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Swithland is a linear village in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. The civil parish population was put at 230 in 2004 and 217 in the 2011 census. It is in the old Charnwood Forest, between Cropston, Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves. It has a village hall, a parish church and a public house, the Griffin Inn. The village is known for the slate that was quarried in the area.
Swithland was designated a conservation area in 1993, and includes 31 , including the Grade I Mountsorrel Cross, and several Grade II buildings, including the school, which was built in 1843, and a cottage from 1842." Swithland Conservation Area", Charnwood Borough Council, retrieved 23 July 2010-07-23 The village pub, the Griffin Inn, originally the Griffin Hotel, was built about 1700 and has been put to several uses in its history, including a brewery, bakery, and village mortuary. Most recently, it has had the inclusion of local producer Deli sourcing 80% of their products from within 40 miles. An annual village fair was held in Victorian era times outside the pub on the Feast of St Leonard in November.Stevenson, Joan (1982) A Family Guide to Charnwood Forest, Sycamore Press, , pp. 41–42.
The original Swithland Hall, which stood at the eastern end of the village as it is today, on the site now occupied by Hall Farm, was destroyed by fire in 1822, although part of the hall's boundary wall, including two towers are still in existence, both of which are in Main Street.Whitelaw, Jeffery W. (1996) Hidden Leicestershire & Rutland, Countryside Books, , pp. 124–125.Gerrard, David (1996) Leicestershire & Rutland Past: A Guide to Historic Places and People, Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, , p. 108. The current hall, a Grade II listed building, was partially completed in 1834 and finished in 1852," Swithland Hall, Main Street, Swithland (Grade II)", Charnwood Borough Council, retrieved 23 July 2010. on a different site to the south-east, in what was then known as Swithland Park, by John George Danvers Butler, sixth Earl of Lanesborough.J. B. Firth (1926), Highways and Byways in Leicestershire, London: Macmillan; pp. 63–66. The estate includes the Mountsorrel Cross that originally stood in Mountsorrel that dates from about 1500 and was moved to its current location in Swithland Park in 1793 by Sir John Danvers, who replaced it with the Buttermarket Cross that still stands there.Bob Trubshaw (1995), Little-known Leicestershire & Rutland, Heart of Albion Press, , pp. 94–100.
Since then the quarry has reverted to nature, with the slate pits now flooded and sometimes used by Scuba diving. A memorial stone stands in the centre of the village.
The land to the north and south of the village is used for Agriculture, both Arable land and Dairy farming. Swithland Spring Water, based at Hall Farm, sells locally bottled spring water, which is collected from a spring beneath the farm." Swithland Spring Water moves upmarket to attract new business", thisisbusiness-eastmidlands.co.uk, 11 September 2009, retrieved 2010-07-24.
The preserved Great Central Railway is restoring these sidings to working order. The railway line extends to Leicester North to the south, and Quorn & Woodhouse and Loughborough to the north, crossing Swithland reservoir by a two-part viaduct.
Industry
Slate quarrying in the area dates back to Roman Britain times,McWhirr, Alan " The Roman Swithland Slate Industry", Leicester Archaeological & Historical Society, retrieved 2010-07-24. and was an important activity within the village between the 13th and 19th centuries." Swithland Sense of Place", Leicestershire County Council, retrieved 2010-07-24. Until the mid-19th century, Swithland slate was much in demand for roofing. From the later 17th century until well into the 19th century, slate from Swithland was widely used for gravestones in Leicestershire and neighbouring counties, especially Nottinghamshire. The slate has a poorer cleavage than Welsh slate, but is often exquisitely carved. A distinguishing mark of Swithland slate is the rough texture of the uncarved face. Some gravestones were carved by members of the Hind family of Swithland, but many others were carved by masons elsewhere, to whom the raw slate was sent.Paul Dare (1925), Charnwood Forest and its Environs, Edgar Backus, pp. 96–97. One gravestone type found mainly in a group of villages in the Vale of Belvoir is called a "Belvoir Angel".Langar Parish Council site has an illustrated feature on "Belvoir Angels": Retrieved 30 March 2011. Slates from Swithland for roofing were once commonly used, but demand fell in favour of slates from Wales, which were thinner and lighter.John Ashurst and Francis G. Dimes (1998), Conservation of Building & Decorative Stone, Butterworth-Heinemann, , pp. 141–142.
Local attractions
Swithland Reservoir, completed in 1896, is the largest reservoir in Charnwood; it is situated to the north-east of the village. It is accessible via the causeway road to the east of the village and with a dam that can be reached by Kinchley Lane from Mountsorrel, and is a popular site for birdwatching, as well as for walking. Swithland Wood, to the south-west of the village, is near to Bradgate Park. This large area of woodland around a former slate quarry is a popular walking, riding, and hunting spot.
Great Central railway line
Towards the Rothley end of the village runs the Great Central Railway, the last main line ever built linking the north of England with London (apart from the HS2 line under construction in 2021). When the Great Central line opened on 15 March 1899, it was planned for Swithland to have its own station, the Great Central having visions of turning the area into a tourist spot. This never came into fruition, but a bricked-over stairway under the bridge of the railway provides evidence that these plans were taken into serious consideration." Disused Stations: Swithland", disused-stations.org.uk, retrieved 2010-07-24. A small set of railway exchange sidings were built at this location, but the nearest passenger station was at Rothley.
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