Swannington …
may seem rather an odd choice for one of our walking centres, but it is
The restored mill at Swannington
actually an excellent starting and finishing point for many interesting circular routes. There is an extensive network of footpaths radiating from all around the village, many of which take in some interesting historical locations which reflect the village’s industrial and feudal past.
Once a mining village, Swannington was a terminus of the 1832 Leicester and Swannington Railway and the incline, which still exists, formed part of one of the world’s earliest railways.
The village church of Saint George was opened in 1825 and is said to have been built on a spot chosen by William Wordsworth, a close friend of Sir George Beaumont of nearby Coleorton Hall.
Wordsworth was a regular visitor to Swannington and the surrounding area
Ruins of Grace Dieu Priory
with some of his writing being attributed to various local landmarks. He is supposed to have written the battle scenes of Ivanhoe at Coleorton Hall and of course near by Grace Dieu Priory has a whole poem credited to it!
The village itself consists mainly of one long street of various housing and farms. The farms, alas, mainly turned to residential dwellings, but some of the older buildings have some interesting history attached.
The old smithy at the junction of Main Street and Redhill Lane was once a Quaker meeting house and it was here that the movements founder, George Fox, was arrested by Sir George Beaumont and taken to Leicester gaol.
Just out side the village is the recently restored mill known as Hough Mill. It sits now in the middle of a very pleasant nature reserve, but this area was formerly Califat colliery. Display boards offer information of its former days and there is a model of a horse gin to give a graphic display of how coal was extracted during the early days
Hough Windmill is open to the public every Sunday from April until the end of September, between 2pm and 5pm. Intriguingly, it has been claimed that the mill is the birthplace of Robin Hood!
Hough mill and other sites of historical and industrial interest in and around Swannington is cared for by the Swannington Heritage Trust. It has an archive of village history and has produced a village trail guide which the walker will find useful on their rambles.
The Swannington Village Trail booklet guides walkers through the village and surrounding delightful countryside to examine the above and many other features.
Visit the Swannington Heritage Trust website for more information. Swannington-Heritage Trust
Echoes of times long gone before
draw those who follow forgotten lore.
Smock Mill sails turn once more
by moon light on Coleorton Moor …
Smock Mill by Lois Crofton
Sleet, Shoots and Leaves