Swannington, Leicestershire

Swannington is a former mining village situated between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England. A document of 1520 mentions five pits at Swannington.[1] It was a terminus of the early (1832) Leicester and Swannington Railway that was built to carry away its pits' output.

Swannington

Hough Mill, Swannington. Currently undergoing restoration.
Swannington
Location within Leicestershire
Population1,270 (2011 Census)
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCOALVILLE
Postcode districtLE67
PoliceLeicestershire
FireLeicestershire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament

The remains of the engine house at the top of Swannington incline

The parish church of Saint George was opened in 1825 to serve the townships of Swannington and Thringstone and is built on a spot reputedly chosen by William Wordsworth, a frequent guest of Sir George Beaumont (the 8th Baronet, 1799–1845) of nearby Coleorton Hall. It is possible that the dedication of the church to Saint George is derived from its association with this George Beaumont.

A windmill in Swannington called Hough Mill was built near a nature reserve established on the remains of Califat colliery (a 19th-century mine). It has been claimed as the birthplace of Robin Hood.[2]

Administratively, Swannington is a civil parish forming part of the district of North West Leicestershire in Coalville. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,270.[3] Nearby villages and hamlets include Whitwick, Coleorton, Thringstone, Ravenstone, Gelsmoor, Peggs Green and Sinope.

Swannington is also home to junior Great Britain track cyclist Alistair Fielding. Alistair is currently 1x British national track champion and currently holds the junior team sprint British record. Alistair has represented Great Britain at European and world championships. Most recently the 2017 junior world track championships where he finished 4th in the team sprint, smashing the national record by a second to post 45.127.

References
  1. Victoria County History of Leicestershire, vol. III (1955), p. 32
  2. www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk
  3. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 June 2016.



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