History of Blaby Village

A BRIEF HISTORY OF BLABY VILLAGE.

20th Century Blaby

Apart from the advent of the motor vehicle, the arrival of piped water from 1910 to replace pumps and wells in the backyards, the establishment of a 'bathing station' on the canal, and the multiplication of small factories for hosiery and footwear, little changed until after the 1914-18 war.
At the first post-war election there was a minor revolution on the Parish Council, and in that year a demand for allotment gardens was satisfied by the acquisition of the present allotments on the Enderby Road.
In July 1914 the Suffragettes set fire to Blaby Station.
By 1922 electricity had arrived, and the first moves were made to obtain a playing field on the Leicester Road (not finalised until 1952).
The first bus shelter was proposed in 1926, and roadside footpaths became general in 1928/9.
During the 1920's the only significant building was by opening up The Avenue and 'ribbon development' on the Welford/Winchester Roads, Grove Road and Lutterworth Road.
By 1934 the village had its first telephone box and all the streets had name-plates, and by 1936 we had the 'tomato farm' on Grove Road and Shoults' Blaby tomatoes were famous.
Then came the second world war, and for 6 years everything stopped. Inevitably when they all came home there was a great demand for houses, and the physical expansion of the village began, first with Council housing on Western Drive and The Crescent, then with the private developers. 1949/54 saw the Queens Road/Fairway estate, 1954 Lime Grove, 1958 Ash Grove and Lavender Close. Then the big developers came in. Oaks Farm and its fields went in 1961-5, then the Jelson estate, first the 'tree' streets, then those off Southway, and the Broadmead estate. Since then, building has been more limited, being mostly infill and single roads. The result of all this building has been not only a population explosion to a total of around 6500/7000 with an enormous increase in traffic, but also much greater demands on services and facilities.
The old school, after being forced to use other buildings for its overspill, was replaced in 1967 by the new Stokes School (and Headlands Infants); this was not enough and in 1977 Thistly Meadow School followed. Increased ddmand for secondary places necessitated provision for the whole area at Leysland High School and Countesthorpe College.
Post-war efforts led to the building of the Social Centre, and this proved to be a natural focus for all sorts of organisations.
Blaby Station was closed in 1968.
For their part, the Parish Council provided another large playing field off Hospital Lane, private sports fields appeared, a new Methodist Church was built, as was a Drop-In Centre, and the village centre was transformed into a 'district shopping centre'. We even got a bypass - eventually.
For the first time, the Parish Council owned its own offices, when it purchased 13 Western Drive in 1993.