I didn't realise how close this lovely little place was to me. Bottesford is about 20 minutes or so south of where I live, situated in the vale of Belvoir, Leicestershire, though it must be just over the border as I'm in Nottinghamshire of course.
Bottesford is a domesday village that before the Norman conquest had Danish-Saxon-Norse occupants, given the village names nearby. There's evidence of a medieval settlement there too. Though it was a farming area the Grantham canal was built through the parish in the 1790's and railway stations opened in 1850 and 1879 . Most of the village formed part of the Duke of Rutland estate till after the first world war. Later in 1920 Bottesford became a tourist attraction when on May Bank holiday of that year 700 people visited the village by train.
During world war 2 there was an airbase constructed in 1941 and Bottesford claims the dubious distinction of being the last place in Britain to be bombed, on March 20th 1945.
On Market street in the village is the Bull Inn, probably the oldest pub building in the village. It was once run by Olga Healey, sister of Stan Laurel and Laurel and Hardy did indeed visit the pub in 1955. There's lots more history to Bottesford, it's a lovely peaceful place and very typical of a middle England quaint village, it's well worth a look if you're in this neck of the woods.
Bottesford is a domesday village that before the Norman conquest had Danish-Saxon-Norse occupants, given the village names nearby. There's evidence of a medieval settlement there too. Though it was a farming area the Grantham canal was built through the parish in the 1790's and railway stations opened in 1850 and 1879 . Most of the village formed part of the Duke of Rutland estate till after the first world war. Later in 1920 Bottesford became a tourist attraction when on May Bank holiday of that year 700 people visited the village by train.
During world war 2 there was an airbase constructed in 1941 and Bottesford claims the dubious distinction of being the last place in Britain to be bombed, on March 20th 1945.
On Market street in the village is the Bull Inn, probably the oldest pub building in the village. It was once run by Olga Healey, sister of Stan Laurel and Laurel and Hardy did indeed visit the pub in 1955. There's lots more history to Bottesford, it's a lovely peaceful place and very typical of a middle England quaint village, it's well worth a look if you're in this neck of the woods.
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