Kibworth Villages

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• Uncover the story - Back in 2010, acclaimed TV historian Michael Wood told the ‘Story of England’ through the lives of everyday people from just one ancient parish. Today, the area comprises three Leicestershire villages, and visitors can follow in Wood’s footsteps documenting their own discoveries. <hr> Kibworth Heritage Trails guide you on walks through Kibworth Harcourt, Kibworth Beauchamp and Smeeton Westerby, offering a day of exploration. <hr> The Kibworth Harcourt trail begins at The Coach and Horses Inn and passes many of the 17 or so listed buildings in this conservation area. A kissing gate brings you to the Munt, thought to be either a 12th century motte and bailey fortress or an Anglo-Saxon burial site, then on to Jubilee Green, where an archaeological dig unearthed a Civil War cannonball. <hr> Further highlights are the Old House, the village’s first brick-built dwelling, and Kibworth Harcourt Windmill, the only survivor of 211 post mills once used in Leicestershire. <hr> Follow the Kibworth Beauchamp trail to discover the 13th century Parish Church of St Wilfrid, which serves both villages and has separate entrances for Harcourt and Beauchamp parishioners. Pass the Mud Wall – all that’s left of an ancient cottage – and see the remaining buildings of the old Grammar School, one of the oldest in the country. <hr> A winding road takes you through Smeeton Westerby, formerly two villages of Anglo-Saxon and Viking origins. One notable point is Beaker Close, where a burial ground of the early Bronze-Age Beaker people was discovered in the 1970s. A later resident was Mary ‘Nellie’ Taylor, an active Suffragette who lived here from 1900-1914. View her home before strolling to Debdale Wharf for panoramic views of all three villages. <hr> End your walks back at the Coach and Horses Inn, where a time capsule was buried by Michael Wood, and a warm welcome awaits weary walkers. <hr>