wiki143 - User contributions [en]

Britannia Hospital

2025-07-01T11:56:55Z

149.241.71.154:

{{short description|1982 British film by Lindsay Anderson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Britannia Hospital
| image = Brittania Hospital.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Lindsay Anderson]]
| producer = Clive Parsons Davina Belling
| writer = David Sherwin
| starring = [[Leonard Rossiter]] [[Graham Crowden]] [[Joan Plowright]] [[Jill Bennett (British actress)|Jill Bennett]] [[Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1946)|Marsha Hunt]] [[Malcolm McDowell]] [[Mark Hamill]]
| music = [[Alan Price]]
| cinematography = Mike Fash
| editing = Michael Ellis
| studio = [[EMI Films]] [[British Lion Films]]
| distributor = [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]]-EMI-[[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Distributors]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Britannia Hospital (1982)|website=[[BBFC]]|access-date=26 December 2021|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/britannia-hospital-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtaxmju}}</ref>
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1982|5|27}}
| runtime = 116 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget = $2.5 million<ref name="walker">{{cite book|first=Alexander|last=Walker|title=National Heroes: British Cinema in the Seventies and Eighties|publisher=Harrap|date=1985|page=213}}</ref> or $4 million<ref name="bedlam"/><ref>"British Film: Kudos and Question". Marks Welles, Merida. ''The New York Times''. 6 June 1982: A 20.</ref> or £2.5 million<ref>"British Production 1981". Moses, Antoinette. ''Sight & Sound''; London Vol. 51, Iss. 4, (Autumn 1982): 258.</ref>
| gross = $375,713<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=britanniahospital.htm |title=Britannia Hospital (1983) |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |accessdate=2013-07-14}}</ref>
}}
'''''Britannia Hospital''''' is a 1982 [[Cinema of the United Kingdom|British]] [[black comedy]] film, directed by [[Lindsay Anderson]], which targets the [[National Health Service]] and contemporary British society. It was entered into the [[1982 Cannes Film Festival]] and [[Fantasporto]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/1575/year/1982.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Britannia Hospital |accessdate=June 8, 2009|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref>

''Britannia Hospital'' is the final part of Anderson's [[Mick Travis Trilogy]] of films, written by [[David Sherwin]], that follow the adventures of [[Mick Travis]] (portrayed by [[Malcolm McDowell]]) as he travels through a strange and sometimes surreal Britain. From his days at boarding school in ''[[if....]]'' (1968) to his journey from coffee salesman to film star in ''[[O Lucky Man!]]'' (1973), Travis's adventures finally come to an end in ''Britannia Hospital'', which sees him as a [[muckraking]] reporter investigating the bizarre activities of Professor Millar, played by [[Graham Crowden]], with whom he had had an encounter in ''O Lucky Man''. All three films have characters in common. Some of the characters from ''if....'' that did not turn up in ''O Lucky Man!'' return for ''Britannia Hospital''. The film also features [[Leonard Rossiter]], [[Joan Plowright]], [[Jill Bennett (British actress)|Jill Bennett]], [[Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1946)|Marsha Hunt]], [[Fulton Mackay]], [[Vivian Pickles]], [[Richard Griffiths]], [[Arthur Lowe]], and [[Mark Hamill]].

{{blockquote|text=The absurdities of human behaviour as we move into the twenty-first century are too extreme—and too dangerous—to permit us the luxury of sentimentalism or tears. But by looking at humanity objectively and without indulgence, we may hope to save it. Laughter can help.|sign=Lindsay Anderson}}

==Plot==
A new wing at Britannia Hospital is to be opened, and the Queen (presumably [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], but only ever referred to as HRH) is due to arrive. The administrator of the hospital, Potter ([[Leonard Rossiter]]), is confronted with demonstrators protesting against an African dictator who is a VIP patient, striking ancillary workers (opposed to the exotic gastronomic demands of the hospital's private patients) and a less-than-cooperative Professor Millar ([[Graham Crowden]]), the head of the new wing. Rather than cancel the royal visit, Potter decides to go out and reason with the protestors. He strikes a deal with the protest leader—the private patients of Britannia Hospital are to be ejected and, in return, the protestors allow some ambulances into the hospital. Unknown to the protestors, these ambulances contain the [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Mother]] and her entourage.

[[Mick Travis]] ([[Malcolm McDowell]]) is a reporter who is shooting a clandestine [[Documentary film|documentary]] about the hospital and its dubious practices. He manages to get inside with the help of a sympathetic nurse ([[Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1946)|Marsha Hunt]]) and starts to investigate Millar's sinister scientific experimentation, including the murder of a patient, Macready ([[Alan Bates]]). As mayhem ensues outside, Travis is also murdered and his head used as part of a grim [[Frankenstein]]-like experiment which goes hideously wrong.

Eventually, the protestors break into the hospital and attempt to disrupt Millar's presentation of his Genesis Project, in which he claims he has perfected mankind. In front of the audience of royalty and commoners, Genesis is revealed—a brain wired to machinery. Genesis is given a chance to speak and, in a robotic voice, utters the "[[What a piece of work is a man]]" speech from ''[[Hamlet]]'', until it continuously repeats the line "How like a God".

==Cast==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
'''The Administration'''
* [[Leonard Rossiter]] as Vincent Potter
* [[Brian Pettifer]] as Biles
* [[John Moffatt (actor)|John Moffatt]] as Greville Figg
* [[Fulton Mackay]] as Chief Superintendent Johns
* [[Vivian Pickles]] as Matron
* [[Barbara Hicks]] as Miss Tinker
'''Medicos'''
* [[Graham Crowden]] as Professor Millar
* [[Jill Bennett (British actress)|Jill Bennett]] as Dr. MacMillan
* [[Peter Jeffrey]] as Sir Geoffrey
* [[Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1946)|Marsha Hunt]] as Nurse Amanda Persil
* [[Mary MacLeod (actress)|Mary MacLeod]] as Casualty Sister
'''The Unions'''
* [[Joan Plowright]] as Phyllis Grimshaw
* [[Robin Askwith]] as Ben Keating
* [[Dave Atkins (actor)|Dave Atkins]] as Sharkey
'''The Media'''
* [[Malcolm McDowell]] as [[Mick Travis]]
* [[Mark Hamill]] as Red
* [[Frank Grimes]] as Sammy / Voice of "Genesis"
'''The Palace'''
*Gladys Crosbie as [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother]]
*Marcus Powell as Sir Anthony Mount
*John Bett as Lady Felicity
'''And'''
* [[Richard Griffiths]] as Cheerful Bernie
* [[Arthur Lowe]] as hospital patient
* [[Alan Bates]] as Macready
* [[Dandy Nichols]] as Florrie
* [[Betty Marsden]] as Hermione
* [[Liz Smith (actress)|Liz Smith]] as Maisie
* [[T. P. McKenna]] as Theatre Surgeon
* [[Michael Medwin]] as Theatre Surgeon
* [[Roland Culver]] as General Wetherby
* [[Valentine Dyall]] as Mr Rochester
* [[Tony Haygarth]] as Fraser
* [[John Gordon Sinclair]] as Gregory
* [[Brian Glover]] as Painter
* [[Mike Grady (actor)|Mike Grady]] as Painter
* [[Kevin Lloyd]] as Picket
* [[Robert Pugh]] as Picket
{{div col end}}

[[Robbie Coltrane]], [[Patsy Byrne]] and [[Edward Hibbert]] had bit parts. This was the final film appearance of Arthur Lowe, who died shortly after his scenes were filmed.

==Production==
===Development===
Lindsay Anderson says the film had its origins in 1975 with a newspaper story about the "siege of [[Charing Cross Hospital]], when there was a big demonstration against fee-paying private patients led by a union official known as Granny Brookstern. "This immediately struck me as absurd. If you stand outside a hospital and stop ambulances going in in the name of humanity you are involved in a wonderfully absurd paradox. The story got even more wild with accusations that Granny Brookstern and the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] [[Minister of State for Health (UK)|Minister of Health]] had themselves been private patients; and so I started building up a private scrapbook of newsworthy absurdities."<ref name="new">"Lindsay Anderson Brews Some Chaos". ''The New York Times''. 17 January 1982: A 19.</ref>

Anderson said he was inspired by Amiel's theory that the only true principle of humanity is justice. "The man who would today say that liberty and equality are bad principles is a brave man but perhaps a necessary one since, unless they include justice, they are pernicious and self-destructive. That is at the heart of ''Britannia Hospital'', though I hope it's not a preachy film but a parable. A parable is a heavenly story with an earthly meaning. I hope this is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning."<ref name="new"/>

Anderson did an outline and sent it to [[Lew Grade]], who was not interested. [[20th Century Fox]] under [[Sanford Lieberson|Sandy Lieberson]] signed Anderson to a two-picture deal, of which one was to be ''Britannia Hospital''. (The other was to be ''Dress Grey'' written by [[Gore Vidal]]). Anderson arranged for David Sherwin to write a script.<ref name="bedlam"/>

Sherwin said the film was not "about a hospital about all. It's about everything. It's not even a film that's just about Britain."<ref name="bedlam"/>

Lieberson left Fox and the studio dropped the project. Mamoun Hassan of the National Film Finance Corporation said he thought they were "too shocked by it".<ref name="sight">"A Minor Major". Houston, Penelope. ''Sight & Sound''; London Vol. 50, Iss. 4, (Autumn 1981): 244.</ref>

After this, producer Clive Parsons championed the project. He raised $1 million from Britain's [[National Film Finance Corporation]] and $3 million from [[EMI Films|EMI]]. Hassan says that there was discussion at the NFFC whether they should support a film by Anderson, who had made a number of movies, but ultimately decided he was an "outsider". Hassan attributes the fact that the budget was raised to Parsons's persistence, and the fact the script had been around a number of years so some of the shock had "worn off". Nonetheless, he called it "a risk... a very black comedy."<ref name="sight"/>

===Shooting===
Filming started in August 1981.<ref name="new"/>

It was filmed at [[Shepperton Studios]], using [[Friern Hospital]] in [[London Borough of Barnet|Barnet]] as the exterior of the hospital in October 1981.<ref name="bedlam">"Anderson Presides Over Bedlam". Mills, Bart. ''Los Angeles Times'' 25 October 1981: L 26.</ref> The film was reported to have 81 speaking roles and was to be shot in 12 weeks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theguardian.newspapers.com/newspage/260264234/|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|location=London, Greater London, England|date=August 29, 1981|title=Taking the Plunger|page=11}}</ref>

McDowell said he did the film just for his expenses, and no fee, because there was not enough money in the budget to pay his normal fee, and he wanted to work with Anderson again.<ref>"McDowell: Flying Over 'Britannia'". Mann, Roderick. ''Los Angeles Times'' 31 March 1983: I 1.</ref> [[Mark Hamill]] also did the part free plus expenses when original choice [[Treat Williams]] bowed out.<ref name="bedlam"/>

During filming, Anderson needed another $1 million and two extra weeks to finish the film.<ref name="bedlam"/>

Anderson said:<blockquote>The film ends with a question mark, not a solution, and people don't like that. They want to be let off the hook, and this film impales the audience on rather a large hook. I think that if we are going to find solutions, we're not going to get any help from God, or any pre-sold political notions. The big question remains whether we are good enough or intelligent enough to survive.<ref>Potshots at the status quo Lindsay Anderson makes few films, pulls few punches Godfrey, Stephen. ''The Globe and Mail'' 27 February 1984: p.15.</ref></blockquote>

==Release==
It was released in the United Kingdom on 27 May 1982.

===Critical reception===
Most British critics lambasted the film on release, although [[Dilys Powell]] reviewed it positively, [[David Robinson (film critic)|David Robinson]] listed it among his top ten for the year, and Geoff Daniel chose it as his film of the year.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.participations.org/Volume%206/Issue%202/special/mackenzie.htm |title=In Search of an Audience: Lindsay Anderson's ''Britannia Hospital'' |volume=6 |issue=2 |journal=Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies |date=November 2009 |accessdate=2013-07-14 |last1=Mackenzie |first1=Kathryn |last2=Magee |first2=Karl |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924064702/http://www.participations.org/Volume%206/Issue%202/special/mackenzie.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Critic Ian Haydn Smith considers ''Britannia Hospital'' the "nadir" of Anderson's career. "Replacing satire with broad comedy, the film fails on every level in its attempt to critique the state of the [[National Health Service]]".<ref>Ian Haydn Smith "Lindsay Anderson", in Yoram Allon, et al (ed) ''Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors'', 2001, Wallflower Press, p 7.</ref>

Conversely, American critic [[Vincent Canby]] writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'' felt, "''Britannia Hospital,'' Mr. Anderson's best film to date, is far more successfully integrated than the two preceding satires. Though the subject is national exhaustion, the effect is immensely bracing."<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/04/movies/britannia-hospital-a-satire.html|title='BRITANNIA HOSPITAL,' A SATIRE|date=March 4, 1983|page=10|authorlink=Vincent Canby|author=Canby, Vincent}}</ref>

Some have attempted to reappraise the film in reference to Anderson's previous work, addressing themes such as spectatorship, politics and authoritarianism <ref>{{cite book|author=Kitchen, Will|date=2023|title=Film, Negation and Freedom: Capitalism and Romantic Critique|location=London and New York|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]]|pages=207-242}}</ref>

The film won the 1982 "Audience Jury Award" at [[Fantasporto]].<ref>{{cite web|website=emanuellevy.com|title=Oscar Directors: Anderson, Lindsay–Background, Career, Awards (LGBTQ, Gay Director)|date=May 13, 2022|author=Levy, Emanuel|authorlink=Emanuel Levy|url=https://emanuellevy.com/oscar/241459/}}</ref>

===Home media===
''Britannia Hospital'' was released in the United Kingdom on [[Blu-ray]] Disc for the first time on 29 June 2020 under Powerhouse Films. Special features include an audio interview with Anderson, separate new interviews with actors Pettifer and Askwith, interview with film editor Michael Ellis and theatrical trailers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Britannia-Hospital-Blu-ray/266888/|title=Britannia Hospital Blu-ray|date=29 June 2020|accessdate=13 May 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0083694}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|britannia_hospital}}
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/492297/index.html BFI Screenonline article]
* [http://www.leonardrossiter.com/Britannia.html Production notes & photos]

{{Mick Travis}}
{{Lindsay Anderson}}

[[Category:1982 films]]
[[Category:1982 black comedy films]]
[[Category:1982 comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1980s satirical films]]
[[Category:British black comedy films]]
[[Category:British comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:British satirical films]]
[[Category:British sequel films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about artificial intelligence]]
[[Category:Films directed by Lindsay Anderson]]
[[Category:Films set in London]]
[[Category:Films set in hospitals]]
[[Category:EMI Films films]]
[[Category:1980s British films]]
[[Category:Films about journalists]]
[[Category:English-language black comedy films]]
[[Category:British Lion Films films]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]

Leominster

2025-06-13T15:42:26Z

149.241.71.154:

{{short description|Town in Herefordshire, England}}
{{about|the town in England|the town in the United States|Leominster, Massachusetts|the former district|Leominster (district)|the former constituency|Leominster (UK Parliament constituency)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{infobox UK place
| country = England
| coordinates = {{coord|52.2282|-2.7385|display=inline,title}}
| static_image_name= Leominster Priory.jpg
| static_image_caption= [[Leominster Priory]]
| population = 11,959
| population_ref = (2021 Census)<ref name="bua2011">{{cite web |title=Leominster |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/westmidlands/admin/county_of_herefordshire/E04000800__leominster/ |website=City population |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
| official_name = Leominster
| civil_parish = Leominster
| unitary_england = [[Herefordshire]]
| region = West Midlands
| lieutenancy_england = [[Herefordshire]]
| constituency_westminster = [[North Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)|North Herefordshire]]
| post_town = LEOMINSTER
| postcode_area = HR
| postcode_district = HR6
| dial_code = 01568
| os_grid_reference = SO496591
}}
'''Leominster''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-uk-Leominster.ogg|ˈ|l|ɛ|m|s|t|ɚ|}} {{respell|LEM|stər}}) is a [[market town]] in [[Herefordshire]], England; it is located at the confluence of the [[River Lugg]] and its tributary the [[River Kenwater]]. The town is {{convert|12|mi|km|abbr=off}} north of [[Hereford]] and {{convert|7|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} south of [[Ludlow]] in [[Shropshire]]. With a population of almost 12,000,<ref name=census>{{cite web|title=Neighbourhood Statistics – Area: Leominster (Parish) – Sex, 2021 (QS104EW) |work=[[United Kingdom Census 2021]] |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |year=2011 |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=5&b=11125557&c=Leominster&d=16&e=61&g=6385998&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1389540460916&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2493&nsjs=true&nsck=false&nssvg=false&nswid=1152 |access-date=12 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112201817/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=5&b=11125557&c=Leominster&d=16&e=61&g=6385998&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1389540460916&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2493&nsjs=true&nsck=false&nssvg=false&nswid=1152 |archive-date=12 January 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Leominster is the largest of the five towns in the county; the others being [[Ross-on-Wye]], [[Ledbury]], [[Bromyard]] and [[Kington, Herefordshire|Kington]].

