BBCdomesday1986

BBC DOMESDAY

This is an account of Harby in 1986, put together by the second and third year pupils of Harby C of E Primary School. It follows the account of Harby and the whole of the country which William the Conqueror commissioned in 1086.

Copyright belongs to the BBC.

For further information on the project nationwide see - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday, and for Harby - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-472000-330000.

THE VILLAGE OF HARBY IN LEICESTERSHIRE IN 1986.

LOCATION AND SETTING.

The survey area lies in the NE. of Leicestershire, some 10 miles N. of Melton Mowbray, towards the centre of the Vale of Belvoir. Approximately two square kilometres of the survey area is in Nottinghamshire. The land is mainly flat (50m contour). The soil is chiefly heavy clay and is used for pasture and cereal production

The nearest major city is Nottingham. In the survey area is the Village of Harby (pop.approx.800), a section of the Grantham Canal (disused) and a part of the Langar Airfield, now mainly disused and being developed as an industrial site. Other employment in the area is provided by a number of Stilton Cheese manufacturers situated in Harby.

This rural area is rich in coal deposits which is due to be mined in future years.

RELIGION

The faiths and beliefs of this area are based on the Christian religions. St.Mary's Church, which dates back to the twelfth century, stands to the north of the centre of the village. The architecture is chiefly of the perpendicular period and is built of the local Ironstone. The church consists of nave, chancel, north and south aisles, south porch and a square tower. The present Rector is the Rev J. Savige. The Duke of Rutland is Patron.

On Main Street is the Methodist Chapel which was originally built in 1847. Since then additions have been made. The Chapel holds regular services and runs a Sunday School.

In the NE. corner of the survey area is Stathern Lodge which is run by the Braithwaite Trust, a religious foundation, for the benefit of children who want to visit the countryside.

THE PEOPLE.

The number of people in the village of Harby is about 800 (1985). The population of Harby has remained about the same for the past 100 years. In 1871 there were 539 people. In 1971 there were 678 people.

The village has gained a number of new residents attracted by the rural environment, the nice houses, the employment in the area and the easy travelling distance to large cities. There are about 300 houses in the village.

In Harby the children go to school. Some girls go to Guides and Brownies. Some boys go to Cubs. At the weekends people go shopping at Melton Mowbray or Grantham or Nottingham.

BUILDINGS.

In the survey area is the village of Harby, with its 300 houses. In the surrounding area are a number of farms and there are some factories in Harby and on the Langar Industrial Estate. The industrial estate was originally a Second World War airfield. The old hangars have been changed into factory units. Harby is a mixture of old and new buildings, chiefly red brick houses, bungalows and cottages, some with slate or pantiled roofs. There are still one or two exposed mud walls in Harby.

Old or listed buildings. The School (1860), St.Mary’s Church (mainly 15th century), The Nag's Head (late 16th century), The old Rectory (mid 18th century), Harby windmill (remains), The Croft, Home Farmhouse.

AMENITIES AND SERVICES.

Harby has two shops, one of which is the Post Office. Both sell general Both sell general groceries, stationary, sweets, etc. There are also mobile shops which visit the area. These include butchers, bakers, fresh fish, green grocers, fish and chip van.

There is a park in the village of Harby called the Leas, which is near to the Village Institute. On the Leas are swings, a cycle track, a slide and an adventure playground.
Within the village is the primary school and church, both handsome ironstone buildings. There is also a Methodist chapel on Main Street.

The nearest hospital with a casualty department is The Queens, Nottingham. There are doctors in two local villages, Cropwell Bishop and Long Clawson. The nearest emergency services are at Bingham and Melton Mowbray,

PLACES OF INTEREST.

Within the survey area there are a number of places of interest. There is the Grantham Canal with its footpath. There are two public houses, a fifteenth century church and many interesting buildings in the village of Harby. Outside the survey area are a number of places within easy travelling distance.

Melton Mowbray. There are shops and a street market on Tuesday and Saturday.

Grantham. There is a good shopping centre and market day is Saturday. Nearby is Belton House with its fine gardens and adventure playground.

Bingham. Market day is Thursday.

Belvoir Castle. Six miles from Harby stands Belvoir Castle owned by the Duke of Rutland. It has many treasures and beautiful gardens.

WILDLIFE.

This is an intensively farmed area, however, the hedgerows and canal do provide for a rich selection of flora and fauna.

