Summary of Attractions in Melton Mowbray
If one were to envision an archetypical English rural town, it might resemble Melton Mowbray.
This locale features a weekly livestock market and an almshouse, all under the watchful eye of a magnificent Perpendicular parish church.
Melton Mowbray is renowned for two traditional delicacies that hold European Protected Designation of Origin.
The Melton Mowbray pork pie, served cold and elegantly baked without a mould, presents flared sides.
Additionally, the local blue cheese, Stilton, gained prominence in the 18th century.
The Melton Mowbray Food Festival serves as a showcase for these specialties, yet local culinary culture is also found through various smaller events, dedicated shops, and markets.
Let’s delve into the most notable experiences in Melton Mowbray:
1. St Mary’s Church
The largest parish church in Leicestershire is also acknowledged as the finest.
Internally, St Mary’s Church largely dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries, while its Perpendicular Gothic exterior, characterized by castellations, expansive clerestory windows, and pinnacles, was finalized in the 15th century.
Visitors can enter from Monday to Saturday, to appreciate the grandeur of this structure and examine its impressive funerary monuments ranging from the 13th to the 18th century.
Among these is a monument for Roger de Mowbray, 1st Baron Mowbray (d. 1297), alongside a meticulously crafted recumbent effigy thought to represent Hamon Belers, a relative of the de Mowbrays.
His crossed legs signify that he perished during the crusades.
2. Twinlakes Theme Park
This family-friendly theme park is located in close proximity to Melton Mowbray and is designed with younger children in mind.
Twinlakes features several zones, including Excalibur Adventure, Xtreme Scream Park, and Action USA, spread across 70 acres of verdant countryside beside two lakes.
In contrast to many other attractions, Twinlakes operates throughout the year, closing only during January.
The zones are interconnected by a Wild West-style miniature train, and the extensive range of activities caters to both thrilling and gentle experiences, ensuring that every child can partake.
The park features roller coasters, a variety of rides, traditional fairground games, and numerous soft play areas.
Furthermore, there is a log flume, petting zoo, boating lake, go-kart track, assault course, falconry center, all-weather live entertainment, and a lakeside beach during summer.
3. Melton Carnegie Museum
Melton Mowbray’s town museum is housed in a former Carnegie Library, one of over 2,500 such establishments funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie worldwide during the early 20th century.
This particular building, constructed in 1905, transitioned to a local museum in 1977 and subsequently underwent renovation and expansion in the 2000s.
Here, one can learn about the history of the town and explore topics unique to the region.
One exhibit is dedicated to fox hunting, demonstrating the local countryside’s significance to the Quorn Hunt, one of the oldest in the UK. This exhibition presents the various arguments surrounding this outdated activity, while the lighter side delves into the details of Stilton cheese and Melton Mowbray pork pies.
4. Melton Heritage Trail
A short walk around the town center provides ample opportunities to observe notable sites with the aid of a free app and a downloadable PDF map of the Melton Heritage Trail available on the Go Leicestershire website.
On Burton Street, you will encounter a row of compelling historic buildings.
The Bede House is a 17th-century almshouse that once provided accommodations for six impoverished widows or widowers on the condition they prayed daily for their benefactor’s soul.
Also located on this street is Anne of Cleves’ House (currently functioning as a pub), which dates back to the 14th century as a residence for chantry priests and was gifted to Anne as part of her divorce settlement with Henry VIII. The Egerton Lodge (1829) on Wilton Road served as a base for the Quorn Hunt, while the grand George Hotel on High Street originated as an 18th-century coach house.
Further along, the prominent facade of the Corn Exchange, constructed in 1855, stands beside Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe on Nottingham Street.
5. Melton Country Park
Just a ten-minute walk from the town center, this park, located in the northern part of Melton Mowbray, has maintained a Green Flag award every year since 2015 and offers all the amenities necessary to achieve this honor.
Features include a cafe that operates seven days a week during the summer months, a sensory garden, nature trails, a European tree circle, extensive woodlands to the south, picnic areas, and a central large lake.
Formed in 1990 by damming the Scalford Brook to prevent flooding, the lake now has essential reedbeds along its edges.
You can traverse the brook using stepping stones or a footbridge, and a bird hide on the north side of the lake allows for observation of the park’s diverse bird species, which includes seven different kinds of ducks.
6. Melton Mowbray Pork Pies
The Melton Mowbray pork pie emerged as a favored snack among fox hunters in the 19th century.
The authentic version features a hand-crafted crust enclosing chopped, uncured pork filling, topped with pork jelly.
Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe is a must-visit on Nottingham Street, showcasing the traditional skill of hand-raised pie making.
At the end of July, Piefest celebrates pie-making with an extensive program filled with workshops, talks, tastings, demonstrations, and competitions.
7. Stilton Cheese
This crumbly blue cheese, characterized by its strong aroma, was first produced in the area surrounding Melton Mowbray.
Stilton is available in both blue and white varieties, though the blue version is significantly more renowned.
According to the PDO regulations governing Blue Stilton, it must be made from local milk and possess a cylindrical shape with delicate blue veins radiating from its center.
If you find yourself in town, the Melton Cheeseboard on Windsor Street features 150 varieties of regional cheese, with Stilton being their specialty, sourced directly from Cropwell Bishop and Long Clawson dairies.