From 1974 to 1996, Leominster was the administrative centre for the former [[Districts of England|local government district]] of [[Leominster (district)|Leominster]].

==Toponymy==
The town, previously spelled 'Lemster', takes its name from the English word [[Minster (cathedral)|minster]], meaning a community of clergy and the original Celtic name for the district ''Leon'' or ''Lene'', probably in turn from an [[Old Welsh]] root ''lei'' to flow.<ref>J. & C. Hillaby, ''Leominster Minster, Priory, and Borough c.660–1539'' (Logaston Press, Almeley, Herefs. 2006), 4–5.</ref> The [[Welsh language|Welsh]] name for Leominster is ''Llanllieni'', with [[Llan (placename)|Llan]] suggesting a possible [[Celtic Christianity|Celtic]] origin to the town's religious community.

Contrary to certain reports, the name has nothing to do with [[Leofric, Earl of Mercia|Leofric]], an 11th-century Earl of Mercia (most famous for being the legendarily miserly husband of [[Lady Godiva]]).{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

==History==

[[File:Leominster Museum - 2014-07-11 - Andy Mabbett - 01.JPG|thumb| [[Milestone]], showing the old spelling ''''Lemster'''', now in [[Leominster Museum]] ]]

During the [[Early Middle Ages]], Leominster was home to Æthelmod of Leominster, an English [[saint]] known to history mainly through the [[hagiography]] of the [[Secgan|Secgan Manuscript]].<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=stowe_ms_944_f029v Stowe MS 944] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20140103065303/http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=stowe_ms_944_f029v |date= 3 January 2014 }}, British Library</ref> He is reputedly buried in Leominster.

During the 8th and 9th Century, Danes (or Vikings) frequently raided the area. In 2015, two individuals (operating without landowner permission), using metal detectors, found a large hoard near Leominster (the [[Herefordshire hoard]]) consisting primarily of Saxon jewellery and silver ingots but also coins; the latter date to around 879 AD. According to a news report, "experts believe it was buried by a Viking during a series of raids", while Wessex was ruled by [[Alfred the Great]] and Mercia by [[Ceolwulf II of Mercia]].
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newsweek.com/viking-treasure-rewrite-history-stolen-metal-detectorists-convicted-1473484 |title=MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF VIKING TREASURE THAT COULD REWRITE HISTORY STOLEN, METAL DETECTORISTS CONVICTED |date=22 November 2019 |publisher=Newsweek |access-date=24 November 2019 |quote=An example of a rare two emperor coin, hinting at a previously-unknown alliance between the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia.}}</ref> 

According to the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', a raid by [[Gruffudd ap Llywelyn]] on Leominster in 1052 resulted in the Battle of Llanllieni, between the Welsh and a combined force of [[Normans]] (mercenaries) and English [[Saxons]].<ref>{{cite book| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5jtC1mWM86AC&pg=PA156 | page=156 | title= Land of My Fathers: 2000 Years of Welsh History | first= Gwynfor | last= Evans | publisher = Y Lolfa | year= 1974 | isbn=9780862432652}}</ref>

[[Henry I of England|Henry I]] bestowed the minster and its estates on [[Reading Abbey]], which founded a [[priory]] at Leominster in 1121, although there was one here from [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] times.<ref>Hillaby, 53-7</ref> Its [[Priory Church, Leominster|Priory Church of St. Peter and St. Paul]], which now serves as the parish church, is the remaining part of this 12th-century [[Benedictine]] [[monastery]]. [[Quatrefoil]] piers were inserted between 1872–79 by Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]].<ref>''The Buildings of England: Herefordshire'', Nikolaus Pevsner, (1963) p226 {{ISBN|0-14-071025-6}}</ref>

The priory was ransacked by the Welsh forces of [[Owain Glyndŵr]] after their victory at the [[Battle of Bryn Glas]] near [[Pilleth]] in 1402, along with several local [[manor house]]s.

Investigations to the north of the [[priory]] in 2005 located the position of the [[cloister]], although most of the stone had been stolen following the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|Dissolution]]. Discarded animal bones found on the site when submitted to [[carbon dating]] showed that the area was occupied in the 7th century. This agrees with the date of 660 AD associated with the [[founding myth]], which suggests a Christian community was established here by a monk, [[Eadfrith of Leominster|St. Eadfrith]], originally from [[Lindisfarne]] in [[Northumbria]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.leominsterpriory.org.uk/who-are-we/our-history/ |title=Our History |publisher=Leominster Priory | access-date=5 June 2021}}</ref>

Leominster is also the historical home of [[Ryeland]] sheep, a breed once famed for its wool, known as 'Lemster ore'. This wool was prized above all other English wool in trade with the continent of Europe in the [[Middle Ages]]. It was the income and prosperity from this wool trade that established the town and the minster and attracted the envy of the Welsh and other regions.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

From approximately 1748 to 1754, [[Pinsley Mill]] in Leominster was home to one of the [[Paul-Wyatt cotton mills]], the first four [[cotton mill]]s in the world, employing the spinning machines of [[Lewis Paul]] and [[John Wyatt (inventor)|John Wyatt]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wadsworth|first1=Alfred P.|last2=Mann|first2=Julia De Lacy|year=1931|title=The Cotton Trade and Industrial Lancashire, 1600–1780|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5NVRAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA433|pages=433–448|location=Manchester|publisher=Manchester University Press}}</ref> The mill was financed by [[Lancashire]] native Daniel Bourn, and was partly owned by other men from Lancashire. Bourn introduced his own version of the carding engine to work at this mill, and of the four Paul-Wyatt mills, it may have been the most successful, as shortly after the fire that destroyed the mill, it was reported that the cotton works "had been viewed with great pleasure and admiration by travellers and all who had seen them."<ref>Manchester Mercury, reported on 5 November 1754</ref>

One of the last ordeals by [[ducking stool]] took place in Leominster in 1809, with Jenny Pipes as the final incumbent.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rejali|first=Darius|title=Torture and democracy|year=2009|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton, N.J.|isbn=978-0691143330|page=282|edition=1. paperback printing.}}</ref> The ducking stool is on public display in Leominster Priory; a mechanised depiction of it is featured on the town clock.<ref>{{cite news|title=Herefordshire clock on go slow|url=http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/4530125.Leominster_s_ducking_stool_clock_on_time_again/|access-date=7 May 2013|newspaper=[[Hereford Times]]|date=5 August 2009}}</ref>

==Climate==
The town has a [[maritime climate]], with mild winters and summers. The data below is from a weather station in [[Preston Wynne]], a village about 10 miles south-east of Leominster.

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y
|collapsed = Y
|location = [[Shobdon Airfield]],{{efn|Weather station is located {{convert|6.0|mi|1|abbr=out}} from the Leominster town centre.}} (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1992–present)
|Jan record high C = 14.9
|Feb record high C = 17.2
|Mar record high C = 22.3
|Apr record high C = 24.6
|May record high C = 26.6
|Jun record high C = 30.8
|Jul record high C = 35.0
|Aug record high C = 33.1
|Sep record high C = 29.5
|Oct record high C = 27.2
|Nov record high C = 18.0
|Dec record high C = 15.2
|Jan record low C = -12.2
|Feb record low C = -9.5
|Mar record low C = -7.8
|Apr record low C = -4.9
|May record low C = -2.3
|Jun record low C = 0.2
|Jul record low C = 2.6
|Aug record low C = 2.4
|Sep record low C = -0.7
|Oct record low C = -5.6
|Nov record low C = -9.5
|Dec record low C = -16.9
|Jan high C = 7.6
|Feb high C = 8.2
|Mar high C = 10.6
|Apr high C = 13.5
|May high C = 16.7
|Jun high C = 19.6
|Jul high C = 21.7
|Aug high C = 21.3
|Sep high C = 18.6
|Oct high C = 14.4
|Nov high C = 10.5
|Dec high C = 7.9
| year high C = 14.3
|Jan mean C = 4.5
|Feb mean C = 4.9
|Mar mean C = 6.6
|Apr mean C = 8.8
|May mean C = 11.7
|Jun mean C = 14.5
|Jul mean C = 16.4
|Aug mean C = 16.2
|Sep mean C = 13.8
|Oct mean C = 10.5
|Nov mean C = 7.0
|Dec mean C = 4.7
| year mean C =
|Jan low C = 1.3
|Feb low C = 1.5
|Mar low C = 2.5
|Apr low C = 4.1
|May low C = 6.7
|Jun low C = 9.4
|Jul low C = 11.1
|Aug low C = 11.0
|Sep low C = 8.9
|Oct low C = 6.6
|Nov low C = 3.5
|Dec low C = 1.4
| year low C = 5.7
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 77.2
|Feb precipitation mm = 60.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 55.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 58.6
|May precipitation mm = 56.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 58.3
|Jul precipitation mm = 55.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 64.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 58.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 84.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 81.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 86.4
|year precipitation mm = 797.3
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 13.9
| Feb precipitation days = 11.0
| Mar precipitation days = 10.5
| Apr precipitation days = 10.1
| May precipitation days = 10.0
| Jun precipitation days = 9.3
| Jul precipitation days = 9.2
| Aug precipitation days = 10.2
| Sep precipitation days = 9.4
| Oct precipitation days = 12.2
| Nov precipitation days = 13.4
| Dec precipitation days = 13.7
| year precipitation days =132.9
|Jan sun = 55.0
|Feb sun = 83.9
|Mar sun = 118.9
|Apr sun = 165.7
|May sun = 213.5
|Jun sun = 195.1
|Jul sun = 214.9
|Aug sun = 168.1
|Sep sun = 149.1
|Oct sun = 103.4
|Nov sun = 68.6
|Dec sun = 56.3
|year sun = 1592.4
| source 1 = [[Met Office]]<ref name="MetOffice">{{cite web
|url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/location-specific-long-term-averages/gcmcnq75w
|title = Station: Shobdon Airfield, Climate period: 1991–2020
|publisher = Met Office
|access-date = 15 December 2024}}</ref>
| source 2 = Starlings Roost Weather<ref>{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmax_map.php
|title= Monthly Extreme Maximum Temperature, Monthly Extreme Minimum Temperature
|publisher=Starlings Roost Weather
|access-date= 16 December 2024
}}</ref>
}}

==Transport==

[[Leominster railway station]] is managed by [[Transport for Wales Rail|Transport for Wales]], who operate services on the [[Welsh Marches Line]] between [[South Wales]] and [[North West England]]. Direct services run to [[Cardiff Central railway station|Cardiff]], [[Hereford railway station|Hereford]], [[Ludlow railway station|Ludlow]], [[Shrewsbury railway station|Shrewsbury]], [[Crewe railway station|Crewe]] and [[Manchester Piccadilly railway station|Manchester]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timetables |work=Transport for Wales |date=May 2023 |access-date=16 August 2023 |url= https://tfw.wales/service-status/timetables |quote=}}</ref>

The town has a bus station which is the focal point for its bus services. Routes are operated by Lugg Valley Travel and [[First Worcester]], which link Leominster with [[Hereford]], [[Ludlow]] and [[Ledbury]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Leominster Bus Services |work=Bus Times |date=2023 |access-date=16 Aug 2023 |url= https://bustimes.org/localities/leominster |quote=}}</ref>

Leominster is a primary destination on [[Roads in the United Kingdom|Great Britain's road network]], being where the north-south [[A49 road|A49]] and east-west [[A44 road]]s meet. At Leominster, roads are signed towards [[Rhayader]] (A44 westbound), [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] (A44 eastbound), [[Shrewsbury]] (A49 northbound) and [[Hereford]] (A49 southbound).

==Schools==
[[Earl Mortimer College]], is a state [[comprehensive school]] providing secondary education for about 650 pupils. It was formerly known as the Minster school. There is also Leominster Primary School and Westfield's Special School. Primary schools in the villages around the town include [[Ivington]], [[Kimbolton, Herefordshire|Kimbolton]], [[Kingsland, Herefordshire|Kingsland]], [[Luston]] and [[Stoke Prior, Herefordshire|Stoke Prior]].

== Media ==
In print, Leominster is served by the ''[[Hereford Times]]'', ''The Leominster News'' and the ''Teme Valley Times''.Local TV coverage are provided by [[BBC West Midlands]] and [[ITV Central]]. Television signals are received from the [[Ridge Hill transmitting station|Ridge Hill]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Ridge_Hill|title=Full Freeview on the Ridge Hill (County of Herefordshire, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|access-date=26 October 2023}}</ref> Local radio stations are [[Sunshine Radio (Herefordshire and Monmouthshire)|Sunshine Radio]], [[Sunshine 855]], [[BBC Hereford & Worcester]], [[Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire]] and [[Greatest Hits Radio|Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire]].

==Notable people==
[[File:The Grange, Leominster.jpg|thumbnail|right|The Grange, Leominster]]

* Saint Cuthfleda was the [[abbess]] of [[Leominster nunnery]] and the patroness of the region.<ref>[http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199596607.013.0406 Cuthfleda], ''Oxford Dictionary of Saints'', 5th ed, 2011. Accessed 5 January 2014.</ref> She was known for her holiness and her chaste life.
* [[Æthelmod of Leominster]] [[Anglo-Saxon]] [[Saint]]{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}
* [[Leofric, Earl of Mercia]] and his wife Godgifu [[Lady Godiva]] – are commemorated as benefactors of the monastery at Leominster<ref>The Chronicle of John of Worcester ed. and trans. R.R. Darlington, P. McGurk and J. Bray (Clarendon Press: Oxford 1995), pp.582–3.</ref>
* [[John Abel (carpenter)|John Abel]] (1578/9–1675), an English carpenter and mason, granted the title of 'King's Carpenter', who was responsible for several notable structures in the ornamented half-timbered construction, notably the market house known as [[Grange Court]] (1633) in Leominster, which originally stood in Broad Street, but was rebuilt in 1855 near to the Priory Church. It is widely regarded as one of Abel's finest works.<ref>"[http://www.grangecourt.org/history-and-heritage/history-page-1-john-abel/ John Abel, King's carpenter]", Grange Court website. Accessed 5 January 2014.</ref>
* [[John Ward (actor)|John Ward]] (24 June 1704 – 30 October 1773) was an [[England|English]] actor and [[theatre manager]].
* [[John Scarlett Davis]] (1804–1845), artist, was born at 2 High Street. A number of his works are in [[Leominster Museum]].<ref name="Hobbs">{{cite book|last=Hobbs|first=Tony|title=John Scarlett Davis: A Biography|year=2004|publisher=Logaston Press|location=Almeley, Herefordshire|isbn=1904396151}}</ref>
* [[Arthur Peppercorn]] (1889–1951), locomotive designer<ref>"[http://www.a1steam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=65 Arthur Peppercorn]", A1 Steam Locomotive Trust. Accessed 5 January 2014.</ref>
* [[Paddie O'Neil]] (1926-2010), actress and singer, was born at Leominster while her parents were appearing in a fairground there.<ref name=guardian>[https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/mar/25/paddie-oneil-obituary Obituary ''The Guardian'', 26 March 2010]</ref>
* [[Jarrod Bowen]] (born 1996), footballer for [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] and the [[England national football team]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/football-league-blog/2019/jan/16/jarrod-bowen-hull-championship-hereford|title=Jarrod Bowen: from playing without pay to scoring for fun at Hull|first=Ben|last=Fisher|date=16 January 2019|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>

==Twin towns==
Leominster is [[twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with [[Saverne]] in eastern France and [[Tengeru]] in Tanzania.

