belongs to the local Co-op store and the future use of the building is yet to be decided. It is a listed building so the notable facade should be kept intact.

The Shambles Inn

Another of the Established Landmarks of the town centre is the Thatched roof & timber framed building now known as 'The Shambles' This former abattoir and butchers is the oldest timber-framed building in Lutterworth dating back to the 16th century, it was a first used as a public house in 1791 until 1840 it was then converted back to a home and butchers shop. In 1982 it was converted back into a public house and named the Shambles.

Local economy

Some 4 km (2.5 mi) to the west of the town is a large logistics and distribution centre called Magna Park, which is the main source of employment in the Lutterworth area. Magna Park is built upon the site of the old Bitteswell aerodrome. Also near Lutterworth is Stanford Hall.

It is a great controversy in the town how to manage the traffic flows emanating from Magna Park and the nearby M1 and A5 trunk roads. Some 3,000 heavy goods vehicles pass through the town every day and pollution levels are amongst the highest in the country. The town council has established a task group to try to resolve the issues surrounding the proposed Lutterworth Western Relief Road (or bypass) following extensive publicity in the local press.^[3]

There is a Co-op on George Street, and a Morrisons (formerly Safeway) on Bitteswell Road, as well as a Subway on the High Street. Waitrose opened on 11 March 2010 on a site previously occupied by Netto.^[4]

Lutterworth also houses the British Isles headquarters of Gideons International.^[5]

Education

The Victorian building that housed Sherrier Primary School until 1983.

Primary schools

There are two primary schools in Lutterworth: John Wycliffe Primary School and Sherrier Primary School. Sherrier was originally housed in a Victorian building on Churchgate before moving to a new location on Bitteswell Road in 1983.^[6] Sherrier featured on the BBC TV children's TV programme Blue Peter on 5 February 2008.

Secondary schools

The local secondary schools are Lutterworth High School (for ages 11–14) on Woodway Road and Lutterworth College (for ages 14–18) on Bitteswell Road, both of which achieve good results in applicable exams.

References

See also

• Bitteswell

External links

• Lutterworth Observer The Local Newspaper
• Lutterworth Community Website
• Lutterworth Online
• Lutterworth Town Council
• Magna Park
• Lutterworths Own Radio Station
• Lutterworth Rugby Club
• Golf Club
• The Cavalier Inn
• The Shambles Inn
• Knowhere Guide
• Library

• Rotary Club of Lutterworth Wycliffe