Saddington village, Leicestershire

Geography & setting

Saddington sits on a hilltop on the northern side of hills separating the Welland and Soar river valleys. The village is approximately 9 miles south-east of Leicester city and 5–6 miles north-west of Market Harborough. The terrain is undulating, with the village on a ridge overlooking a steep valley containing Saddington Reservoir. Postcode: LE8. OS Grid Reference: SP 6597 9201. Coordinates: 52.522°N, 1.029°W. Parish area: 1,714 acres (709 ha). The village is a designated Conservation Area (1975) under Harborough District Council.

Key landmarks

Church of St Helen — Grade II* listed (Historic England NHLE 1188153, listed 18 March 1987). 13th-century origins; parish registers begin 1538; Bishop's Transcripts from 1564. The west tower was rebuilt 1707; major Frederick Peck restoration 1872–73 gave the building its current appearance.

Saddington Hall — Grade II listed (NHLE 1188146). Three building phases 1674–1806. Currently a private residence.

Saddington Reservoir — 19.1-hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest, built 1793–1797 as a feeder reservoir for the Grand Union Canal. eBird hotspot L5756374, 108 bird species recorded.

Saddington Tunnel — Grand Union Canal tunnel, 880 yards (~807 m), opened 1797. Slightly crooked due to surveying errors; no internal towpath.

The Queen's Head — Whitewashed Main Street pub on Everards tenancy. The Queen's Head Farm Shop opened 2013.

The Manor House — Early-19th-century stuccoed L-shaped house with an attached early-18th-century brick dovecot (~600 nesting holes).

Other listed buildings include Limes Farmhouse (Grade II), Sunnydale Farmhouse (Grade II), Saddington Lodge (Grade II), the Old Rectory, Yew Tree House, Ivydene, Cedar House, Harlain Cottage, the General Baptist Chapel (1848), and the former Saddington National School (1855).

Population history

The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded 33 households at Saddington — implying a total population of roughly 150–200 people. The 1377 Poll Tax recorded 135 payers. Modern census figures: 1801: 241; 1841: 279 (parish peak); 1891: 182 (late-Victorian decline); 1901: 243; 1951: 190 (modern nadir); 2011: 309 (latest published).

Manorial history (briefly)

Pre-Conquest holder in 1066 was Queen Edith, wife of Edward the Confessor. After her death in 1075, the manor passed to King William I; in 1086 it was let to a sub-tenant named Godwin. Subsequent lords included Richard de Rollos (1177), William de Lucy and Roger de Mowbray (1204), the St Amand family (consolidated by 1228), the Moels and Botreaux baronial families, the Hungerford family, the Sacheverells (to 1606), the Bale family, the Wollaston family (1640–c.1798), and the Evans family. Manorial rights were effectively extinguished by 1877.