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Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies

Barwell

Barwell is an L5 chondrite that fell near Leicester, in Great Britain.

The afternoon of December 24th, 1965, a large fireball was seen travelling across England’s skies. Soon after, there was a loud sonic boom, and several meteorite pieces rained down upon the village of Barwell, in Leicestershire, hitting buildings and roads but, luckily, none of the inhabitants.

The meteorite was dubbed the “Christmas Meteorite” by the local media, and 44 kg of material were recovered, making this the largest meteorite fall to date in Great Britain.

While most pieces were found on the ground, one was later found in a vase, and as recently as 2004, there were reports of meteorites being found on the rooftops of Barwell.