East Leake
East Leake is located in Nottinghamshire
East Leake
East Leake
Location within Nottinghamshire
Population8,555 (2021)
OS grid referenceSK 55440 26406
Civil parish
  • East Leake
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLOUGHBOROUGH
Postcode districtLE12
Dialling code01509
PoliceNottinghamshire
FireNottinghamshire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament

East Leake (/liːk/) is a large village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire, England, although its closest town and postal address is Loughborough in Leicestershire. Census data from 2021 shows that the village now has a population of 8,555.[1] The original village was located on the Sheepwash Brook. Kingston Brook also runs through the village. Near the centre of the village is the historic St. Mary's Church,[2] dating back to the 11th century, which Sheepwash Brook flows past, and an old ford, which provided access to the pinfold. The church has six bells.[3]

The Treaty of Leake was signed in 1318 by King Edward II and his baronial opponents.

British Gypsum, a plasterboard manufacturer, has its headquarters in the village.[4] The manufacturing of plasterboard began in this area in about 1880.

Name

The origin of Leake appears to be Laeke (Old Norse – brook or stream), and is consistent with East Leake's position in the heart of the Danelaw, which had various forms over time before becoming "Leake". One of the earliest mentions of East Leake is in the Domesday Book (1086) recorded as "Leche". The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning wet land, since the village lies on the Kingston Brook, a tributary of the River Soar.

Demographics

The population of East Leake has grown sharply over more recent years due to the expansion of the village and various new build sites being built across the village. Population data from the UK Office for National Statistics show growth from a population in 2001 of 6,108, to 2011 of 6,337 and finally the latest data from the 2021 census showing an increase to 8,555 people living in the village.[5]

Local amenities

  • Four schools
    • Brookside primary school[6]
    • Lantern Lane primary school[7]
    • Millside Spencer Academy primary school[8]
    • East Leake Academy (secondary school)
  • Leisure centre with swimming pool
  • Four pubs (Nag's Head, The Bulls Head, Three Horseshoes, and The Round RobINN)
  • Co-op supermarket
  • Post office
  • A variety of other small shops, e.g., florist, green grocer, hardware
  • Police station
  • Fire station
  • A Kickboxing club at East Leake Leisure Centre (PKA – East Leake)[9]
  • Amateur theatre group (ELAPS)[10]
  • Folk club (ELFS – East Leake FolkieS)
  • Cricket, football, rugby and bowls clubs
  • "Meadow Park", a local nature reserve[11]
  • East Leake pre-school play group a registered charity which provides term time play group facilities
  • 2nd East Leake Scouts
  • Rushcliffe Golf Club[12]

Transport

East Leake lies close to the A60 and A6006 major roads and within five miles of the M1 motorway. Nottingham City Transport operate a frequent (15 minutes at peak times) bus service (No. 1) between Nottingham and Loughborough under the "South Notts" brand.[13]

An East Leake railway station used to exist, on the Great Central Railway. That line was controversially broken up in the Beeching Axe of the 1960s. The stretch from the point where the Great Central crossed the Midland Main Line in Loughborough through East Leake to Ruddington was retained to allow freight trains to travel to British Gypsum's works and to the MoD ordnance depot at Ruddington, but later fell into disuse. More recently this stretch has been re-opened as a heritage line running steam and heritage diesel locos between Ruddington, Rushcliffe Halt (which is located next to the Gypsum works at the northern end of East Leake) and the South Loughborough Junction. In the long term, the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) hope to reinstate a passenger service from East Leake station, although the fact that the area alongside the station has been redeveloped for housing would preclude the provision of public car parking in the area of the station, and would require permission from the Secretary of State.

Churches

There are five churches in the village:

Geography and ecology

In 2017 European bee-eaters nested at CEMEX quarry, attracting thousands of bird-watchers.[18] The European bee-eater is a colourful bird usually found in southern Europe, and seldom nests in the United Kingdom.

Neighbouring villages

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2021: East Leake". City Population. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Transactions of the Thoroton Society: East Leake". Nottinghamshire History. 11 November 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "East Leake: St Mary". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "About us". British Gypsum. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Census data: East Leake". City Population. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Home". Brookside Primary School. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "Home". Lantern Lane Primary & Nursery School. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  8. ↑ "Millside Spencer Academy".
  9. ↑ "Kickboxing Classes In Nottingham, Leicestershire & Derbyshire". KICKBOXUK.
  10. ↑ "Home". East Leake Amateur Players. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "Meadow Park". East Leake.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  12. ↑ "Home". The Rushcliffe Golf Club. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "Navy Line". Nottingham City Transport Ltd. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Home". Parishes of Our Lady and the Angels, East Leake and St Margaret Clitherow. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  15. ↑ "Home". East Leake Methodist Church. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  16. ↑ "Home". East Leake Baptist Church. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  17. ↑ "Home". East Leake Evangelical Church. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  18. ↑ "Rare bee-eaters under 24-hour guard in East Leake quarry". 30 June 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.

Publications

  • Sidney Pell Potter, A History of East Leake, published in 1903. Potter was the rector at the time.

Media related to East Leake at Wikimedia Commons

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