Sitting in the far south-west corner of Leicester, about five miles from the city centre, Eyres Monsell is one of the city’s larger post-war housing estates. Despite being surrounded on several sides by areas that fall under Leicestershire County Council, Eyres Monsell is administered by Leicester City Council, making it the southernmost ward in the city. The Birmingham to Peterborough railway line marks its southern boundary, Saffron Road runs along its eastern edge, and Leicester Road defines its western limit. The historic village of Aylestone lies immediately to the north, with South Wigston to the east and the civil parish of Glen Parva to the south and west. Blaby is also adjacent to the ward. The Fosse Shopping Park in Enderby is within walking distance.
Origins and Development
The estate takes its name from councillor Bolton Eyres-Monsell, from whom Leicester City Council acquired the land in 1950 through a compulsory purchase order, paying £40,500. The land had previously been largely rural, which gave planners the opportunity to avoid tower blocks entirely and instead pursue an open-plan layout with greener spaces. Construction began in earnest in the late 1940s, and between 1946 and 1959 around 2,500 new houses were built here, south of and adjacent to the earlier Saffron Lane Estate. Homes were a mixture of brick and concrete construction, with concrete walls painted cream and tenants offered a choice of green or brown for their front doors. By the time building was complete, Eyres Monsell had become Leicester’s second largest estate constructed after the Second World War.
Population and Demographics
The 2011 census recorded 11,520 usual residents in Eyres Monsell, a modest increase from 11,230 in 2001, spread across 4,826 homes. Women made up 52.6% of the population. The average age in 2011 was 36.2 years, down slightly from 37.2 in 2001. Around 40.5% of homes were rented from the council at the time of the 2011 census, and Eyres Monsell had proportionally more residents buying their council homes under the right-to-buy scheme than most other parts of the city. Unemployment stood at 7.6% in 2011, up from 5.9% a decade earlier, and 40.6% of households had no adults in employment. The 2001 census placed the area among the top 10% most deprived in the country. In terms of ethnicity, 88.8% of residents identified as white British in 2011, a drop from 94.8% in 2001. A 2013 government report on health in Eyres Monsell found that health outcomes were generally worse than the England average.