On the first Bank Holiday weekend in May, Melton Mowbray hosts the UK’s largest dedicated cheese fair, complete with talks and demonstrations by expert cheesemakers, as well as endless opportunities to sample the finest cheeses in the country.
8. Belvoir Brewery
Established in 1995, Belvoir Brewery currently provides ales, stouts, and bitters to 275 pubs within a 50-mile radius of Melton Mowbray.
The brewery offers distinctive labels, such as Oatmeal Stout, which uses oats and Maris Otter barley, and Blue Brew, which incorporates Stilton whey into its unfermented wort.
Visitors can engage in guided tours, but prior arrangements are necessary.
During a visit, patrons can observe the brewers at work through a large window, while an exhibition showcases historical brewing equipment.
Belvoir Brewery offers various packages, ranging from a simple introduction to brewing followed by tastings of three different ales in the Alehouse to more elaborate options including buffets with Stilton and pork pies or three-course meals.
9. Melton Regal Cinema
Few local cinemas in the UK rival this Art Deco gem located on King Street.
The Regal Theatre opened in 1933 as an independent cinema, a fact that is reflected in the meticulous attention to detail in its design and its overall luxury.
The facade along King Street is adorned with blue and orange faience tiles and features an exterior balcony with tall metal-framed windows showcasing intricate fanlights.
As audience numbers dwindled during the 20th century, the cinema briefly transformed into a bingo hall before being restored to its original purpose.
The most recent renovation in 2013 rejuvenated the Regal’s opulent interiors and refined some of its Art Deco plasterwork.
Importantly, this remains a venue for watching films, and visitors can enjoy all the latest releases in the cinema’s single auditorium.
10. Play Close
This land on the River Eye, just beyond St Mary’s Church, was owned by Lord Melbourne in the 19th century, who permitted townsfolk to utilize it for recreational purposes.
In the 1840s, a local baker established pigsties and allotments on Play Close, which incited such protest that it led to the Playclose Riots in 1848, resulting in the destruction of these plots.
In 1850, the land was purchased by the town and expanded, thereby connecting Play Close to the southern borders of Priors Close, which is also publicly accessible.
During the summer months, various events, such as the Melton Show and Festival at the end of May or outdoor cinema screenings, frequently take place on weekends at Play Close.
11. Burrough Hill
Situated seven miles south of Melton Mowbray is a 210-meter ironstone promontory characterized by steep slopes.
During the Iron Age, approximately 2,500 years ago, this site functioned as a significant hillfort.
The settlement was protected by a ditch and rampart, remnants of which are prominently visible in the hill’s contours.
These features rise three meters above the hillfort’s interior, which would have been accessed via a gate located on the southeast side.
An analysis performed in 2010 revealed several roundhouses on the peripheries of the hilltop, indicating that Burrough Hill flourished as a town during its peak around 100 BC to 50 AD. The hill itself stands out in the terrain and offers breathtaking views over the landscape of farmland and grazing livestock typical of the East Midlands.
12. Melton Mowbray Food Festival
On the first weekend of October, one of the UK’s largest regional culinary festivals takes place at the Melton Mowbray Livestock Market.
The town’s designation as the “Rural Capital of Food” enhances the festival’s significance.
With over 200 stalls showcasing the finest offerings from the East Midlands, the festival prominently features cheese, pork pies, and regional beers. Notably, the vibrant South Asian community in nearby Leicester contributes a variety of enticing Indian dishes in the Street Food Zone, along with artisanal confections, preserves, gins, unique liqueurs, and gourmet coffee.
A “Kids’ Zone” is incorporated into the festival, featuring food-focused activities and cooking workshops, while popular television chefs conduct live demonstrations.
13. Markets in Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray stands out as one of the few English towns that still operates a livestock market in close proximity to its center.
This market is located on Scalford Street, mere moments away from the high street retailers on Nottingham Street.
The Cattle and Sheep market occurs every Tuesday and ranks among the most successful in England.
This event corresponds with the Antiques and Collectors’ Fair at the same location.
On Tuesdays and the first and third Saturday of each month, the Fur and Feather live animal auction takes place, offering a quintessential experience. A traditional street market is held at the Market Place at the end of Nottingham Street every Tuesday and Saturday, while a high-quality regional Farmers’ Market operates on Tuesdays and Fridays back at the site on Scalford Road.
14. Glastonbudget
On the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May, a large-scale festival unfolds nearby in Wymeswold.
In lieu of securing top bands and international artists, Glastonbudget features tribute acts in the spotlight.
Since its inception in 2005, tribute performers for Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Dolly Parton, ABBA, Michael Jackson, Oasis, Blur, and numerous others have graced the stage. The quality of performances consistently astounds audiences, with the added benefit that tribute acts generally play more recognized hits rather than newer material. The Queen tribute known as Mercury is slated to headline in 2019.
15. Golf
Golf enthusiasts can conveniently incorporate a round or two into their itinerary while in Melton Mowbray.
Situated close to Twinlakes, Melton Mowbray Golf Club is open to non-members of all ages and skill levels on its 18-hole course set within picturesque Leicestershire parkland.
This course is renowned for its challenging par 3 holes, notably the 7th and 14th, which present formidable water hazards.
Green fees are reasonably priced at this relaxed club, with summer weekend rates set at £25.
For a more family-oriented golfing experience, Sysonby Acres Leisure Park offers an 18-hole pitch and putt course where children under 16 can play for only £5.
