Snarestone railway station

Snarestone is a small rural village in North West Leicestershire, England.It lies on the edge of the National Forest and is 5 miles (8 km) from the market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It has a population of approximately 300 people and 120 households,[1] increasing to a population of 312 in 128 households at the 2011 census.The village is surrounded by farmland and open countryside. It is positioned at the foot of a slight hill that gently rises to a height of 115 metres. Other topographical features include the River Mease and the terminus for the Ashby Canal. Both of these waterways are sites of special scientific interest (SSSI). Based on the 2011 census data, it is the centre of population density for the island of Great Britain.

Gopsall is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Twycross, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is located between the villages of Appleby Magna, Shackerstone, Twycross and Snarestone. In 1931 the parish had a population of 13. Gopsall was formerly an extra-parochial tract, from 1858 Gopsall was a civil parish in its own right, on 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Twycross.The name 'Gopsall' means 'hill of the servants'.Gopsall is the site of a former Georgian country house that was known as Gopsall Hall. The northern edge of the estate is dissected by the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal and a long distance trail known as the Ivanhoe Way. The area is mostly agricultural and is dotted with privately owned farms. A combination of public and permissive footpaths allows limited access to the public between Little Twycross and Shackerstone. A permissive footpath also allows access to Gopsall Temple ruins within Racecourse wood. The A444 Ashby to Nuneaton road also leads to a canal wharf on the western edge of the estate.

Measham railway station is a disused railway station that formerly served the village of Measham, North West Leicestershire from 1873 to 1931. The station was on the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway. The station is the only building on the Ashby - Shackerstone section to still be in situ. The trackbed has since been filled in and is now a footpath to Moira. The goods shed is also still standing at Measham.

Measham is a large village in the North West Leicestershire district in Leicestershire, England, near the Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire boundaries. It lies off the A42, 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) south of Ashby de la Zouch, in the National Forest. Historically it was in an exclave of Derbyshire absorbed into Leicestershire in 1897. The name is thought to mean "homestead on the River Mease". The village was once part of Derbyshire before being transferred to Leicestershire.

Norton Juxta Twycross, usually known as simply "Norton" (or "Norton-Juxta"), is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Twycross, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. The village is part of the church parish of Appleby Magna, with the vicar based in Appleby. In 1931 the parish had a population of 249.

St Michael and All Angels’ Church, Appleby Magna is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in Appleby Magna, Leicestershire

Appleby Magna is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It includes the small hamlets of Appleby Parva and Little Wigston. The parish has a total collective population of 1,084 (2011) spread across 500 properties (2020), with Appleby Magna its largest settlement.Historically, Appleby was one of the largest and wealthiest parishes in Leicestershire, which was reflected by its large church. However, the village and its population have remained fairly small by restricting large-scale development. The village lies on the edge of the ancient boundary between the kingdom of Mercia and the Danelaw. The land itself has been inhabited from the early Neolithic period. The village developed in the pre-Saxon era.The name Appleby is derived from aeppel (apple) and by(r) (settlement).The village sits on the outskirts of the National Forest and is bordered by the Gopsall Park Estate. The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal passes within a mile of the village, as do the M42 and A444.

Twycross is a small village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in Leicestershire, England, on the A444 road. Situated in the far west of the county and close to the North Warwickshire border, the population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 850. The civil parish includes the villages of Norton Juxta Twycross and Orton on the Hill and the hamlets of Little Orton and Little Twycross, as well as Twycross Zoo, and the selective, private Twycross House School. The Twycross Cricket Club is a village club with a 1st and 2nd XI who play in the Leicestershire Senior League. It also has a Sunday XI which plays many friendly games throughout the season. The 1st team XI play regularly in the Premier division, whilst the 2nd team XI play in division 3, which hosts a 1st team and 2nd teams while also holding a Sunday friendly team. It has a youth set-up with under-15, under-13, and under-11 teams. The church of St. James contains the oldest stained glass in England, originally from Sainte-Chapelle, Saint-Denis, and Le Mans Cathedral. The earliest glass is c. 1145 from Saint-Denis, the panels having been presented to William IV who gave them to Earl Howe, who got the glazier Thomas Willement to arrange and install them in the church during its restoration in the 1840s. Twycross is the home of Rare, a video game developer owned by Xbox Game Studios.

Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School, previously known as Appleby Grammar School, is a junior school situated in the village of Appleby Magna, in Leicestershire, England. The school was constructed between 1693 and 1697, based on an original design by Sir Christopher Wren and Sir William Wilson. The school was established and financed by Sir John Moore, the younger son of the local squire who became Lord Mayor and Alderman of London. The school occupies an elevated position to the south of the village and sits in its own walled, landscaped grounds totaling just over 3.5 acres (14,000 m2). The main school building is Grade I listed; the gates, gatepiers, wall and outbuildings are all Grade II listed. The primary school was rated "outstanding" in its last Ofsted inspection.

Oakthorpe is a village in north-west Leicestershire, England. In 1086, Oakthorpe was part of Derbyshire and was amongst several manors given to Nigel of Stafford by William the Conqueror. Until 1897 Oakthorpe, and its neighbours Measham and Donisthorpe, continued to form part of an extensive exclave of Derbyshire. Oakthorpe lies within the Oakthorpe and Donisthorpe civil parish, which is part of the district of North West Leicestershire. In the past Oakthorpe's main use was for mining as there were numerous deep active mines in the area, however since the closing down of the mines in the 1990s Oakthorpe has simply become a residential village. Oakthorpe has a Leisure Centre, a Primary School, a Methodist church and an Ale house. Oakthorpe also has several local businesses such as Cosmos Biomedical Ltd, a biomedical distribution and education company, one newsagent and one takeaway. The trunk A42 road divides Oakthorpe from Measham and Saltersford Brook divides it from Donisthorpe.

Appleby Hall was a manor house or stately home built in the small hamlet of Appleby Parva, on the outskirts of Appleby Magna. A Manor was mentioned in the Domesday Book and there have been several houses on the site until the final building, a Classical style Stately Home known as Appleby Hall, was built in the 1830s. Like many landed families, the Moore family who owned it fell on hard times, and the Hall was demolished in the 1920s.

Swepstone is a village in the civil parish of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland, in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, about five miles south of Ashby de la Zouch. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census 656. The parish includes the villages of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland. On 1 March 2023 the parish was renamed from "Swepstone" to "Swepstone and Newton Burgoland".The earliest documentation of the village is found in the Domesday Book where it appears as Scopestone. Later documentary appearances are given as Swepeston from around 1130 to 1471, and Swepston from 1234. The name is probably derived from the Old English personal name Sweppes, and the suffix tūn, meaning "Sweppi's farm or village". Swepstone farmers regularly sold their cattle in local market towns. In 1597 three Swepstone farmers, Richard Dudley, William Chilwell and Thomas Burrows were called to give evidence in an archdeaconry court case. It is recorded that the three were drinking together in an alehouse near the market square in Atherstone while their beasts were tethered outside.Swepstone's only public house is The Old Crown Inn, previously known as The Odd House, which serves food. Planting of The National Forest is taking place near the village.