大象传媒

Many people pass the turning for the 10th century signposted church of St Bartholomew鈥檚 without a second glance. Surrounded by mature trees it cannot be seen, and the medieval village that once surrounded it has long disappeared.

Foston has been a deserted village for nearly 400 years. Now in the parish of Kilby, it is approximately 6 miles south of Leicester and a couple of miles east of Countesthorpe where the church is now ministered from. It has probably one of the oldest churches in Leicestershire and the Norman arcade which separates the nave from the north aisle dates from 1081.

Mentioned in the Domesday Book Survey of 1086, Foston was a settlement with an estimated population of 26 households in 1086.

But by the 1800's that number had fallen significantly. In 1801, Foston had a population of 24 people working in agriculture, followed by an increase to six houses in the 1870s, with 27 residents. However, all that is visible today is its church, rectory, a few houses and a farm.

Ben Jackson has been to see what's left of Leicestershire's 'lost' village with historian and blue badge guide James Carpenter.

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