On the western edge of Leicester, Dane Hills covers a substantial area that takes in the smaller district of Western Park, whose western boundary runs up against the settlement of Glenfield. The name almost certainly traces back to the late ninth century, when a Danelaw encampment is believed to have occupied the site around 877 AD, leaving its mark on the local geography long after the Vikings had gone.
Black Annis and Local Legend
Dane Hills carries one of Leicester’s more unusual pieces of folklore. A cave within the area was historically known as Black Annis’s Bower, said to be the lair of a witch or hag called Black Annis. The legend attached to the cave gave this corner of west Leicester a distinctly sinister reputation in local tradition, and the story has persisted well beyond the cave itself.