Breedon on the Hill
| Breedon on the Hill | |
|---|---|
 Priory church of St. Mary & St. Hardulph |
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 Breedon on the Hill
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| Breedon on the Hill shown within Leicestershire | |
| Population | 958 (2001 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SK4022 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Derby |
| Postcode district | DE73 |
| Dialling code | 01332 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Breedon on the Hill parish council |
Breedon on the Hill is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The parish adjoins the Derbyshire county boundary and the village is only about 2 miles (3 km) south of the Derbyshire town of Melbourne. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population (including Isley and Wilson) of 958 people in 404 households. The parish includes the hamlets of Tonge 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the village and Wilson 1.3 miles (2 km) north of the village on the county boundary. The population at the 2011 census (including Isley cum Langley and Langley Priory) was 1,029 in 450 households.
Breedon is notable for its Carboniferous limestone hill that rises 122 metres (400 ft) above sea level in a generally low-lying landscape and affords distant views across several counties. A large portion of the hill has been cut away by an active quarry now operated by Breedon Aggregates.
On top of the hill is The Bulwarks Iron Age hill fort, within which is Breedon's historic Church of England parish church.
Breedon is 3 miles (5 km) from East Midlands Airport and 5 miles (8 km) from the junction of the A42 road and M1 motorway. The village is 3 miles (5 km) from the River Trent, and 2 miles (3 km) from Donington Park motor circuit.
Excavation of The Bulwarks in 1946 identified occupation between about the 1st century BC and about 1st century AD.
The toponym is derived from the Celtic word bre for hill and the Old English word dun for hill. Hence in its current form the name combines three forms of the word hill. Briudun, an early spelling, has been traced from AD 731.
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