Local information - history
The delightful market town of Market Harborough lies in a rural part of South Leicestershire and offers a superb range of amenities with an active theatre, leisure centre, library and numerous sporting clubs. The town centre offers excellent shopping with a host of boutique shops on the very attractive and historical high street as well as a good range of restaurants and cafes. Regular farmers’ markets are held in the town square. Surrounding this traditional market town is a wonderful offering of charming and thriving villages made up of warm iron stone cottages, modern homes and Rectory style properties.
The centre of Market Harborough is dominated by the steeple of St Dionysius Parish church which dates back to the 14th century. Next to the church stands the Old Grammar School, a fascinating timber building dating from 1614. The school room had to be built upon posts to allow the butter market to be held on the ground floor. Symingtons Corset factory - made famous by the liberty bodice - ceased trading in 1957 but displays can be found in the Harborough Museum along with local archaeology finds and the complete history of Market Harborough dating back to the 17th century.
Places to visit
As well as the longest and steepest staircase locks in the UK, Foxton Locks is positioned in the heart of Leicestershire’s rolling countryside. A picturesque walk along the tow path, a trip in a narrow boat or lunch in the canalside pub. Just north of Market Harborough is Rutland Reservoir. Set in 4200 acres of open countryside, Rutland Water is the central rural attraction in England's smallest county of Rutland and offers activities for all the family including a vast water park, cycle hire, sailing, kayaking and a large nature reserve. Market Harborough is well placed between Northampton and Leicester, two cities with a raft of amenities. Both have cultural quarters where there are excellent theatres which host many West End tours.
Travel
Market Harborough is well placed for access to a number of regional centres with Leicester 16 miles to the north and Northampton 15 miles to the south. The town is served by East Midlands Trains with direct services to Leicester in about 15 minutes and London St Pancras International can now be reached from Market Harborough in just under an hour, making the area popular with commuters. The A14 can be accessed just 6 miles from the town, giving access to the M1 and M6 and East Midlands Airport is just 35 miles away.
Local schools and colleges
Many people are drawn to the area due to a wide range of excellent schools. The area has many charming local village schools with wonderful traditional philosophies. In Market Harborough itself there is great secondary schooling with Welland Park recently receiving outstanding in its Ofsted inspection. In addition to state schooling, some of the best independent schools can found in the area from preparatory schools including Maidwell Hall and Spratton Hall to public schools like Uppingham, Oundle, Oakham and Rugby as well as Leicester Grammar and Stamford.