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Leicester Forest East MSA

1966 establishments in EnglandBuildings and structures in LeicestershireEast Midlands building and structure stubsM1 motorway service stationsTransport in Leicestershire
Use British English from November 2016Welcome Break motorway service stations
Leicester Forest East Service Area, M1 geograph.org.uk 217293
Leicester Forest East Service Area, M1 geograph.org.uk 217293

Leicester Forest East services is a motorway service station situated between junctions 21 and 21A of the M1 motorway, near Leicester, England.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Leicester Forest East MSA (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.6192 ° E -1.206 °
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Address

Welcome Break Leicester Forest East Services (Leicester Forest East)

M1
LE3 3GB , Thorpe Astley
England, United Kingdom
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linkWikiData (Q748503)
linkOpenStreetMap (61094048)

Leicester Forest East Service Area, M1 geograph.org.uk 217293
Leicester Forest East Service Area, M1 geograph.org.uk 217293
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Nearby Places

Thorpe Astley
Thorpe Astley

Thorpe Astley is a suburban settlement on the southwestern edge of the city of Leicester, England. It is part of the civil parish of Braunstone Town, although a small part of the development, around Goodheart Way, extends into Leicester Forest East civil parish. Both Braunstone Town and Leicester Forest East are within the district of Blaby, Leicestershire. This settlement was built on the last area of agricultural land in Braunstone Town. Construction of this development began after approval from the Blaby District Council in 1994. It covers most of a wedge of land between the M1 Motorway on its western side and the A563 ringroad on the east, with the established community of Braunstone West is on its north side. It is neighboured to the south by the Meridian industrial and commercial development. A Community Centre to serve this housing estate was opened in October 2010; this is maintained by Braunstone Town Council. Around the same time a new community group was formed, Your Thorpe Astley, with the aim of furthering the interests of local residents and staging events at the Centre. The name "Thorpe Astley" was derived from the Astley family, who owned land in Braunstone Town from 1334 to 1404. Several roads in the Thorpe Astley estate are named after famous people from history, including the 18th-century political radical Thomas Paine and American paratroop commander General James M. Gavin. The headquarters of General Gavin's U.S. 82nd Airborne Division was stationed at Braunstone Park during 1944.

Kirby Muxloe Castle
Kirby Muxloe Castle

Kirby Muxloe Castle, also known historically as Kirby Castle, is a ruined, fortified manor house in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire, England. William, Lord Hastings, began work on the castle in 1480, founding it on the site of a pre-existing manor house. William was a favourite of King Edward IV and had prospered considerably during the Wars of the Roses. Work continued quickly until 1483, when William was executed during Richard, Duke of Gloucester's, seizure of the throne. His widow briefly continued the project after his death but efforts then ceased, with the castle remaining largely incomplete. Parts of the castle were inhabited for a period, before falling into ruin during the course of the 17th century. In 1912, the Commissioners of Work took over management of the site, repairing the brickwork and carrying out an archaeological survey. In the 21st century, the castle is controlled by English Heritage and open to visitors. The castle was rectangular in design, 245 by 175 feet (75 by 53 m) across, and would have comprised four corner towers, three side towers and a large gatehouse, all protected by a water-filled moat; the centre of the castle would have formed a courtyard. Of these buildings, only the gatehouse and the west tower survive today, partially intact. They are constructed with decorative brickwork and stone detailing, in a fashionable late 15th-century style, and have various symbols built into their walls using darker bricks. Twelve gunports for early gunpowder artillery were built into the walls of these two buildings, although historians are uncertain whether these defences were intended to be practical or symbolic. The government body Historic England considers the castle to be a "spectacular example of a late medieval quadrangular castle of the highest status".