Lutterworh Leicester, Leicestershire twinned with Charnbourcy France. The home of Sir Frank Whittle, the Jet Engine, John Wycliffe, Midlands, Bitteswell, Magna Park Beginnings of Lutterworth 4000 BC – 55 AD From around 4000BC to the arrival of the Romans in 55AD, Lutterworth saw many changes. Early farmers settled near the river and developed metal working skills. They have left few marks on the Lutterworth landscape. Early History  55 AD – 1066 AD With the Roman invasion of Britain the main settlement moved to an area near to what is now the A5. The Anglo – Saxons settled at Lutterworth to be near a source of water, the River Swift and the village was established by the Norman Conquest in 1066AD. The Medieval Period 1066 AD – 1485 AD From the Norman Conquest in 1066 the town began to grow from a small village to a small town. The market became established and still continues today. By 1485 and the end of the medieval period the town was flourishing. The church was built and one of the great preachers of the Christian faith, John Wycliffe, became the vicar of the parish.The Tudors and Stuarts
1485 AD – 1714 AD The town was still growing and developing into a thriving market town supporting many trades and professions. The town also saw the effects of war when the King went to war with his Parliament in 1642. The Georgian Period 1714 AD – 1837 AD This period had a lasting effect on the town as many of the building were built to support the coaches that came through the town. It was a time of great prosperity in the town. The Victorians 1837 AD – 1901 AD As the railway did not come to Lutterworth until1899 the town ceased to grow in the ways that other market towns did. Although it still had a thriving retail trade, the town did not grow and expand. As a result of this, Lutterworth has few Victorian buildings. The Early Twentieth Century 1901 AD – 1945 AD With the coming of the railways in 1899 the town once again began to expand. The two World Wars could not fail to have an effect on the town with so many men going to fight. The Second World War saw Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine working in Lutterworth. After 1945 1945 AD - Present The town has seen many changes since 1945. The railway was taken out of service after nearly 70 years in the town. Lutterworth is close to the new motorway and this in its turn has brought people to live and work in the town. The town is still growing and changing today Housing The years following the end of World War 2 saw Lutterworth grow and expand faster than ever before.   New housing estates were built and the population grew and continues to grow today.  In the 1940s and 50s the estate around Swiftway was built. Building around this area continued into the 1960s and it was at this time that Greenacres was built.  More recently, further housing estates have been constructed including ‘Saxon Fields’. Industry  Of Lutterworth’s factories, Vedonis, Herbert Morris and the Follsain Wycliffe foundry all survived into the 1970s.  Industrial estates have grown up on old factory sites on Leicester Road and a large distribution centre, Magna Park, has been developed on the site of the old aerodrome (which closed in the 1970s). The supermarket, Safeways, has been built on the edge of the town centre and premises once destined to house Sainsbury’s supermarket are now occupied by De Bradlies Mill shop. Every Thursday, the town fills with people visiting the market.  Local shops in the town centre sell a variety of goods including jewellery, stationery, gifts and vegetables. Transport As has often been the case, Lutterworth’s road links play an important role in the activity of the town.  After World War 2 the railway ran through the town and many people used it to go to work in Rugby and Leicester, but by the 1960s the line had become uneconomic to run and was closed.  In 1963 a new road was built having a significant effect on the town – the M1.  The new motorway passed by Lutterworth and once again the town became a place where people could stop to buy food and fuel.  Following the construction of the M6, Lutterworth found itself at the centre of a network of roads that improved access to most of the country and as a result, Magna Park was developed as a major distribution centre on the site of the old aerodrome.  Many people have moved to Lutterworth due to the easy access it provides to many major cities in the Midlands, such as Birmingham and Nottingham