Whitnash

Whitnash
Warwickshire
St Margaret's Church
Location
Location:	52°16’5"N, 1°31’26"W
Data
Population:	7,798
Post town:	Leamington Spa
Postcode:	CV31
Local Government
Council:	Warwick

Whitnash is a small town in Warwickshire, contiguous with both Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick. The 2001 census recorded a population of 7,798.

There is no real town centre in Whitnash. The focal point of the old village is the church of St Margaret's and with Leamington Spa town centre only two miles to the north, a central district for Whitnash never developed and the town only expanded residentially. Another focus is the village pub, the Plough and Harrow, a 17th-century building that remains a pub to this day. There are now two other pubs in Whitnash, The Heathcote and The Hodcarrier, which are much more modern.

Churches

The parish church is St margaret's, which forms the central focus of Whitnash. The church dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, and has been greatly altered over the years.

One of the most famous features of St Margaret's was an enormous elm tree which dominated the open space in front of the church for many years. The tree had to be removed when it became dangerous.

The town's churches are:

• Church of England: St Margaret's
• Methodist: Whitnash Methodist Church
• Roman Catholic: St Joseph's

History

Whitnash is a very ancient settlement. Its earliest origins can be traced back to pre-Roman occupation. Whitnash has several possible origins as a place name. It could variously mean "at the white ash", "place by the wood", "sacred ash", or even "meeting place of the wise". However, the first meaning is the considered most likely to be correct.

By the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, Whitnash was part of the Stoneleigh Hundreds area, and referred to as Witenas. The population consisted of 11 villagers and 8 smallholders. It remained a small village for many centuries, not even being connected to local towns by anything more than country lanes until around 1850.

Dramatic population growth began during the second half of the 20th century. In the space of a few decades, the population increased by over five times. Reflecting its much larger size, Whitnash became a town on the 1st April 1978.

Big Society

Whitnash town sign

Whitnash has a small number of clubs and associations for people to join and take part in.

The Whitnash Society meets at 7.45pm each second Monday of the month in the new hall of the Sports & Social Club.

There is a Coffee Morning every alternate Tuesday at the New Hall, Sports & Social Club from 10.30am to 12pm.

A Senior Citizens' Luncheon Club runs from the St Margaret's Church Centre on Fridays 10.15am to 1pm.

Sport

• Whitnash Tennis Club - A small friendly tennis club, with 2 hard courts who welcome all new members, regardless of age or ability.
• Whitnash Sports & Social Club - Angling, Bowls, Crib, Football (Senior and Junior), Petanque, Tennis
• Football:
  • Leamington FC, who play at The New Windmill Ground.
  • Whitnash Town FC
• Whitnash Windmills Petanque Club

Warwick Gates

Since the 1990s, the construction of the adjacent Warwick housing estate named Warwick Gates has resulted in further local population growth. The administrative border between Whitnash and Warwick runs along a brook near the eastern edge of the estate, meaning that almost all of it is formally in Warwick and outside the boundaries of Whitnash. Despite this, the estate is directly adjacent to Whitnash, and isolated from the main body of Warwick. The combined population of Whitnash with Warwick Gates is over 10,000. Separating the old and new parts, and situated right by a pedestrian crossing connecting them, is a venerable oak tree, the Whitnash Oak, which could easily be 500 years old or more.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Whitnash)

• Whitnash Town Council
• Whitnash.co.uk - Local Whitnash website
• Whitnash Tennis Club