Hinckley: Leicestershire Hosiery Town Now Known for a Very Large Distribution Park
Hinckley is a market town in southwest Leicestershire with a population of about 47,000. For most of its history, it was a hosiery and knitwear centre. Framework knitting was a cottage industry here from the 17th century, and the trade scaled up through the Victorian period. The last significant hosiery factories closed in the late 20th century. What replaced them, in economic terms, is MIRA Technology Park (vehicle testing and engineering) and, more visibly, the Hinckley Island logistics and distribution hub near the A5. The town also has the Triumph motorcycle factory, which moved here from Meriden in the 1980s and now produces bikes exported worldwide.
The town centre on Castle Street, Regent Street, and the Britannia Centre has a market on Mondays. The remains of Hinckley Castle are reduced to earthworks in the castle grounds off Castle Street. Burbage Common and Woods, to the southeast, is a local nature reserve with ancient woodland. The Ashby Canal passes through the northern edge of the borough. Hinckley station is on the Nuneaton to Leicester line, and the town sits close to the junction of the A5 and the M69, giving it direct motorway access to both Leicester (13 miles northeast) and Coventry (15 miles southwest). For those interested in adult companionship in the southwest Leicestershire area, Hinckley's position on the A5 and M69 puts Leicester, Coventry, and Nuneaton all within a short drive.
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Hinckley is a market town in southwest Leicestershire with a population of about 47,000. For most of its history, it was a hosiery and knitwear centre. Framework knitting was a cottage industry here from the 17th century, and the trade scaled up through the Victorian period. The last significant hosiery factories closed in the late 20th century. What replaced them, in economic terms, is MIRA Technology Park (vehicle testing and engineering) and, more visibly, the Hinckley Island logistics and distribution hub near the A5. The town also has the Triumph motorcycle factory, which moved here from Meriden in the 1980s and now produces bikes exported worldwide.
The town centre on Castle Street, Regent Street, and the Britannia Centre has a market on Mondays. The remains of Hinckley Castle are reduced to earthworks in the castle grounds off Castle Street. Burbage Common and Woods, to the southeast, is a local nature reserve with ancient woodland. The Ashby Canal passes through the northern edge of the borough. Hinckley station is on the Nuneaton to Leicester line, and the town sits close to the junction of the A5 and the M69, giving it direct motorway access to both Leicester (13 miles northeast) and Coventry (15 miles southwest). For those interested in adult companionship in the southwest Leicestershire area, Hinckley's position on the A5 and M69 puts Leicester, Coventry, and Nuneaton all within a short drive.
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