==Local attractions==
*[[Croft Castle]]
*[[Berrington Hall]]
*[[Grange Court]]
*[[Priory Church, Leominster]]
*[[Queen's Wood Country Park]]

== See also ==
*[[Leominster (UK Parliament constituency)]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist|30em}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.leominstertowncouncil.gov.uk Leominster Town Council]
*[http://www.leominster.co.uk Leominster Town Website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040519230124/http://www.archenfield.com/Leominster.htm Leominster History from Archenfield Archaeology] (this site is not available)
{{Herefordshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Leominster| ]]
[[Category:Market towns in Herefordshire]]
[[Category:Towns of the Welsh Marches]]
[[Category:Towns in Herefordshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Herefordshire]]

Whitwick

2025-06-13T13:16:30Z

149.241.71.154:

{{Short description|Village in Leicestershire, England}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Whitwick
| civil_parish = Whitwick<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitwick Parish Council Website |url=https://whitwickpc.org.uk/ |website=Whitwick Parish Council |date=22 February 2023 |access-date=22 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
| country = England
| region = East Midlands
| coordinates = {{coord|52|44|25|N|1|21|20|W|region:GB_type:city|display=title}}
| post_town = COALVILLE
| postcode_area = LE
| postcode_district = LE67
| dial_code =
| shire_district = [[North West Leicestershire]]
| shire_county = [[Leicestershire]]
| population = 8,612
| population_ref = (2011 Census)
| static_image_name = Whitwick parish church.jpg
| static_image_caption = Whitwick Parish Church
| constituency_westminster = [[North West Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)|North West Leicestershire]]
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
'''Whitwick''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ɪ|t|ɪ|k}} is a large village and [[civil parish]] in the [[North West Leicestershire]] district of [[Leicestershire]], England, some two miles north of [[Coalville]] in the northwest of the county. It lies in an ancient parish which formerly included the equally historic villages of [[Thringstone]] and [[Swannington, Leicestershire|Swannington]]. Whitwick is situated 4 miles southwest of [[Shepshed]], 6 miles east of [[Ashby-de-la-Zouch]] and 8 miles west-southwest of [[Loughborough]].

It was an important manor in the [[Middle Ages]], which once included [[Bardon, Leicestershire|Bardon]] and [[Markfield]], parts of [[Hugglescote]], [[Donington le Heath]], [[Ratby]], Bocheston, [[Newtown Unthank]] and Whittington.<ref>Hadfield, CN: Charnwood Forest, 1952, p 47</ref> As early as 1293, Whitwick had a weekly market and a four-day fair.<ref>Hoskins, W G: Leicestershire – A Shell Guide, 1970</ref> The population of Whitwick, according to the 2001 census was 10,815 persons. 8,092 of these fell into the 16–74 working age range, although only 4,689 were employed. The population of the village at the 2011 census had fallen to 8,612.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11130609&c=Whitwick&d=16&e=62&g=6445480&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1466675033804&enc=1|title=Civil Parish population 2011|access-date=23 June 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics|work=Neighbourhood Statistics}}</ref>

==History==
One of the earliest mentions of the place, as ''Witewic'', is in the [[Domesday Book]], the name of the settlement possibly meaning either ''guardhouse''<ref name="OED Online. Oxford University Press 2020">"wite, v.2." OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2020. Web. 13 February 2021.</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">"wic, n.2." OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2020. Web. 13 February 2021.</ref>''"The White Farm"'' or ''"Hwita's Farm"'' The last two appear to rely on later meanings for both particles Wite and Wik and may have been a reference to the outcrop of white sandstone found here.<ref>Watts, Victor ''et al.,'' (2004) ''The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-names'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. {{ISBN|0-521-36209-1}}</ref> It was listed amongst the lands given to [[Hugh de Grandmesnil]]<ref>''Domesday Book: a Complete Transliteration''. London: Penguin, 2003. p. 656 {{ISBN|0-14-143994-7}}</ref> by King [[William the Conqueror|William I]]. There was said to be land for half a plough and woodland which was a furlong by half a furlong. Its value was two [[shillings]].

===Castle===
Whitwick had a [[motte and bailey]] castle, although no remains are left. It was probably built originally during the spate of rapid castle building by William the Conqueror following the spate of rebellions leading up to the harrowing of the north. There appears to be evidence of a timber castle and later stone castle. The timber castle was more likely in place in the 11th century and to have been later held by 'Henricus de Bello Monte, Consanguineus Regis' (Henry Beaumont, blood-relative of the king). In 1320 he was granted a licence to crenellate the structure.<ref name="gatehouse">{{cite web |work=The Gatehouse Website |title=Whitwick Castle, Coalville |url=http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/1790.html |date=25 March 2015 |access-date=1 April 2015}}</ref> The building work resulting from this licence may have provoked an attack by Sir John Talbot. Beaumont's claim to the land was from his wife's inheritance and, it seems, Talbot felt he had a claim to Whitwick. Twenty years later the capital message was worth nothing.<ref name="gatehouse"/> This stone castle was later held by the Earls of Leicester, though it was recorded as being ruinous by 1427. The foundations are said to have been visible at the end of the 18th century and a wall was still to be seen on the north side in 1893.

It is important to note that the word '[[gatehouse]]' is likely a corruption of '[[guardhouse]]'. A gatehouse is usually an entrance to a walled city or a castle entrance. In the case of Whitwic Castle, the castle is in the centre of the town and thus there is no 'gatehouse'.

The mound retains the title of Castle Hill and is surmounted by a 19th-century [[folly]], with a castellated roofline. This was built in 1846 by a local landowner, Joseph Almond Cropper, as almshouses for the poor.

=== Lead up to the [[harrying of the north]] ===
Between the defeat of Harold in 1066 and the creation of the doomsday book in 1086, William the Conqueror faced a number of rebellions which culminated in a "scorched earth" policy attack on the north of England destroying homes, food stores and farms. This attack resulted in the deaths of thousands by starvation and the elements. One such rebellion happened at Nottingham. Witewic Castle would appear to have been created in response to the threat from the north. There have been no signs of a pre-Norman occupation and it is known that the rapid creation of [[motte and bailey]] castles by William was in response to the rebellions. It is, therefore, possible that the town grew around the castle and not the other way around. The middle-English proves difficult however when considering the 1000ad meaning of Wite as Guard (c1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 154 Þæt bið god swefen, wite þu þæt georne on þinre heortan.)<ref name="OED Online. Oxford University Press 2020"/> and Wic from roughly the same period meaning 'dwelling' (c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 8512 Iosæp..bærenn ure laferrd crist..Fra land to land. fra tun to tun. Fra wic to wic i tune.)<ref name="ReferenceB"/> It would appear that the castle was a "guard-house" and the town that sprouted up around it took its name.

===Market and fair===
From 1838 until the early 20th century, there was a thriving weekly market held in Whitwick Market Place. As well as the regular local stallholders a number of Leicester tradesmen attended and it is remembered that old ladies used to bring their butter and other farm produce and line up alongside the gutter.<ref name="ReferenceA">Introduction to Coalville, local publication, circa 1970</ref> In the years following the [[First World War]], competition from the larger and newer market at Coalville eventually resulted in its discontinuance.

The annual fair, or ''wakes'', was once a hugely popular event and coincided with the patronal festival of the [[parish church]]. At the height of its popularity in the early 20th century, it is remembered that the larger amusements stood in the opening in front of the White Horse [[public house]] and there were wild beast shows including seals swimming around in tanks. The local photographer would take snapshots (on glass) and deliver them while the customers waited. There was also once a 'Cabbage Street Wakes', of rather obscure origin, when cabbages were used to decorate the lampposts in Cademan Street.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

===Curious place names in Whitwick===
A popular affirmation is that the village of Whitwick contains three 'cities'. The City of Three Waters and the City of Dan are official postal addresses, situated respectively at the foot of Dumps Hill and Leicester Road. Over the years, there have been many contenders for the location of the 'third city', the most popular being The City of Hockley – an area located midway between the cities of Three Waters and Dan, close to the parish church, and alongside the watercourse passing through the village. However, older residents have always maintained that this area was known simply as The Hockley, the prefix 'city', they suggest, being a retrospective appendage. Even the place-name 'Hockley' would appear to be a mystery. (The nearby [[South Derbyshire]] village of [[Woodville, Derbyshire|Woodville]] has an old lane signposted as, simply, 'The City').

Equally obscure is the origin of the name 'Dumps Hill', a steep incline forming part of a staggered cross-roads at the northern end of the village. Many theories have been expounded to account for its origin, one being that the houses built on the righthand side after the old railway bridge were constructed on the site of the old 'Dumblies' pig farm. Sheila Smith, in her 1984 history of Whitwick suggests that the name may be linked to framework knitting as in 1845 one Joseph Sheffield, giving evidence before the [[Royal Commission|Commission]] into the plight of the framework knitters, makes reference to a type of stocking called 'dumps'. There are several surviving examples of framework knitters' cottages in the village, which can be recognised by elongated first storey windows, designed to allow greater inlet of light. A good example of such a cottage can be found at the foot of the Dumps.<ref name="Smith, Sheila 1984">Smith, Sheila, "A Brief History of Whitwick", published by Leicestershire Libraries and Information Service, Leicester, 1984.</ref>

==Past industry and commerce==

===Framework knitting===
During the 18th century, framework knitting became an important [[cottage industry]] in the village, taking over from agriculture. As early as 1723/24, William Clark, son of William, was apprenticed to Joseph Howe. This apprenticeship was to run from Michaelmas 1723/24 for seven years.<ref name="Smith, Sheila 1984"/> By the beginning of the 19th century, [[Leicestershire]], [[Nottinghamshire]] and [[Derbyshire]] had become the centre of the British hosiery trade, taking over from London. In 1832, it is recorded that there were some 33,000 knitting frames in use in the [[English Midlands|Midlands]], of which the majority – 11,200, were in Leicestershire.<ref name="Smith, Sheila 1984"/>

In 1844, there were 423 knitting frames in Whitwick and by this time, the cottage industry had been in decline for some years. This appears to have been as a result of a change in fashions and also to the new type of hose being produced, which required fewer skills in the manufacture. From the middle of the 19th century, framework knitting began to be transferred from homes to the factories in larger towns. By 1851, it is recorded that the number of frames in Whitwick had dwindled to 240.<ref name="Smith, Sheila 1984"/>

Large hosiery factories appeared on Church Lane and at the top of The Dumps, shortly before the [[First World War]].

===Mineral water factories===
[[File:Whitwickbottles.jpg|right|thumb|Collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century Whitwick bottles]]
In addition to the usual village trades, Whitwick also once had three mineral water factories.

The largest of these was the firm of Bernard Beckworth on Cademan Street, which was established in 1875 and ran until the 1970s; it is listed in ''Kelly's Directories of Leicestershire'' from 1904 through to 1941 as 'Beckworth and Co. Ltd, Charnwood Mineral Water Works'.

By 1904, the firm of Stinson Brothers, based on Loughborough Road, had appeared. By 1912, this firm is listed as simply Horace Stinson and it had disappeared from the Whitwick Directories by 1928.

The firm of Richard Massey appears from 1916, listed at 36, Castle Street, Whitwick. Massey's has disappeared by 1941.

A Stinson Bros codd bottle appeared among lots listed for auction in Barnsley (BBR Auctions) on Saturday 8 January 2006. It was described as a 9 inch tall emerald green glass codd bottle, embossed, 'STINSON BROS/WHITWICK.' The guide price was £80 – £100, the relatively high estimate presumably reflecting the rarity of the glass, but the bottle was in fact sold for £515. The bottle was turned up by a plough in a field opposite A.W.Waldrum's Coal Merchant's premises on Grace Dieu Road, Whitwick and is the only known example.

There is also known to have existed a 'Botanical Brewery', though it is believed that this may have been a part of the Stinson or Massey enterprises, both of which later moved to Hermitage Road. Both firms are listed on Hermitage Road (under Coalville) in a trade directory of 1941. There are also known to have been examples of 19th-century bottles bearing the name of McCarthy and Beckworth, Coalville.

===Coal mining===
Whitwick Colliery is remembered for an underground fire in 1898 that killed 35 miners in Leicestershire's worst mining tragedy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Whitwick Colliery Fire - Coalville - 1898|url=https://nmrs.org.uk/mines-map/accidents-disasters/leicestershire/whitwick-colliery-fire-coalville-1898/|publisher=Northern Mine Research Society|accessdate=2024-11-27}}</ref>

===Railway===
[[File:WhitwickStation01.jpg|250px|thumb|Whitwick station at road level.]]

Whitwick railway station was on the [[Charnwood Forest Railway]] which was constructed by the Charnwood Forest Company between 1881 and 1883.<ref>Franks, D.L., (1975) ''The Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway together with The Charnwood Forest Railway'' Sheffield: Turntable Publications</ref> This branch line ran from Coalville East (joined to the Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway (ANJR)) to the town of [[Loughborough]], at the Derby Road Station. Passenger services ceased to operate on 13 April 1931, with freight services ceasing to operate on 12 December 1963. [[Whitwick railway station]] still has some surviving structures, the platform and the old station building, now the home of the Whitwick Historical Group, while the railway trackbed towards Coalville has been turned into a footpath.

==Religion==

===St. John the Baptist Parish Church===
The parish church of St. John the Baptist is an ancient structure, nestling in a natural [[amphitheatre]], close to the [[confluence]] of two streams. A spring, emanating from under the chancel, is also discharged into the watercourse, through a piped outlet protruding from a stone wall at the east end of the churchyard. This spring is said to have been used during the 19th century as means of powering the bellows of the church organ. It is possible that this site was regarded as sacred in pre-Christian times, thereby influencing the choice of location for the church. It was also conjectured by the local historian, George Green of [[Loughborough]], that a fragment of [[Anglo-Saxon|pre-Norman]] cross shaft would appear to be incorporated into the [[chancel]] wall, supporting the idea that a church may well have existed on this site in Anglo-Saxon times. However, there is no mention of a priest or church connected with Whitwick in the Domesday Survey, and in the absence of conclusive structural evidence beyond the thirteenth century, it is perhaps more likely that the church was built as a later adjunct to the nearby castle. The church we see today is mainly of 14th-century construction, with only the south doorway seeming to go back to the 13th century.<ref>Pevsner, Nikolaus: Leicestershire and Rutland (The Buildings of England)</ref> The massive decorated western tower contains a peal of eight bells, four of which were cast in 1628, and in the north aisle can be found the mutilated alabaster effigy of a knight, which tradition has to be that of Sir John Talbot, who died in 1365.<ref>[http://www.whitwickparishchurch.org.uk Whitwick church website]</ref> Talbot is said to have been a giant, and this accounts for the exceptional length of the monument.

The church was a victim of aggressive restoration during the 19th century, when the chancel was rebuilt by [[James Piers St Aubyn]], 1848–1849. A vaulted substructure or [[crypt]] is situated beneath the chancel, but is not thought to have ever been used as a [[charnel house]]. The building of this understructure would have been necessary to maintain a level between the chancel and the nave due to the steepness of sloping ground at the east end.

In the south exterior wall of the nave, close by the porch, there is a canopied recess, which according to tradition once contained a doorway leading to vaults beneath the south aisle.<ref>College, JIW: Guide to Saint John the Baptist Parish Church, Whitwick, 1964</ref> It is likely that this recess would once have contained a founder's tomb.

From 1319 until its dissolution in 1536, Whitwick Church was an endowment of the [[Benedictine]] chapter of [[Up Holland Priory]], near [[Wigan]], [[Lancashire]].<ref>A History of the County of Lancaster, Volume 2, 1908, pp 111 – 112</ref> Following royal sequestration, the patronage of the living passed to the King and Whitwick Church remains one of forty-two churches nationally which are in the patronage of the Monarch (in the rights of the [[Duchy of Lancaster]]).

Today, the church forms part of a united benefice with Thringstone and Swannington. The registers date from 1601.

The churchyard was closed for burials many years ago. In more recent years, many of the 18th- and 19th-century [[slate]] [[headstone]]s were uprooted and moved in a line around the periphery of the southern portion of the graveyard; a 20th-century concrete [[war memorial]] now occupies the centre. Other stones were taken up and used for paving around the church.

