Newbold was one of the first villages in England with electric street lighting, and also one of the first villages with household electricity, supplied by the New Lount Colliery.

Explore our website to find out more about Newbold’s fascinating history.

During the eighteen and nineteen hundreds, Newbold underwent considerable development brought about by the opening of mines and industries allied to mining such as brick and pipe making. Industrial growth brought employment to the village and at its height in the 19th century, over two thousand people were employed in a variety of jobs. A pub, a school and new houses were built to accommodate employees. Shops and other amenities were opened to serve the growing population.

Introduction to Newbold

Newbold, referred to as Newbold Coleorton to differentiate it from the other Newbold villages in England, lies between the original estate of Staunton Harold and land owned by Viscount Beaumont, and was not always a village. Up until the early eighteen hundreds, Newbold was a collection of farms, agricultural buildings and around fifteen small cottages. Newbold was originally classified as a ‘liberty’ under the Worthington township. A liberty was a manor or other area, outside the jurisdiction of the sheriff.

The group also puts on themed exhibitions and talks and now holds and curates an extensive collection of photographs, documents, audio-recordings and video about the village. The group is also a member of the North West Leicestershire Heritage Group where it contributes to the promotion of heritage activity in North West Leicestershire. You can find links to other local heritage group websites through our LINKS PAGE.

Since its inception, the group has grown in membership and has undertaken several ambitious projects including:

• producing and installing New Lount Colliery information boards in 2017 throughout New Lount Nature Reserve,

• staging heritage events in 2024 to mark the centenary of the opening of New Lount Colliery in 1924.

About Newbold Coleorton Heritage Group

Newbold Coleorton Heritage Group was set up in 2009 by Bill Reid, John Hill, David Price and Charlotte Sutton. John and Bill, both residents of the village, had collected a lot of photographs and stories about the village and decided with Charlotte and David to start a small heritage group.

Newbold Coleorton Heritage Group founders John Hill, David Price, Bill Reid and Charlotte Sutton in 2011