Breedon on the Hill

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Breedon on the Hill
Breedonchurch.jpg
Priory church of St. Mary & St. Hardulph
Breedon on the Hill is located in Leicestershire
Breedon on the Hill
Breedon on the Hill
 Breedon on the Hill shown within Leicestershire
Population 958 (2001 Census)[1]
OS grid reference SK4022
Civil parish Breedon on the Hill
District North West Leicestershire
Shire county Leicestershire
Region East Midlands
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Derby
Postcode district DE73
Dialling code 01332
Police Leicestershire
Fire Leicestershire
Ambulance East Midlands
EU Parliament East Midlands
UK Parliament North West Leicestershire
Website Breedon on the Hill parish council
List of places
UK
England
Leicestershire

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Breedon on the Hill is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The parish adjoins the Derbyshire county boundary and the village is only about 2 miles (3 km) south of the Derbyshire town of Melbourne. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 958 people in 404 households.[2] The parish includes the hamlets of Tonge 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the village and Wilson 1.3 miles (2 km) north of the village on the county boundary.

Geography

File:BreedonHill.jpg
Breedon's limestone hill rising above the village green and war memorial
Aerial view, showing church and quarry

Breedon is notable for its Carboniferous limestone hill that rises 122 metres (400 ft) above sea level in a generally low-lying landscape and affords distant views across several counties. A large portion of the hill has been cut away by an active quarry now operated by Breedon Aggregates.

On top of the hill is The Bulwarks Iron Age hill fort, within which is Breedon's historic Church of England parish church.

Breedon is 3 miles (5 km) from East Midlands Airport and 5 miles (8 km) from the junction of the A42 road and M1 motorway. The village is 3 miles (5 km) from the River Trent, and 2 miles (3 km) from Donington Park motor circuit.

History

Excavation of The Bulwarks in 1946 identified occupation between about the 1st century BC and about 1st century AD.[3]

The toponym is derived from the Celtic word bre for hill and the Old English word dun for hill.[4] Hence in its current form the name combines three forms of the word hill. Briudun, an early spelling, has been traced from AD 731.

Medieval Hagiography Manuscripts record four saints buried in Breedon-on-the-Hill. They are Friduricus,[5] donor of the Mercian Royal Monastery built in Breedon during the seventh century, King Eardwulf of Northumbria, and relatively unknown Anglo-Saxon Saints Beonna of Breedon and Cotta of Breedon.[6][7]

Breedon has a circular stone-built village lock-up.[3] It is 18th-century[citation needed] and similar to the one in the nearby Worthington. It was used for detaining local drunks or lost cattle.

In 1874, a branch of the Midland Railway was built through the eastern part of the parish and Tonge and Breedon railway station was built at Tonge. In 1980 British Railways closed the line and thereafter the track was dismantled. The trackbed through the parish is now part of National Cycle Route 6.

Breedon Priory Church

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Main article: Church of St Mary and St Hardulph

The Priory Church of St Mary and St Hardulph was originally a monastery founded in about AD 676 on the site of The Bulwarks, an Iron Age hill fort. It was re-founded as an Augustinian priory early in the 12th century.[8] Before becoming a monastery it was a hermitage.[9]

What remains of the priory church includes a large number of Anglo-Saxon sculptures,[10] an ornate family box pew and notable Renaissance church monuments.[11]

Amenities

Breedon has two public houses: the Holly Bush and the Three Horseshoes. There was a third pub, The Lime Kiln, but this is now a private home.

The village has a small primary school, a post office and a butcher's shop.

Breedon has a football club, Breedon F.C., whose players include former Aston Villa trainee Jon Dixon.

References

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Sources

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Further reading

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External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Leicestershire County Council: 2001 Census
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pevsner 1960, p. 75.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[page needed]
  5. ↑ Brian C.J. Williams, The Story of St. Mary and St. Hardulph Church: A Cradle of our Faith (The United Benefice of Breedon and Worthington, 2006)
  6. ↑ Stowe MS 944, British Library
  7. ↑ The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Oxford University Press.
  8. ↑ Hoskins & McKinley 1951, pp. 8–10.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Pevsner 1960, pp. 73–74.
  11. ↑ Pevsner 1960, p. 73.
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