Groby (pronounced "GREW-bee") is a large English village in the county of Leicestershire, to the north west of the city of Leicester. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 6,796. Description The village has expanded vastly since the 1970s and is now part of the Leicester Urban Area. The southern side is dominated by new housing estates, built upon what was formerly farming land between the historic part of Groby and the neighbouring village of Glenfield. The old village centre still retains some character, with some cobbled lanes and thatched cottages. The church of St Philip and St James, built in the lancet style by George Harry Booth-Grey, the sixth Earl of Stamford, dates from 1840 and stands in the grounds of Groby Castle. The architect was William Railton. Few remains are left of the castle, other than a small hill in the ground to the east of the main church building, which is the original medieval motte, and the manor house (Groby Old Hall), the stone-built parts of which are thought to have been part of the castle's outer buildings. In April 2010 archaeologists from the popular Channel 4 television show, Time Team excavated the area behind the old hall and the parish church. They were looking to unravel the history of Groby Castle, and found a lost medieval mansion with its own chapel, built round a courtyard. The episode was aired on 20 March 2011. The ancient main street through the centre of the village running south to Leicester and north towards Coalville was classified as the A50 under the British road numbering scheme, but this road has now bypassed much of the village due to two road schemes in the 1980s and 90s. The village also has easy access to the A46 Leicester Western Bypass and the M1 (J22 North and J21a South). A 2011 survey, using 60 sets of data from police, Land Registry, Ofsted and Office for National Statistics named the village as the best place in the East Midlands to bring up children. History Groby was mentioned in Domesday Book of 1086, when it was described as having "land for 4 ploughs, 10 villagers with 1 Freeman and 5 smallholders have 3 ploughs...the value was 20s; now 60s." Ulf is shown as the lord of Markfield, Groby, Blaby and Ratby in the hundred of Guthlaxton in Leicestershire in 1066. By 1086,