Whitwick Cemetery, off Church Lane, was consecrated on 24 June 1874 and consists of about four acres. It was divided into three sections: [[Church of England]], [[Catholic]] and [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Nonconformist]] and placed under the control of a joint burial committee. It contains four [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission|Commonwealth war graves]] of service personnel, one from [[World War I]] and three from [[World War II]].<ref>[http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/41250/COALVILLE%20(WHITWICK)%20CEMETERY] CWGC Cemetery Record, Coalville (Whitwick) Cemetery, breakdown from casualty record.</ref>

===Vicars of Whitwick 1551—2020===
{| width=100% class="wikitable"
! width=18% | Vicar
! width=9% | From
! width=9% | Until
! width=26% | Notes
|-
|align="center"|Peter Fynche, MA||align="center"|---||align="center"|1551||align="center"|Also Rector of Ravenstone, 1549 – 59.
|-
|align="center"|George Halsted||align="center"|1551||align="center"|1553||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Robert Grace||align="center"|1553||align="center"|1576||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Henry Lynney||align="center"|1576||align="center"|1578||align="center"|Vicar of St Martin's, Leicester 1578 – 1585.
|-
|align="center"|Thomas Hunt||align="center"|1578||align="center"|1595||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|--- Barlowe||align="center"|---||align="center"|---||align="center"|Recorded as Vicar in 1601
|-
|align="center"|Michael Crosley<ref>Alumni cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge (Volume pt 1 vol 1) online. (page 151 of 155)</ref>||align="center"|1612||align="center"|1642||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|John Bennet||align="center"| – ||align="center"|1662||align="center"|Ejected 1662. Licensed as a Nonconformist 1672 at Littleover<ref>Edmund Calamy, Biographies of Ejected and Silenced Ministers 1713. Calamy states that Bennet served for several years at Whitwick before being ejected in 1662. Calamy states that Bennet moved to London but later returned to the Midlands and was licensed at Littelover in 1672.</ref>
|-
|align="center"|John Brentnall, BA||align="center"|1675||align="center"|1691||align="center"|Vicar of Elvaston cum Thurlston and Ambaston, 1691 – 1695; Vicar of Lockington 1695 – 1703.
|-
|align="center"|William Hunt, MA||align="center"|1691||align="center"|1700||align="center"|Rector of Cold Overton, 1700 – 1727.
|-
|align="center"|William Ramser, BA||align="center"|1700||align="center"|1705||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|John Hagger, BA||align="center"|1705||align="center"|1711||align="center"|Vicar of Cropwell Bishop, 1711 – 1735.
|-
|align="center"|William Banks, BA||align="center"|1711||align="center"|1715||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Charles Clarke, BA||align="center"|1715||align="center"|1736||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Charles Franke, MA||align="center"|1736||align="center"|1767||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Francis Harris, BA||align="center"|1767||align="center"|1819||align="center"|Longest serving Vicar of Whitwick – 51 years, 6 months
|-
|align="center"|Francis Merewether, MA||align="center"|1819||align="center"|1864||align="center"|Also Rector of Coleorton, 1815 – 1864. Founded churches at Coalville, Swannington and Thringstone
|-
|align="center"|Samuel Smith, DD||align="center"|1864||align="center"|1875||align="center"|Changed surname to Pyemont in 1869.
|-
|align="center"|Augustus Francis Tollemache, MA||align="center"|1875||align="center"|1894||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|James Wilson Alexander Mackenzie, MA||align="center"|1894||align="center"|1913||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Thomas W. Walters, MA, RD||align="center"|1913||align="center"|1937||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Fredrick G. Hogarth, MA, RD||align="center"|1937||align="center"|1970||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Ralph E. Wheaton, Dip. Theology||align="center"|1971||align="center"|1981||align="center"|Rural Dean 1979–1981
|-
|align="center"|Peter S. Lawrie||align="center"|1981||align="center"|1996||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Deryck I. Charnock, Dip.HE Theology, ONC Business||align="center"|1998||align="center"|2006||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|John Seaman, BA||align="center"|2008||align="center"|2012||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Alan Burgess||align="center"|2012||align="center"|2015||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Liz Angell, BA (Hons)||align="center"|2016||align="center"|2020||align="center"|First Woman Vicar of Whitwick
|}

===Daughter churches and national school===
In the 19th and 20th centuries, new churches were built within the vast, ancient ecclesiastical parish of Whitwick as a result of population growth, all of which later came to serve independent parishes in their own right. Possibly more by coincidence than design,{{citation needed|date=August 2010}} these daughter churches are dedicated respectively to the [[patron saint]]s of [[Great Britain]]: St George's, Swannington was built in 1825; St Andrew's, [[Thringstone]] was built in 1862 and St David's, Broom Leys was founded in 1933. Christ Church, [[Coalville]], was also formed partially out of Whitwick Parish in 1836, though the church here stands on land which was originally in the ancient parish of [[Ibstock]], within the [[chapelry]] of [[Hugglescote]].<ref>Edgar Hawthorn, 'A Church, A People, A Story' (History of Christ Church, Coalville), 1952</ref>

The churches at Swannington, Coalville and Thringstone all owe their existence to the zealous missionary drive of the Reverend Francis Merewether MA (1784–1864), [[Vicar]] of Whitwick for more than fifty years, and also [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|Rector]] of [[Coleorton]]. Merewether, a [[low church]] [[theologian]] who preached and wrote prolifically against [[Roman Catholicism]], was also successful in getting [[national school (England and Wales)|national schools]] established in these outlying parts of the parish as well as in Whitwick itself. He left behind him a small empire of Anglican expansion, wrought in part by a desire to counteract the 'papist' revival that he perceived to be sweeping the district, at the instigation of [[Ambrose de Lisle]] of [[Grace Dieu Manor]].<ref>Stephen Neale Badcock, Visitor's Guide To The Parish Church Of St. Andrew's, Thringstone, published 2005</ref> Whitwick National School, a stone building in the [[Early English style]] still stands in the [[market place]], now a [[Listed building|Grade Two listed building]]. An extension to the school was provided in 1903, with access on silver street. The school was replaced later in the 20th century by a new Church of England school located at the foot of Parsonwood Hill. The old school is now used as a day nursery.
[[File:Saint David's Church, Broom Leys.jpg|thumb|right|Saint David's Church, Broom Leys – a daughter church of Whitwick]]
St David's, Broom Leys was for more than thirty years served by a small wooden church which had originally served as a chapel at the [[Mowsley]] [[Sanitorium]] near [[Market Harborough]], Leicestershire and was brought over to its present site in sections and duly re-erected. This small structure still stands near the present day 'futuristic' church, work on which was commenced in 1964. The foundation stone (a piece of [[Wales|Welsh]] slate from [[St David's]] in [[West Wales]] and presented by the dean of that cathedral) was laid on 26 September 1964 in the presence of about five hundred people. Above the front entrance of the church is the figure of [[St David]], cast in 'ciment fondu' and coated with a bronze resin. The bricks are a 'Blaby Grey' and the stonework was provided by the local Whitwick Quarry.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

===Other places of worship===

====Methodist and Baptist====
Until the early 19th century, the parish church remained the only place of worship in the village. Then, in the 1820s, the [[Baptists]] erected a small chapel on Pares Hill and a society of [[Methodist Church of Great Britain|Wesleyan Methodist]]s opened a chapel on North Street (extended 1879).
From its foundation in 1823 until 1855, Whitwick [[Baptist Church]] remained a branch of the Hugglescote Church. In 1855, both the Whitwick and Coalville Baptist churches separated from Hugglescote and both churches were held under the pastorate of the Revd John Cholerton. A new Baptist church was built at Whitwick in 1861 at a cost of £318.10.0 by William Beckworth, a local builder, alongside the original chapel. By 1890, the minister was the Revd J. J. Berry. It is recorded that for his payment, he accepted the seat rents and weekly collections.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

A [[Primitive Methodist]] chapel appeared at the foot of Leicester Road (the present day Vicarage Street) in 1864 and a [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)|Wesleyan Methodist]] chapel was built on North Street in 1822 and which was extended in 1879. [[Wesleyan Reform Union|Wesleyan Reform Methodists]] also opened a chapel on North Street toward the end of the 19th century, and also in New Swannington in 1906. The Reform Chapel on North Street was used as a [[warehouse]] by 'Gracedieu Windows' until its demolition early in the twenty-first century, when the site was used for building development. The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists united nationally in 1932 and the two societies in Whitwick finally merged in 1965, after which time the Vicarage Street chapel was used by the amalgamated congregations, the North Street chapel eventually being sold to the [[Church of England]] for use as a parish hall in about 1966. In 1972, a new Methodist church was built at the foot of Hall Lane and the Vicarage Street chapel (an example of 19th-century [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|non-conformist]] [[architecture]] in the village) was demolished circa 1980, having fallen into a state of disrepair. The site is now occupied by a car park. Due to extensive housing development during the 1960s, a Methodist church was also built at the other end of Hall Lane in 1966, close to the Broom Leys cross-roads. It is noticeable that in more recent years, structural alterations have been carried out to this building to replace the original flat roof with a pitched one.

====Roman Catholic====
Due to the residency at Grace Dieu Manor of a zealous and wealthy convert to Roman Catholicism, [[Ambrose de Lisle]], Whitwick became an important centre of the Roman Catholic revival.<ref name="Robinson">Robinson, Albert E: "Holy Cross Whitwick – A Brief History, 1837–1937", published by Whitwick Historical Group, 1987</ref>

It was due to De Lisle that a [[Cistercians|Cistercian monastery]], [[Mount St. Bernard Abbey]], was established within the parish in 1835, and a church (designed by [[Pugin]]) was built on Parsonwood Hill in 1837.<ref name="Robinson"/> In 1875, a small convent of [[Rosminians|Rosminian nuns]] was established in the presbytery, which had been built adjacent to the original church in August 1848, and which transferred to Loughborough in the twentieth century.<ref name="Robinson"/> The presbytery, still referred to as 'The Old Convent' is now a private residence and was designated a Grade II listed building in 1983.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-187884-house-opposite-entrance-to-roman-catholi| title = The Old Convent, Whitwick, Leicestershire}}</ref>
[[File:Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, Whitwick.jpg|thumb|right|Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, Whitwick]]

In establishing his mission, De Lisle recruited a charismatic priest, [[Aloysius Gentili]], from Rome, who arrived at Gracedieu in June 1840 and by May of the following year, De Lisle claimed that some five hundred and twenty persons had become converted to the catholic faith as a result of Gentilli's outreach.<ref name="Robinson"/>

The present Roman Catholic Church was built in 1904 from the designs of [[Thomas Ignatius McCarthy]]. This was built on the opposite side of Parsonwood Hill, at which time Pugin's church was demolished, though the cemetery of the old church remains. A school was also built to the rear of the new church to replace the original school at Turylog (Thurlough), which had been opened in 1843. A tower was added to the new church in about 1910, from funds bequeathed by Samuel Wilson Hallam, landlord of the Queen's Head, Thringstone.<ref name="Robinson"/> The tower contains a chime of fifteen bells operated by a baton keyboard, located in the first storey chamber of the tower and which was installed by Taylors of Loughborough in 1960.<ref>Index to carillons and chimes by Taylor; http://www.towerbells.org/data/IXfoundryTaylor.html</ref>

====Roman Catholic Priests of Whitwick====
{| width=100% class="wikitable"
! width=10% | Dates of Office
! width=10% | Name of Incumbent
|-
|align="left"|1837–40||align="left"|Father Odilo Woolfrey (Mount St Barnard Abbey)
|-
|align="left"|1840–44||align="left"|Father S Whitaker
|-
|align="left"|1844–45||align="left"|Served from Mount St Bernard Abbey
|-
|align="left"|1845–48||align="left"|Oblates of Mary Immaculate
|-
|align="left"|1848–49||align="left"|Father F Signini (Institute of Charity)
|-
|align="left"|1849–50||Align="left"|Served from Mount St Bernard Abbey
|-
|align="left"|1850–52||Align="left"|Father N Lorraine (Institute of Charity)
|-
|align="left"|1852–59||align="left"|Served from Mount St Bernard Abbey
|-
|align="left"|1859–65||align="left"|Father G Bent
|-
|align="left"|1865–95||align="left"|Father A Van Paemal
|-
|align="left"|1895–98||align="left"|Father J Jackson
|-
|align="left"|1899–1934||align="left"|Canon M J O'Reilly
|-
|align="left"|1934–56||align="left"|Mgr Canon H A Hunt
|-
|align="left"|1956–79||align="left"|Mgr Canon A Bird
|-
|align="left"|1979–84||align="left"|Father P J Neary
|-
|align="left"|1984–90||align="left"|Father T J Godley
|-
|align="left"|1990–2001||align="left"|Father M J Bell
|-
|align="left"|2001–22||align="left"|Father J Cahill
|-
|align="left"|2022 – Present||align="left"|Father Gabriel Offor
|-
|}

==Local public houses==
[[File:The Three Horseshoes, Whitwick - geograph.org.uk - 462038.jpg|thumb|[[Three Horseshoes, Whitwick|The Three Horseshoes]]]]
In Whitwick there has been, at one time or another, thirty-nine licensed establishments, either an Inn, Public House, Hostelry or Social Club. Most have now closed and even been demolished. Below is an itemised list of the establishments:<ref name=pubs>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090723233113/http://geocities.com/oliveshark53/whitpubs.htm Public Houses in Whitwick], Stephen Neale Badcock, accessed 3 January 2009</ref><ref name="whitwick.org.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.whitwick.org.uk/history/alehouse.htm |title = Home – Albert Harris}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Premises
!Status
!Location
!Opened
!Closed
!Notes
|-
|The Abbey Inn
|Demolished
|Cademen Street
|
|1911
|Now the site of grass and a bench.
|-
|The Beaumont Arms ''"Uncle Toms Cabin"''
Whitwick Working Mens Club & Institute (1920)
 Whitwick Snooker & Social Club
|Closed
|Market Place
|1830
|2009
|Demolished & replaced by a Coop Village shop
|-
|The Black Horse
|Trading
|Church Lane
|
|No
|
|-
|The Blacksmiths Arms
|Demolished
|Hall Lane, Barn End Corner
|
|1908
|Now grass and path.
|-
|The Boot Inn
|Converted
|Silver Street
|1836
|1913
|Converted to a take-away; The Whitty Fish then Whitwick Spice now Doner Master Kebab Takeaway.
|-
|The Bulls Head
|Trading
|Warren Hills Road, [[Abbots Oak]]
|
|No
|
|-
|The Castle Inn ''"Patsy Griffin's"''
|Converted
|Castle Street
|
|1970
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Cricketers Arms
|Demolished
|Leicester Road
|
|1908
|Now No.18
|-
|The Crown and Cushion ''"Thripneys'"''
|Converted
|Silver Street
|
|2002
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Crown and Cushion
|Demolished
|South Street
|1836
|1923
|demolished c. 1970, now private drives. One of the last landlords of the establishment was [[Aston Villa F.C.]] footballer, Michael Noon, who played for the team 1899–1906.
|-
|The Duke of Newcastle
|Demolished
|North Street
|
|
|Now Pare's Close.
|-
|The Duke of York
|Demolished
|Leicester Road
|
|1929
|Now a retirement home next to the fish shop.
|-
|The Forest Rock Hotel
|Converted
|Leicester Road
|
|
|One of the oldest hostelries in the area and had its own cricket team ''Whitwick Forest Rock''. Converted into the Forest Rock Offices
|-
|The Foresters Arms
|Closed
|Leicester Road
|
|2009
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Hare and Hounds "Mary's House"
|Trading
|City of Three Waters
|
|No
|
|-
|The Hastings Arms
|Demolished
|Market Place
|
|1961
|Now the site of a Carpet Shop
|-
|The Hermitage Inn
|Converted
|Hermitage Road
|
|1905
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Hermitage Hotel
|Demolished
|Hermitage Road
|1905
|1967
|Demolished due to subsidence, now No.107.
|-
|The Jolly Colliers
|Closed
|Thornborough Road, Thornborough
|
|Yes
|Currently a hand car wash site
|-
|The Kings Arms ''"Mother Goose's"''
|Trading
|Silver Street
|
|No
|Closed during 2023 and re-opened Summer 2024
|-
|The Lady Jane
|Trading
|Hall Lane
|
|No
|The newest built pub in the area.
|-
|The Liberal Club
North Street Working Mens Club
|Closed
|North Street
|1888
|2023
|Now called Whitwick Social Club (as of July 2024 is for sale)
|-
|The Man Within Compass ''"Rag and Mop"''
|Trading
|Loughborough Road
|
|No
|
|-
|The Marquis of Granby
|Demolished
|Cademan Street
|
|
|Now the entrance of King Richards Hill. A popular name in the area at the time as a tribute to General [[John Manners, Marquess of Granby|John Manners]], whom favoured some soldiers and rewarded them with funds to invest into inns upon their retirement.
|-
|The New Inn ''"Tommy Potter's"''
|Demolished
|Brooks Lane
|
|1934
|Demolished in 1934 for road clearance at the junction.
|-
|The Oak of Whitwick (1998)
The Beavers Lodge ''"The Pink Pig"'' (1983 )
|Closed
|Talbot Street
|
|Now planned to be demolished & replaced by housing
|The replacement of the original Prince of Wales.
|-
|The Prince of Wales
|Demolished
|Talbot Street
|
|
|The building was demolished and rebuilt further away from the roadside.
|-
|The Queens Head
|Demolished
|Thornborough Road
|
|
|
|-
|The Joiners Arms
The Railway Hotel (1882)
|Converted
|South Street
|
|1965
|The Railway Hotel was built on top of the Joiners arms, literally. The original building forms the basement level for the structure, which was increased when the road level was raised for the construction of the [[Charnwood Forest Railway]]. Now an estate agents.
|-
|The Royal George
|Demolished
|North Street
|
|1913
|Now a grassy area.
|-
|The Talbot Arms
|Converted
|Talbot Street
|
|1931
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Three Crowns Inn
The Three Crowns Hotel (1881)
|Closed
|Market Place
|
|No
|As of Oct 2024 now flats and a bar/eatery which are all to let.
|-
|[[Three Horseshoes, Whitwick|The Three Horseshoes]] ''"Polly Burtons"''
|Trading
|Leicester Road
|
|No
|Grade II listed building, CAMRA listed.
|-
|The Victoria Hotel ''"Vic Bikers Pub"''
|Trading
|Whitwick Road
|
|No
|
|-
|The Wagon and Horses
|Demolished
|Church Lane
|
|1985
|Demolished in 1985 for road clearance, this pub was actually adjoined to The Black Horse.
|-
|The White Hart
|Converted
|Dumps Lane
|
|
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The White Horse
|Trading
|Market Place
|
|No
|Originally a farm house. Footballer Frank Middleton, Landlord from 1916 to 1928, had played for [[Derby County F.C]] (1901–1906) and [[Leicester Fosse]] (1906–1909).
|-
|Whitwick & Thringstone Conservative Club
Whitwick Constitutional Club (1925)
|Trading
|Silver Street
|1897
|No
|Originally a private residence.
|}

==Local government==
In the 2007 [[North West Leicestershire District Council]] elections, the [[British National Party]] won both [[Hugglescote]] and Whitwick – the first seats to be won by the BNP in [[Leicestershire]] and Whitwick gained its first Conservative councillor.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}} As of October 2024 the Councillors for Whitwick are currently Peter Moult (Labour); Tony Gillard (Conservative) and Anthony Barker(Labour).

