Brooksby Hall

, was born there in 1592.]] The name Brooksby, recorded in Domesday Book as Brochesbi, derives from the Old English brochi, "badger", and perhaps indicates that the area was once noted for its badger population. It was held by Hugh d'Avranches after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The estate remained in Villiers hands for the next 500 years. At this time, Brooksby consisted of the hall, the nearby Church of St Michael and All Angels, a small number of peasants' houses and a field system with common land. but its final extinction came about through a programme of enclosure carried out by the Villiers. The arable common land was fenced off and turned into more profitable sheep…

A manor house has probably stood at Brooksby since at least the 13th century, but the core of the present hall dates to the Jacobean era in the late 16th century. It was extensively remodelled in 1890–91, and further changes were made in 1911. After it became an agricultural college in 1951, a set of college and residential buildings were constructed next to the hall. Further teaching blocks and a hostel were constructed in 1970–72, on the site of the hall's old coach house. Brooksby Hall is built on an H-shaped plan. It was constructed from coursed squared ironstone dressed with limestone, with roofs covered with Swithland slate. The building's main front faces south, away from the river,…