CHARNWOOD

borough (district), administrative county of Leicestershire, England. Nearly all of the borough belongs to the historic county of Leicestershire, except for a small area east of Wymeswold that lies in the historic county of Nottinghamshire. The borough's name comes from Charnwood Forest, one of the ancient forests of the Midlands. Charnwood district partially includes a group of hills northwest of the city of Leicester that rise to 912 feet (278 metres) in Bardon Hill and that represent the emergence at the surface of some of the oldest basement rocks of Britain. These are a series of Precambrian gritstones that outcrop extensively in the hills, forming rocky eminences. Charnwood stone is quarried for building material and for road metal. The forest cover, though much reduced in extent, is still considerable, and the area serves as a recreational and residential outlet for the population of Leicester. The town of Loughborough is situated on the northeastern fringe of the Charnwood hills and serves as the borough's administrative centre. It is an industrial town with a modern university and a well-known college of physical education. Area 108 square miles (279 square km). Pop. (1998 est.) 155,400.