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Oadby

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Oadby
Population22,729 
OS grid referenceSK625005
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEICESTER
Postcode districtLE2
Dialling code0116
PoliceLeicestershire
FireLeicestershire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Leicestershire

Oadby is a town within the borough of Oadby and Wigston, in Leicestershire, England. It is to the east of Wigston Magna, and to the southeast of Leicester. Oadby forms part of the Leicester Urban Area, and is situated on the A6 road.

The town is most famous for Leicester Racecourse, situated on the border between Oadby and Leicester, and the University of Leicester Botanic Garden. It is also the home of the Beauchamp College, and halls of residence for the University of Leicester.

History

Angles, Danes and Normans

There has been a habitation in Oadby since an Anglian settlement in the year 550[citation needed] In 1760, on Brocks Hill, evidence of an Anglian burial ground was discovered[citation needed] The Middle Angles came under the rule of the kings of Mercia and were later conquered by the Danish invaders. Oadby is one of seventy Danish settlements in Leicestershire ending with "-by"[citation needed], which means village or settlement. Its name probably came from Old Norse Auðarbýr = "Auði's settlement". Danish rule continued until 920, when King Alfred the Great won his battles against the Danes: the Oadby area is supposed to be the site of at least one of these battles.

In 1086, Oadby's name was recorded as Aldebi. The name then changed to Oladebi, Outherby, Onderby[citation needed] and, finally, Oadby. When King Harold was defeated, William the Conqueror gave Oadby to Hugh de Grandmesnil, Governor of Leicestershire, who founded the parish church of Oadby on the site of the present St Peter's Church.

Modern times

The observatory

In January 1817, Oadby was the scene of a mass riot. 400 people were involved and haystacks were set ablaze. The Leicester Cavalry and a regiment of dragoons were called out to quell the riot and three were imprisoned.[1]

Oadby remained a small settlement until the late 19th century when it became a fashionable suburb for the factory-owners of Leicester's shoe and stocking manufacturers. Many substantial houses were built, some of which are now used by the University of Leicester. Leicester's trams terminated at the edge of the city, as the A6 entered Oadby. (The old tram shed can still be seen on the West side of the A6 by the City of Leicester sign, though it has a different function now, being used as vehicular storage for a Leicester grammar school.)

Stoughton Road in Oadby contains 2 sets of houses of historical interest. Some of the Framework Knitters Homes date back to 1909, while the North Memorial Homes, financed by Sir Jonathan North (former Mayor of Leicester) were built in 1927 and opened in the same year by the Prince of Wales.[2] As well as a series of houses, the North Memorial Homes site also houses the North Memorial Hall, built in a neo-Georgian style, which has been leased to Oadby Evangelical Free Church since 1974.

Expansion of Oadby took place rapidly in the 20th century and is still continuing in 2007. Many residential developments have been constructed so that the population in 2001 reached 22,729.[3]

Oadby today

Oadby today is a predominantly residential area. The academic success of Beauchamp College makes Oadby an attractive location for families with children[citation needed]. As is increasingly the case throughout Leicestershire, Oadby has a diverse population, ethnically and by religion. In 2001 approximately 55 percent of the total population of 22679 identified themselves as Christian, about 11 percent as Hindu, about 8 percent as Sikh and 6 percent as Muslim (19% were of no religion or "religion not stated").[4]

Major employers in Oadby are the schools, Asda, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and the shops in the centre of the town.[citation needed]

Invicta Plastics until recently had a large manufacturing site on the Harborough Road in Oadby, where they once manufactured the popular Mastermind Game. The red noses for the bi-annual Red Nose Day appeal of the Comic Relief charity were also made by Invicta Plastics in Oadby. Invicta Plastics moved all operations in Oadby to Braunstone Frith in Leicester and closed their site.

A Waitrose food store opened in 2010 on the former Invicta site.[5]

There is an small industrial estate with a variety of types of business.

Sport and culture

The local football club Oadby Town F.C. play in the Midland Football Alliance league. Leicester Tigers, the premiership rugby union club, train at their centre at Oval Park on the Wigston Road, Oadby.

Oadby's other local football club is Oadby Owls FC, who cater for many ages up to under-18s. They play at the municipal Coombe Park and are a very popular football club in Leicester. The club is known to be very successful around the Leicestershire area.

Oadby's Parklands Leisure Centre is home to the Dolly Rockit Rollers roller derby league. Members of the UKRDA, they were ranked amongst the top eight teams in the country in 2011.

Current famous residents include recent child prodigy Yagnesh Jadavji, named in a BBC documentary by Robert Winston, as being the youngest British citizen to create a MENSA accepted brain teaser. John Deacon, bass player of the influential rock group Queen, was born and grew up in Oadby. Milan Mandaric, former owner of Leicester City and current owner of Sheffield Wednesday lives in Oadby.

Religious organisations in Oadby

Transport

Oadby is served by Arriva Leicester services 31 (Severn Road), 31A (Coombe Rise), 80/80A (UniLinx) and X3, Centrebus service 40 circle line and Stagecoach Northampton service X7.

References

  1. ^ Edmund Burke 1817 (Ed.) The Annual Register (p5)
  2. ^ Oadby and Wigston Council forward plans
  3. ^ 2001 UK Census
  4. ^ 2001 UK Census stated religion data
  5. ^ "Supermarket opens doors a month ahead of schedule". Leicester Mercury Newspaper. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
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