Ab Kettleby

Coordinates: 52°47′59″N 0°55′31″W / 52.799806°N 0.925279°W / 52.799806; -0.925279

Ab Kettleby is a village and civil parish in the Melton district of Leicestershire, England located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Melton Mowbray, on the A606 road; it has a population of 501.

It is 3 miles (4.8 km) from the border with Nottinghamshire. The village is situated 460 feet (140 m) above sea level. The neighbouring hamlets of Wartnaby and Holwell form part of the civil parish of Ab Kettleby.

History

A Roman mosaic and pavement were found beneath the present churchyard, indicating the presence of a villa. Ab Kettleby was first recorded in the Domesday Book as Chetelbi. St. James Church has a Norman font, and a memorial to Everard Digby of the Gunpowder Plot. The remains of the villa, and a ditch running from north to south underneath the nave have caused serious structural problems for the church.

Other

The parish has a primary school, a public house named after Sugarloaf Mountain, a community centre, a guest house, a 17th-century manor house, and medieval farmhouses and farm buildings. One of those farms was home to racehorse Desert Orchid for several years.