Lutterworth

Lutterworth is a market town and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, 6.8 mi north of Rugby, in Warwickshire and 15 mi south of Leicester. It had a population of 9,353 at the 2011 UK census, up from 8,293 in 2001.

History
The name of Lutterworth is probably derived from the Old Norse name "Lutter's Vordig" meaning Luther's farm. Lutterworth was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The town was granted its market charter in 1214 by King John and continues to hold a market to this day, every Thursday. Usually there are up to ten stalls selling a variety of items from fruit and vegetables to clothes.



John Wycliffe
In the 14th century, the religious reformer Canon John Wycliffe was rector in Lutterworth's parish church of St Mary between 1374 and 1384, and it was here that he is traditionally believed to have produced the first translation of the Bible from Latin into English.

The Irish statesman Robert le Poer was parish priest here c.1318.

In the days of the stagecoach, Lutterworth was an important stopping-place on the road from Leicester to Oxford and London, and many former coaching inns remain in the town. The town also contains some historic half-timbered buildings, some of which date back to the 16th century.

Three railway stations have borne the name Lutterworth, but only one was actually in the town. The first was "Ullesthorpe & Lutterworth", about 3 mi to the north west, on the former Midland Railway (later part of the LMS) line from Rugby to Leicester, closed on 1 January 1962. The second was "Welford & Kilworth", at one time known as "Welford & Lutterworth", some 5 mi east on the London and North Western Railway (also later LMS) line from Rugby to Market Harborough and Peterborough, closed on 6 June 1966. The third (the only one actually in Lutterworth) was on the Great Central Railway (later part of the LNER), the last main line to be constructed from the north of England to London, opened on 15 March 1899.

Sir Frank Whittle


Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine, developed some of the world's first jet engines at the British Thomson-Houston works in Lutterworth, and in nearby Rugby, during the late 1930s and the 1940s. The engine for the UK's first jet aeroplane, the Gloster E.28/39, was produced in Lutterworth. A statue of the plane stands in the middle of a roundabout just south of the town as a memorial, which is rotated 90 degrees on a monthly basis.

Two public houses in the town have born Whittle's name, but both have now closed.

Cavalier Inn
One of the established landmarks of the town is the 17th century building on the corner of George Street and Leicester Road, a tavern called the Cavalier Inn. The Cavalier Inn is located just on the northern edge of the town centre of Lutterworth and dates back to the 17th century. Although the building has been tastefully modified over the years, it still retains its rustic charm with granite walls and low ceilings and beams.

Originally called the "Ram Inn" – that part of George Street was called Ram Lane – it changed its name in the early 1970s after a brewery 'make-over' which greatly improved the interior. It is said that the brewery did not like the name Ram Inn and prudishly renamed it 'the Cavalier' after claims that wounded royalist soldiers sheltered in Lutterworth following the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

In October 2010 the Cavalier Inn closed and was changed in status to a log burning store retailing log burning fires and similar products and services.

Lutterworth Town Hall
The architect of Lutterworth Town Hall was Joseph Hansom, who took out the first patent of the horse-drawn hansom cab. He also built Birmingham Town Hall.

Shambles Inn
Another of the landmarks of the town centre is the thatched roof & timber framed building now known as the 'Shambles Inn'. This former abattoir and butcher's is the oldest timber-framed building in Lutterworth dating back to the 16th century, it was a first used as a public house in 1791 until 1840 it was then converted back to a home and butcher's shop. In 1982 it was converted back into a public house and named the Shambles.

Local economy
To the west of the town [2.5 mi] is a large logistics and distribution center called Magna Park, which is the main source of employment in the Lutterworth area. Magna Park is built upon the site of the old Bitteswell aerodrome. Also near Lutterworth is Stanford Hall.

A controversial issue in the town is how to manage the traffic flows emanating from Magna Park and the nearby M1 and A5 trunk roads. Approximately 3,000 heavy goods vehicles pass through the town every day and pollution levels are reported as being high.(see: [http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/will-plans-to-expand-magna-park-increase-pollution-levels-in-leicestershire/story-29697883-detail/story.html). Will plans to expand Magna Park increase pollution levels in Leicestershire?]). The town council has established a task group to try to resolve the issues surrounding the proposed Lutterworth Western Relief Road (or bypass) following extensive publicity in the local press.

The Census 2011 Summary also indicates an overall growth in residents vehicles which is likely to add to traffic and pollution concerns Census Summary

There is a MorrisonsFood Store (formerly Safeway) on Bitteswell Road, as well as a Subway on High Street. Waitrose opened on 11 March 2010 on a site previously occupied by Netto. On the Greenacres Housing estate in the town there was an estate public house, recently called 'The Sir Frank Whittle' and previously called 'The Balloon'. This building was sold by the brewery to the Co-Op who changed the use and structure of the premises to be the new Co-Op store in the town. The Co-op Food Store previously located on George Street closed in June 2014 coinciding with the opening of the new store.

Lutterworth also houses the British Isles headquarters of Gideons International.

Transport
Lutterworth lies on the A426 Leicester–Rugby road, adjacent to the M1 motorway at junction 20. It is also located within a few miles of the M6 motorway and A5 trunk road. The town once had a station on the Great Central Railway; however, since its closure the nearest railway station is now at Rugby. A southern bypass, the A4303, was opened in 1999, providing a route for traffic from the M1 to the A5 to avoid Lutterworth town centre.

Sport
The town supports two individual local football teams : Lutterworth Athletic F.C. who play in the East Midlands Counties Football League. and Lutterworth Town A.F.C. who play in the Leicestershire Senior League, Division One

Primary schools
There are two primary schools in Lutterworth: John Wycliffe Primary School and Sherrier Primary School. Sherrier was originally housed in a Victorian building on Churchgate before moving to a new location on Bitteswell Road in 1983. Sherrier featured on the BBC TV children's TV programme Blue Peter on 5 February 2008.

Secondary schools
The local secondary schools are Lutterworth High School (for ages 11–16) on Woodway Road and Lutterworth College (for ages 11–18) on Bitteswell Road, both of which achieve good results in applicable exams.

Popular culture
Mark Corrigan of the British television series Peep Show describes a trip to Lutterworth by public transport as taking so long that it feels like going to Mordor, a reference to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The 1973 sitcom "me, myself and Nigel Wright" was set in an ostrich farm near the town.