Merevale | |
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The Gatehouse to Merevale estate in Merevale Lane. The building and the Church of Our Lady behind it were originally part of the Cistercian Merevale Abbey complex. | |
Location within Warwickshire | |
Population | 181 (2011) [1] |
OS grid reference | SP2997 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Atherstone |
Postcode district | CV9 |
Dialling code | 01827 |
Police | Warwickshire |
Fire | Warwickshire |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Merevale is a small village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. Located about one and a half miles west of Atherstone, it is the site of a medieval Cistercian Abbey (founded in 1148) and Merevale Hall (built in 1840 and home to the Dugdale family).
An abbey was built in Merevale in 1148 by Robert de Ferrers. It was a relatively small abbey with only around 10 monks. The abbey was dissolved in October 1538, during the reign of Henry VIII and fell into ruin, but traces of it remain to the present day. One of the most significant parts to have survived is the gate chapel, now used as St. Mary The Church of Our Lady Merevale. The church is significant for its Cistercian stained glass, including its Jesse window (one of the most important in the British Isles), and for being the only Cistercian gate chapel to be open for regular weekly services throughout the year. William de Ferrers is buried here.
Designed by Edward Blore, Merevale Hall was completed in 1840 and has been the home of the descendants of Sir William Dugdale since this time. Dugdale was a strong royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War, and was appointed as his 'Garter Principal King of Arms'. Many of his artefacts, including ceremonial clothes, can be seen at the hall.
The village has its own parish called Merevale Civil Parish although for some purposes it is merged to form Bentley and Merevale Civil Parish. The community is served by Bentley and Merevale Parish Council. Merevale was part of the Atherstone Rural District. In 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 the Atherstone Rural District became part of the newly formed district of North Warwickshire. Inside North Warwickshire Merevale is part of the Baddesley Ensor and Grendon Ward and is represented by Andy Wright and Bernadette Davey who are both Conservative, Merevale is covered by the Baddesley Ensor Ward in Warwickshire and is also represented by Andy Wright a Conservative Councillor. It is part of the North Warwickshire constituency and the current MP is pro-Brexit Conservative Craig Tracey. Prior to Brexit in 2020 it was part of the West Midlands European Parliament constituency which was represented by 6 MEPs.
Waste collection services are provided by North Warwickshire Borough Council. Water and sewage services are provided by Severn Trent Water. The distribution network operator for electricity is Central Networks better known as E.ON UK. Merevale has a Coventry (CV) postcode. The postal town is Atherstone which is also the location of the nearest post office. The nearest library is also in Atherstone. Merevale uses the Tamworth 01827 area code. [2]
The nearest police and fire stations are in Atherstone. [3] Atherstone is part of Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service. The village lies in the North Warwickshire NHS trust area. The village does not have its own doctor's surgery or pharmacy. The nearest GP's surgeries can be found in Atherstone. The George Eliot Hospital at Nuneaton is the area's local hospital. [4] [5] It has an Accident and Emergency Department. Out of hours GP services are also based at George Eliot.
The A5 runs to the east of Merevale. The village has one bus stop on the A5 and is served by routes 48 and 765. [6] The nearest railway station is Atherstone. The nearest airports are Birmingham and East Midlands.
The local newspapers covering the area are the Tamworth Herald, which has a separate edition for North Warwickshire and the Atherstone Recorder. The local BBC radio station covering the area is BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. Local commercial stations in the area include Free Coventry & Warwickshire and Capital Mid-Counties. The village is covered by the Central ITV and BBC West Midlands TV regions broadcast from the nearby Sutton Coldfield transmitting station.
Atherstone is a market town and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. Located in the far north of the county, Atherstone is on the A5 national route, and is adjacent to the border with Leicestershire which is here formed by the River Anker. It is only 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from Staffordshire. It lies between the larger towns of Tamworth and Nuneaton. Atherstone is the administrative centre of the North Warwickshire district, with the offices of North Warwickshire Borough Council located in the town.
Warwickshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon and Victorian novelist George Eliot,, at Nuneaton. Other significant towns include Rugby, Leamington Spa, Bedworth, Kenilworth and Atherstone. The county offers a mix of historic towns and large rural areas. It is a popular destination for international and domestic tourists to explore both medieval and more recent history.
North Warwickshire is a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Warwickshire, West Midlands, England. Outlying settlements in the borough include the two towns of Atherstone and Coleshill. Notable villages in the borough include Dordon, Polesworth, Kingsbury, Water Orton and Shustoke.
