Plungar

Plungar

St Helen's Church, Plungar
Plungar
Plungar shown within Leicestershire
OS grid reference SK768338
• London 100 mi (160 km) S
Civil parish
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town NOTTINGHAM
Postcode district NG13
Police Leicestershire
Fire Leicestershire
Ambulance East Midlands
EU Parliament East Midlands
UK Parliament

Plungar is a village in the civil parish of Redmile, and the Melton district of Leicestershire, England. It is about 9 miles (14 km) north of the market town of Melton Mowbray and 7 miles (11 km) west of Grantham. Plungar is adjacent to the Grantham Canal and lies in the Vale of Belvoir.

History

Plungar was known in the 1140s "Plunard". It is thought to derive from the Old English word "plume" coupled with the Old English "gara" or Old Scandinavian "garthr", meaning "Triangular plot where plum trees grow", or plum tree enclosure.[1]

In 1870 Plungar was a village and civil parish, and part of the district of Bingham. The parish area was 1,310 acres (5.3 km2) with a population of 251, and 59 houses. At the time a Wesleyan chapel was recorded. A number of Plungar children were educated at a free school in Barkestone.[2] The school was of two rooms with a school house for a master and mistress. In 1830 the school had taught 14 children from Barkestone, and 12 from Plungar, chosen by parish churchwardens. The lord of the manor was the Duke of Rutland.

The population in 1830 was 280, including seven farmers, two tailors, two shoemakers, a bricklayer, a shopkeeper, a blacksmith, a wheelwright, a lace maker, an auctioneer, and the landlord of The Anchor public house. There was also the parish curate and a gentleman.[3]

Governance

In 1936 the adjoining civil parishes of Barkestone and Redmile were merged with Plungar to form the parish of Redmile. The parish, sometimes known as Barkestone, Plungar and Redmile, had a population of 829 in 2001.[4]

Amenities

The Anchor public house, Plungar

The village public house is The Anchor, which is close to the Grantham Canal. Some food is also served.[5] There are facilities for local clubs and associations at the Village Hall. A Neighbourhood Watch group operates.[6]

Plungar is served by infrequent daytime bus services, Monday to Saturday, to Bottesford or Bingham to the north and Melton Mowbray to the south.[7] The nearest railway station is at Bottesford (6 miles, 10 km).

The nearest primary school is at Redmile.[8] There are primary, secondary and independent schools in Bottesford.[9]

Landmarks

Parish church

The parish church of St Helen dates from the 14th century, with later additions in the 15th. The church was repaired in 1829, and rebuilding work in 1855–56 added a chapel and replaced the south aisle. The church was listed as Grade II* in 1968.[10][2] The church parish belongs to a group with the churches of Bottesford, Muston, Barkestone and Redmile. Services are held in Plungar church about twice a month.[11]

War memorials

To the east of Plungar, in the neighbouring county of Nottinghamshire, is the site of the disused RAF Plungar, which was a base for No. 38 and No. 90 squadrons.[12] A plaque at Plungar is dedicated to the crew of six of a Lancaster bomber, which crashed near Plungar in 1943.[13][14] An obelisk memorial to the dead of the First and Second World Wars stands in Harby Lane.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Mills, Anthony David (2003); A Dictionary of British Place Names, Oxford University Press, revised edition (2011), p. 370. ISBN 019960908X
  2. 1 2 Wilson, John Marius. Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–72)
  3. ↑ White, William (1830) History, gazetteer, and directory of Leicestershire, and the small County of Rutland, pp. 213, 255
  4. ↑ "Census 2001 Parish profile", Leicestershire County Council. Retrieved 2 December 2014
  5. ↑ "The Anchor ~ Plungar", Grantham Canal.com. Retrieved 2 December 2014
  6. ↑ Village site. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Bus times Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Leicestershire CC Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  9. ↑ Leicestershire CC Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  10. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Helen  (Grade II*) (1075010)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  11. ↑ Service times Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  12. ↑ "Plungar", Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 2 December 2014
  13. ↑ "Plungar bomber crew memorial unveiled", BBC News, 22 September 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2014
  14. ↑ "Thanks given to man who saved crash pilot", Melton Times, 30 January 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2014
  15. ↑ "Frog Lane, Harby Road – Plungar", War memorials project, Leicestershire County Council. Retrieved 2 December 2014
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