Bottesford, Leicestershire

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude = 52.9375
longitude = -0.8020
official_name = Bottesford
population = 3,000
shire_district = Melton
shire_county = Leicestershire
region = East Midlands
post_town = NOTTINGHAM
postcode_district = NG13
postcode_area = NG
dial_code = 01949
os_grid_reference = SK8038
constituency_westminster = Rutland and Melton
static_

static_image_caption=Bottesford Market Cross
london_distance=

Bottesford is a village and civil parish within the Melton district of Leicestershire, England. It lies about convert|20|mi|km|0 east of Nottingham and convert|16|mi|km|0 north of Melton Mowbray. The village is the largest in the Vale of Belvoir and is near to Belvoir Castle, home to the Duke and Duchess of Rutland.

Bottesford has a population of around 3,000. In addition to the village of Bottesford, the civil parish of Bottesford spans a wider area, and includes the outlying villages of Normanton and Muston, and borders parishes in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, nearby places being Sedgebrook (in Lincs), Elton (in Notts), and Redmile (in Leics).

History

The village was built around the river Devon (pronounced Dee-von) and was named because of the ford at the centre of the village. The village has a large medieval church, St. Mary's, which has the highest spire in Leicestershire (at 212 feet tall) and is the burial place of the Dukes of Rutland.

During World War 2, from December 1941, there was an RAF Bomber Command airfield based to the north of the town, near Long Bennington called [http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s68.html RAF Bottesford] . Initially it belonged to No. 3 Group, then after being used by USAAF's IX Troop Carrier Command for D-Day, was used by No. 5 Group from late 1944. It is no longer in use as an airfield, but the runways can still be seen.

The town was bypassed by the A52 road in February 1989 at a cost of £3m. The bypass is a noticeably wide road and has a concrete surface which was due to be replaced in September 2006.

To mark the celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee, several large developments occurred in Bottesford, including the creation of a memorial green.

Governance

Bottesford is in the "Rutland and Melton" constituency which is a solid Conservative party seat. The current Member of Parliament is Alan Duncan.

Bottesford civil parish includes the villages of Bottesford, Easthorpe, Muston and Normanton. The parish council has nine members and normally meets on the second Monday of each month.

Each year, in March, the Annual Parish Meeting takes places where parishioners can come and question the council and make comments. As well as this, in June 2003 the new Council swiftly introduced a "Public Participation Period" before the council meetings proper. This is a 15-minute period where parishioners can address the Council and air their views on matters that come within the Council's remit.

Transport

Bottesford is served by a railway station.

Landmarks

The VC Hall is the local name for Bottesford Village Hall. The name came about because some of the funds used to purchase the original hall came from funds that had been raised by the Village during WW2 to send parcels to those serving in the armed forces. After the war there was money left in that fund and a decision had to be made whether it should be divided between those who had been on active service or donated to the Village Hall fund.The New Village Hall was built in 2003, mainly funded by a grant from 'Awards for All' (Lottery) and the contributions from the local people. For more information follow this link [http://www.villagehall.bottesford.org.uk/ Bottesford VC Hall]

Clubs

The village has several clubs, including two badminton clubs, a bowling club, a cricket and social club, four football clubs, a several sections of the Scout and Guides movement as well as many other clubs and events such as a youth club catering for 11–19 year olds and a skatepark.

Education

Bottesford has a Playgroup as well as a Primary School (5–10), Bottesford Primary School, and a Middle School (10–16), Belvoir High School. Options for the local schoolchildren include Toot Hill School in Bingham, several miles away, as well as a variety of schools in nearby Grantham (although the children in Bottesford are technically out of catchment). After Belvoir High School, the majority of pupils go to King Edward VII Upper School in Melton Mowbray. However, Belvoir High School is expanding to take years 7 - 11, with the first group of year 10's starting GCSE at the school in September 2008. After this students attending the school are expected to continue at Belvoir rather than moving to King Edward.

The village has several charity groups primarily raising funds to provide for new facilities for local groups. One group rasing funds in Bottesford in particular is the Vale of Belvoir Lions.

External links

* [http://www.bottesfordhistory.org.uk/ Bottesford Living History]
* [http://www.bottesford.org.uk/ Bottesford Today]
* [http://www.bottesford.leics.sch.uk Bottesford C.E. Primary School]
* [http://www.bottesfordforums.co.uk Bottesford and surrounding villages chat forums]