Leek Wootton

Last updated

Leek Wootton
Leek wootton 4u07.JPG
Leek Wootton from the main road
Warwickshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Leek Wootton
Location within Warwickshire
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town WARWICK
Postcode district CV35
Dialling code 01926
Police Warwickshire
Fire Warwickshire
Ambulance West Midlands
List of places
UK
England
Warwickshire
52°19′5″N1°34′35″W / 52.31806°N 1.57639°W / 52.31806; -1.57639

Leek Wootton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe, in the Warwick district, in the county of Warwickshire, England, approximately 2 miles south of Kenilworth and 2.5 miles north of Warwick. It lies in the triangle created by Kenilworth, Warwick and Leamington Spa. In 1961 the parish had a population of 671. [1]

Contents

Geography

The civil parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe, including the hamlets of Hill Wootton, Chesford, Goodrest, North and Middle Woodloes, has a population of approximately 1,100. The village is adjacent to the A46 dual-carriageway trunk road. The nearest railway station is Warwick town with Warwick Parkway further away. The nearest airport is Birmingham Airport (11.7 miles). [2]

There are numerous public footpaths and walks in the parish, including the Tink-a-Tank, [3] (believed to have been named because people used to use the path to walk to church and think about God and thank him for his blessings), several across the golf courses, a woodland walk between the Coventry Road (B4115), which crosses the A46 road and comes out at the north end of the village on the Warwick Road, and a small area of woodland to the north west of the village (accessed from Waller Close and the Recreation Ground). To the north of Leek Wootton is the Cattle Brook and just north of Hill Wootton this meets the much larger River Avon, which forms the south-eastern boundary of the Parish.

History

The 1823 Gaveston monument at Blacklow Hill. Gaveston monument.jpg
The 1823 Gaveston monument at Blacklow Hill.
Wootton bridge collapse 11 June 1861 Wootton bridge.jpg
Wootton bridge collapse 11 June 1861
Woodcote, once the home of the Wise family, former HQ of Warwickshire Police Woodcote, HQ of Warwickshire Police - geograph.org.uk - 1579003.jpg
Woodcote, once the home of the Wise family, former HQ of Warwickshire Police

Blacklow Hill is found to the south of the village, close to the A46 road. Its name comes from the fact the trees that partly cover it are very dark (black) and the Anglo-Saxon hlaew (burial mound). In 1971 an archaeological team found flints and hunting tools from the early Mesolithic period, around 9,000. They also found three graves of Anglo-Saxon origin. [4]

The monument Gaveston's Cross is in the wood on the hill. It marks the point where Piers Gaveston was murdered. In 1308 Edward II travelled to Boulogne to marry Isabella, leaving Piers Gaveston, a Gascon knight to act as regent. Resentment against Edward II rule and Piers Gaveston's position of power grew, some barons began to insist Gaveston be banished. Edward could do little to prevent Gaveston being captured in 1312 under the orders of the Earl of Lancaster and his allies. He was captured first by the Earl of Warwick, whom he was seen to have offended, and handed over to two Welshmen. They took him to Blacklow Hill and murdered him; one ran him through the heart with his sword and the other beheaded him.

The railway bridge over the road between Leek Wootton and Hill Wootton on the Coventry to Leamington Line collapsed in a railway accident on 11 June 1861 with the driver and fireman being killed.

On 1 April 1986 the parish was abolished and merged with Guy's Cliffe to form "Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe". [5]

Local economy and services

All Saints' Church, Leek Wootton

The parish church is All Saints', an Anglican church centred in the middle of the village. The current vicar of the church is The Reverend Jim Perryman.

All Saints' CofE Academy, Leek Wootton

When Leek Wootton First School was threatened with closure in the early 1990s, the community campaigned to save it and a new school was built at the southern end of the village and All Saints' Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School was opened in 1996 by The Right Reverend Simon Barrington-Ward, Bishop of Coventry. Since 1 September 2014 All Saints’ and Burton Green Primary Schools have been working together as a federation of schools. [6] On 1 March 2018 All Saints' and Burton Green schools became academies and members of the Coventry Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust. On 24 April 2018 The Right Reverend Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry, attended both schools to formally welcome them into the trust. [7]

Leek Wootton War Memorial Recreation Ground

The War Memorial Recreation Ground is to the north-west of the village. "The Rec" as it is known locally is home to a children's playground, Leek Wootton Village Hall and Leek Wootton Sports Club, which includes a cricket club that competes in the Cotswold Hills League, and a junior football club.

