Lubenham

Lubenham is a small rural village and civil parish 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the market town of Market Harborough, in the Harborough district, in the south of Leicestershire, England. The first National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup[1] was held in Lubenham, on the grounds of what is now Thorpe Lubenham Hall. Lubenham Parish extends to Gartree in the north and Bramfield Park in the west. The village appears in four entries in the Domesday Book.

All Saints, Lubenham

Transport

On 6 June 1966, Lubenham railway station on the Rugby and Stamford Railway line closed in the Beeching Axe. Lubenham lies on the A4304 road which connects the M1 to Market Harborough, a route for heavy goods vehicles. A young schoolboy from the village was killed on the road in 2006, and the Adam Smile Project exists to create an off-road cycle route to Market Harborough using the track of the former railway and improve road safety.

Buildings

All Saints' Church, the medieval church at the centre of the village which holds regular services, has medieval wall paintings and box pews. Other features are the Easter sepulchre, the sedilia in the north chapel and the Renaissance reredos.[2] The peal of 6 bells (augmented in 2000) is regularly rung by a band of volunteer ringers. Practice nights are Wednesdays from 7.30pm and visiting ringers of all standards are very welcome.

Papillon Hall was a country house outside Lubenham that was built in about 1620 and demolished in 1950. In about 1903 it was remodelled by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.

There is a public house, the Coach and Horses. The Tower House was built in 1771. Gore Lodge or "The House that Jack built" is a Grade II former farmhouse, converted to a hunting box with stables and cottage, in 1875 by Robert William Edis.

Events

Lubenham was judged to be Midlands Calor Village of the Year in 2001 because of its community activities, among them its scarecrow weekend.

The regular Open Gardens event in aid of All Saints' Church held in June each year provides an opportunity for visitors to visit around 20 private gardens. The Village Hall hosts clubs and events.

Lubenham has a beacon which was made for HM the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The beacon designed and made by an apprentice has been lit on special royal occasions such as the jubilee and the Queen's 90th birthday.

"The House that Jack built" (Gore Lodge)

The area boasts some lovely walks with abundant wildlife. Otters and kingfishers were seen on the River Welland in 2015.

In 2008/2009, the Lubenham Heritage Group published a Heritage Trail with an interpretation panel on the village green, a pamphlet and placed plaques on buildings of interest.

A cycling club known as the 'Lubenham Raiders' operates on Monday evenings, during the summer and has done so for many years, while other activities including short mat bowls, quizzes, heritage group and monthly coffee mornings take place in the Village Hall.

References
  1. "National Hunt Chase, Leicestershire | Leicester Mercury". thisisleicestershire.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  2. Harvey, A. & Crowther-Beynon, V. B. (1924) Leicestershire and Rutland; 2nd ed. London: Methuen; p. 130

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