Discover Measham: Local History and Trails

Measham offers several specific ways to connect with local history during your stay. When looking for a hotel in Measham, it may help to choose a focus: the War Memorial Cross commemorates the fallen, the Church of St Lawrence brings together architecture and mining history, and the Ashby Canal Trail connects Measham with the canal at Snarestone. The Measham Museum adds to the picture of local history. These topics differ in place, period, and subject, so you can distinguish cultural history from a specific route connection when planning your stay.

War Memorial Cross and Church of St Lawrence

The Measham War Memorial Cross commemorates 44 members of the local community who died in the First World War. The names of 11 parishioners who fell in the Second World War were added later, along with the name of a soldier who died in the Iraq War of 2003–2011. These additions extend the commemoration beyond the remembrance of the First World War. The cross is also listed as a Grade II monument. This means that two distinct aspects come together at this memorial: the named remembrance of the fallen and the structure’s formal designation.

The Church of St Lawrence can also be understood through various historical details. Its west tower was built shortly after 1733. The numbered pews with side panels, known as box pews, date from 1842 and are located throughout the nave. The building and its furnishings therefore point to different periods. In addition, artefacts from the now-closed Measham Coal Mine are displayed in the church. Architecture, historic furnishings, and mining history thus appear as distinct topics.

Museum, Mining, and Measham Ware

The Measham Museum is a small village museum and local history centre in Measham’s renovated railway station. It offers a broad perspective on the history of the village, while the artefacts displayed at the Church of St Lawrence are specifically connected to the now-closed coal mine. When considering Measham’s cultural history, these two approaches therefore differ in focus: the village museum as a local history centre and the mining artefacts as a link to a particular part of that history.

Another local connection is Measham ware, also known as Barge ware. This pottery was made in Measham, on the Ashby Canal in Leicestershire, in the late 19th century. The two names refer to the same pottery; its production period was the late 19th century. By comparison, the pews date from 1842. This allows two distinct dates in the area’s history to be set side by side: a specific year for the church furnishings and a later century for the pottery’s production.

Trails Along the Ashby Canal

The Ashby Canal Trail is approximately 2.5 miles each way and offers a safe route between Measham and the canal at Snarestone. The route is flat and easy to walk. The distance given for one direction helps avoid confusing it with the total return distance; no walking time is specified. The trail’s length, terrain, and destination are the specific points to consider when planning your visit.

The Ashby Woulds Heritage Trail is a separate route and forms part of the National Cycle Network. The information answers different questions: for the Ashby Canal Trail, it concerns the approximate one-way distance, the terrain, and the connection to the canal at Snarestone. For the Ashby Woulds Heritage Trail, the stated point of reference is its inclusion in the National Cycle Network. If you are including trails in your travel plans, you can thus distinguish the two trail names and the information associated with each.

Discover more destinations: Melton Mowbray, Great Glen, Great Easton, Sibson, Medbourne, Market Bosworth, Coalville, Markfield.

For the broader travel overview: Leicestershire.