Hinckley: Culture and Local History

Hinckley offers several starting points for a trip: theatre, weekly markets, cycling routes, the Ashby Canal and historic buildings each provide a different focus. When planning, you could consider whether to centre your visit on a particular market day, a cultural programme, cycling or the town’s architectural history. Argents Mead and places in the town centre offer further points of interest of their own.

Culture and market days

The Concordia Theatre is a clear point of interest for culture lovers. Its auditorium seats 400 people. The theatre officially opened on 27 April 1973 with a gala performance of “The Seven Ages of Man”, produced by Tony Howkins. The story of its opening and its capacity describe two different aspects of the venue: its history and the size of its auditorium. If you plan to include a theatre visit in your trip, check the current programme.

The markets also give your plans a specific timeframe. They take place every week in the town centre on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. There are often up to 80 stalls selling food, clothing, jewellery, magazines, electrical goods and fabrics; the selection may vary. This gives you three possible days of the week for a stay planned around a market visit. The list of goods illustrates the range on offer, but is not a fixed selection for every market day.

Green spaces, cycling routes and the canal

Argents Mead offers a different focus from the theatre and markets. As part of wider improvements, a bandstand was installed there in 2006 and is available for a variety of local and regional music performances. Music is therefore part of the park’s facilities. For travellers interested in music in public spaces, the bandstand offers a point of interest in its own right.

Hinckley has recommended on-road and off-road cycling routes that help people get around the town. If you would like to explore Hinckley by bike, you can include these routes in your travel plans. The Ashby Canal offers a different perspective: from its junction with the Coventry Canal near Bedworth, it runs about seven miles northeast through Hinckley. Hinckley Wharf is an important feature of the canal. The cycling routes and the canal therefore offer different focuses: getting around the town by bike, and a described waterway route with an important canal feature.

Buildings and historical periods

The Hinckley Town Centre Conservation Area focuses on Castle Street, Regent Street and the area around the Baptist Chapel. With many interesting buildings from important periods in the town’s history, it retains much of its character. St Mary’s Church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, has stood at its current site in Hinckley for almost 900 years. The oldest parts visible today include the tower, nave and chancel; they date from 1240 and 1340. The long history of the church’s location and the dates of its visible building features thus represent different historical periods.

A history trail highlights historic buildings and the many yards and jitties in the town centre. Together, these offer several perspectives for exploring Hinckley’s architectural history: the concentrated area of the Conservation Area, the long history of St Mary’s Church, and the buildings and pathways highlighted by the history trail. If historic architecture is your main interest, these offer specific topics that differ from visiting on a set market day or around the current theatre programme.

A specific date or a particular interest?

There are two different approaches to planning a trip: you can plan a market visit around the days listed, while architecture, local history, cycling and the canal cater more to particular interests. For the theatre, checking the current programme is the right step if you have a visit in mind for a specific date. This lets you choose Hinckley based on a particular date or the subjects that interest you most.

Discover more destinations: Coalville, Earl Shilton, Rothley, North Kilworth, Stathern, Narborough, Great Glen, Castle Donington.

For the wider travel overview: Leicestershire.