Blaby

Blaby (/ˈbleɪbi/)[1] is a village in the Blaby District in central Leicestershire, England, some five miles south of Leicester city centre. It has population of around 6,240 (2001 figures), falling slightly to 6,194 at the 2011 census, and its proximity to the city causes it to form part of the Leicester Urban Area.

This article is about the village. For the constituency, see Blaby (UK Parliament constituency). For the district, see Blaby District.

Blaby

Blaby Post Office and The George pub (now named the Fox and Tiger)
Blaby
Location within Leicestershire
Population6,194 
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEICESTER
Postcode districtLE8
PoliceLeicestershire
FireLeicestershire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament

Its name probably came Old Norse Blábýr = "farmstead or village belonging to a man named Blár" (where the -r is a case ending). There seems to have been a dense patch of Viking settlement in Leicestershire, although some records in the Blaby Library indicate the origin of the village's name was from the first vicar. Twinned with the village of Villers-sous-Saint-Leu in France.

Buildings
All Saints, the parish church

While there are few buildings of outstanding historical or architectural interest, old Blaby is a conservation area. It contains some ancient and picturesque dwellings and has a charming 'olde worlde' feel. Old Blaby also contains The Baker's Arms, a thatched public house that dates back to 1484. The other public houses to be found in Blaby are The Fox & Tiger, The Bulls Head and The Black Horse. The Tom Thumb has been sold from Everards brewery and had planning permission granted to build 10 dwellings in its place. The Egyptian Queen has now been demolished. One of the two old schools in Blaby is Park (Parkwood) House; the other is in the surrounding area near the parish church.

Parks

To the south of the Bakers Arms stands Bouskell Park, with a 19th-century ice house and car parking. There are also Northfield Park, used for football, cricket, fetes and fairs, and Oakfield Park, located off Hospital Lane.

Shops

Most shops and amenities stand on the old A426 road between Leicester to the north and Lutterworth to the south. Fosse Park shopping centre and the M1 motorway and M69 motorway are just a few miles away.

Surrounding area

Blaby gives its name to the Blaby district and previously to the Parliamentary constituency that was held by former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson between 1974 and 1992. Between 1992 and 2015 its Member of Parliament was Andrew Robathan. In 2010 the constituency was renamed South Leicestershire.

There was a railway station on the Birmingham to Peterborough Line, but it closed in 1968.

The "Blaby Special" heirloom tomato variety originates from the Shoults' Tomato Farm, which was located in Blaby from circa 1908 until 1948: the variety was thought to be extinct but was revived from a seed bank in 2005.[2]

Sport

Blaby is home to rugby union side, Leicester Lions, who play at the 2,000 capacity Westleigh Park.

People associated with Blaby

References
  1. G.M. Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (Oxford UP, 1971), p. 15.
  2. Leicester Mercury 16 August 2010, Scientist puts Blaby Special tomatoes back on the menu.

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