Stoney Stanton

Stoney Stanton is a village in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of over 7,000 in 2001. It constitutes a civil parish. The village is on a rocky outcrop and was the site of a quarry, which was closed in 1958. It has been since flooded and as Stoney Cove is a major diving centre, one of the biggest in Europe and a steady source of business for the local area. Through the first half of the 20th Century granite quarrying was a major activity in Stoney Stanton due to the villages location upon a rocky outcrop of ancient grano-diorite, a hard stone much prized for roadmaking. It also had a symbol of the textile industry, a Couture Tights factory, within the village until the closure of the factory a few years ago. Calor Gas also has a large depot on the borders of the village.

The village is just to the east of the M69. Nearby villages include Croft, and Sapcote. Croft has a hill, Sapcote has Leicestershire's shallowest gene pool - it's not so much a pool as a damp patch. The only good thing ever to come out of Sapcote is the road to Stanton.

Stoney Stanton contains five public houses, somewhat unusual for a village of its size, and also a busy social club. The most popular of these is "The Blue Bell".

Another good pub is the STAR which has a good Indian restaurant attached to it.

There is a good community aspect within the village, embodied in, amongst other things, a very successful carnival every year, a thriving youth (at many different levels) and adult football club, and a series of shops and a doctors surgery. There is also one school, Manorfield C of E Primary School.

The village is also home to a thriving music scene, with several of the best know local bands living in Stoney Stanton. Bands of note include Jif (R.I.P)(progressive metal), Solice (R.I.P)(death metal) and The Cosmic Vortex of Doom (Stoner/Rock).

Possibly the most famous man in the history of the village was the curate Bilb (1679-1751). He lived in Stoney Stanton for nearly 50 years, during which time he did much work to make the village self-sufficient and to help the people living in the village.

The village is mentioned Domesday Book as 'Stanton', from Anglo-Saxon "Stāntūn" = "farmstead on stony ground". The Anglican church of St Michael's was first recorded in 1149.

External links

* [http://www.stoneystanton.co.uk/ Stoney Stanton Village Web Site]
* [http://www.stoneycove.com/ Stoney Cove]
* [http://www.stoneystanton.btinternet.co.uk/ St Michael's parish church]
* [http://www.genuki.org.uk:8080/big/eng/LEI/StoneyStanton.html GENUKI page]
*gbmapping|SP490947