Foxton Locks in January is always a popular destination for a walk. Whether the weather produces a clear crisp day or a mysterious fog over the hills, we have seen some wonderful landscapes or images of boats as the come up and down the canal.
The owners and staff at Foxton Locks Inn are celebrating being named Tourism Pub of the Year in the Leicester and Leicestershire Excellence in Tourism Awards held at the Mercure Grand Hotel.
Foxton Locks Inn shared the top honours on the night with city centre bar The Exchange.
Now in their 4th year, the awards celebrate excellence in the region, with accolades for local visitor attractions, accommodation providers, restaurants and events. The pub’s entry was also commended for their commitment to regular staff training, use of local suppliers, community involvement and high standards of customer service.
“We have put a lot of hard work into making Foxton Locks Inn a great place to visit, so I am delighted to have that formally recognised by experts in the industry,” comments owner Stephanie Hamblin. “We are fortunate to have a fantastic waterside location which attracts visitors from Leicester and beyond, as well as our loyal local customers. However, maintaining a great standard of food and drink is crucial to our success and we ensure that we use high quality ingredients, locally sourced where possible.”
After a three year period of closure, the pub was renovated and re-opened when it was bought by the Hamblin family in 2005. Owner Stephanie has just completed another £150,000 refurbishment which includes internal redecoration, new furniture and the building of a large glass enclosed terrace with underfloor heating to facilitate year round use.
“We are thrilled with the latest renovation, particularly with our new terrace area which looks absolutely stunning when candle lit at night and offers great views of the canal,” Stephanie adds. “We wanted to really make the most of our location and believe that the terrace will be a fantastic addition that our customers will love.”
Foxton Locks was named one of the ‘30 great spots on the canals’ by The Times newspaper in 2013, with Foxton Locks Inn cited as one of the best places to eat, recommended specifically for its casseroles and pies.
The awards were organised by Leicester Shire Promotions, the tourism organisation for Leicester and Leicestershire. The company works in partnership with Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, VisitEngland and the local tourism industry to deliver campaigns and services to attract more visitors to the city and county.
Exciting times at The Foxton Locks Inn with work on our extensive new terraced area well underway. The changes will be completed within the next week or so. The changes will offer amazing views across Foxton Locks basin all year round.
Full details including pictures will be on this site soon with full details.
With times changing and technology advancing, it’s hard to keep track of what’s changed in our surroundings and what hasn’t. It’s even harder to imagine what our country looked like 200 years ago.
However, Foxton Locks flights don’t seem to have changed at all with the historic canal locks still looking very similar to how they looked during the 19th Century.
This year will be the 200th anniversary of when the locks were built and to celebrate, the Canal River Trust have released photographs of the locks from when they were built so you can see how well they have been preserved. Built by architect Benjamin Bevan between 1810 and 1814, the locks facilitate the Grand Union Canal and are the longest staircase of locks in Britain.
To mark the occasion there will be 3 days of celebration. This weekend, on Saturday 9th of August people will be encouraged to come along to hear live music from a local folk band playing traditional canal music and to enjoy stalls selling local goodies and food. As well as that, on Sunday the 10th of August there will be a parade of historic boats from Northamptonshire.
Foxton Locks is home to much more than the historic flights, enjoy walks around the area, a day trip on a canal boat or a visit to the Foxton Locks Inn. Drop in for a bite to eat or a drink, or book now on 0116 279 1515.
As reported in the Lutterworth Mail, organisers of this years Foxton Locks Festival have said it was easily the best one so far.
More than 12,750 visitors were estimated to have attended throughout Saturday and Sunday.
There was a mixed assortment of music, lots of boats, traction engines, classic cars, crafts and animals on display.
“The good weather really brought people out this year” said Steph Hambling of the Foxton Locks Inn “it was great to see so many people at Foxton Locks.”
The music is all booked, the Vikings & Saxon are coming and the craft tent is filling up. There will be a Fun Dog Show on Saturday afternoon. If you’d like to enter there is more information on Foxton Locks Festival website.
The Foxton Locks Festival is taking shape and it looks like it going to be even better. So make sure you’ve got the date in your diary!
It is down to volunteers that the festival happens, so if you’d like to help, contact them for information.
Come into the Foxton Locks Inn for refreshments and a light bite or hearty meal and enjoy the atmosphere at the Locks from our outside seating area.
| Saturday | Sunday |
| HALFCUT THEATER | STEVIE JONES BAND |
| JOHN FRYER | DAZ LYNCH |
| SARAH CARTER | JO O’MALLY |
| IAN LOVALL | DIRTY G’s |
| THE BOB CATS | JONEZY |
| KEVIN HERWICK | FORMAL WARNING |
| PADDYWAX | |
| RHETT BARROW | |
| STEVEN FAULKNER | |
| CARLOS STIEN | |
| FERRIS | |
| SIOBHAN SHED MAZZIE | |
| THE SILVER THREETLES | |
| DR X | |
| THE SOCIAL IGNITION |
| Arena Shows | Exhibits |
| Saxons/Vikings | Viking/ Saxon Living Village |
| Hula Hoopers | Archery Range |
| Fire Dancers | Birds of Prey |
| Circus Skills Workshop | Parrot Rescue |
| Flat Caps & Ferret Racing | Miniature Zoo |
| Fun Dog Show (Sat only) | Alpacas |
| Fun Rides | Static Steam Engine |
| Fun Fair | Historic Fire Engines |
| Bungeetrampoline | Vintage Vehicles |
| Pony Rides | Tractors |
| Classic Vehicles | 1948 Vintage Lorry |
| Small Steam Engines | Steam Engines |
Join our mailing list to receive our latest news and events.