Desford railway station

Newtown Unthank is a hamlet in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire about 6 miles (10 km) west of Leicester. It is in the civil parish of Desford and about a mile northeast of the village. Newtown Unthank was the site of Desford railway station on the Leicester and Swannington Railway, which became part of the Leicester to Burton-upon-Trent Line. The station was closed in the 20th century; the railway between Leicester and Burton-upon-Trent remains open for freight trains.

Botcheston Bog is a 2.9-hectare (7.2-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Botcheston, west of Leicester.This grazed marsh on peaty soil is dominated by carnation sedge, hard rush, creeping bent and meadowsweet. Other plants include several which are rare in the county.The site is private land with no public access.

Bosworth Academy (formerly Bosworth Community College) is a coeducational secondary school located in Desford, Leicester, England and is part of the LiFE Multi-Academy Trust. It was a Sports College under the UK's Specialist School Programme, a status which was attained in 2003. The majority of students transfer to the school at the age of 11 from Primary Schools within the catchment area. The Executive Headteacher of the LiFE Multi-Academy Trust is Chris Parkinson and the Head of School for Bosworth Academy is Simon Brown.

Botcheston is a hamlet in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) west of Leicester. It is in the civil parish of Desford and about a mile north of the village. The population is included in the civil parish of Desford. Botcheston's only Grade II* listed building is the War Memorial North of Polebrook House commemorating 36 attendees of the hamlet's former Industrial School for Boys who gave their lives during World War One, which now functions as a residential home.Records of Botcheston date back to 1846, when it was regarded as a 37 person hamlet. The hamlet's history can be further dated back to 1575, albeit as footnote. Botcheston has about 200 households, a public house dating back to 1863 and a village hall. The Greyhound is credited with being a venue for numerous up-and-coming Leicestershire-based bands over the years, and has seen Kasabian, Perfume and The Young Knives perform. Included amongst Botcheston's other amenities are the Botcheston Bog a noted Site of Special Scientific Interest, Botcheston Wicksteed Park Stadium a leisure park frequently used by local amateur football teams, and Forest Hill Golf Course on the backdrop of the National Forest.

Tropical Birdland in the north of the village of Desford, Leicestershire, England, is a visitor attraction that has many bird species including parrots, toucans, hornbills and owls on display. Some of the birds are allowed to fly out-of-doors during visiting hours.

Desford is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of England, 7 miles (11 km) west of the centre of Leicester and around 7 miles north east of Hinckley. Situated on a hill approximately 400 feet above sea level, the parish includes the hamlets of Botcheston and Newtown Unthank and a scattered settlement at Lindridge. The population at the 2021 census had increased to 4,592. Desford is in the Doomsday Book of 1086 but the name itself is older than that meaning Deor's Ford suggesting an Anglo Saxon origin. Another suggestion is that it means 'ford frequented with wild animals'.

Royal Air Force Desford or more simply RAF Desford is a former Royal Air Force station located one mile (1.6 km) south of Desford, Leicestershire, and 6.7 miles (10.8 km) west of Leicester, Leicestershire, England.

Leicester Forest West is a hamlet and civil parish in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England. It has a population of about 30, making it much smaller than its neighbour, Leicester Forest East. The village takes its name from the ancient Leicester Forest.

Merry Lees was a railway station on the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line in Leicestershire. It was opened in 1832 and closed in 1871. The Leicester and Swannington Railway opened the first Merry Lees station on 18 July 1832. The Midland Railway took over the line in 1845 and replaced the station with a second one 150 yards (140 m) to the north on 27 March 1848. The Midland renamed the station Merrylees station some time thereafter, and closed it on 1 March 1871. For the entire period from 1832 to 1871 the station was run by a station mistress, Mary Argyle.

Merry Lees is a small settlement and industrial park located in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It forms as part of the Bagworth and Thornton civil parish. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,836.Merry Lees is best known for its industrial estate. There are very few housing estates, however, various farms are situated in and around the area. Notable nearby places include Thornton, Desford, Botcheston, and Newbold Verdon. There are 2 housing groups: the old Merry lees pit houses of the miners from the mine that was there until the early-1970s, and the private houses on Merry lees Road on the road to Thornton. When the railway line used to take passengers (closed for passengers in 1968) there was a halt at the bridge in Merry Lees.

Peckleton is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Kirkby Mallory, Peckleton and Stapleton, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. The villages of Kirkby Mallory and Stapleton also form part of the parish. Thus, according to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,077, falling slightly to 1,067 at the 2011 census. Due east of the village is Peckleton Common, adjacent to The Glebe Fisheries, an angling centre of excellence completed in 1996. The local church, St Mary Magdalene, is located just south of the village centre. Notable residents of Peckleton include George Vincent (MP), heir (through his mother) to the Moton family which held the manor of Peckleton for centuries; and descendants of Charles Henry Bennett, illustrator to Charles Darwin and Lewis Carroll.

Thornton Reservoir is a small reservoir situated in the National Forest near the village of Thornton in Leicestershire. It has a surface area of 75 acres (300,000 m2) and a perimeter of 2.45 miles (3.94 km). It was originally built in 1854 when it had its own treatment works which were situated to the south of the current dam. It is now owned by Severn Trent and the water is treated a few miles away at Cropston Reservoir to which it runs via Rothley Brook. The reservoir is fed by two small streams which enter from the north via two weirs. Rothley Brook takes water away from the south. Since 1997 the reservoir and the surrounding land has been open to the public. Facilities include a small visitor centre, a sculpture trail, a woodland walk and a game fishery. Within the visitor centre is a small cafe and a bait shop which opens at 7.30am daily. Boats can be hired from 8.30am and the most common species of fish are trout. The National Cycle Network also runs around the reservoir.Planning for the reservoir began in 1847. The design included a dam where Locky Bridge had previously stood, the reservoir fed by Carr Brook and Thornton Brook. Behind the dam were two filtration tanks, and from there the water was carried via gravitation to a storage reservoir in Oadby. Supply from the reservoir began in 1853, with Thomas Cook's Temperance Hall the first building to receive water from it. The reservoir was thought sufficient to serve Leicester's population of 58,000 at the time, delivering 1.6 million gallons per day, and was the main source of water for the city until the opening of Bradgate Reservoir in 1871. The surface area was originally calculated at 55 acres with the capacity 229 million gallons. The estimated cost of building the reservoir was £80,000.The reservoir was taken out of use in 1982, but was opened up to the public in 1997, with paths around the edge and a trout fishery on the west bank.