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Buckminster is a village and civil parish within the Melton district of Leicestershire, England, which includes the two villages of Buckminster and Sewstern. The total population of the civil parish was 335 at the 2021 census. It is on the B676 road, 10 miles east of Melton Mowbray and 4 miles west of the A1 at Colsterworth.

The parish is located in the north-east of the county, on the border with Lincolnshire. Nearby places are Coston, Wymondham and Sproxton in Leicestershire, and Stainby over the border in Lincolnshire. Sewstern Lane, which forms the parish boundary and the county boundary with Lincolnshire is part of the modern Viking Way. The village is noted for its autumnal colours, with many trees in the grounds and on the perimeter of Buckminster Park, on the village green, behind the houses of The Crescent and along the edges of roads and fields.

Housing

Buckminster's houses reflect its history as an estate village. They include a terrace of 17 houses built in the 1810s (The Row), an attractive circlet of semi-detached properties standing in large gardens (The Crescent) and two short terraces built in 1935 and 1948 on Sproxton Road and Coston Road. There are also a small number of detached 19th-century houses, some with origins as farmhouses. A few of the older properties are built in limestone, but the predominant building material is brick. All the commercial and residential properties in the village are owned by Buckminster Estates, who are linked with the Tollemache family who live in Buckminster Park: the former home of the Earl of Dysart. The village pub is called the Tollemache Arms.

Buckminster Park

Buckminster Park stands to the north-east of the village. It was never a medieval hunting park, but has its origins in a lease of land in 1532 near the former manor house. Buckminster Hall, a large Palladian-style property, was built within the park in the 1790s for Sir William Manners. This was demolished in 1951. It was replaced in 1965 by a Neo-Georgian house, by Wills, Trenwith and Wills, known as Buckminster Park. The large stables, built around a courtyard for the 9th Earl of Dysart in the 1880s, stand to the south of the Park, and have been converted to housing.

History

The village's name means 'the monastery church of Bucca'.

Buckminster stands 500 feet above sea level, with no higher ground between the village and The Wash, on the east coast, 37 miles away. A beacon was built during the Anglo-Spanish War of the 16th century, as part of a chain of beacons stretching from the Lincolnshire coast. Repairs were ordered in 1625, after the countries returned to war, when a 24-hour watch had to be maintained.

Facilities

There is a village shop on Main Street. The village hall was built in 2012, just off Main Street, and has generous parking for evening events. The Coffee Barn, at Buckminster Barn, offers light lunches, hot & cold beverages, is licensed for the sale of alcoholic drinks and also provides a venue for day conferences, weddings and other events. The Tollemache Arms, on Main Street, is a licensed premises and has a restaurant.

Buckminster Primary School is half a mile south of Buckminster village, on the road to Sewstern. It was rated as Good by Ofsted in 2014.

Buckminster Gliding Club, based at nearby Saltby Airfield, is named after the village. Buckminster United Football Club is an amateur football club based in the village.

References

Further reading

  • Buchan, James (1983) Thatched Village. London: Hodder & Stoughton (Buchan was also the author of The Expendable Mary Slessor; he uses the name "Overton" for the village)
  • Buckminster Gliding Club
  • Primary School
  • St John the Baptist church
  • Buckminster Park One Day Event
  • Parish Council
  • Leicestershire villages

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  • Buckminster village views video retrieved 18 Dec 2010