Great Easton: Village History and Character

Great Easton lies in the Welland Valley and is characterised by honey-coloured stone houses and locally quarried ironstone. If you are looking for a hotel for a trip to Great Easton, it helps to consider what makes the place distinctive: these features range from the connections between its streets to traces from different periods of the village’s history.

Village Character and Getting Around

The jitties connect the streets within Great Easton. They are therefore part of the village’s layout and offer a different way to find your bearings from looking for a single landmark building. Local building materials also shape its character: ironstone features in the architecture, while honey-coloured stone houses define the village scene. Traditional roofing materials include Collyweston stone slates, roof tiles, thatch and Welsh slate. These differences can be seen in the houses and roofs as part of the village’s development over time.

St Andrew and Earlier Traces

The parish church of St Andrew dates mainly from the 13th century and was built from local ironstone. Its west tower dates from the late 13th century and contains a small section of Norman herringbone masonry. This detail brings different architectural features together in one building. Iron Age pottery and a Romano-British site in the area around the church also offer clues to Great Easton’s long history. At the same location, evidence from periods far apart in time can be found side by side.

The houses also illustrate the village’s depth of history. The oldest surviving houses date from around 1500. Furleigh Cottage dates from the 15th century and is one of the oldest buildings in Great Easton. The dating of the Old Post Office is less certain: it probably dates from the late 16th century. These details help distinguish the buildings by period without reducing them to a single phase of construction.

Houses, Crafts and Village History

Some buildings are particularly connected with everyday life and crafts through their former uses. Stonewalls is a house dating from 1694 that once housed one of Great Easton’s village bakeries. Clock House is a Victorian red-brick villa from 1881. The original workshop of the village clockmaker adjoins its left-hand side. The house, workshop and former use each tell a different part of the village’s story.

Corset-making is also part of that story. The former premises at 19 Crossbank opened in 1908 and operated as a corset factory for over 50 years; they are now privately occupied. The corsets made in Great Easton were handcrafted. A considerable proportion were made by homeworkers in neighbouring houses. Production was therefore not confined to the factory building, but also included work in surrounding homes.

The Welland Valley and Surroundings

Medieval ridge-and-furrow earthworks survive in the fields around Great Easton. They give the landscape a historical dimension that extends beyond the village’s buildings. The Great Easton heritage trail starts at the War Memorial in the village centre and offers another way to explore local history.

Nearby, Eyebrook Reservoir lies one mile north of Great Easton. It is an important wildlife refuge. Also in the area, a private road leads from Great Easton via Caldecott Road to a fishing lodge. This road is open to anglers only; day permits are available at the lodge. Check the current rules before travelling.

The historic houses, church and traces in the landscape show different sides of Great Easton. They can help you get a sense of the place as you plan your trip and look for a hotel suited to your destination.

Discover more destinations: North Kilworth, Measham, Woodhouse Eaves, Ibstock, Medbourne, Castle Donington, Swannington, Kegworth

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