The Warwickshire Golf and Country Club

Leek Wootton is home to The Warwickshire Golf and Country Club, and has the Anchor Inn public house at its centre. The Chesford Grange Hotel also falls within the boundaries of the civil parish, as does the Saxon Mill at Guy's Cliffe. The Warwickshire Golf and Country Club is an exclusive members only club and comprises two 18-hole golf courses, a par-3 course and a comprehensive leisure centre with gym, indoor pools, and spa. [8]

Woodcote House and Estate

Woodcote is a 19th-century manor house and estate on the western boundary of the village. During the Second World War it was repurposed as a convalescent home for military personnel and was home to the headquarters of Warwickshire Police from 1949. A new purpose-built headquarters for the Police at Woodcote was proposed, but the planning application was refused by Warwick District Council on 31 October 2007. A revised application was subsequently approved, but the site was not redeveloped. In 2011 it was announced that Woodcote was to be sold, and the headquarters relocated to Leamington Spa. [9] Following the construction of a new control room in Warwick and the inclusion of some of the estate in a local housing planning allocation, the site was put up for sale in 2018. [10] On 1 April 2019 Warwickshire Police announced that, due to the collapse of its alliance with West Mercia Police, Warwickshire Police would be returning to Woodcote and it would become the Service's headquarters again. [11] This resulted in the sale of the estate being halted.

Community Events

In 2016, for HM The Queen's 90th Birthday celebrations, the annual Church Garden Fete was amalgamated into a Parish Fete held on "The Rec". This has remained a regular event, with a break in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. In 2022 a Big Jubilee Lunch was held instead for HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Leek Wootton & District Horticultural Society holds an Annual Flower Show at the Village hall on the Saturday of the weekend before the August Bank Holiday. There are various gardening, cooking and household classes and children's competitions, ranging from miniature gardens to digital art. Unclaimed entries are entered into an arction of produce at the end of the event.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenilworth</span> Market town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England

Kenilworth is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Coventry, 5 miles (8 km) north of Warwick and 90 miles (140 km) north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the River Avon 2 miles (3 km) north-east of the town. At the 2021 Census, the population was 22,538. The town is home to the ruins of Kenilworth Castle and Kenilworth Abbey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leamington Spa</span> Spa town in Warwickshire, England

Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington, is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities. In the 19th century, the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England. It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southam</span> Human settlement in England

Southam is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Southam is situated on the River Stowe, which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's River Itchen at Stoneythorpe, just outside the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick</span> Town and the county town of Warwickshire, England

Warwick is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is 9 miles (14 km) south of Coventry, and 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whitnash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwickshire</span> County of England

Warwickshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcestershire and the West Midlands county to the west. The largest settlement is Nuneaton and the county town is Warwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Warwick is a local government district of central Warwickshire in England. It borders the Borough of Rugby and Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire as well as the West Midlands County. The City of Coventry is to the north and northeast, the Stratford-on-Avon District to the southwest and south, the Borough of Rugby to the east, and the Borough of Solihull to the west and northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lillington, Warwickshire</span> Human settlement in England

Lillington is a suburb of Leamington Spa, in the civil parish of Royal Leamington Spa, in the Warwick District in the county of Warwickshire, England. Historically a village which existed before the time of the Domesday Book (1086), it was incorporated into the borough of Leamington in 1890. Lillington is a ward of Warwick District Council and Royal Leamington Spa Town Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Catholic School</span> Academy in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England

Trinity Catholic School is a mixed Catholic secondary school and sixth form located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.

Blackdown is a hamlet and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England. Blackdown is about two miles north of Leamington Spa, between Leamington/Warwick and Kenilworth. It is named Blakedon in William Dudgale's Antiquities of Warwickshire in 1656 as a district within the parish of Lillington, and as having a mill on the River Avon. Blackdown Mill on Wooton Road is Grade II listed. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 128. From the 2011 Census population details are included with Old Milverton. Blackdown Manor is a Grade II listed house on Kenilworth Road: built in the 17th century, it was remodelled in the 19th century. Just outside the village is Quarry Park Disc Golf Club which is one of only 17 courses in the United Kingdom, and was the venue for the 2008 UK championships as well as being due to host the 2009 championships. Old Leamingtonians, the town's rugby union and Leamington Royals also play home games on the edge of the village.

