Below are interesting features to look out for in the village of Ashby St Ledgers. Each section is numbered and relates to the buttons in the left hand column. Click on these buttons to get an information page which includes a photograph and text suitable for downloading or printing.
1 As you enter the main street of this picturesque village from the A361 the eye is drawn to these former farm workers cottages commissioned by Viscount Wimborne and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens all thatched with Norfolk reeds.
2 On the right hand side is the former school which is now a private residence. Most of the village children of primary school age now attend Welton CE Primary School.
3 With aid from various bodies the Village hall, originally a barn, has been recently remodelled providing access and facilities for the disabled and the kitchen has been completely modernized. The rethatching has been done using Polish reeds. Note the fine detailing around the chimney and the bird which is the thatchers signature.
4 This private house has the former smithy attached to it. Another cottage industry formerly undertaken was shoemaking.
5 These private homes have been created from stables and out buildings which belonged to the manor until 1976.
6 Outside the courtyard of the former stables, on the main street, is the old village pump. The first piped water to the homes came from the lake in the grounds of the Manor but now houses receive their water through the Anglian water company.
7 Almost opposite, on the right hand side, stands this proud thatched house which used to be the residence of a local farmer. Unfortunately the roof of this house was completely destroyed by fire in late 2007. At present it is encapsulated in plastic sheeting.
8 This simple, but splendid cenotaph, for the Wimborne family, designed by Sir Edwin Luytens, can be seen when leaving the church through the south porch. This architect did major alterations to the manor, under the direction of Lord Wimborne, as well as the cottages already mentioned, a substantial four bedroomed house, adjacent to the Village Hall, now in private ownership and a Lodge to a former nine hole golf course on the A361 between this village and Kilsby
9 This quiet cul-de -sac of thatched cottages line a street which runs parallel to Main Street. Originally there was access direct from the A361, which ran behind the extinct Stokes Manor and egressed onto the "Ford Road" to Watford, just beyond the manor. Both access and egress have long been closed.
