Ratley
Ratley is a village in Warwickshire, which as Ratley and Upton is also a parish, in the Kington Hundred. The population of the civil parish in 2011 was 327.[1] It is on the north-west side of the Edge Hill escarpment about 660 ft above sea level. The parish is adjacent to the county border with Oxfordshire, some seven miles north-west of Banbury, the closest town.
History of Ratley
The remains of a 12th-century motte-and-bailey castle are just outside the village, which were designated a Scheduled monument in 1961.[2]
The Church of England parish church is Decorated Gothic[3] and almost all of it was built in the 14th century.[4] It is one of a few churches in the country dedicated to St Peter ad Vincula.
The Battle of Edge Hill, the first battle of the Civil War, was fought very near the village. The former Church of England school and local Post Office buildings are still standing but have been converted into houses.
Upton House is less than a mile from the village. It houses a fine art collection and is managed by the National Trust.[5]
In 1922 the Edge Hill Light Railway was built through the village to carry ironstone from a local quarry. It became disused after a few years and was dismantled in 1946.[6]
Amenities
The village has a public house, the Rose & Crown. Parts of the pub are reputed to be over 900 years old. It is also a Grade-I listed building. The village has a village hall and a sports pitch with football goals and children's play equipment, both of which can be used by the public.
References
- ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11127835&c=Ratley&d=16&e=62&g=6472098&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1451564809713&enc=1.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1016917: Motte and bailey castle 130m north west of Manor Farm
- ↑ Pevsner & Wedgwood 1966, p. 382.
- ↑ Salzman 1949, pp. 144–147.
- ↑ "Upton House". National Trust. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-uptonhouse.htm.
- ↑ Information about the railway from the Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group
Sources
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Wedgwood, Alexandra (1966). Warwickshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 382.
- Salzman, L.F., ed (1949). A History of the County of Warwick, Volume 5: Kington Hundred. Victoria County History. pp. 144–147.
Outside links
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