Sapcote History

The Heritage of Sapcote by Keith B. Hextall,

Sapcote Parish Archaeological and Heritage Warden

Introduction

Sapcote is an attractive village with a long history, Iron Age pottery having been unearthed here.

An early Bronze Age occupation site has been discovered here and a Roman Villa and Bath House dating from the 1^st century AD.

From the 12^th-14^th century the village was the home of the powerful Basset family. The former castle and manorial site, now the village playing field, is a scheduled Ancient Monument. Excavation took place there in the late 1960s, when stone foundations, hearths and the remains of a turret were uncovered. Finds indicated a building of some importance.

The oldest surviving building in the village is the 12^th century All Saints Parish Church with its 14^th century chantry chapel, once dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and now the North aisle. Here may be seen thememorial slab to Ralph, Lord Basset, last of the Sapcote line, who died in 1378. There is a fine Norman font in the church and a medieval mass dial may be seen on one of the exterior walls.

The stone-built Methodist Church in Leicester Road, a Grade 11 listed building was opened in 1905 and is a fine example of the Arts and Crafts period albeit that the downstairs pews have recently been removed during renovations.

Other historical buildings include several thatched cottages and Park Farm, a timber-framed house in Stanton Road which is dated 1683. A Bath House was built over the so-called 'Golden Well' in Stanton Road in 1806, in an attempt to turn Sapcote into a Spa. Listed buildings include the Old School in Leicester Road, built in 1819, and the Stanley Burroughs Almshouses in Cooke's Lane, erected in 1847.

A factory in Leicester Road, dated 1919, is a fine example of Art Deco style and Sapcote Club in Hinckley Road was built in 1910 in the Arts and Crafts period style.

The early 19^th century cast iron milepost at the corner of Grace Road and Leicester Road is a relic of the days of the Turnpike Trust.

At one time there was a Tower Mill in Leicester Road and a Water Mill on the banks of the River Soar was mentioned in the Domesday Book.

Sapcote's Natural History Heritage includes Freeholt Wood, an area of medieval woodland off Hinckley Road. Several fields are also of special interest. For the rambler there are a number of interesting footpaths and bridleways. One footpath runs alongside the ancient Mere Hedge, a boundary dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. Another section of the parish boundary includes a section of the Roman Fosse Way.