Forest Road and Little Markfield - Streets of days gone by

Forest Road runs from its junction with London Road and Main Street out towards Little Markfield and the M1. It gained its name as it was the road out to the forest. It has undergone many changes over the last 50 years or so around the Bulls Head corner, with the demolition of the old cottages, which were replaced by the current bungalows and green space. In Victorian times, the village expanded with new terraced housing, Forest Road being no exception. The map is from 1884, as the Victorian terraces were being built.

There has been a pub on the site of the Bulls Head for many years. In earlier times, it was the Axe and Cleaver, being on the road to/from the Forest. It is believed to be the oldest pub in the village. It enjoyed a heyday when the local stretch of the M1 was built in the early 1960s and an encampment of construction workers was set up nearby. Apparently, The George on Main St also did well out of the M1 workers.

Here is a more recent photo of the Bulls Head.

Johnny Lays cycle shop used to be near the pinfold, where the bungalows now are on the other side of the road from the Bulls Head. The building must have been cut into sloping ground. As well as cycles, it sold pit tools and hardware. Cramp's carpenters was also in this area.

Just down the track by the pub stands Stepping Stones Farm, a rebuilt stone house dating from the late 16th/early 17th century. This is said to be the oldest domestic building in the village.

Miss Varnum’s School cost a penny a week back in the day. Small private schools catered for local fee-paying customers before the advent of free education in the mid to late 1800s.

A notable set of buildings next on from the Bulls Head is the Manor House. The name is a mystery as there was never a manor of Markfield. The house was the home of village physician, Dr Dalley, in the early 20th Century. He reputedly kept a skeleton in an outhouse and the local lads would dare each other to take a look at it! The Dalley's flock of geese used to run about and frighten the children.

Moving along, this next picture is titled Thornton Road, posted in 1907. It is, however, Forest Road and shows Alma Cottage on the corner, as it used to be. The Parish Church was visible from here in those days. In front of the house was the pinfold, a place where stray livestock were impounded until claimed by their owners or sold to cover the costs of impounding.

This photo of the Victorian terraces slightly further along, from the early 1900s. It has attracted some interest from the locals. There is a faint image of a penny farthing bike or similar parked by the kerb. As with many houses of the day, apparently the toilets were outside at the end of the gardens.

This is a similar view from around the 1950s.

One of the last buildings as the road leaves the village, this is thought to have been used for framework knitting. It was demolished a few years ago.

This page would not be complete without mention of Little Markfield, a collection of houses on the edge of the village, and Little Markfield Farm. We know little about the history of the houses, although Little Markfield as a street name appears on the census for the first time in 1871.