Charnwood
§ This page gives an overview of the Charnwood local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Charnwood is named after the Charnwood Forest, an area of rugged hills, woodlands, and ancient rocks. The university town of Loughborough forms its lively centre, famous for its bell foundry and student culture. Villages like Quorn, Mountsorrel, and Sileby retain a traditional feel, while scenic landmarks such as Beacon Hill, Bradgate Park, and Swithland Reservoir attract walkers and nature enthusiasts. The River Soar flows through the district, supporting riverside paths and wetlands. Charnwood offers a blend of heritage, university vibrancy, and landscapes that stretch from historic market towns to wild, rocky countryside.
Charnwood Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Charnwood local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Charnwood can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Charnwood.
Key Facts about Charnwood
What region is Charnwood in? Charnwood is in the East Midlands of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Charnwood in? Charnwood is located in the county of Leicestershire.
Is Charnwood a city? No, Charnwood is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Charnwood? The local authority for this district is: Charnwood Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Leicestershire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Leicestershire County Council.
▶ Official website of Charnwood Borough Council 🔗 charnwood.gov.uk
Which police force covers Charnwood? Policing in Charnwood is provided by Leicestershire Police 🔗 leics.police.uk, which serves 9 local authority districts: Blaby ⁞ Charnwood ⁞ Harborough ⁞ Hinckley and Bosworth ⁞ Leicester ⁞ Melton ⁞ North West Leicestershire ⁞ Oadby and Wigston ⁞ Rutland.
Constituencies in Charnwood
Charnwood is divided into 3 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Charnwood
Charnwood is divided into 24 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Anstey
- Barrow upon Soar
- Birstall East & Wanlip
- Birstall West
- Dishley, Hathern & Thorpe Acre
- Forest Bradgate
- Loughborough Ashby
- Loughborough East
- Loughborough Nanpantan
- Loughborough Outwoods & Shelthorpe
- Loughborough Southfields
- Loughborough Storer
- Loughborough Woodthorpe
- Mountsorrel
- Quorn & Mountsorrel Castle
- Rothley Brook
- Shepshed East
- Shepshed West
- Sileby & Seagrave
- South Charnwood
- Syston
- The Wolds
- Thurmaston
- Wreake Valley
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Charnwood
Charnwood is part-parished: 36 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 3 unparished areas.
- Anstey
- Barkby
- Barkby Thorpe
- Barrow upon Soar
- Beeby
- Birstall
- Burton on the Wolds
- Cossington
- Cotes
- East Goscote
- Hamilton Lea
- Hathern
- Hoton
- Mountsorrel
- Newtown Linford
- Prestwold
- Queniborough
- Quorn
- Ratcliffe on the Wreake
- Rearsby
- Rothley
- Seagrave
- Shepshed
- Sileby
- South Croxton
- Stonebow Village
- Swithland
- Syston
- Thrussington
- Thurcaston and Cropston
- Thurmaston
- Ulverscroft
- Walton on the Wolds
- Wanlip
- Woodhouse
- Wymeswold
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Charnwood
Below is a list of post towns in Charnwood, grouped by postcode area:
LE ▸ Loughborough (LE11 / LE12)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Charnwood
Charnwood covers 33 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Anstey *
- Barrow upon Soar
- Birstall *
- Burton on the Wolds
- Cossington (Charnwood)
- Cropston
- East Goscote
- Hathern
- Leicester *
- Long Whatton *
- Loughborough
- Markfield *
- Mountsorrel
- Newtown Linford
- Normanton on Soar *
- Queniborough
- Quorndon
- Ratcliffe on the Wreake
- Rearsby
- Rothley
- Seagrave
- Shepshed
- Sileby
- South Croxton
- Swithland
- Syston
- Thrussington
- Thurcaston *
- Thurmaston *
- Wanlip
- Woodhouse
- Woodhouse Eaves
- Wymeswold
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Charnwood.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Charnwood
Charnwood is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Charnwood Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- East Midlands Railway ▸ Loughborough (LE11 1EX) ⁞ Syston (LE7 2HA) ⁞ Sileby (LE12 7RN) ⁞ Barrow-Upon-Soar (LE12 8US)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Charnwood compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Charnwood compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Charnwood has 24 electoral wards.
Charnwood has a population of 188,385 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Charnwood
This chart shows the population trend for Charnwood from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Charnwood can be found on the ONS statistics for Charnwood.