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Blaby (/ˈbleɪbi/)[1] is a town[2] in the Blaby District in central Leicestershire, England, some five miles south of Leicester city centre. At the time of the 2011 census, Blaby had a population of 6,194, falling slightly from 6,240 in 2001. Given Blaby's proximity to the city, it is part of the Leicester Urban Area.
| Blaby | |
|---|---|
 Blaby Post Office and The George pub (now named the Fox and Tiger) | |
  Blaby Location within Leicestershire | |
| Population | 6,194 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEICESTER |
| Postcode district | LE8 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Its name likely came from Old Norse. Blábýr = "farmstead or village belonging to a man named Blár" (where the -r is a case ending).[3] There seems to have been a dense patch of Viking settlement in Leicestershire, although some records in the Blaby Library indicate the origin of the village's name was from the first vicar. Blaby is twinned with the village of Villers-sous-Saint-Leu in France.
Buildings
editWhile there are few buildings of outstanding historical or architectural interest, old Blaby is a conservation area.[4] Old Blaby contains The Bakers Arms, a thatched public house that dates back to 1485. The other public houses to be found in Blaby are The Fox & Tiger, The Bulls Head and The Black Horse. The Tom Thumb and The Egyptian Queen have been demolished. Blaby is home to three schools: Blaby Stokes CE Primary School, Blaby Thistly Meadow Primary School, and Foxfields Academy.[5]
Parks
editTo the south of the Bakers Arms stands Bouskell Park, with a 19th-century ice house. Other parks include Northfield Park, used for football, cricket, fetes and fairs, and Oakfield Park, located off Hospital Lane.[6]
Shops
editMost shops and amenities stand on the old A426 road between Leicester to the north and Lutterworth to the south. Fosse Park shopping centre, the M1 motorway, and the M69 motorway are a few miles away.
Surrounding area
editBlaby gives its name to the Blaby district and previously to the Parliamentary constituency that was held by former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson between 1974 and 1992. Blaby is now part of the constituency of South Leicestershire and represented by Alberto Costa of the Conservative Party.
There was a railway station on the Birmingham to Peterborough Line, but it closed in 1968.
The "Blaby Special" heirloom tomato variety originates from the Shoults' Tomato Farm, which was located in Blaby from circa 1908 until 1948: the variety was thought to be extinct but was revived from a seed bank in 2005.[7]
A new school was incorporated (Blaby Stokes C of E) to absorb the influx of children from families new to the village taking up residence in the new development.
Sport
editBlaby is home to rugby union side, Leicester Lions, who play at the 2,000 capacity Westleigh Park.
People associated with Blaby
edit- Richard Duke clergyman of the Church of England
- Lord Lawson of Blaby (former MP for Blaby, and also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, under Margaret Thatcher)
- Tom Meighan lead singer with Kasabian (1997-2020)
References
edit- ^ G.M. Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (Oxford UP, 1971), p. 15.
- ^ "Blaby District Map & Guide" (PDF). Blaby District Council. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ "Conservation Areas". Blaby District Council. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ "Find a school". Leicestershire County Council.
- ^ "Parks". 16 September 2019.
- ^ Leicester Mercury 16 August 2010, Scientist puts Blaby Special tomatoes back on the menu.