Whitwick County Councillor, as of October 2024 is Tony Gillard (Conservative).

Following a campaign by local people, the District Council carried out a community governance review and made an Order on 12 May 2010 to set up the new Parish Council. Whitwick Parish Council held its Inaugural Meeting on 18 May 2011.

==Mount St Bernard and Gracedieu==

[[Mount St. Bernard Abbey]], a Cistercian monastery was established in 1835 in the parish of Whitwick on the Charnwood Forest.
The current monastery was designed by the famous architect [[Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin]], best known for his work on the Houses of Parliament.

In 1840, a hoard of two thousand Roman coins was discovered during ploughing operations at the monastery.<ref>C.N.Hadfield, Charnwood Forest, 1952</ref>

Gracedieu Vineyard is south facing and was established in 1995 in [[Charnwood Forest]]. Its 'Green Man' wine is based on the [[Madeleine Angevine]] grape.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}}

==Notable residents==
* [[Thomas Elsdon Ashford]] – Recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]].
* [[Anne Macnaghten]] (1908-2000), classical violinist and teacher, born in Whitwick

==Freedom of the Parish==
The following people and military units have received the [[Freedom of the City|Freedom of the Parish]] of Whitwick.

{{Expand list|date=February 2023}}

===Individuals===
* Sandy Flamson: 14 February 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64626290 |title=Whitwick: Freedom honour for lollipop lady after 50 years' service |last=Jennifer Harby and Matt Smith |date=14 February 2023 |website=BBC News Leicester |access-date=22 February 2023 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|32em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.whitwickparishchurch.org.uk Whitwick Parish Church]
* [http://www.whitwickhistoricalgroup.org.uk Whitwick Historical Group]
* [http://www.whitwickpc.org.uk Whitwick Parish Council]

{{Towns and Villages of North West Leicestershire |state=expanded}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:North West Leicestershire District]]

Exorcising Ghosts

2025-06-05T17:04:26Z

149.241.71.154:

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Exorcising Ghosts
| type = Compilation
| artist = [[Japan (band)|Japan]]
| cover = Japan - Exorcising Ghosts.jpg
| alt =
| released = 26 November 1984<ref>{{cite journal|title=News|journal=[[Record Mirror]]|date=24 November 1984|page=4|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/48289683181/in/album-72157709655588902/|via=flickr.com|access-date=18 February 2021}}</ref>
| recorded = 1979–1983
| venue =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 86:27 (LP) 61:09 (CD)
| label = [[Virgin Records|Virgin]]
| producer = {{flatlist|
* Richard Barbieri
* Steve Jansen
* Mick Karn
* Steve Nye
* John Punter
* David Sylvian
}}
| prev_title = [[Assemblage (album)|Assemblage]]
| prev_year = 1981
| next_title = [[The Very Best of Japan]]
| next_year = 2006
| misc =
{{Singles
| name = Exorcising Ghosts
| type = [[Compilation album]]
| single1 = [[Visions of China]]
| single1date = 10 December 1984<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1984/Music-Week-1984-12-08.pdf|title=Music Week|page=16}}</ref>
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/r10240 |title=Exorcising Ghosts - Japan | AllMusic |first=Ned |last=Raggett |work=allmusic.com |year=2011 |access-date=3 August 2011}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th concise|year=2011|last=Larkin|first=Colin|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|authorlink=Colin Larkin (writer)}}</ref>
}}

'''''Exorcising Ghosts''''' is a [[compilation album]] by the British band [[Japan (band)|Japan]], released in November 1984 by record label [[Virgin Records|Virgin]].

== Content ==

''Exorcising Ghosts'' was compiled and produced in consultation with lead singer [[David Sylvian]] two years after [[Japan (band)#Final years|Japan dissolved]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peacock |first=Tim |date=2022-08-11 |title=Japan's 'Exorcising Ghosts' Set For Double Vinyl Reissue In October |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/japan-exorcising-ghosts-double-vinyl-reissue/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=uDiscover Music |language=en-US}}</ref> It features three recordings from the [[Japan (band)#Early years|band's early career]] on the [[Hansa Records]] label (all from 1979's ''[[Quiet Life]]'') but mainly focuses on material from their two studio albums on Virgin Records; ''[[Gentlemen Take Polaroids]]'' (1980) and ''[[Tin Drum (album)|Tin Drum]]'' (1981).

Besides top 40 hit singles like "[[Quiet Life (song)|Quiet Life]]", "[[Visions of China]]", "[[Ghosts (Japan song)|Ghosts]]", and "[[Nightporter]]", the [[Double album|double-album]] set includes album tracks like "Methods of Dance", "Talking Drum" and "Swing" alongside a selection of rarities such as the [[B-side|single B-sides]] "A Foreign Place" and "Life Without Buildings", the 1981 [[remix]] of "Taking Islands in Africa", the [[instrumental]] studio recording "Voices Raised in Welcome, Hands Held in Prayer" included on 1983's [[live album]] ''[[Oil on Canvas]]'' and the [[12"]] mix of "[[The Art of Parties]]".

As to fit the album onto a single disc, the original CD release omitted five of the sixteen tracks; "Swing", "A Foreign Place", "Taking Islands in Africa", "Sons of Pioneers" and "Voices Raised in Welcome, Hands Held in Prayer".

== Cover ==
The cover art is by [[Russell Mills (artist)|Russell Mills]], "A dark and expressive piece, recalling the rusty hues of the work of [[Frank Auerbach|Frank "Head of Jym III" Auerbach]] and that so impressed Sylvian", according to his biographer Martin Power, that the musician bought the original painting.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Power |first=Martin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BDkDAwAAQBAJ&dq=Exorcising+ghosts%C2%A0Russell+Mills&pg=RA2-PT6 |title=David Sylvian: The Last Romantic |date=2012-04-10 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-85712-820-1 |language=en}}</ref> This marked the beginning of a long collaboration between the two artists.<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=86qdz9zBkJYC&dq=%C2%A0Russell+Mills+David+Sylvian%C2%A0&pg=PA23 |title=CMJ New Music Report |date=2000-01-31 |publisher=CMJ Network, Inc. |language=en}}</ref>

== Release ==

''Exorcising Ghosts'' reached No. 45 in the [[UK Albums Chart]]<ref>[http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/japan/ Japan albums] Official charts</ref> and was certified Gold (100,000 copies) by the BPI in February 1997.<ref name="BPICert">{{cite web|title=Certified Awards|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/brit-certified/|publisher=British Phonographic Industry}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
|all_writing = [[David Sylvian]], except where noted
| extra_column = From the album
| title1 = Methods of Dance
| length1 = 6:46
| extra1 = ''[[Gentlemen Take Polaroids]]''
| title2 = Swing
| length2 = 6:20
| extra2 = ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids''
| title3 = [[Gentlemen Take Polaroids (song)|Gentlemen Take Polaroids]]
| length3 = 7:04
| extra3 = ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids''
| title4 = [[Quiet Life (song)|Quiet Life]]
| length4 = 4:47
| extra4 = ''[[Quiet Life]]''
| total_length = 24:57
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| extra_column = From the album
| title5 = A Foreign Place
| writer5 = Sylvian, [[Richard Barbieri]]
| extra5 = 1981 B-side of the single "Quiet Life"
| length5 = 3:11
| title6 = [[Nightporter]]
| extra6 = ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids''
| length6 = 6:49
| title7 = My New Career
| extra7 = ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids''
| length7 = 3:50
| title8 = The Other Side of Life
| extra8 = ''Quiet Life''
| length8 = 7:22
| total_length = 21:12 (46:09)
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side three
| extra_column = From the album
| title9 = [[Visions of China]]
| writer9 = Sylvian, [[Steve Jansen]]
| extra9 = ''[[Tin Drum (album)|Tin Drum]]''
| length9 = 3:38
| title10 = Taking Islands in Africa
| note10 = [[Steve Nye]] Remix
| writer10 = Sylvian, [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]
| extra10 = Original version appears on ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids''
| length10 = 4:55
| title11 = [[Ghosts (Japan song)|Ghosts]]
| extra11 = ''Tin Drum''
| length11 = 4:30
| title12 = Sons of Pioneers
| writer12 = Sylvian, [[Mick Karn]]
| extra12 = ''Tin Drum''
| length12 = 7:08
| total_length = 20:11
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side four
| extra_column = From the album
| title13 = Voices Raised in Welcome, Hands Held in Prayer
| writer13 = Sylvian, Jansen
| extra13 = ''[[Oil on Canvas]]''
| length13 = 3:21
| title14 = Life Without Buildings
| extra14 = B-side of the 12" single "The Art of Parties"
| length14 = 6:34
| title15 = Talking Drum
| note15 = Edited intro
| extra15 = ''Tin Drum''
| length15 = 3:31
| title16 = [[The Art of Parties]]
| note16 = 12" Version
| extra16 = Original version appears on ''Tin Drum''
| length16 = 6:41
| total_length = 20:07 (40:18) (86:27)
}}

===CD release (1984)===
{{Tracklist
| title1 = Methods of Dance
| length1 = 6:50
| title2 = Gentlemen Take Polaroids
| length2 = 7:04
| title3 = Quiet Life
| length3 = 4:52
| title4 = Nightporter
| length4 = 6:48
| title5 = My New Career
| length5 = 3:52
| title6 = The Other Side of Life
| length6 = 7:25
| title7 = Visions of China
| length7 = 3:38
| title8 = Ghosts
| length8 = 4:32
| title9 = Life Without Buildings
| length9 = 6:35
| title10 = Talking Drum
| note10 = Edited intro
| length10 = 3:32
| title11 = The Art of Parties
| note11 = 12" Version
| length11 = 6:46
| total_length = 61:09
}}

== Reception ==
A review at [[AllMusic|All Music]] wrote, "It's not a true career overview, and given that the band only released two albums during its stint on Virgin, a collection that includes at least half of each of those efforts is ultimately a strange exercise in superfluity. That all said, though, if one needs to have a useful enough starting point for what made Japan so great, Exorcising Ghosts is a reasonable way to start."<ref>{{Citation |title=Exorcising Ghosts - Japan {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/exorcising-ghosts-mw0000741262#review |access-date=2025-01-27 |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{Discogs master|74458}}
* [http://www.allmusic.com/album/exorcising-ghosts-mw0000741262 ''Exorcising Ghosts'' at allmusic.com]

{{Japan (band)}}
{{David Sylvian}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Japan (band) albums]]
[[Category:1984 compilation albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by John Punter]]
[[Category:Virgin Records compilation albums]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by Russell Mills (artist)]]

Tin Drum (album)

2025-06-05T16:50:08Z

149.241.71.154: /* Japan */

{{Use British English|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Tin Drum
| type = Album
| artist = [[Japan (band)|Japan]]
| cover = Japan tindrum.jpg
| alt =
| released = 13 November 1981
| recorded = June – September 1981<ref name="Reynolds"/>
| venue =
| studio =
* [[The Manor Studio|The Manor]], [[Shipton-on-Cherwell]]<ref name="Reynolds"/>
* [[Odyssey Studios|Odyssey]], London<ref name="Reynolds"/>
* Regents Park, London<ref name="Reynolds"/>
* [[AIR Oxford Circus|AIR]], London
| genre = {{flatlist|
*[[Art pop]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Fisher|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Fisher|title=Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures|publisher=[[Zero Books]]|year=2014|isbn=978-1-78099-226-6}}</ref><ref name="paste">{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/new-wave/the-best-new-wave-albums/|title=The 50 Best New Wave Albums|website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=8 September 2016|access-date=16 April 2017}}</ref>
*[[new wave music|new wave]]<ref name="paste"/><ref name="spin">{{cite web|date=12 April 2021|title=The 50 Best Albums of 1981|url=https://www.spin.com/photos/the-50-best-albums-of-1981/|access-date=7 June 2021|website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]}}</ref>
*[[post-punk]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://333sound.com/2015/11/23/new-33-13-title-coming-2018-tim-drum/|title=New 33 1/3 Title Coming Spring 2018: Tin Drum|website=[[33⅓|333sound]]|date=23 November 2015|access-date=7 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807045841/https://333sound.com/2015/11/23/new-33-13-title-coming-2018-tim-drum/|archive-date=7 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[avant-pop]]<ref name="br"/>
*[[synth-pop]]<ref name="spin"/>
* [[art rock]]<ref>{{cite book|first= David |last= Galens |editor1-first= Gary |editor1-last= Graff |editor2-first= Daniel |editor2-last= Durchholz |year= 1998 |title= MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |chapter= Japan/Rain Tree Crow/Mick Karn/Polytown|publisher= [[Visible Ink Press]] |location= Detroit |pages= 594}}</ref>
* [[electronica]]<ref name="Evans 2024">{{cite book|title= Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983|first=Richard|last=Evans|date= August 6, 2024|chapter= 1981.5|page= 320|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|isbn=978-1-915841-45-2
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EID8zgEACAAJ}}</ref>
}}
| length = 37:46
| label = [[Virgin Records|Virgin]]
| producer =
* [[Steve Nye]]
* Japan
* [[John Punter]]{{efn|Although uncredited, the album version of "The Art of Parties" kept parts of the original Punter-produced version, including the rhythm guitars<ref name="Reynolds"/>}}
| prev_title = [[Gentlemen Take Polaroids]]
| prev_year = 1980
| next_title = [[Oil on Canvas]]
| next_year = 1983
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Tin Drum
| type = studio
| single1 = [[The Art of Parties]]
| single1date = 1 May 1981
| single2 = [[Visions of China]]
| single2date = 30 October 1981
| single3 = [[Ghosts (Japan song)|Ghosts]]
| single3date = 12 March 1982
| single4 = [[Cantonese Boy]]
| single4date = 13 May 1982
}}
}}

'''''Tin Drum''''' is the fifth and final studio album by [[English people|English]] band [[Japan (band)|Japan]], released in November 1981 by [[Virgin Records]]. It peaked at No. 12 on the UK charts, and featured the top 5 single "[[Ghosts (Japan song)|Ghosts]]".<ref name="UK"/> It has received acclaim as the band's best and most original work.

