Mountsorrel Lane

Mountsorrel Lane as we know it was a new creation under Sileby's Enclosure Act of 1760. Only the part of the road from the Parish church to where Highbury Care home is situated is known to have existed before then. From the pre-enclosure map of c1758 it seems that other trackways and roads served the Mill and Essex Bridge.

It is known that a vicarage existed on Mountsorrel Lane during the 17th century and was probably one of two properties in Sileby described as a mansion by the historian Nichols. It was replaced by another vicarage in 1732, as the former one had somehow been appropriated by the Pochin family, the patrons of the parish church. During the 17th century Sileby's parish clerks also lived in a cottage on a site near to the current Pochin Hall.

The situation of Mountsorrel Lane and Little Church Lane was significant as they were close to the parish church, the focal centre of the parish for many hundreds of years. Buildings and plots reflect this. Mention has already been made of vicarages here and then there's also the two large farms, Church Farm and Glebe house, which take up prime locations around the church. This square of lanes around the church is reflected in the former names of the streets here. Hence we have Church Lane (North) for Mountsorrel Lane, and Church Lane (South) for Little Church Lane.

After 1760 the new extended Mounstsorrel Lane was constructed in straight line sections, with a sharp, jagged turn near the current cricket club. The instruction in the Act says the road will be :

"A Public Horse Cart Carriage and Drift Road from the west end of a certain road in Sileby called Church Lane to the Lordship of Mountsorrell."

The new road was to be forty feet wide between the ditches.

After 1760 the street was developed with cottage style housing, with the odd plot having yards surrounded by cottages. Around 1790 a building was being used as a Baptist chapel. This later went out of use and the site is now a small raised garden. The garden has a concrete grave maker and there is a wall plaque nearby. These are the only evidence of its former existence.

Today, one end of the lane is dominated by larger buildings : Highbury (Mill Villa), the current vicarage and the buildings on and around Vicarage Mews. In 1898 a small church hall building, Pochin Hall, was built almost opposite the parish church.