Barkestone-le-Vale

Barkestone-le-Vale is a quiet English village in the north east of Leicestershire. The population is included in the civil parish of Redmile.

Barkestone-le-Vale

Chapel Street, Barkestone-le-Vale
Barkestone-le-Vale
Location within Leicestershire
OS grid referenceSK7834
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNottingham
Postcode districtNG13
PoliceLeicestershire
FireLeicestershire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament

History
The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.

The village originated as a 7th-century settlement, and is mentioned as a parish in the 1086 Domesday Book.[1] Since 1936 it has been part of a joint parish that includes Redmile and Plungar.

Heritage

There are 120 dwellings in Barkestone-le-Vale. The village used to have a primary school, which was closed in the late 1980s, by which time it had only 11 pupils. The school building was converted for residential use,[2] as was the former mill house. A large derelict farmhouse is also undergoing conversion.[3]

The Church of St Peter and St Paul is a listed building Grade II* dating mainly from the 14th century, with 15th-century additions. Most of the windows are in Perpendicular style. Parts of the church were rebuilt in 1840 and the whole was restored in 1857.[4] The church congregation belongs to the Vale of Belvoir group.[5]

A Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1825. This was not mentioned in gazetteers later in the century.[6] It closed for lack of support in 1927.[7]

Countryside

A number of footpaths serve the village, one of them linking it with Belvoir Castle. The rural nature of the area makes it suitable for bird-watching. Some of the species that may be seen in the countryside surrounding the village are the buzzard, the quail, and the reed and sedge warblers.[8][9]

The Grantham Canal, which opened in 1797 is no longer in commercial use. It passes to the north and west of the village, parallel with the disused railway.[10]

Public transport

The nearest railway station is Bottesford (5.5 miles, 8.9 km) on the Nottingham to Grantham/Skegness line. Redmile railway station (1.5 miles, 2.4 km), with trains between Melton Mowbray and Grantham or Newark-on-Trent, closed to passengers in 1951.

Barkestone is served by daytime buses between Bottesford and Melton Mowbray six times a day on Monday to Saturday.[11]

Amenities

There is a primary school in Redmile (1.6 miles, 2.6 km).[12] The nearest shops and a secondary school[13] are in Bottesford (4.8 miles, 7.7 km). The village pub has become a bar and grill, open most evenings. Plungar (1 mile, 1.6 km) has the nearest traditional pub, The Anchor.[14] The local post office opens for only two hours a week.[15]

References
  1. http://www.barkestonelevale.com/main.htm, accessed 4 Nov. 2007
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Top 15 unusual buildings for sale". Daily Telegraph.
  4. British listed buildings Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  5. A Church Near You Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  6. Leicestershire History Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  8. Barkestone Wood. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  9. Canal bird life. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  10. Canal & River Trust Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  11. Bus timetable Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  12. School site Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  13. Belvoir High School Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  14. What Pub Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  15. Tuesday, 12.30 to 2.30 pm
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