Hampton in Arden is a village and civil parish located in the Forest of Arden in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. Hampton in Arden was part of Warwickshire until the 1974 boundary changes. It lies within the Meriden Gap area of countryside between Solihull and Coventry. Hampton in Arden is a typical Arden village, but is now very much an affluent commuter settlement for nearby Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry. In 1968 the central part of the village was designated a Conservation Area, which is an "area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance". Its population in the 2001 census was 1,787, increasing to 1,834 at the 2011 Census.
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. Polesworth is situated close to the northern tip of Warwickshire, adjacent to the border with Staffordshire. It is 3 miles (5 km) east of Tamworth, and is 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Atherstone, the closest towns. The border with Leicestershire is 2.5 miles (4 km) to the east, while Derbyshire is 6 miles (10 km) to the north. The River Anker runs through the village, which joins the River Tame at nearby Tamworth Castle.
Robert II de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby was a younger, but eldest surviving son of Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby and his wife Hawise. He succeeded his father as Earl of Derby in 1139. He was head of a family which controlled a large part of Derbyshire including an area later known as Duffield Frith.
Baddesley Ensor is a village and civil parish in the district of North Warwickshire in Warwickshire, England, about three miles west of Atherstone. It runs into the village of Grendon, which forms a parish itself.
Baxterley is a small village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire in England. According to the 2001 Census, it had a population of 335, reducing to 328 at the 2011 Census. The village is about two miles west of Atherstone and is home to Jaguar Land Rover's national distribution centre.
Atherstone Rural District was located in the administrative county of Warwickshire, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was named after its main town and administrative headquarters of Atherstone.
Shustoke is a village in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 549. It is situated 2.5 miles northeast of Coleshill, 7.5 miles southwest of Atherstone, 9.5 miles east of Nuneaton and 12.5 miles east-northeast of Birmingham. It includes the sub-village of Church End half-a-mile to the east, where the parish church of Saint Cuthbert's is situated.
Sambourne, formerly spelled Sambourn, is a village and civil parish 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-west of Coughton, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Redditch, 12 miles (19 km) north-west of Stratford-upon-Avon and 20 miles (32 km) west of Warwick in the county of Warwickshire, England. It is situated on sloping ground rising westwards to about 500 feet near the ancient Ridge Way, and forms part of the county boundary with Worcestershire. The village itself is centred round a small triangular green at the junction of four roads and contains several timber-framed buildings of 17th century date. By a designation of 22 July 1991 much of the central area became a conservation area.
Wood End is a former Pit village in North Warwickshire, England. It lies to the south east of Tamworth and close to the border with Staffordshire. It grew around the former Kingsbury Colliery but now it serves as a commuter village to Tamworth. It has a church, a primary school, a co-operative store, a working men's club and a village hall. The population of Wood End is 2,205, but from the 2011 Census has been included in Kingsbury.
Dordon is a village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England and close to the border with Staffordshire. The village is located on the A5 national route and is contiguous with the larger village of Polesworth. Other nearby places include Tamworth, Atherstone, Grendon, Wood End Village, Baddesley Ensor and Nuneaton. In 2001 the population for the parish of Dordon was 3,225, reducing slightly to 3,215 at the 2011 census.
Hurley is a village in the Kingsbury civil parish of North Warwickshire, England. Other nearby places include Wood End, Hurley Common, Coleshill, Water Orton, Curdworth, Atherstone and Tamworth. According to the 2001 Census the population of the Hurley and Wood End ward was 3,642. Over 99.5% of people (3,550) described themselves as White British with only 92 people from other ethnic groups. The most common distance travelled to work is 5–10 kilometres (3.1–6.2 mi), which is essentially to Tamworth, with the most common form of employment being manufacturing. The village has an almost exact 50:50 split of males and females, with a ratio of 1,822 to 1,820 respectively.
Piccadilly is a small village in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. It is located near to the larger village of Kingsbury, and is four miles south of Tamworth.
Hurley Common is a village in North Warwickshire, England, between Wood End and Hurley, it consists of several houses and 2 Farms, Hurley common does not have its own Parish Church so it is technically a hamlet. Population details for the 2011 Census can be found under Kingsbury.
Foul End is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Kingsbury, in the North Warwickshire district, in the county of Warwickshire, England. Other nearby places include Hurley, Wood End, Hurley Common, Coleshill, Water Orton, Curdworth, Atherstone and Tamworth.
Grendon is a civil parish which includes both Old Grendon and New Grendon in North Warwickshire, England. Old Grendon is a village situated three miles (5 km) west of Atherstone and five miles (8 km) east of Tamworth centred on the A5. It lies on the north-western tip of Warwickshire, divided from Leicestershire by a small stream and by the River Anker. Also, Grendon has since enlarged and has a population of 1000.
Denis Alva Parsons MBE ARBS was an English sculptor and carver in wood and stone, working in the tradition of "direct carving" technique and figurative bronzes.