The Horsepool

1581/2 Map of Burbage showing the area now known as "The Horsepool" as the "Town Green"

A manorial map of 1581-82 records the area now known as The Horsepool as a ‘Town Green’.

Towards the end of the 18th Century, The Horsepool had appeared in use as a street address and in the 1871 census, the name ‘Horsepool Place’ is recorded.

By 1881 the name ‘The Horsepool’ had been established.

In the 19th century, the building to the north of the site (now private homes) was a coaching inn called The Roebuck.

It is believed that the coach horses were refreshed at the pool while passengers enjoyed refreshment at the inn.A 1925 map showing an orchard in the area known as "The Horsepool"

Later that century, the pool was filled in and the area became an orchard. At that time, it was in the same ownership as the house now known as 16A&B Church Street – Horsepool House.

The orchard remained until the 1970s when Angela Gilder, who lived in the former Roebuck Inn - renamed The Croft, reinstated a pool and added railings to the boundary.

After her death in 1983, The Croft passed into new ownership and plans to develop the area were considered.

To preserve "The Horsepool" as a community green space, in 2001 The Horsepool was purchased by the Parish Council which redeveloped it and opened it to the public in 2002.

The opening of The Horsepool following refurbishment in 2002The opening of The Horsepool following refurbishment in 2002

In 2018, Burbage Parish Council commissioned a revamp of area, which was carried out by JD Landscapes & Construction Ltd of Cannock and supported by a grant from Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council’s Parish and Community Initiative Fund.

The Horsepool July 2019The Horsepool July 2019

A grant from Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council’s Environmental Improvement Programme was awarded in 2019 and a new information board produced, with the help of Burbage Heritage Group.