Mountsorrel Heritage Group

06/06/2026

Our Talk for June will be "Mountsorrel Loves a Parade" and is our annual Noel Wakeling Memorial Evening. The talk will be in the Mountsorrel Memorial Centre's Green Room on Tuesday 9th June and is an interactive evening where we hope the audience will comment on and add to our knowledge of the images drawn from Noel's collection that formed the basis of the village image archive.

The evening starts at 7:30pm, Members £3 and Visitors £4

02/06/2026

Fortnightly Photo – As promised in earlier posts, the diorama of the Civil War skirmish on (old) Slash Lane, across the bridge over the River Soar and into the village (the original early medieval bridge that was replaced in the mid-1800s) is now in place in the village Museum (upstairs at the Library).

The full-blooded skirmish, on15th March 1644, followed earlier manoeuvring at the south end of the village (close to where Hilltop Garage now stands and was a precursor to the more substantial battle at Cotes Bridge two days later and the subsequent relief, by Royalist forces led by Prince Rupert, of Newark that had been under fierce siege by Parliamentary forces.

Defending Mountsorrel was a contingent from Henry Hastings’ Royalist garrison from Ashby-de-la-Zouch under Sir Charles Lucas. Attacking (against his Colonel, Edward Hartropp’s explicit orders) were a troop from the Nottinghamshire Horse commanded by Capt. George Palmer supported by dragoons (more than likely from Earl of Manchester’s Regiment).

Both the skirmish here and the battle at Cotes Bridge were part of Parliamentary efforts to gain intelligence about and then try and prevent the move of Prince Rupert’s army of some 4000 men from his base at Chester by way of Ashby de la Zouch, where he could expect to receive reinforcements, and then through Loughborough and on to relieve Newark.

There is more about the skirmishes that dragged the village into the war on our website at https://mountsorrelarchive.org/category/military/civil-war/

The diorama is based on detailed research including examining the transcript of Palmer’s deposition before the Leicester Committee against Hartropp (Formal Courts of Enquiry after public errors of judgement are nothing new!).

The diorama, built by one of our members, is 54mm (1:32) scale and joins the model of the Castle, new information boards and Charnwood Forest Geopark Corner’s video and fossil models, in our refresh of our museum displays (with more yet to come).

21/05/2026

Fortnightly Photo – Standing on the corner of Crown Lane and Loughborough Road is the former Crown Inn, now a private house. This listed building dating from the 18th Century is very reminiscent in build to the granite-built houses on the edge of Market Place that were demolished in the late 1960s and almost certainly stands on the site of earlier medieval buildings.

Although we have evidence of it being an inn from at least 1802 through to about 1850 there are tales that officers of King Charles 1 stayed there in 1642 on the way from Nottingham to Warwick town to raise support there for the King. Later it is thought that Oliver Cromwell stayed there on his way to the Battle of Preston in 1648. On the external wall stands a mounting block now much diminished in height due to the road level rising over the centuries. Above it is a plaque linking it to Dick Turpin but, like the tale of Oliver Cromwell, that may be wishful thinking, but who knows for sure!

Around 1850 it became a farmhouse, initially owned by the Adderley family and later by the Pepper family when it was known as Home Farm. Eventually the building was split in two’ with one half occupied by the Porter family and the other becoming Gill’s and subsequently White's Dairy. The fields and outbuildings were let to Cyril Duffin whose family are currently celebrating 75 years at Stonehurst Farm (for more about that read Tom Duffin’s article in the current issue of Charnwood Village Life).

In the 1950’s William Pepper sold it all to haulage contractor, J.W. (Billy) Porter giving him easy access to the Broad Hill quarry. With the closure of the quarry the fields and farm buildings were sold for development as the “Homestead” leaving the original inn still standing proud as a private home.
Our Photos show:
The Crown as Home Farm c1900
The Crown as Home Farm c1930 – the farmyard
The Crown as Home Farm c1930 with William Pepper’s pigs

16/05/2026

We are backing the bid!

