Syston ( ) is a town 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the district of Charnwood in

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, England. The population was 11,508 at the 2001 census, rising to 12,804 at the 2011 census.

Overview

There has been a settlement on the site for over 1,000 years, the earliest records being in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

as ''Sitestone''. The

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

known as the

Fosse Way The Fosse Way was a Roman road built in Britain during the first and second centuries AD that linked Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) in the southwest and Lindum Colonia ( Lincoln) to the northeast, via Lindinis ( Ilchester), Aquae Sulis ( Bat ...

passes through Syston, which is now largely a commuter town for the city of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. Only the village of

Thurmaston Thurmaston is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Leicestershire, England, located within the Borough of Charnwood. At the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census, it had a population of 9,668. It is pronounced "Thurmsto ...

to the south separates it from Leicester. The large and impressive Church of St Peter and St Paul is the most ancient building in Syston, built in pink granite and white limestone with a proud west tower topped by a lozenge

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

, battlements and pinnacles. The church mostly dates from the 15th century but there is a 13th-century

sedilia In church architecture, sedilia (plural of Latin ''sedīle'', "seat") are seats, typically made of stone, located on the liturgical south side of the altar—often within the chancel—intended for use by the officiating priest, deacon, an ...

in the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

and a tomb recess in the south aisle of the early 14th century. The stone arcading inside the nave has striking

Perpendicular In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', � ...

Gothic panelling which is also seen on the tower arch and in the

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

. The nave roof of timber is also 15th century. The local architect Frederick Webster Ordish (1821-1885) extensively restored the church in 1871-72 and in 1881 he extended the nave by one bay and rebuilt the chancel. Ordish lived at Queniborough Old Hall. In 1855 he had added the upper storey, with its tower and bridge staircase, to the Corn Exchange in Leicester Market Place. He died as a result of an accident near the old Syston railway station in September 1885. The

Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line (MML), sometimes also spelt Midland Mainline, is a major Rail transport in Great Britain, railway line from London to Sheffield in Yorkshire via the East Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras railway ...

runs through the town. Syston railway station currently has one platform on what remains of the former goods line, served by local

to Lincoln via Nottingham and Newark services on the Ivanhoe Line.

Motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

(1930-1931) and

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around an oval track. The sport originates from Hare coursing, coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of th ...

(1931-1960s) was staged at the Syston Sports Stadium (not to be confused with the Syston Sports Ground next door) on Mostyn Avenue. The 'Syston white plum' is well known in the Syston locality and has been grown there for well over 100 years. It is yellow, oval in shape, thin skinned and a good sized dessert plum. It normally crops in September and is emblazoned on the Syston Town welcoming signs. Syston is the location of the headquarters of Pukka Pies, which is one of the largest employers in the town, employing 250 people. The

River Soar The River Soar () is a major tributary of the River Trent in the East Midlands as well as the principal river of Leicestershire, England. The source of the river is midway between Hinckley and Lutterworth. The river then flows north throug ...

runs past the western edge of the town, shortly after passing under the

A46 road The A46 is a major A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway developme ...

which underwent significant improvements early in 2006 at the Hobby Horse roundabout, a popular meeting place on the Leicester Western Bypass. Syston is home to a monthly community newspaper, Syston Town News.

Notable residents

*Singer Dave Bartram from

Showaddywaddy Showaddywaddy are a rock and roll group from Leicester, England. They specialise in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, while also issuing original material. They have spent 209 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and have had 10 ...

* Mahalia Burkmar, neosoul/R'n'B artist *Actress

Terri Dwyer Teresa "Terri" Dwyer (born 31 July 1973) is a British television presenter and actress, best known for her role as Ruth Osborne in the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. She has also presented the ITV home makeover show 60 Minute Makeover. Car ...

* Megan Lowe, Test cricketer *

Rachel Parris Rachel Sarah Parris (born 1984) is an English comedian, musician, actress and presenter. She hosted the satirical news show '' Late Night Mash'' (formerly ''The Mash Report''). Early life Parris attended Loughborough High School. She holds an ...

, comedian, musician, improviser and presenter * Luke Thomas, footballer *Speedway racer Fred Wilkinson raced for England v.s Australia, and ran the Lansdowne Garage in Syston

Twin towns

* Déville-lès-Rouen, Upper Normandy,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Local organisations

The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a military based youth organisation for 13- to 20-year-olds and the local squadron (No 1181 Syston Squadron) is based in the grounds of

Wreake Valley Academy Wreake Valley Academy (formerly Wreake Valley Community College) is a co-educational secondary school with academy status in Syston, Leicestershire, England. The school is known locally just as 'Wreake' or 'Wreake Valley', which is the name o ...

. The Syston Allotment Society works for the benefit of plot holders and the wider community at the allotment site on Upper Church Street, Syston. Syston Sailing Club, in Fosse Way, runs learn-to sail courses for newcomers, and racing and social sailing for members. It is affiliated to the RYA.

References

Sources

* *

External links

Syston Town CouncilSyston Town News
{{authority control Towns in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Leicestershire Borough of Charnwood