Trees. Hedges mainly Hawthorn with some mature Oak, Ash and pollard Willow. In the Village of Harby the large trees include Beech, Sycamore, Lime and Horse Chestnut.

Flowers. These include most common species. Some Cowslips remain in hedgerows.

Insects. The usual common butterflies can be seen. Summer migrants include the Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Yellow Cloud.

Animals. Rabbits, Hares, Water Voles. Foxes are often seen both in the fields and in the village. No Badgers.

Birds. Lapwing, Golden Plover, Redwing.

RECREATION.

In the village of Harby is a playing field called the Leys. Lots of sports take place there such as rounders and football. Alongside the Leys is the Village Institute. There is a youth club at the Institute each week. The youth club also organise visits to the local swimming baths and ice skating at Nottingham. The nearest tennis club is at the next village, Hose, and some Harby people are members. Other facilities lacking in the survey area include a riding stables and a swimming pool. There is a stables at Stathern and the nearest swimming baths is at Bingham or Melton Mowbray. Each year the Jack Hunt Trophy competition is held between the three villages of Harby ,Hose and Long Clawson. The villages get together and play games. The winners keep the trophy for that year.

ANNUAL EVENTS.

Each year there are a number of special events and occasions organised for the people of Harby. These include the Gala, Mayfair, Jack Hunt Trophy and a Christmas the carol service.

The Harby Gala is usually held in June and is intended to raise money for the Village Institute. At the Gala there are floats, stalls, amusements and a street market. The 1985 parade of floats included the Gala Queen, the primary school, the playgroup, W.I. and Long Clawson Dairy. The floats paraded around the village accompanied by a troupe of morris and clog Dancers. This year, 1985, the primary school held a May Fair on May bank holiday. The entertainment included folk and maypole dancing and a play about Robin Hood.

INDUSTRY.

The most important industry in the area is farming. Many of the farms produce milk which is then used by St. Ivels Dairy or Long Clawson Dairy. One of the most famous dairy products of the area is Stilton Cheese. In the northern half of the survey area is the Langar Industrial Estate. Originally, this was a Second World War airfield. Many of the old hangars have been converted to small factory units.

One of the larger factories on the estate is Reed's. They manufacture cardboard products. Also on the estate are Langar Lawnmowers, a caravan dealer and a kitchen supplier.

British Waterways have a depot in Harby which situated on Langar Lane by the canal. On Stathern Road is Coy's Transport. This haulage firm mainly transport John Deere tractors and farm machinery

HARBY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL.

Harby Primary School is a Church of England controlled school. Originally built in 1860 as a National School at a cost of nearly £1,000, the school was extended in 1974 to accommodate up to 120 pupils. During June 1985 there were 57 children on roll. The accommodation includes four teaching areas, an art area, studio, kiln room, library, resources room, staff room, office and kitchen. The Village Institute is used for PE and games. There are two playgrounds and a field. The teachers are Mr. Hammond (head), Mrs. Barrett, Miss Prime, plus a nursery nurse, Miss Berry. The chairman of the governors is Rev. J. Savige. At the age of 10 pupils transfer to Belvoir High School, Bottesford. At 14 they go to Melton Upper School. The second and third year pupils wrote the entries for this Domesday "D block"

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.

Underlying the area are rich deposits of coal. How this coal was to be extracted was the subject of a public enquiry held during the early 1980s. The recommendations of the enquiry restricted surface development outside of the Vale of Belvoir. The pithead is now being built at Asfordby. The NCB wanted to build a mine between Hose and Harby but planning permission was refused.

In the village of Harby flooding has been a problem. During the summer of 1985 new surface water drains have been dug. This has left the footpaths, roads and verges in a poor state. The resurfacing of the roads is planned for September 1985.

Another issue that the Parish Council is presently concerned with is that of the insulation of street lighting at a cost of £30,000.

THE VILLAGE.

Harby is in the Vale of Belvoir about seven miles from Belvoir Castle and about ten miles from Melton Mowbray. Harby or to give it its old Saxon name Herdebi, is one of a series of ancient settlements situated below a range of ironstone hills. The village was built around a collection of farms and near to the intersection of two important old roads, the Salt Way (Bronze Age and Roman) and a green lane. Today there are about three hundred houses and two shops in the village. There is also a Garage, a Village Institute, two Public Houses, a Church and a Chapel. In the Harby Village Plan, published in 1981, the village is described as both a" farming community, a dormitory settlement and a minor centre for a limited range of community facilities."

TRANSPORT.

