In the 1930s, the government started to address the population of Elmesthorpe, which had not recovered from its collapse in the 13th century. The government initiated a scheme which brought families from depressed areas to make a living from the land. In 1935 Church Farm was purchased by the Land Settlement Association, who built 43 smallholdings in the village. This continued to the 1960s, when the scheme ended. Many of the smallholdings were then purchased by their tenants. The 1960s saw both the railway station and the shoe factory close. References External links Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Leicestershire Blaby