Melton Mowbray | |
---|---|
Melton Mowbray shown within Leicestershire | |
Population | 27,158 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SK751193 |
• London | 90 miles (145 km) SSE |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | MELTON MOWBRAY |
Postcode district | LE13 |
Dialling code | 01664 |
Police | Leicestershire |
Fire | Leicestershire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
EU Parliament | East Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Melton Mowbray (/ˈmɛltən ˈmoʊbri/) is a town in Leicestershire, England, 19 miles (31 km) northeast of Leicester, and 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Nottingham. The town is on the River Eye and the River Wreake and has a population of 25,554.
The town is best known for its culinary speciality, the Melton Mowbray pork pie, and it is also one of the six homes of Stilton cheese. Melton Mowbray is promoted as the "Rural Capital of Food".
The name comes from the early English word Medeltone – meaning "Middletown surrounded by small hamlets" (and therefore has the same origin as Milton and Middleton). Mowbray is a Norman family name – the name of early Lords of the Manor – namely Robert de Mowbray.
In and around Melton, there are 28 scheduled ancient monuments, around 705 buildings listed as having special architectural or historical interest, 16 sites of special scientific interest, and several deserted village sites.
There is industrial archaeology including the Grantham Canal and the remains of the Melton Mowbray Navigation. Windmill sites, ironstone working and smelting archaeological evidence suggest that Melton borough was densely populated in Bronze and Iron Ages. Many small village communities existed and strategic points at Burrough Hill and Belvoir were fortified. There is also evidence to suggest that the site of Melton Mowbray in the Wreake Valley was inhabited before Roman occupation (43 AD).