Local History
Historically, the village is noted for its connection with two Queens of England. Groby Old Hall, built in the 15th century, was owned by the Grey family whose estate included Bradgate Park. Sir John Grey of Groby married Elizabeth Woodville. After his death, in battle, she married Edward IV of England. Bradgate Park was the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey, who became Queen of England for nine days in 1553. The Grey family held the barony until it was forfeited in 1554.
Picture - Elizabeth Woodville
widow of Sir John Grey wife of King Edward IV and Queen consort of England, grandmother of King Henry VIII
Population
Before the Norman Conquest, in the reign of Edward the Confessor, (1004-1006), Groby was a place of some consequence, worth 20 “shillings “a year. By the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, it was valued at 60 shillings and was held by Hugh de Grandmesnil. In Groby, at the Domesday Survey in 1086, there were 10 villeins, 1 sochman and 5 bordars – there were a few others as well, for women and children were not included in the count. For the Poll Tax in 1377 there was a population of 75, of which 66 were paying tax. For the Hearth Tax in 1670 the householders paying were 66 whilst 33 were exempt.
In 1801, the first government census, Groby had a population of 299 and there was a steady increase in population shown each census year; when in 1871 the total was 515. In the first census as a parish in 1901, the population was 928 (Groby was created as a Parish in 1896 hitherto it had been a hamlet of Ratby). In 1931 the population had risen to1122 and in 1951 it stood at 1,921, in 1962 it was 2,340 and the total assessment for the parish numbered 1,032 including the farmsteads and a few commercial places. From then on hundred of houses had been built and are still being built, and the population at the time of the 2001 census was 7,301.
The Village
The village has expanded vastly since the 1970s and is now part of the Leicester Urban Area. The southern side is dominated by new housing estates, built upon what was formerly farming land between the historic part of Groby and the neighbouring village of Glenfield. The old village centre still retains some character, with some cobbled lanes and thatched cottages. The church of St Philip and St James, built in the lancet style by George Harry Grey, the seventh Earl of Stamford, dates from 1840 and stands on the site of Groby Castle. The architect was William Railton. Few remains are left of the castle, other than a slight rise in ground to the east of the main church building, and the manor house (Groby Old Hall), the stone-built parts of which are thought to have been part of the castle's outer buildings. In April 2010 an archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Channel 4's 'Time Team' television show. at the site of a Norman motte and bailey castle and medieval manoiral site at Groby Old Hall.
Shopping
The village centre has a few shops, including The Co-operative Food Store, Well - Pharmacy, Pricegate & Hensons Ltd, hairdressers, Chaplins (traditional family butcher), Bradgate Stores, Cathy Stevens Jewellery, & Wilson's Convenience Store. There is also a fish and chip shop as well as other takeaways, a pub (The Stamford Arms) and various other shops. There are also a few shops located on Lawnwood Road, including Groby Food and Wine, a hairdresser, and a Dog Groomer. There is also another Co-op supermarket a few minutes away from the village centre, located on Laundon Way.
