Surrounded by fertile land with waterway links, Market Harborough is a thriving market town in the heart of England built on agriculture and industry
ON A BRIGHT March morning, shopkeepers in the centre of Market Harborough are preparing for another busy day. The fishmonger unrolls her awning and arranges a fresh catch into a bed of ice on the white marble-topped counter. The butcher puts the finishing touches to his display and unlocks the door. At The Garage Bakehouse, with a serving hatch opening directly onto the street, a queue of people is already forming, as they wait for sourdough loaves, warm flatbreads and gooey brownies.
Planters of early spring flowers, buttery yellow daffodils, and splashes of vivid primulas brighten Church Square, as the soaring limestone spire of St Dionysius’ Church rises high above the town, topped by a golden cockerel weathervane. Facing the church is the distinctive shape of the Old Grammar School. One of the most recognisable buildings in the area, this timbered and gabled structure is set on distinctive oak legs, and dates to the 17th century.
Trade and industry have always been at the heart of this market town, situated in south Leicestershire, on the border with Northamptonshire. Its position on the banks of the River Welland, surrounded by gentle hills and fertile land, suited to both arable and livestock farming, created prosperity from early times. Its central geographical location meant that the settlement became a thoroughfare, with the main road from London to Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Manchester passing through. In 1809, a branch of the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal reached the town. It never extended further, but the Union Wharf created an important distribution centre for coal, corn, and other essentials. These national links helped to make the town a place for industry to flourish, with tanning, corsetry, carpets, brickworks, engineering and food production contributing to its economic success over the centuries.
Colourful history
Founded by the Saxons between 410 and 1066, the name Market Harborough derives from the Anglo-Saxon ‘haefera-beorg’, or ‘oat hill’. The 1086 Domesday Book shows that the settlement was surrounded by fields of oats, barley and beans. The earliest record of a market there is 1204. The town has two villages within its boundaries: Great Bowden and Little Bowden. The three settlements are now largely joined together by development, but Great Bowden is a conservation area, and very much retains its village identity.