The main form of public transport in the area is the service bus, which is run by Bartons of Melton Mowbray and Nottingham. There is a bus park and turning point at the corner of Stathern Lane and Boyers Orchard. There are regular services to Melton Mowbray Nottingham, Bottesford and Bingham. Sometimes Bartons take a coach load of local people to Skegness, Newquery and other holiday areas. The private transport in the village includes cars, lorries and motor cycles. There are two haulage contractors in the area. Coy's deliver tractors, Combines and other products of the farm machinery manufacturer John Deere. Private Taxi Buses also operate in the area.

FARMING.

In the area there are eight farms, mainly arable but some with stock. Lodge Farm is tenanted by Mr. Mackley who keeps over forty head of Friesian cows for milking. Langar Grange is also arable but with sheep. Willow farm is owned by Mr. Nicholls but he went to Tasmania and Mr. Robert Nunn now looks after the farm. It is a poultry farm with about seventy thousand chickens. Lodge Farm is now up for sale. The National Coal Board purchased the farm when they had plans for sitting a pit head in the Vale of Belvoir. Mr. J Stanley farms the fields around Stathern Lodge. White House Farm is owned by Mr. Clamp. The main crops grown in the area are Winter barley, wheat, oilseed rape. Grass is grazed, silaged and grown for hay.

SHOPS AND SHOPPING.

There are two shops in the survey area. One is called Harby Village Stores and is owned by Mr. Archer and the other is the Post Office which is owned by Mr. & Mrs. Saddington. They both sell similar goods, such as sweets, groceries, food and such like. Most people do their weekly shopping at Nottingham, Grantham, Melton Mowbray, or Leicester. The nearest hypermarket is Asda at West Bridgeford. Many people shop there since there is a wider choice of products and also it is cheaper than the local shops. There are many mobile shops that visit the area.

Butchers: Mr. D. Cox; Mr. Pears. Mr. Lumb.
Bakers: Mr. Allan; Mr. Henfry; Mrs. Spinks.
Green Grocer: Mr. Dewey.
Chip Van: Mr Fisher.
Fresh Fish: Mr. Deacon. (Grimsby).
Pie Van: Mr Watkins. (Grantham).

A TYPICAL DAY.

I live in the village of Harby and I am ten years old. Most days I get up at half past seven. At a weekend I also get up at that time because I go to ballet lessons. On Sunday I have a lay in. During the week we have to be at school for 9.00 am. While I am not at school my hobbies are horse riding and ballet. I also like cooking and animals. When I have helped does the house work, such as tidying my bedroom or cleaning the windows, I watch the television. My favourite programme is a soap opera called Dallas. If I am not doing anything I play with my friend on a skateboard down Watson's Lane. I go to bed around half past eight or nine o'clock.

THE VILLAGE INSTITUTE.

The Institute was built in 1925 at a cost of £400 to provide a meeting place for the village people. A committee is elected each year. During 1985 the building is to be extended. Currently, the accommodation consists of a large dance hall, toilets, a store room and a kitchen. The hall is used for youth club and also youth disco. Each weekday morning there is a play group. The Harby W.I. also meet regularly at the Institute. The local primary school use the hall twice a week during the afternoon for P.E and games. Dances are also arranged regularly and the hall can be hired privately During June 1984 and 1985 the Institute committee were responsible for the Harby Gala. This event was organised to raise money for the alterations to the Institute.

PAST-TIMES.

For the children of the area there are a number of groups and activities organised throughout the year. Brownies is held at the primary school in Harby each Friday evening. Mrs.Trigg is Tawny Owl and Mrs. Broadbent is Brown Owl. Guides is also held at the school and is run by Mrs. Hope on Monday evening. For the boys there is a Vale of Belvoir Cub pack and Scout Group, but they meet in the surrounding villages. Outside the village of Harby is an old farm called Stathern Lodge where children of all ages can go to do different activities like painting, P.E., bible reading and singing.

For the adults of the area there is a Sports and Social club, the W.I., evening classes
and Bingo is held regularly at the Institute.

EMPLOYMENT.

Principal local employers. (Apart from farms.) St. Ivel Dairy. Harby Garage. Long Clawson Dairy. Shortland Craft. Langar Lawnmower. Coys Haulage. Harker/C.E.M.- S.P.E.C. Ltd. Harby C.of E. Primary School. Reed Corrugated Products. Nag's Head Public House. White Hart Inn Public House. British Waterways Board. Belvoir Caravans.

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