Budbrooke is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England. It is 3 miles west of Warwick and according to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,319, reducing to 1,863 at the 2011 Census. Most of the population of Budbrooke live in Hampton Magna, a housing estate built in the late 1960s, with other smaller settlements in Budbrooke Village and Hampton on the Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Milverton</span>

Old Milverton is a hamlet east of Warwick and north west of Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England, and situated in a bend of the River Avon. The population as taken at the 2011 census was 319.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cubbington</span> Human settlement in England

Cubbington is a village and civil parish with a population of 3,929, adjoining the north-eastern outskirts of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, approximately 3 miles from the town centre. Welsh Road, running through the village crossroads, was an old sheep drovers' route connecting London and Wales. Since the 1950s when the village expanded there have been two parts to the village: Cubbington proper which was the old village core, and New Cubbington which is to the west, although both are referred to as Cubbington. Topographically the highest point of the village sits about 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level while its lowest is about 60 metres (200 ft). For many years the electorate for Cubbington was represented in government by the MP for Warwick and Leamington but for the 2010 UK Elections it moved to the new Kenilworth & Southam constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finham</span> Human settlement in England

Finham is a mainly residential part of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England, and is the city's southernmost suburb, approximately 3.5 miles (6 km) from Coventry city centre. Finham shares its northern boundary along the A45 with the suburb of Styvechale/Stivichall to the north, and part of its southeastern boundary is shared with the village of Baginton in Warwickshire. The suburb of Green Lane lies directly to the west and the hamlet of King's Hill lies within a mile of Finham at Coventry's southernmost point. Finham civil parish was created on 1 April 2016. It is one of Coventry's most prosperous districts, especially the area east of Leamington Road and is popular with professionals working in Warwick, Leamington Spa and Kenilworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick Parkway railway station</span> Railway station in Warwickshire, England

Warwick Parkway is a railway station with park and ride facilities on the western outskirts of Warwick in Warwickshire, England. It also serves the village of Budbrooke. Unusually, the station is not owned by Network Rail but by Warwickshire County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A452 road</span> Road in the West Midlands

The A452 is a road in England, which runs from Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire to Brownhills in the West Midlands. It is the major link to the M6 motorway for both Leamington and Warwick in addition to serving as Leamington's link to the M40 motorway and to Coventry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy's Cliffe</span> Hamlet in Warwickshire, United Kingdom

Guy's Cliffe is a hamlet and former civil parish on the River Avon and the Coventry Road between Warwick and Leek Wootton, in the parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe, in the Warwick district, in Warwickshire, England, near Old Milverton. In 1961 the parish had a population of 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coventry–Leamington line</span> Railway in England

The Coventry to Leamington Line is a railway line linking the city of Coventry with the town of Leamington Spa. The line was opened in 1844 by the London and Birmingham Railway, as far as Milverton. The line was extended to Leamington Spa Avenue in 1851. A connecting line to Berkswell opened in 1884.

Leek Wootton & Guy's Cliffe is a civil parish in the Warwick District of Warwickshire, England. It was created when the smallest parish in England, Guy's Cliffe, was merged with Leek Wootton on 1 April 1986, and includes the hamlets of Hill Wootton, Chesford, Goodrest and North and Middle Woodloes, located between the towns of Kenilworth and Warwick. It is part of the constituency of Kenilworth and Southam. The parish covers 1,391 hectares and has a population of approximately 1,100., being measured as 1,017 at the 2011 census.

References

  1. ↑ "Population statistics Leek Wootton CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time . Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  2. ↑ "Distance between Leek Wootton and Birmingham Airport". FreeMapTools. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Application for a Modification Order to ADD a Route to the Map" (PDF). Warwickshire CC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  4. ↑ Evans-Hulme, George: The hill hunter-gatherers called home 9,000 years ago, page 16. 17 July 2021
  5. ↑ "The Warwick (Parishes) Order 1986" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England . Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "Green Leek Federation". All Saints' Church of England Academy. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  7. ↑ "Bishop blesses schools in Burton Green and Leek Wootton to mark academy status". Kenilworth Weekly News. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  8. ↑ "Golf - Two 18 Hole Championship Golf Courses, Warwick and Leamington Spa, Warwickshire". The Warwickshire. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "Warwickshire Police to sell Leek Wootton headquarters". BBC News. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  10. ↑ "Former Warwickshire Police headquarters site to be marketed for sale". Warwickshire Police. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  11. ↑ "Warwickshire Police to re-establish force headquarters at Leek Wootton". 1 April 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Leek Wootton at Wikimedia Commons


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.