== Music and lyrics ==
''Tin Drum'' continued the band's now-established mix of electronic elements with [[Band (rock and pop)|traditional instrumentation]], but leans far more towards [[Far Eastern]] influences than any of their previous albums. Lead guitarist [[Rob Dean]] had departed in May 1981 and vocalist/songwriter/second guitarist [[David Sylvian]] had taken on his duties, which had been very greatly reduced by the band's change of musical direction. ''[[The Brooklyn Rail|Brooklyn Rail]]'' writer Paul Grimstad described the album's sound as "mannered [[cubism|cubist]] [[pop music|pop]]".<ref name="br">{{cite magazine|last=Grimstad|first=Paul|url=http://www.brooklynrail.org/2007/9/music/what-is-avant-pop|title=What is Avant-Pop?|magazine=[[The Brooklyn Rail]]|date=September 2007|access-date=1 October 2016}}</ref>

Musically, ''Tin Drum'' was a meticulously crafted blend of complex rhythms, keyboard textures, and [[Mick Karn]]'s bass playing. Keyboardist [[Richard Barbieri]] recalled that recording the album "was a very laborious process, but creatively satisfying(...) it was the first album where we actually produced something (...) completely original." Also important for the band finding their own unique sound was their work with [[Steve Nye]], who had replaced [[John Punter]] as the band's producer.<ref name="mp">{{cite book|last=Power|first=Martin|chapter=Vindication|title=David Sylvian: The Last Romantic|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|year=2012|isbn=978-0-85712-820-1}}</ref> In a 1982 interview, Sylvian commented that by the making of ''Tin Drum'', Karn had become more preoccupied with his own projects and was not involved as much as he was on previous albums, essentially, in Sylvian's view, becoming little more than a "[[session musician]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Setting Sons |last=Birch |first=Ian |date=25 November 1982 |magazine=[[Smash Hits]] |volume=4 |issue=24 |page=8}}</ref> Others who remember the recording of the album, however do not share this view of Karn's involvement.<ref name="Reynolds" />

Barbieri remembers this album as 'quite an adventure in synth programming'. [[Synthesizers]] used included the [[Sequential Circuits]] [[Prophet-5]], an [[Oberheim OB-X]], and a [[Roland System 700]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Living Sound: Richard Barbieri brings years of synth programming mastery to progressive rock and cutting edge electronica|first=Scott|last=Healey|magazine=Keyboard|publication-date=February 2008|url=https://theartofparties.livejournal.com/32316.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.electricityclub.co.uk/richard-barbieri-interview/|title=RICHARD BARBIERI Interview|first=Chi Ming|last=Lai|date=January 23, 2017|website=electricityclub.co.uk|access-date=March 29, 2021}}</ref> In addition to drums, [[Steve Jansen]] also contributed keyboards and [[marimba]] and was given song writing credits together with Sylvian on two tracks.<ref name="Reynolds" /> "Sons of Pioneers" was based on the bassline composed by Mick Karn, the first and only song writing credit Karn got on a Japan song.<ref name="Reynolds" />

Lyrically, the songs include notions of romance, melancholia, travel and escape, and particularly David Sylvian's fascination for Eastern culture, which at times ("[[Visions of China]]", "[[Cantonese Boy]]") have a [[satire|satirical]] undercurrent. "[[Ghosts (Japan song)|Ghosts]]" was Sylvian's most personal lyric to date, expressing notions of self-doubt, ambiguity, regret, and hope.<ref name="mp"/>

== Recording ==
The band began recording the album in June 1981 at [[The Manor Studio]] in [[Oxfordshire]], the first tracks to be completed were "Talking Drum", which was initially intended to be the next single, and "Canton" (intended as the B-side), but this release did not occur.<ref name="Reynolds">{{Cite web|date=2018-09-05|title=Excerpt from Japan : A Foreign Place. Chapter 8 : "The Tin Drum."|url=https://anthonyreynoldswork.wordpress.com/2018/09/05/excerpt-from-japan-a-foreign-place-chapter-8-the-tin-drum/|access-date=2020-12-10|website=Anthonyreynoldswork.wordpress.com|language=en}}</ref> The band later moved to two other studios in London, before the album was completed at [[AIR Oxford Circus|AIR Studios]].<ref name="Reynolds" />

== Release ==
''Tin Drum'' was released on 13 November 1981 by record label [[Virgin Records|Virgin]].<ref>{{cite journal |periodical=[[Melody Maker]]|title=Tin Drum |location=London, England |page=29 |date=24 October 1981}}</ref>

Four of the album's eight songs were released as singles in the UK—"[[The Art of Parties]]", "[[Visions of China]]", "[[Ghosts (Japan song)|Ghosts]]", and "[[Cantonese Boy]]"—whilst a live version of "[[Canton (song)|Canton]]" was issued as a single to promote the ''[[Oil on Canvas]]'' live album in 1983. "The Art of Parties" was released as a single in May 1981, and along with its B-side "Life Without Buildings", had been recorded at [[Basing Street Studios]]. However, it was re-recorded for the album. Of all the singles, the most commercially successful was "Ghosts", a [[minimalism|minimalist]], drum-free song which reached No. 5 in the UK, surprisingly becoming Japan's biggest hit.<ref name="UK">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18675/japan/|title=Japan|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref> "Visions of China" reached No. 32 and "Cantonese Boy" reached No. 24.<ref name="UK"/> The album itself peaked at No. 12 in the UK,<ref name="UK"/> and was certified gold by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] in 1982.<ref name="BPI"/>

In 2000 Sylvian re-recorded "Ghosts", using the original Japan backing track, and this version was included on his compilation albums ''[[Everything and Nothing]]'' (2000) and ''[[A Victim of Stars 1982–2012]]'' (2012).

''Tin Drum'' was reissued on CD in 2003 as a deluxe [[box set]] containing a six-panel [[digipak]] housing the [[remaster]]ed original CD with original cover art, a [[gatefold]] sleeved "The Art of Parties" CD, and a 24-page booklet with pictures of the band. A budget single-CD version was later released.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

On 24 August 2018, two new half speed-mastered vinyl pressings were released: a single 33 rpm version and a deluxe double 45 rpm version. Both were mastered by Miles Showell at [[Abbey Road Studios]].<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Tin Drum |others=[[Japan (band)|Japan]] |publisher=[[Virgin Records]]/[[Universal Music Group|UMC]] |year=2018 |id=674 622-3 |type=liner notes}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Tin Drum |others=[[Japan (band)|Japan]] |publisher=[[Virgin Records]]/[[Universal Music Group|UMC]] |year=2018 |id=671 041-7 |type=liner notes}}</ref> For the first time, all lyrics were printed inside the gatefold sleeve of the deluxe album.

== Reception ==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web|last=Raggett|first=Ned|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/tin-drum-mw0000650302|title=Tin Drum – Japan|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=25 July 2015}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hannaham|first=James|authorlink=James Hannaham|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=1893|title=Japan: (various reissues)|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|access-date=8 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041109061846/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=1893|archive-date=9 November 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Sweeting|first=Adam|author-link=Adam Sweeting|title=Pop on the verge of a nervous breakdown|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=5 September 2003}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th concise|year=2011|last=Larkin|first=Colin|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|authorlink=Colin Larkin (writer)}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Great Rock Discography]]''
| rev4score = 9/10<ref name="Strong">{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin C. |title=The Great Rock Discography |date=2006 |publisher=Canongate Books |location=Edinburgh |isbn=1-84195-827-1 |page=555 |chapter=Japan}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Record Mirror]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Record Mirror">{{cite magazine|author=Suzie|title=Beat of the drum|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|date=21 November 1981|page=17}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Smash Hits]]''
| rev7score = 8/10<ref name="Smash Hits">{{cite magazine|last=Bostock|first=David|title=Japan: Tin Drum|magazine=[[Smash Hits]]|volume=3|issue=23|date=12–25 November 1981|page=25}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev8Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Carlin |first=Marcello |date=November 2003 |title=Japan: ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids'' / ''Tin Drum'' / ''Oil on Canvas'', David Sylvian: ''Brilliant Trees'' / ''Alchemy: An Index of Possibilties'' / ''Gone to Earth'' / ''Secrets of the Beehive'' / ''Rain Tree Crow'' |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |page=129 |issue=78}}</ref>
}}

With ''Tin Drum'', Japan received some of the best reviews of their career in the contemporary British music press. ''[[NME]]''{{'}}s [[Paul Morley]] wrote of the album: "Gorgeously erotic, perfectly evanescent. It accepts transitoriness, yet delights in sensation." Morley also praised the album as a "triumph" for David Sylvian in particular, "the sensitive individual, the deep feeling loner, his voice stricken on the tensions between confidence and gloom, whose lyrics are a questing expression of love and loss, doubt and despondency. His old clumsiness at describing his position, at probing his passion has been replaced with a sublime simplicity."<ref name="mp"/> In ''[[Smash Hits]]'', critic David Bostock proclaimed that "Japan have made their best album yet."<ref name="Smash Hits"/> ''[[Record Mirror]]'' writer Suzie said that while she still found Sylvian's vocals "mannered and... far too close to [[Bryan Ferry]] for comfort", ''Tin Drum'' is "a very accomplished musical exercise."<ref name="Record Mirror"/>

However, ''[[Melody Maker]]''{{'}}s Lynne Barber was less impressed: "The music slots together in jigsaw fashion, leaving plenty of space and clean air... but there seems to be little purpose to their constructs, a dearth of aesthetic sensibility. Japan's music is pre-fabricated, built from an architect's well-laid plan, yet not sculpted with an artist's passion or insight."<ref name="mp"/>

Joseph Burnett of ''[[The Quietus]]'' described ''Tin Drum'' in 2013 as "unique in pop history, a fearlessly ambitious, unusual and conceptual work of art that defies genre categorisation."<ref>{{cite web|last=Burnett|first=Joseph|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/12875-japan-oil-on-canvas|title=Thirty Years On: Japan's Oil on Canvas Revisited|website=[[The Quietus]]|date=19 July 2013|access-date=14 March 2016}}</ref> In a retrospective review, [[AllMusic]] critic Ned Raggett called it Japan's "most unique, challenging, and striking album".<ref name="AllMusic"/> ''[[Trouser Press]]'' wrote that ''Tin Drum'' "presents Japan at peak form".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Robbins|first1=Ira|last2=Aswad|first2=Jem|url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/japan|title=Japan|website=[[Trouser Press]]|access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref> [[Mark Fisher]] described the album’s genre as being "art pop as in [[Roland Barthes|Barthes]] pop".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fisher |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uw6NAwAAQBAJ&dq=mark+fisher+ghosts+of+my+life+japan+tin+drum&pg=PT40 |title=Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures |date=2014-05-30 |publisher=John Hunt Publishing |isbn=978-1-78279-624-4 |language=en}}</ref>

== Influence and legacy ==
[[Roland Orzabal]] of the band [[Tears for Fears]] called ''Tin Drum'' "an absolute conceptual masterpiece from lyrics to artwork... just ''everything''", and has stated that it was a primary influence on Tears for Fears' first album ''[[The Hurting]]''.<ref name="mp"/> Based on their admiration for the Japan album, [[The Cure (band)|the Cure]] and [[XTC]] hired Steve Nye to produce their 1983 releases "[[The Walk (The Cure song)|The Walk]]" and ''[[Mummer (album)|Mummer]]'', respectively.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tolhurst |first1=Lol |title=Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys |date=2016 |publisher=Da Capo Press |location=Boston, Massachusetts |isbn=9780306824289 |page=311}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Farmer|first1=Neville|title=XTC: Song Stories: The Exclusive Authorized Story Behind the Music|date=1998|publisher=Helter Skelter Publishing|location=London|isbn=190092403X|page=144}}</ref>
Others who consider the album a favourite include [[Wild Beasts]] bassist Tom Fleming, who notes its influence on his band's work, particularly their later, synth-oriented material,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hewitt |first1=Ben |title=True Pairings: Tom Fleming's 13 Favourite Albums |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/27172-tom-fleming-wild-beasts-one-true-pairing-bakers-dozen-favourite-albums?page=5 |website=The Quietus |access-date=22 September 2023 |page=5 |date=25 September 2019}}</ref> and author [[David Keenan]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Allan |first1=Jennifer Lucy |title=Songs Of Praise: David Keenan's Baker's Dozen |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/29312-david-keenan-interview-favourite-music?page=8 |website=The Quietus |access-date=22 September 2023 |page=8 |date=2 December 2020}}</ref> According to [[Stephin Merritt]], "It features electric guitar sounds previously possible only for [[Adrian Belew]]; the bass is so fretless it sounds like a moaning sea mammal, the gorgeous drums are so [[tonality|tonal]] they could be marimbas, the [[Prophet 5]] synthesizer sits quietly in the mix making squiggly noises; and sometimes a violin plays, in a manner previously heard only in [[Chinese opera]]."<ref>{{cite web |title=Thirteen Albums I Currently Like, From A To M. By Stephin Merritt |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/21996-stephin-merritt-magnetic-fields-interview?page=11 |website=The Quietus |access-date=22 September 2023 |page=11 |date=15 March 2017}}</ref>

== Track listing ==
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
| all_writing = [[David Sylvian]], except where noted
| title1 = [[The Art of Parties]]
| note1 = re-recorded version
| length1 = 4:09
| title2 = Talking Drum
| length2 = 3:34
| title3 = [[Ghosts (Japan song)|Ghosts]]
| length3 = 4:33
| title4 = [[Canton (song)|Canton]]
| writer4 = Sylvian, [[Steve Jansen]]
| length4 = 5:30
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title5 = Still Life in Mobile Homes
| length5 = 5:32
| title6 = [[Visions of China]]
| writer6 = Sylvian, Jansen
| length6 = 3:37
| title7 = Sons of Pioneers
| writer7 = Sylvian, [[Mick Karn]]
| length7 = 7:07
| title8 = [[Cantonese Boy]]
| length8 = 3:44
| total_length = 37:46
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = 2003 CD reissue bonus disc
| title1 = The Art of Parties
| note1 = single version
| length1 = 6:47
| title2 = Life Without Buildings
| note2 = "The Art of Parties" single B-side
| length2 = 6:48
| title3 = The Art of Parties
| note3 = live
| length3 = 5:36
| title4 = Ghosts
| note4 = single version
| length4 = 4:02
}}

Note: The bonus tracks were included only on the limited edition two-disc version of the album. The single-disc version features no bonus tracks.

== Personnel ==
=== Japan ===
*[[David Sylvian]] – vocals, [[guitar]], [[keyboard instrument|keyboard]], keyboard [[programming (music)|programming]], tapes, cover concept
*[[Mick Karn]] – [[fretless bass|fretless bass guitar]], African [[flute]], [[suona|dida]]
*[[Steve Jansen]] – acoustic [[drum kit|drums]], [[electronic drum]]s, keyboard percussion, [[Linn LM-1]] programming ("Still Life In Mobile Homes" and "Cantonese Boy")
*[[Richard Barbieri]] – keyboards, keyboard programming, tapes

=== Additional personnel ===
*Yuka Fujii – backing vocals
*[[Simon House]] – violin
*Steve Joule – design
*[[Steve Nye]] – producer, [[audio engineer|engineering]]
*Phil Bodger – assistant engineer
*Fin Costello – photography

== Charts ==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1981–82)
!Peak position
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums ([[Oricon]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Okamoto|first=Satoshi|title=Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=[[Oricon]]|location=[[Roppongi]], Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9}}</ref>
|38
|-
{{Album chart|Norway|16|artist=Japan|album=Tin Drum|access-date=8 December 2020|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{Album chart|Sweden|33|artist=Japan|album=Tin Drum|access-date=8 December 2020|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{Album chart|UK2|12|date=19811122|access-date=8 December 2020|rowheader=true}}
|}

== Certifications ==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Japan|title=Tin Drum|type=album|award=Gold|id=7624-2023-2|access-date=8 December 2020|refname="BPI"}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Discogs master|74388|Tin Drum}}

{{Japan (band)}}
{{David Sylvian}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Japan (band) albums]]
[[Category:1981 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Steve Nye]]
[[Category:Virgin Records albums]]
[[Category:Avant-pop albums]]
[[Category:Art rock albums by English artists]]

University (album)

2025-06-05T16:22:50Z

149.241.71.154:

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = University
| type = studio
| artist = [[Throwing Muses]]
| cover = Throwing_Muses_University.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{start date|1995|1|16}}
| recorded = October 1993–October 1994, Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, LA
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Alternative rock]]
| length = 48:32
| label = [[4AD]]<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&pg=RA13-PA1962|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|first=Colin|last=Larkin|date=May 27, 2011|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8 |via=Google Books}}</ref> [[Sire Records|Sire]]/[[Reprise Records|Reprise]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Throwing Muses |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/throwing-muses/ |website=Trouser Press |access-date=June 22, 2022}}</ref>
| producer = Throwing Muses
| prev_title = [[Red Heaven]]
| prev_year = 1992
| next_title = [[Limbo (Throwing Muses album)|Limbo]]
| next_year = 1996
}}
'''''University''''' is the sixth studio album by the American [[alternative rock]] band [[Throwing Muses]], released in January 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/throwing-muses-mn0000925528/biography|title=Throwing Muses Biography, Songs, & Albums|website=AllMusic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/1995/01/22/1009465/throwing-muses|title=Throwing Muses|work=NPR}}</ref> It contains the single "[[Bright Yellow Gun]]", the band's first national hit.

