Whitwick

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Whitwick parish church

Whitwick (pronounced "Wittick") is a village in Leicestershire, England.

The population of Whitwick, according to the 2001 census is 10,815 persons. 8,092 of these fall into the 16-74 working age range, although only 4,689 are employed.

For a village, Whitwick has a surprising number of public houses, mainly from its heritage as a mining community (see the website link below).

One of the earliest mentions of this place is in the Domesday book where it is listed amongst the lands given to Hugh de Grandmesnil ^[1] by the King. There was said to be land for half a plough and woodland which was a furlong by half a furlong. Its value was two shillings.

Whitwick had a 12th century castle, although no remains are left. The village also contains three 'cities' - The City of Three Waters, The City of Dan, and the City of Hockley, all streets within the village. There is also a road called 'The Dumps' between Whitwick and Thringstone, which attracts tourists to have their photographs taken, thus proving that they have 'been in the dumps'. The true road name is 'Dumps Road', and is actually only known to locals as 'The Dumps'. A very steep hill it is often used by local driving instructors as a suitable place to test their pupils' hill start technique. Also the home for many years of local celebrity Jim Hough until his untimely end in 2003.

1 The Bull's Head to Bull's Head pub crawl
2 Gracedieu Vineyard
3 References
4 External links

[edit] The Bull's Head to Bull's Head pub crawl

Starting at Warren Hills in Coalville working down hill to Thringstone, the famous Bull's Head to Bull's Head pub crawl runs mostly through Whitwick. It currently consists of nine pubs on a 3.4 mile stretch of a single road.

These pubs are:

The Bull's Head - Leicester Road
The Three Horse Shoes (Polly's) - Leicester Road
The Three Crowns - Leicester Road
The White Horse - Market Place
The Black Horse - Church Lane
The Oak Of Whitwick - Talbot Street (originally The Prince Of Wales. At one point was named The Beaver's Lodge and nick named 'The Pink Palace'.)
The Queens Head - Loughborough Road
The Rose And Crown - The Green
The Bull's Head - Ashby Road

As an optional detour;

The Man Within Compass (Rag And Mop) - Loughborough Road
The Hare and Hounds (Mary's House) - Grace dieu Road

These can be included between The Oak and the White Horse.

Possible extras can also include two clubs;

Whitwick Snooker And Sports Club - Market Place (originally The Beaumont Arms a.k.a. Uncle Tom's Cabin.) Now closed, 2008.
The Rangers Supporters Club - Loughborough Road

The crawl is well known for its density and for the linguistic symmetries in the sequence of pub names including the recent closures of The Forest Rock and The Foresters Arms. The count of pubs for this crawl in total at one point could have been as high as 26. Previous pubs along the route that have now been closed, demolished or converted would have included;

The Forest Rock Hotel - Leicester Road (closed 2008)
The Foresters Arms - Leicester Road (closed 2008)
The Cricketters Arms - Leicester Road. Demolished, now No.18.
The Duke Of York - Leicester Road. Demolished, was next to Wards fish and chip shop.
The Castle Inn (Patsy Griffins) - Castle Street, converted to housing.
The Blacksmiths Arms - Barn End Corner, demolished.
The Boot Inn - Silver Street, now Whitwick Spice takeaway.
The Hastings Arms - Market Place. Demolished, now a car show room.
The Railway Hotel - South Street, now a glass show room and flats. Built on top of The Joiners Arms in 1892 when the street level was raised for the railway.
The Crown And Cushion - South Street, demolished. One of two pubs in Whitwick to use the same name at the same time.
The Waggon And Horses - Church Lane. Was attached to The Black Horse. Demolished in 1985 for road improvements.
The Liberal Club - North Street. Originally The North Street Working Mens Club. (closed 2007)
The Duke Of Newcastle - North Street. Demolished, now the location of the Pharmacy.
The Royal George - North Street. Demolished, now a small grass area.
The New Inn (Tommy Potters) - Brookes Lane, demolished.
The Talbot Arms - Talbot Road. At the junction to Talbot Street. Converted to housing.

[edit] Gracedieu Vineyard

South facing, the Gracedieu vineyard was established in 1995 in Charnwood Forest. Its 'Green Man' wine based on the Madeleine Angevine grape is known for its floral bouquet.