Knighton, Leicester

Knighton is a residential suburban area of Leicester, situated between Clarendon Park to the north, Stoneygate to the east, Oadby and Wigston to the south and the Saffron Lane estate to the west.Originally a separate village a couple of miles from Leicester city centre, it became linked to it by the areas known as Stoneygate and Clarendon Park during the Victorian period, due to the demand for housing for those newly employed in industry. It still retains several of the village's original buildings, such as Oram Cottage, and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and the village core is now a conservation area.PopulationThe population at the 2011 census was 16,805. but the Knighton census ward differs significantly from the Knighton neighbourhood area. A portion of Stoneygate is included. The ancient parish had a population of 383 in 1831, rising to over 6,075 by 1891, after the first wave of Leicester's Victorian expansion into the northern part of the parish. Knighton itself saw much building in the 1930s and 1940s with red-brick semi-detached houses. The village as a suburb expanded further in the mid-20th century with the building of the housing estates of West Knighton and South Knighton. These two estates have a mix of housing of the post-war era.HistoryKnighton was named in the Domesday Book of 1086 ((now London Road)(1885), London Road Congregational (1886), Queen's Road Primitive Methodist (1887), Clarendon Park Road Baptist (1894), St. Michael and All Angels Anglican (1898), Clarendon Park Road Wesleyan Methodist (1901 replacing an 1886 mission hall), Salvation Army (1901) and Stoneygate Baptist (1905).