The album peaked at No. 10 on the [[UK Albums Chart]]; it peaked at No. 10 on ''Billboard'''s [[Heatseekers Albums]] chart.<ref>{{cite web |title=THROWING MUSES |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/25284/throwing-muses/ |website=Official Charts |access-date=June 22, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Heatseekers |magazine=Billboard |date=February 4, 1995 |volume=107 |issue=5 |page=26}}</ref> Sales were too low for [[Sire Records|Sire]], and the band was dropped from its roster, ending the Muses' major label years.

==Production==
The album was recorded in the fall of 1993, right before lead Muse [[Kristin Hersh]] recorded her first solo album, ''[[Hips and Makers]]''. 4AD founder [[Ivo Watts-Russell]] convinced Hersh to release the solo album first, in early 1994; ''University'' was delayed until 1995. The band's former roadie, [[Bernard Georges]], played bass on the album.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jtNtEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA549|title=33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute: A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999|first=Mike|last=Segretto|date=July 15, 2022 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4930-6460-1 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/university-mw0000627583|title=Throwing Muses – University Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic|via=www.allmusic.com}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
|rev2score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="auto"/>
| rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev3Score = B+<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1995/01/20/university/|title=University|website=EW.com}}</ref>
|rev4 = ''[[Knoxville News Sentinel]]''
|rev4score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="KN">{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Chuck |title=Hersh finds her old muse on 'University' |work=Knoxville News Sentinel |date=January 13, 1995 |department=Detours |page=3}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080205173232/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/throwingmuses/albums/album/167393/review/5944831/university Throwing Muses: University : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone]</ref>
}}
''[[The Independent]]'' called ''University'' "a gorgeous album in parts: it's the most tuneful, coherent and least witchy music Hersh has yet delivered in her Muses hat."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Coleman |first1=Nick |title=Kristin Hersh hoiks her songs from the closets of her unconscious |work=The Independent |date=January 13, 1995 |department=MUSIC/POP |page=24}}</ref> The ''[[Knoxville News Sentinel]]'' deemed "Bright Yellow Gun" a "too-traditional rocker."<ref name=KN/> ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' determined that the album "finds the band and Hersh in good, raw form, mixing up formally inventive songs with sidelong hooks and expressionistic lyrics."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gilbert |first1=Matthew |title=THROWING MUSES UNIVERSITY |work=The Boston Globe |date=January 19, 1995 |department=Calendar |page=16}}</ref>

==Track listing==
All songs by [[Kristin Hersh]].

#"[[Bright Yellow Gun]]" – 3:43
#"Start" – 2:47
#"Hazing" – 3:14
#"Shimmer" – 3:14
#"Calm Down, Come Down" – 1:48
#"Crabtown" – 4:20
#"No Way in Hell" – 4:44
#"Surf Cowboy" – 2:45
#"That's All You Wanted" – 3:26
#"Teller" – 2:52
#"University" – 2:12
#"Snakeface" – 3:29
#"Flood" – 3:14
#"Fever Few" – 6:44

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Throwing Muses}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Throwing Muses albums]]
[[Category:1995 albums]]
[[Category:4AD albums]]
[[Category:Reprise Records albums]]
[[Category:Sire Records albums]]

Painswick

2025-06-05T13:58:58Z

149.241.71.154:

{{Short description|Town in Gloucestershire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}
{{infobox UK place
| country = England
| static_image_name = PainswickView2.jpg
| static_image_caption = Painswick from Longridge
| coordinates = {{coord|51.786|-2.194|display=inline,title}}
| official_name = Painswick
| population = 3026
| population_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11127390&c=Painswick&d=16&e=62&g=6427986&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1427714758793&enc=1|title=Parish population 2011|access-date= 30 March 2015}}</ref>
| civil_parish = Painswick
| shire_district = [[Stroud District|Stroud]]
| shire_county = [[Gloucestershire]]
| region = South West England
| constituency_westminster = [[North Cotswolds (UK Parliament constituency)|North Cotswolds]]
| post_town = [[Stroud]]
| postcode_district = GL6
| postcode_area = GL
| dial_code = 01452
| os_grid_reference = SO866098
}}

'''Painswick''' is a town and [[civil parish]] in the [[Stroud District]] in [[Gloucestershire]], England. Originally the town grew from the wool trade, but it is now best known for its parish church's [[Taxus baccata|yew]] trees and the local [[Painswick House|Painswick Rococo Garden]]. The village is mainly constructed of locally quarried [[Cotswold stone]]. Many of the buildings feature south-facing attic rooms once used as [[Weaving|weavers']] workshops.

Painswick stands on a hill overlooking one of the [[Five Valleys]], on the B4073 route between [[Stroud]], 4 miles (6.5 km) to the south, and the city of [[ Gloucester]], 7.5 miles (12 km) to the north. It has narrow streets and traditional architecture.

It has a cricket and rugby team and there is a golf course on the outskirts of the town. Painswick Beacon is in the nearby hills.

==History==
[[File:Town Hall, Painswick (geograph 3288307).jpg|thumb|left|[[Painswick Town Hall]] (the building projected forward in the centre of the picture)]]
There is evidence of settlement in the area as long ago as the [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]]. This can be seen in [[Kimsbury hill fort]], a defensive earthwork on nearby Painswick Beacon, which has wide views across the [[River Severn|Severn Vale]]. A Roman villa was built just to the north of the present village,<ref>"[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/ancient-glos/pp91-94 Painswick]", in ''Ancient and Historical Monuments in the County of Gloucester: Iron Age and Romano-British Monuments in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds'' (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1976), pp. 91-94.</ref> dated by [[Welbore St Clair Baddeley]] to the late second century.<ref>Geoffrey William Adams, ''Romano-Celtic Élites and Their Religion: A Study of Archaeological Sites in Gloucestershire'' (Armidale, New South Wales: Caeros, 2005), p. 42, {{ISBN|9780975844519}}.</ref> The local [[monastery]], [[Prinknash Abbey]], was established in the 11th century. Painswick itself first appears in historical records in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, as ''Wiche'', 'dairy-farm'. It continues to appear by this name into the 13th century. The form ''Painswik'' first appears in 1237, but must originate in the name of an earlier lord of the manor, [[Pain Fitzjohn]] (d. 1137). ''Pain'' was a common Anglo-Norman name (itself originating in ''paiën'', Latin ''paganus'', 'heathen').<ref>Eilert Ekwall, ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names'', 4th edn (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1960), s.vv. Painswick, Painsthorpe; A. H. Smith, ''The Place-names of Gloucestershire'', English Place-Name Society, 38–41, 4 vols (Cambridge : University Press, 1964–65), I, 132).</ref>

During the first [[English Civil War]] (1642–45) [[Gloucester]] was a Parliamentarian stronghold of some strategic importance, but it was surrounded by forces loyal to [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]]. After the [[siege of Gloucester]] was broken on 5 September 1643, the [[Cavalier|Royalist]] army, which had been surrounding the city, encamped overnight at Painswick, with the king staying at [[Court House, Painswick|Court House]].<ref>{{cite web |title=England's most famous ghost at Painswick & Chavenage |url=https://www.cotswolds.info/strange-things/englands-most-famous-ghost.shtml |publisher=Ctswolds Info |access-date=28 October 2019}}</ref><ref name=pc>{{cite web|title=A History of Painswick|url=http://www.painswick-pc.gov.uk/general.asp?pid=3&pgid=7|publisher=Painswick Parish Council|access-date=28 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924065118/http://www.painswick-pc.gov.uk/general.asp?pid=3&pgid=7|archive-date=24 September 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Some damage was caused by the troops and a scar from two small [[round shot|cannonballs]] can still be seen on the tower of St. Mary's [[parish church]].

'''[[Painswick House]]''' dates from the 1730s and is the home of [[Baron Dickinson]]. Its [[Rococo]] Garden was laid out in the 1740s by [[Benjamin Hyett II|Benjamin Hyett]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Daneff |first1=Tiffany |title=Painswick Rococo Garden: Hidden pavilions and romantic copses, watched over by the god of woodland revels |url=https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens/country-gardens-and-gardening-tips/painswick-rococo-garden-hidden-pavilions-and-romantic-copses-watched-over-by-the-god-of-woodland-revels-218948 |website=Country Life |access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref>

Gyde House, a prominent [[Edwardian]] Cotswold stone building overlooking the town, was formerly a children's home called "Gyde Orphanage" or "Gyde Home". The building started in 1913 with money bequeathed by a local man, Edwin Francis Gyde (1812 - 1894). The orphanage was designed by [[Percy Richard Morley Horder]], and opened in 1919 to accommodate up to 70 children from ages 5 to 12. The home ran into financial difficulties in the 1930s and was taken over by the National Children's Home charity (NCH). In 1987, Gyde House was offered for free to [[Coral Atkins]], an English actress, for supporting children who had experienced severe abuse. The home closed in 1997 and was subsequently converted into apartments.

==Government==
For the purposes of local government, the [[civil parish]] of Painswick includes the neighbouring villages of [[Edge, Gloucestershire|Edge]], Paradise, [[Sheepscombe]] and [[Slad]]. The civil parish forms part of the [[Stroud (district)|district of Stroud]] and the [[county]] of [[Gloucestershire]].<ref name=elecmap>{{cite web | url = http://www.election-maps.co.uk/electmaps.jsf | title = Election Maps | publisher = Ordnance Survey | access-date = 2013-08-12}}</ref> An [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]] in the same name exists. This stretches beyond the confines of the civil parish. The total ward population taken at the 2011 Census was 4,158.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/painswick-e05004395#sthash.UIid9CQi.dpbs|title=Ward population 2011|access-date= 30 March 2015}}</ref> Painswick Parish Council is based at [[Painswick Town Hall]].<Ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.painswick-pc.gov.uk/|title=Painswick Parish Council|access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref>

For parliamentary purposes, Painswick is within the [[UK Parliament constituency|UK constituency]] of [[Stroud (UK Parliament constituency)|Stroud]]. Prior to [[Brexit]] in 2020, it was in the [[European Parliament constituency|European constituency]] of [[South West England (European Parliament constituency)|South West England]].<ref name=elecmap/>

==Parish church==
{{Gallery|File:Painswick Church (7817365226).jpg|The [[Church of England parish church]] of [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Saint Mary]] is a Grade I [[listed building]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1090990 |title=Images of England: Church of St Mary, Painswick |publisher=[[English Heritage]] | access-date= 2008-12-10 }}</ref>|File:Painswick Church clock.jpg|The restored clock-face on the tower of St.Mary's|File:Painswick, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.jpg|The St Mary's Parish churchyard is notable for its ancient and numerous yew trees.|File:Pyramidal grave marker Painswick.JPG|Pyramidal tomb of the stonemason John Bryan.}}
{{Expand section|date=July 2022}}

==Other churches and chapels==
{{Expand section|date=July 2022}}

==Local traditions==
[[File:Painswick Beacon View.JPG|thumb|right|Painswick Beacon, and part of the view from it. The [[River Severn|Severn Vale]] can be seen in the background.]]
On the first Sunday after 19 September, there has been an annual festival called "Feast Sunday". Three customs were historically followed: feasting, drinking and disorderly conduct; [[clipping the church]]; and eating "dog pie". The ceremony known as "clipping the church" involves mostly children, but also adults, who join hands, dance around and "embrace" St. Mary's parish church. Clipping the church and eating dog pie are customs that have been revived and continue to be practised. The "dog pie" is not made of dog meat, but the custom is based upon plum pie baked with a [[porcelain]] china dog, that had been baked annually between 1870 and 1880.<ref>Francis A. Hyett, 1928, Glimpses of the History of Painswick, pages 149-158</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Painswick Feast & Puppy Dog Pie |date=12 September 2018 |url=https://edgemoorinn.uk/painswick-feast-puppy-dog-pie/ |publisher=Edgemoor Inn |access-date=28 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cotswold Dogs, a legend. |date=10 July 2015 |url=http://cotswolddoglodge.co.uk/cotswold-dogs/ |publisher=Cotswold Dog Lodge |access-date=28 October 2019}}</ref>

[[Folklore]] holds that the churchyard will never have more than 99 yew trees and that should a 100th grow the [[Devil]] would pull it out.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/li/townguides/1038841.Painswick/ |title=Painswick |access-date=2015-11-06 |publisher=Stroud News and Journal}}</ref> According to the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] a count of the trees showed there to be 103.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/sir-benjamin-stone-and-the-NPRA/ |title=The famed clipped yew trees of Painswick Churchyard. Gloucestershire. 1902 |access-date=2007-05-03 |publisher=The Victoria and Albert Museum}}</ref> The plan of the churchyard included in the church's own public leaflet shows 100.<ref>St. Mary's Painswick, A Stroll Around the Churchyard, Church leaflet, obtained July 2008</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2022}}

While [[Cavalier|Royalists]] were encamped in Painswick, tradition has it that [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] went up to the Beacon and, seeing the beautiful valley to the east said "This must be Paradise". Since then that valley, and the hamlet on its western side to the north of Painswick have been called Paradise.

During the 18th century a group of gentry, led by [[Benjamin Hyett II]], organised an annual procession dedicated to [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]], during which a statue of the deity was held aloft, and people shouted "Highgates! Highgates!". The tradition died out in the 1830s, but was revived in 1885 by the new vicar, W. H. Seddon, who mistakenly believed that the festival had been ancient in origin. Seddon's successor, however, was less appreciative of the pagan festival and put an end to it in 1950, when he had Pan's statue buried,<ref>''The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft'', [[Ronald Hutton]], page 161-162</ref> although it was later dug up and placed within the grounds of [[Painswick House]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Painswick House |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1000123 |website=National Heritage List for England |publisher=Historic England |access-date=28 October 2019}}</ref>

According to William Black's 'The Land that Thyme Forgot', [[Bow Wow Sauce]], a sauce to be served with roast meats, was developed in Painswick.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.foodsofengland.info/wowwowsauce.html |title=Wow-Wow sauce |publisher=The Foods of England Project |date=7 April 2015|access-date=17 April 2025}}</ref>

==Post office==
[[File:Painswick_Post_Office.jpg|thumb|The half-timbered building containing the Painswick post office was built in 1478.]]
The post office in Painswick occupies a [[listed building]] built in 1478, making it the oldest known building in Great Britain to also contain a post office. It is not known when the post office counter was opened. Mr. H M Strange moved the post office up the street (by four buildings) in 1933 and remained Post Master there until retirement in 1968.

