Market Harborough
| Market Harborough | |
|---|---|
| Population | Expression error: "20,785 (2001)" must be numeric |
| OS grid reference | SP7387 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MARKET HARBOROUGH |
| Postcode district | LE16 |
| Dialling code | 01858 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Market Harborough is a market town in Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 20,785 (2001 census), and is the administrative headquarters of the Harborough district.
Geography
Market Harborough is located in a rural part of south Leicestershire, upon the River Welland. It is very close to the Northamptonshire border, and is roughly 15 miles (24 km) south of Leicester and 10 miles north of Kettering. The town is near the A14 main road and Market Harborough railway station is served by the Midland Main Line railway. There is also a branch of the Grand Union Canal which terminates on the north side of the town. Nearby to the town are the famous Foxton Locks.
Politics
The town is currently an unparished area in the Harborough district, with no town council of its own. It is the third least populated town of this sort.
Places of interest
Foxton Locks
Not directly in the town is Foxton Locks. Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks, located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west of Market Harborough, and are named after the nearby village of Foxton.
The Old Grammar School
One of the town's most notable features is an unusual grammar school dating from 1614 located in the town centre which stands on wooden stilts. The underside was once used as a butter market. Market Harborough Grammar School was founded in 1607 by Robert Smyth, a poor native of the town who became Comptroller of the City of London's Chamber and member of the Merchant Taylors' Company. The school has since moved sites and now the Robert Smyth School caters for 13-18 year-olds. The school badge is the arms of the City of London.
St Dionysius Church
The Church of England parish church is dedicated to St Dionysius, and is of a broach spire construction. It dates back to the 14th century but has been added to since. There is a sundial on the south side of the Church dating from the 18th century.
Harborough Museum
Situated in part of what was once the old Symington's Corset Factory, the Museum shares the building with the Council offices and the Library. Since opening in 1983 the Museum has continued to collect and display objects of local interest including local Roman archaeological finds. It is open to the pubic most days of the year and is free to visit.
St. Mary's Place
In 1993 the former Cattle Market, Bus Station, Indoor Market, and several properties adjacent to the Old Post Office & The Peacock Hotel were re-developed to form a new Shopping Centre called St. Mary's Place. Consisting of 26 retail units, and a new Indoor Market Hall, it also heralded the Sainsburys store to the town. The original 'Settling Rooms' from the Cattle Market were listed as a building to preserve, and still stand as a point of interest in the centre of the Sainsbury`s Car Park. This pedestrian only shopping site straddles the River Welland, joined by one large suspension style bridge, and two further smaller footbridges.
Sport and Leisure
Market Harborough Cricket Club has two teams, one of which plays in the Leicestershire Premier Division.
Market Harborough Football Club has two teams and a veterans` team. Harborough Town Juniors also boasts an outstanding setup.
Also Market Harborough leisure centre includes a swimming pool, gym, and cafe.
The town also has two skateparks: one in Little Bowden, known as The Bowl; and one in Welland Park, which is known as The New Skatepark or Welland Park Skatepark.
Transport
Market Harborough railway station is on the Midland Main Line railway line and is served and operated by Midland Mainline. London St Pancras is approxmetely 1hr 10 minutes away to the south, while northbound trains operate to Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds and York. Leicester railway station which is 15 minutes away offers connections to the east and west of England. November 2007 will see the completion of St Pancras Internation station with the start of Eurostar services to the continent giving a much wider range of destinations for business or leisure.
Radio
HFM was formed in November 1994 with the aim to provide a local FM radio station for Market Harborough and South Leicestershire areas, as it was felt the established independent local stations and the local BBC stations failed to cater for the population of South Leicestershire. OFCOM awarded the station its full time licence on 15 July 2005, meaning it could broadcast 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. John Fitzpatrick came up with the idea of a local radio station for Market Harborough; sadly, John died in November 2002, aged 47.
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (May 2007) |
The town also has the smallest street (in terms of length) in Europe, called Little Street, connecting the High Street to the Nags Head.
The town's main source of media is the Harborough Mail, a weekly newspaper.
The town now has its own Community Radio Station Harborough FM which began broadcasting in February 2007 on 102.3FM.
Former England rugby captain Martin Johnson was brought up in Market Harborough.[1]
Actor Jeremy Bulloch, who played Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy, was born in the town.