REDMILE
Canalside pub, the Peacock Inn at Redmile
couldn't hang on until the boats came along to
ensure viability. Built in 1702, it's now purely
residential. Originally thatched. the present black
glazed pantiles date from the early C19.
Ivan Kane, visiting in 1963, learned from the
innkeeper that boats would unload their cargoes of
coal, lime, bricks and roadstone at the wharf
beside the inn. Boat horses would be stabled
overnight in the 'boat stable' belonging to the inn.
REDMILE CLOCKMAKER
George Bishop moved to Redmile in 1762 he
had a wife Mary and over the following years
they had seven children. These events are
recorded in documents preserved at the
Leicestershire Records Office. He died in 1805
and was buried in an unmarked grave in
Redmile churchyard.
George lived in Redmile during the enclosure of
the open fields, divided and hedged this
dramatically changed the landscape to what we
still see today. He also witnessed the
construction of the Grantham canal which
touches Redmile closer than many of the other
Vale villages it is said to serve. We can only
speculate what he though of these immense
changes which must have been the 18th century
equivalent of building a motorway or HS2.
Unfortunately George left no diary or personal
records of his life, he even failed to leave a will.
We do know where he lived in 1797 because his
tiny village plot is identified on the Redmile
Enclosure Map to the left of the Windmill Inn.
Back in the mid 1990s a visitor came to Redmile
seeking his grave. They had at home a longcase
or grandfather clock and on the dial was
engraved George Bishop REDMILE. Since that
time over forty clocks have been discovered,
made in Redmile by George and his son John
between 1762 and 1809.
The Peacock Inn in it’s heyday, now holiday lets
St Peter’s Church next to the Peacock Inn
BOMBING THE VALE
During the night of 8th/9th May 1941 the
Vale of Belvoir suffered a bombardment of
major proportions. Some believe this was a
failed attack on the cities of Nottingham,
Derby and Leicester, if this was so then
perhaps many lives were saved.
High explosive and incendiary bombs were
dropped onto Barkestone, Redmile,
Plungar and Bottesford leaving several
craters and unexploded bomb craters
At Redmile, bomb craters were scattered in
fields surrounding the village. Several
windows in Redmile village including two
shops and Methodist Church were
damaged.
Miraculously there were no casualties and
no serious damage to property resulted.
A final survey showed that the main attack
covered an oblong area approx. 7 miles
long by 3 miles wide. This included all the
villages and hamlets from Normanton
(Bottesford) to Plungar.
The above (shortened) account is
transcribed from a contemporary report, a
facsimile being reproduced in "Birds Eye
Wartime - Leicestershire 1939-1945" by
Terence C. Cartwright. The author adds:
"Later counts of craters and U.X.B's
amounted to 250. One U.X.B which fell in
the canal near Redmile could not be
removed due to being well below the water
table, in silt"
George Bishop and Bombing in the Vale
information courtesy of
The Redmile Archive
Peace celebration boat trips from Redmile Wharf to
Duke’s Wharf in 1919 to mark the end of WW1