🌟 We're applying to become a UNESCO Global Geopark, and will be evaluated this summer.

🥳 Show your support, spread the news, and back the bid!

🌐 Find out more on our website: https://www.charnwoodforest.org/charnwood-forest-applies-for-unesco-status-with-backing-of-sir-david-attenborough/

07/05/2026

Fortnightly Photo - The Grapes or The Black Swan? A visitor to the Museum last week asked about “The Grapes” once one of several fine hostelries along the Turnpike Road through the village and which now forms two private houses.

As a coaching inn it was the Black Swan and the frontage still bears the date 1713 but behind is a barn that dates from at least c1650. Owned, as was much of the village at that time, by the Lord Lanesborough, it remained an inn until the mid-1880s when it was purchased by John Henry Barrs, a local businessman and a leading member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Temperance Movement.

With that background Mr Barrs was hardly likely to keep brewing beer and in fact cancelled the licence, emptied the cellars and poured the beer down the yard. The Black Swan sign went and was replaced by two ornately carved bunches of grapes, hence the name change. These were reputedly mahogany but when eventually removed one was found to be lead and the other plaster. The mounting brackets can still be seen today just below the guttering.
Our photos show:
Leicester Road c1895 looking towards Market place with the Grapes (formerly The Black Swan) on the right and the White Swan also on the right in the distance.
A cropped version of the same image showing the grapes.
The Grapes today.

05/05/2026

MHG are working with the village RBL Branch and MPC to ensure the success of this important commemorative event in the village's story.

04/05/2026

We are really please to be working and sharing some of our Museum space with the Geopark, their new displays of fossils are stunning.

📰 Mountsorrel Village Museum Unveils New Geopark Corner

🌟 Our Geopark Corner in Mountsorrel features displays on the local geology, as well as amazing fossil replicas and animations!

🌐 Plan your visit: https://www.charnwoodforest.org/mountsorrel-new-geopark-corner/

01/05/2026

The Team behind this are doing a fantastic job, please support them in any way you can. Thaak you!

If any of you can share this poster please contact me for a copy or if you have the wherewithal to print it out then feel free and spread the word!

09/04/2026

Fortnightly Photo – The last few days of almost summer weather have brought the first main flush of flowers out on the Wildflower Meadow at the foot of the Navins. The earlier Snowdrops and White Violas have now gone over but have been replaced by a mass of Celandines, Primroses and Cowslips.

MHG started work on developing the meadow during the winter of 2005/6, from what was then a small piece of waste ground used informally for carparking. The following spring saw an initial seeding which included Common Knapweed, Wild Carrot, Field Scabious, Oxeye Daisy, Plantains, and Cowslip. Over the years there has been considerable self-seeding and the judicious addition of further wildflower seed and seedlings to enrich the meadow and increase its value for wildlife.

The original seeding has been followed over the years by a regular pattern of traditional meadow management techniques; scything, seed drop and then hay raking to develop what is now a wildlife rich haven close to the heart of the village. Development was understandably slow with the first Cowslips and Primroses appearing in 2010 but now there is notable spring showing and examining the sward there is more to follow as spring moves on into summer.

Our photos show
The Meadow in the late afternoon of 7th April, with Snakes-head Fritilliary, Cowslips and Primroses.
A view across the meadow to Christ Church c1910

31/03/2026

Free Heritage, Nature and Phone Photography Walk on Mountsorrel Common - Monday 6th April and Sunday 26th April.

Dr Adam Bates, who many of you will remember as having given a brilliant talk to us a couple years back on the subject of the Ecology of the Mountsorrel Hills has teamed up with local artist, Nita Newman, to lead two walks on Mountsorrel Common.

Full details are on the poster below. Current weather forecast for this Monday (6th) is reasonable, the walks are FREE so go and enjoy a stroll and learn something about our local environment as well!