Corby Glen is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the South Kesteven district of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, England. It is approximately south-east of the

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

and 8 miles (13 km) north west of Bourne.

History

The Church of England parish church dedicated to

Saint John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...

dates in part from the 12th century and has a notable collection of 14th- and 15th-century

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s. Following the purchase of Irnham Hall by a Protestant family in the mid-19th century the Catholic Chapel of the hall was taken down and re-erected in Corby Glen as the

Roman Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to the designs of architects Weightman, Hadfield & Goldie. A thousand wagonloads of material were carried between the two sites. The new church opened in 1856. The church closed in 2012. The church and the attached presbytery are Grade II

Listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The village's first

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

chapel was built in 1846, and replaced in 1902 by the present building which is still in use. The original chapel is now a private house. To the north of the parish church is a substantial castle mound or

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

. Historian David Roffe refers to it as "an early defended manor house". In 1238 King Henry III chartered a weekly market and an annual sheep fair. The sheep fair is still held and is claimed to be the longest-established such event in Britain. Th
Willoughby Memorial Library and Art Gallery
is housed in a 17th-century building that was originally Reads Grammar School. The school was founded in 1669 by the bequest of Charles Read (1604–1669), who was born at Darlton in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

and became a wealthy shipper in Hull. Read also founded Read School at Drax in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

and a grammar school at

Tuxford Tuxford is a historic market town and a civil parish in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 2,516, increasing to 2,649 at the 2011 census. Geography Nearby towns are Ollerton, Ret ...

in Notts. Reads Grammar School in Corby closed in 1909. The building was restored and reopened for its current uses in 1965 by the Willoughby Memorial Trust which was founded by Lord Ancaster in memory of his son Timothy, Lord Willoughby de Eresby, who died in 1963. The gallery holds a series of exhibitions from Easter to November and an annual Open Art Competition. In 1852 the Great Northern Railway opened the East Coast Main Line near Corby Glen. In 1853 the GNR opened Corby Glen railway station on the main line about 1 mile (1½ km) from the village. Corby Glen was served by local trains between

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

and

. On 3 July 1938 the London and North Eastern Railway locomotive ''Mallard'' passed at high speed through Corby Glen shortly before achieving its world speed record for a steam locomotive seven miles further south near Carlby. British Railways closed Corby Glen station in 1959 and its yard is now occupied by a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

Geography

The village of Corby Glen is in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. It lies mainly to the north of the A151, a former

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically ...

, and to the east of the West Glen River, near where the Glen flows through a small graben in the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

limestone. Until the 1950s the name of the village was simply Corby. However, in the nearby county of Northamptonshire another

Corby Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, the built-up ...

had been greatly enlarged by the addition of a

steel works A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-finis ...

and housing to match. Some confusion arose between the two Corbys, so British Railways consulted the villagers to choose an additional name to distinguish the two. The villagers chose "Glen" in reference to the western branch of the River Glen which flows through the village.

Community

The

ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Corby Glen is part of the Corby Glen Group of the Deanery of Beltisloe. The Roman Catholic church closed in 2012. The Methodist congregation is still active in its own chapel, which is part of the Grantham and Vale of Belvoir circuit. The village has two active

public houses A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, the Fighting Cocks (in the market place) and the Woodhouse Arms (at the crossroads). There is a small

Co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

supermarket and an independent shop in a wooden hut next to the Fighting Cocks pub car park, and The Pantry, also in the market square. Other businesses include a Garage, the Sawmill, and the Hey Wine company. The Pantry, formerly a doctor's surgery in the market place, is a tea room and delicatessen and the post office branch is now maintained there. Community meeting rooms are available at the Church Rooms in Church Street, the Methodist Church, and the Ron Dawson Memorial Hall. The Ron Dawson Hall is part of the sports complex in Swinstead Road. There is an active bowls club with a crown green behind the Willoughby arts gallery. There is a small lending library at the art gallery, and a monthly visit by the mobile library. The Sheep Fair is still the biggest social event of the year. The 2013 event was the 775th, and attracted a very large crowd. The traditional auction of sheep was held on the Monday. The village is served by bus routes 303 to Bourne, and Route 4 to Stamford or Grantham.

Education

A new secondary school opened in Corby Glen in 1963. The school became a comprehensive, and in 1999 it was renamed the Charles Read High School. It converted to an academy in January 2011 and in 2013 the David Ross Foundation took responsibility for maintaining the school. Corby Glen also has a community

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

Notable residents

* Beverley Allitt, nurse and serial child killer, grew up in the village.

Gallery

File:Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Corby Glen - geograph.org.uk - 102824.jpg, The former Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, built in 1856 File:Charles Read Grammar School - geograph.org.uk - 90732.jpg, The Willoughby Memorial Library and Art Gallery in the Charles Read Grammar School File:The Charles Read Academy (geograph 3713734).jpg, The Charles Read Academy, built in 1963 File:The old Chapel (geograph 3713795).jpg, The Old Chapel, built in 1846 File:Methodist Church, Corby Glen - geograph.org.uk - 102856.jpg, The Methodist church, built in 1902 File:Motte, Corby Glen - geograph.org.uk - 102878.jpg, The Motte

References

External links

*
About the villageThe Sheep Fair's web siteCharles Read AcademyWilloughby Memorial Trust Gallery
* {{authority control Villages in Lincolnshire Civil parishes in Lincolnshire South Kesteven District