Wellesbourne
| Wellesbourne | |
| Warwickshire | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP278552 |
| Location: | 52°11’40"N, 1°35’41"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,691 (2001) |
| Post town: | Warwick |
| Postcode: | CV35 |
| Dialling code: | 01789 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Stratford-on-Avon |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Stratford-on-Avon |
Wellesbourne is a large village in Warwickshire.
With the rapid increase in new housing and industrial developments since the 1990s, Wellesbourne is increasingly referred to as a small commuter town servicing its larger neighbours such as Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Leamington Spa and Banbury, and a little further afield, the cities of Coventry and Birmingham.
Wellesbourne sits on the A429 road, and may be found around seven miles south of the county town, Warwick and five miles east of Stratford-upon-Avon. Nearby are the villages of Walton and Kineton.
Churches
- Church of England:
- St Peter's
- Methodist
- Roman Catholic
History
The village's name was first recorded in 862 as Wallesburam. It appears as Walesborne in the Domesday Book.
In May 1140 Wellesbourne was hit by a tornado - one of the earliest recorded in the British Isles. It damaged several buildings and killed a woman.[1]
Wellesbourne was once two villages – Wellesbourne Mountford and Wellesbourne Hastings, the two villages divided by the River Dene. In 1947 the two parishes were merged, and are now considered to be a single village. For these historical reasons Wellesbourne has two village centres, Chestnut Square and the Precinct respectively.
Perhaps the most significant event in Wellesbourne's history was the founding in 1872 of the first trade union for agricultural workers by Joseph Arch – an event once celebrated by an annual parade, which it was hoped to be revived in 2010. There was little interest from the Trade Unions which once featured quite prominently, but the Wellesbourne Action Group still organises a walk from Barford to Wellesbourne around the 9th of June each year along the Joseph Arch Way. There is a somewhat unusual memorial in the form of a plaque in the village bus shelter.
The needs and wants of the people of Wellesbourne and Walton are under periodic review, particularly housing and recreation facilities. A survey was undertaken in 2010 resulting in a new Plan. Vision for Wellesbourne was part of this, and set up a website to marshal ideas, but this has now run its course and been allowed to lapse. A proposal, put forward by Commercial Estates Group (CEG) to build 175 houses on land off Ettington Road has been picked up by the firm Charles Church, and work started in January 2013. Work is also underway to bring back the Football/ Recreation Centre which has fallen into disrepair.
Features
Just outside the village is one of the sites of Horticulture Research International, formerly the Institute of Horticultural Research and, before that, the National Vegetable Research Station. This is partly operated by the University of Warwick.
Wellesbourne gained recent publicity when Chedham's Yard, a historic agricultural building featuring a blacksmith's and wheelwright's workshops, won BBC TV's Restoration Village competition in 2006.[2] The Yard has undergone restoration work and a new visitor centre has been built; it opened in April 2012 with a schedule of weekend visits.
Wellesbourne Industrial Estate is also located within the village near to the A429, however as of November 2012 there is a new master plan to turn it into Loxley Park which would have new industrial and retail units as well as housing.[3]
Airfield
There is a small airfield called Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield, also the site of a large market held every Saturday and bank holiday Mondays.[4]
The airfield hosts a Wings and Wheels event each year. In 2009 the event took place on the 19th August and featured the Avro Vulcan XH558, Avro Vulcan XM655, Red Arrows and a number of classic vehicles and military vehicles. Events took place on Sundays 20 June 2010 and 26 June 2011[5] with the next one of Sunday 16th June 2013.[6]
There is also a wartime Museum which includes a number of aircraft and a wartime emergency underground bunker.[7]
Sport
Wellesbourne plays a variety of sports via established clubs, notably in football (in which Wellesbourne Wanderers FC have won several awards in recent years), cricket and rugby.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Wellesbourne) |
- St Peter's Church
- Wellesbourne Parish Council
- BBC News Article
- Chedhams Yard
- Dene Valley U3A
- Ettington Road, Wellesbourne: CEG's proposals for housing
- History of the National Vegetable Research Station
- My Wellesbourne
- Pictures of Wellesbourne and the area on Geograph.co.uk
- Wellesbourne Action Group
- Wellesbourne and Walton News
- Sport:
- Wellesbourne RFC
- Wellesbourne Village
References
- ↑ Lane, F.W. The Elements Rage (David and Pandey 1966), pp.50-51
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/restoration/
- ↑ "Loxley Park". Barwood Development. http://www.loxleypark.co.uk/welcome/. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ↑ "Wellesbourne Airfield Visitor Maps and Information". Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield. http://www.wellesbourneairfield.com/visitormaps.htm. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ↑ "Past Taxi Runs". 655 Maintenance & Preservation Society. http://www.xm655.com/oldtaxiruns.php. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ↑ "Wings & Wheels 2013". 655 Maintenance & Preservation Society. http://www.xm655.com/events.php. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ↑ "A Brief History of Wellesbourne Airfield". Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield. http://www.wellesbourneairfield.com/history.htm. Retrieved 15 December 2012.