If you’re interested in architectural and local history, Hathern offers several specific points of interest: St Peter & St Paul’s Church, Hathern Cross and a 17th-century timber-framed house. There are also walking tours and trails with a range of possible distances. Hathern sits on a gentle rise, with views across the Soar Valley plain. Local history and walking can therefore be different focuses of your stay.
Architectural History in Hathern
St Peter & St Paul’s Church is in the Hathern Conservation Area. It is a 14th-century building made of Charnwood stone. A Saxon-Norman font and a Norman capital point to building work in the 12th century. Romanesque features of the church include an arcade font and a loose capital with triple-arch ornamentation. This church building brings together details from different construction phases.
Hathern Cross is another striking historic landmark: the standing cross is designated a Scheduled Monument and is Grade II* listed. It is thought to stand near its original location, at the junction of Church Street and Cross Street. At approximately 5.5 metres tall, it has a clearly defined structure and a four-tiered base: the plinth, shaft and ornamented head sit above the stepped base. Its dimensions and components give the monument a distinct form, different from the church’s architectural history.
Another historic building is 23 Dovecote Street. This Grade II listed timber-framed house dates from the 17th century, with later building phases. Local history is also reflected in the recorded names of the village: Hathern appears in the Domesday Book as Avederne; by 1258, the name had developed into Hawthirne, probably because of a protective hawthorn hedge.
Walking Tours and Trails
The historical and architectural walk “A Walk Around Hathern” starts at Hathern Cross on Cross Street. The book “A Walk Around Hathern” describes a walking tour of about 2.5 kilometres through the centre of the historic village. If you plan to use the book for guidance, check its current availability before travelling. This lets you take the walk’s approximate stated distance into account when planning, without confusing it with longer walking routes.
Routes 1 to 5 in the Hathern walking guide can be combined into circular walks of up to 16 kilometres. Hathern’s walking routes include bridleways, footpaths and permissive paths, which you can use to make your walks longer or shorter. This gives you a choice of distances: a historical walk of about 2.5 kilometres or circular walks of up to 16 kilometres that can be combined. Check trail conditions before setting out.
Pasture Lane, opposite the new school, is designated as an alternative parking option. As parking rules can change, check the current parking situation before your walk.
Annual Events
Hathern holds an annual summer village fete as well as the Hathernbury music festival. If either event is a deciding factor for your trip, check the dates for your travel period in advance.
Discover more destinations: Swannington, Redmile, Broughton Astley, Lutterworth, Medbourne, Kirkby Mallory, Hinckley, Appleby Magna
For the broader travel guide: Leicestershire.