==School==
Painswick has one school, [http://www.croft.gloucs.sch.uk/ Croft Primary School]. The school is a small [[secular]] and [[co-educational]] [[Community school (England and Wales)|Community School]] for children aged 4 to 11 with fewer than 150 pupils.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/dfepx1_04.pl?No=916&Type=&Mode=Z&Reg=&School=9162130|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20091006192313/http%3A//www.dcsf.gov.uk/cgi%2Dbin/performancetables/dfepx1_04.pl?No%3D916%26Type%3D%26Mode%3DZ%26Reg%3D%26School%3D9162130|url-status=dead|title=DCSF figures were 123 pupils of compulsory school age in 2004|archive-date=6 October 2009}}</ref> In the [[Key Stage 2]] results for 2008 91% of children achieved or exceeded Level 4 in English and Science and 84% did so in Maths. These results are slightly higher than the county averages of 86%, 82% and 91% in English, Maths and Science respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_08.pl|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801072432/http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_08.pl?Mode=Z&No=9162130&Type=LA&Begin=s&Num=916&Phase=p&Year=08&Base=p|url-status=dead|title=The Croft Primary School|archive-date=1 August 2012|access-date=12 October 2019}}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:Orr plaque.jpg|thumb|right|Plaque commemorating the home of [[Charles Wilfred Orr]] on St. Mary's Street]]
* [[Gerald Finzi]], composer, lived in Painswick from 1922–26 at a house called "Kingsmill".<ref>McVeagh, Diana. ''Gerald Finzi: His life and Music'' (Boydell Press, 2005) p24 ff.</ref>
* [[Susan Lynch]], Irish actress, moved to live in Painswick in 2008 with her husband, actor [[Craig Parkinson]].<ref>[http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/BBC-8217-s-Common-actress-Susan-Lynch-working/story-20845890-detail/story.html BBC's Common actress Susan Lynch on working with 'lovely' Johnny Depp and 'amazing' Ewan McGregor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150718034716/http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/BBC-8217-s-Common-actress-Susan-Lynch-working/story-20845890-detail/story.html |date=18 July 2015 }} Gloucester Citizen, 2014-03-24.</ref>{{fv|date=April 2022}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/26/line-of-duty-craig-parkinson-on-playing-tvs-nastiest-man|title=Line of Duty's Craig Parkinson on playing TV's nastiest man: 'I'm a master at lurking'|last=Tate|first=Gabriel|date=2016-04-26|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-02-19}}</ref>{{fv|date=April 2022}}
* [[Charles Wilfred Orr]], composer, lived in Painswick from 1934–76.
* [[Julian Slade]], composer of the 1954 hit musical ''[[Salad Days (musical)|Salad Days]]'', moved to Painswick as a child, had a lifelong association with the village and was honorary President of Painswick Players.
* [[Thomas Twining (merchant)|Thomas Twining]], tea merchant, was born in Painswick in 1675, and in 1706 set up his first tea shop at 216 [[Strand, London]], later to become home of the famous [[Twinings]] brand.
* The first [[Baron Dickinson]] lived in Painswick. His son, the second Baron, runs the Painswick [[Rococo]] Garden, designed by [[Benjamin Hyett II]] in the 1740s.{{cn|date=July 2022}}
* [[Robert Watkin-Mills]], the [[bass-baritone]], was born in Painswick

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.painswick-pc.gov.uk/ Painswick Parish Council] official website.
* [http://www.painswickbeacon.org.uk/ Painswick Beacon] Community Newspaper
* [http://www.adey.org.uk/ The Adey family history] From approximately 1650 in Painswick to the present day.
* [http://www.croft.gloucs.sch.uk/ The Croft school]
* [https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=3731152 photos of Painswick and surrounding area on geograph]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2008/08/28/dayout_painswick_feature.shtml BBC archive film of Painswick from 1980]
*[http://stroudvoices.co.uk/#painswick Stroud Voices mid 20th century oral history from Painswick residents]
*[https://archive.org/details/historyofchurcho00baddrich History of the Church of St. Mary at Painswick]
*[https://archive.org/details/cotteswoldmanorb00baddrich A Cotteswold Manor; being the History of Painswick]

{{Gloucestershire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Painswick| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Gloucestershire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Gloucestershire]]

Hartshill

2025-06-04T13:23:56Z

149.241.71.154:

{{Short description|Village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England}}
{{about|the village in Warwickshire|the village in Staffordshire|Hartshill, Staffordshire}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| coordinates = {{coord|52.5413|-1.52066|display=inline,title}}
| official_name = Hartshill
| population = 3,655
| population_ref = ([[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 census]])<ref name="CitPop">{{cite web |title=Hartshill Parish in West Midlands |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/westmidlands/admin/north_warwickshire/E04009643__hartshill/ |publisher=City Population |access-date=14 December 2023}}</ref>
| static_image_name = File:Hartshill North Warwickshire.jpg
| static_image_caption = Holy Trinity Church and vicarage, Hartshill
| shire_district = [[North Warwickshire]]
| shire_county = [[Warwickshire]]
| region = West Midlands
| civil_parish = Hartshill
| constituency_westminster =
| postcode_district = CV10
| postcode_area = CV
| post_town = NUNEATON
| dial_code =
| os_grid_reference = SP326938
| london_distance_mi = 95
| london_direction = SW
}}
'''Hartshill''' is a large village and [[civil parish]] in [[North Warwickshire]], England, contiguous with the much larger town of [[Nuneaton]], the town centre of which is 2.5 miles (4 km) to the south-east. The parish borders the district of [[Nuneaton and Bedworth]] at the south, the North Warwickshire district parishes of [[Ansley, Warwickshire|Ansley]] at the south-west, [[Mancetter]] at the north-west, and [[Caldecote, Warwickshire|Caldecote]] at the east, and the parish of [[Witherley]] in [[Leicestershire]] to the north-east from which it is separated by the [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5 road]]. The market town of [[Atherstone]] is {{convert|3.5|mi|km|0}} to the north-west.

At the [[United Kingdom 2021 census|2021 census]], the civil parish of Hartshill, which also includes the hamlet of [[Oldbury, Warwickshire|Oldbury]] had a population of 3,655.<ref name="CitPop"/>

The village stands on a hill overlooking the [[Leicestershire]] plains to the north. The county boundary is defined by the [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5 road]], the former [[Roman Britain|Roman]] [[Watling Street]]. The area has been settled since at least the [[Iron Age]], just west of Hartshill are the remains of an Iron Age [[Hillforts in Britain|hill fort]].<ref>{{NHLE |desc=Oldbury Camp univallate hillfort |num=1018855 |access-date=16 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Oldbury Camp |url=https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/catalogue_her/oldbury-camp |publisher=Our Warwickshire |access-date=16 December 2023}}</ref> The village was mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]] as ''Hardreshull'', derived from the [[old English]] term meaning Heardred's Hill.<ref name="warvbook">{{cite book|title=The Warwickshire Village Book|date=2000|publisher=Countryside Books|isbn=1-85306-652-4|pages=88–90}}</ref> Near the centre of the village are the remains of [[Hartshill Castle]], a medieval castle.<ref name="BHOL">{{cite web |title=Parishes: Hartshill |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol4/pp131-133 |publisher=British History Online |access-date=15 December 2023}}</ref>

The village grew due to its [[quarry]]ing industry, which quarried red [[syenite]] and [[manganese]] from the local hillside. At one time there were several [[tramway (industrial)|industrial tramways]] serving the local quarries and connecting them to the nearby [[Trent Valley line|Trent Valley railway line]] and [[Coventry Canal]].<ref name="BHOL"/> The [[Talyllyn Railway]] locomotive [[List of Talyllyn Railway rolling stock|Midlander]] was purchased in 1957 from Jee's quarries at Hartshill.<ref>{{harvnb|Potter|1990|p=201}}</ref>

The most famous person associated with Hartshill was the Elizabethan poet [[Michael Drayton]], who was born at Chapel Cottage in Hartshill Green in 1563.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Drayton, Michael |volume= 8 |last= Gosse |first= Edmund William |author-link= Edmund William Gosse| pages = 557–558 |short= 1}}</ref> The cottage in which he was born was pulled down in 1941 due to a road widening scheme.<ref name="BHOL"/> There was a memorial to him in the form of the village bus shelter, which was erected in 1972, and was made from local stone and shaped like a [[scroll]].<ref name="warvbook"/><ref name="Allen">{{cite book|last1=Geoff|first1=Allen|title=Warwickshire Towns & Villages|date=2000|publisher=Sigma Press|isbn=1-85058-642-X|pages=62–63}}</ref> This was removed around 2006 due to vandalism and replaced by a plaque.<ref>{{cite web |title=Village honours its poet son |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/village-honours-its-poet-son-3125256 |publisher=Coventry Telegraph |access-date=17 December 2023 |date=14 June 2006}}</ref> Michael Drayton [[Junior School]] in Hartshill also bears his name. Other schools in the village include [[Hartshill Academy]] [[secondary school]].

The village church of Holy Trinity was built as a [[commissioners' church]] between 1843 and 1848 by [[Thomas Larkins Walker|T. L. Walker]]. It is made from local stone, and is noted for its large doorway which has six orders of columns and arches. The church is [[grade II listed]].<ref name="Allen"/><ref>{{NHLE |desc=CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY |num=1365167 |access-date=16 December 2023}}</ref>

The parish has five [[pubs]]: The Stag & Pheasant, The Malt Shovel, Royal Oak, the Hartshill Club, and The Anchor which is on the [[Coventry Canal]].

Immediately west of the village is the [[Hartshill Hayes Country Park]], which covers {{convert|137|acre}} of woodland.<ref name="Allen"/>
<gallery>
File:Churchof Holy Trinity Hartshill nr Nuneaton Warwickshire.jpg|The entrance to Holy Trinity Church, Hartshill
File:Remains of west curtain wall, Hartshill Castle, Castle Road, Hartshill.jpg|Remains of [[Hartshill Castle]]
File:Hartshill Quarry (disused) - geograph.org.uk - 4910016.jpg|Disused quarry at Hartshill
File:Hartshill Hayes Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 4211640.jpg|[[Hartshill Hayes Country Park]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Potter|first=David|title=The Talyllyn Railway|publisher=David St John Thomas|year=1990|isbn=0-946537-50-X}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
*{{Commons category-inline|Hartshill}}
*[http://www.hartshill-pc.org.uk/ Hartshill Parish Council]
*[https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/location/hartshill Hartshill archives] - Our Warwickshire
*[https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=3922593 Photos of Hartshill and surrounding area on geograph]

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Warwickshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Warwickshire]]
[[Category:Borough of North Warwickshire]]

Coleshill, Warwickshire

2025-06-04T13:13:29Z

149.241.71.154:

{{Short description|Market town in Warwickshire, England}}
{{refimprove|date=February 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| official_name = Coleshill
| coordinates = {{coord|52.499|-1.708|display=inline,title}}
| civil_parish = Coleshill
| population = 6,900
| population_ref = (2021 Census)
| shire_district = [[North Warwickshire]]
| shire_county = [[Warwickshire]]
| region = West Midlands
| constituency_westminster = [[North Warwickshire and Bedworth (UK Parliament constituency)|North Warwickshire and Bedworth]]
| post_town = BIRMINGHAM
| postcode_district = B46
| postcode_area = B
| dial_code = 01675
| os_grid_reference = SP2089
| static_image_2_name = [[File:High Street, Coleshill - geograph.org.uk - 2386742.jpg|220px|High Street, Coleshill - geograph.org.uk - 2386742]]
| static_image_2_caption = High Street
| static_image_name = Coleshill, Warwickshire skyline.jpg
| static_image_caption = Seen from the northwest with the [[Church of St Peter and St Paul, Coleshill|Church of St. Peter and St. Paul]] in view
}}
'''Coleshill''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|oʊ|z|ɪ|l}} {{respell|KOH|zil}}) is a [[market town]] and [[civil parish]] in the [[North Warwickshire]] district of [[Warwickshire]], England, taking its name from the [[River Cole, West Midlands|River Cole]], on which it stands. It had a population of 6,900 in the [[United Kingdom 2021 Census|2021 Census]],<ref name="CPpar">{{cite web |title=COLESHILL Parish in West Midlands |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/westmidlands/admin/north_warwickshire/E04009636__coleshill/ |publisher=City Population |access-date=12 February 2023}}</ref> and is situated {{convert|11|mi|km}} east of [[Birmingham]], {{convert|8.5|mi|km}} southeast of [[Sutton Coldfield]], {{convert|11|mi|km}} south of [[Tamworth, Staffordshire|Tamworth]], {{convert|13|mi|km}} northwest of [[Coventry]] by road and 12.5 miles (20 km) west of [[Nuneaton]]. It borders the suburban parish village of [[Kingshurst]] in the [[Metropolitan Borough of Solihull]] to the west. It is also home to the 502 year [[The Coleshill School]] seated next to the dual carriageway.

==Geography==
Coleshill is located on a ridge between the rivers [[River Cole, West Midlands|Cole]] and [[River Blythe|Blythe]] which converge to the north with the [[River Tame, West Midlands|River Tame]]. It is adjacent to the border with [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] county, and is just outside [[Birmingham]].<ref name="Allen">{{cite book|last1=Geoff|first1=Allen|title=Warwickshire Towns & Villages|date=2000|publisher=Sigma Press|isbn=1-85058-642-X|pages=42–43}}</ref>

===Climate===

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location = Coleshill (1991–2020)
| Jan high C = 7.3
| Feb high C = 8.0
| Mar high C = 10.5
| Apr high C = 13.5
| May high C = 16.6
| Jun high C = 19.6
| Jul high C = 22.0
| Aug high C = 21.5
| Sep high C = 18.6
| Oct high C = 14.2
| Nov high C = 10.2
| Dec high C = 7.6
| year high C = 14.2
| Jan low C = 1.7
| Feb low C = 1.7
| Mar low C = 2.9
| Apr low C = 4.4
| May low C = 7.1
| Jun low C = 10.0
| Jul low C = 12.0
| Aug low C = 12.0
| Sep low C = 10.0
| Oct low C = 7.3
| Nov low C = 4.2
| Dec low C = 2.0
| year low C = 6.3
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 63.6
| Feb rain mm = 47.0
| Mar rain mm = 46.6
| Apr rain mm = 48.1
| May rain mm = 53.8
| Jun rain mm = 64.9
| Jul rain mm = 52.9
| Aug rain mm = 66.2
| Sep rain mm = 58.1
| Oct rain mm = 72.8
| Nov rain mm = 69.6
| Dec rain mm = 64.7
| year rain mm = 708.2
| unit rain days = 1 mm
| Jan rain days = 12.4
| Feb rain days = 9.8
| Mar rain days = 9.9
| Apr rain days = 10.1
| May rain days = 9.8
| Jun rain days = 9.6
| Jul rain days = 8.9
| Aug rain days = 10.5
| Sep rain days = 9.6
| Oct rain days = 11.6
| Nov rain days = 13.0
| Dec rain days = 11.7
| year rain days = 127.1
| Jan sun = 55.1
| Feb sun = 72.0
| Mar sun = 116.7
| Apr sun = 147.1
| May sun = 193.3
| Jun sun = 192.6
| Jul sun = 194.0
| Aug sun = 170.7
| Sep sun = 130.7
| Oct sun = 100.2
| Nov sun = 66.2
| Dec sun = 62.6
| year sun = 1501.2
| source 1 = [[Met Office]]<ref name="Met Office normals">{{cite web
|url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcqf99dn5
|title = Coleshill (Warwickshire) UK climate averages - Met Office
|publisher = Met Office
|access-date = July 21, 2024}}</ref>
}}

==History==
Coleshill began life in the [[Iron Age]], before the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] conquest of 43{{nbsp}}AD at the [[Grimstock Hill Romano-British settlement]], north of the River Cole. Evidence of [[hut circle]]s were found by archaeologists at the end of the 1970s. These excavations showed that throughout the Roman period there was a Romano-Celtic temple on Grimstock Hill. It had developed over the earlier Iron Age huts and had gone through at least three phases of development. The area was at the junction of two powerful [[Celt]]ic Tribes – the ''Coritanii'' to the east from [[Leicester]], and to the west the ''[[Cornovii (Midlands)|Cornovii]]'' from [[Viroconium Cornoviorum]]. In the post Roman or Arthurian period (The [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]]), the nucleus of Coleshill moved about a kilometre to the south, to the top of the hill. Here the present church is set and the [[medieval]] town developed around it.

By 1066 the town was a Royal [[Manorialism|Manor]] held by King [[Edward the Confessor]] and is recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as land held by [[William I of England|William the Conqueror]] and the site of the court for the ancient [[Hundred (county division)|hundred]] of Coleshill.<ref>[http://opendomesday.org/place/SP1989/coleshill/ Open Domesday Online: Coleshill, Warwickshire]</ref> In 1284/5 John de Clinton, elder, was granted Coleshill Manor by King [[Henry II of England|Henry II]], and claimed by prescription within the lordship of Coleshill, [[Assize]] of bread and ale, gallows, pillory, tumbrell and court leet, infangthef and utfangthef, a [[Marketplace|market]], [[fair]], and free warren. He died in 1316. His heir was his 12-year-old grandson, John, who subsequently married a daughter of Sir Roger Hilary, and died in 1353 or 1354 leaving one daughter Joan. She had as her first husband Sir [[John of Montfort]], illegitimate son of Sir [[Peter de Montfort]] of [[Beaudesert, Warwickshire|Beaudesert]].

Coleshill Manor then passed to this branch of Sir [[Simon de Montford]] who moated the [[manor house]]s at Coleshill and [[Kingshurst]]. King [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] granted Coleshill Manor and its lands to [[Simon Digby (died 1519)|Simon Digby]] in 1496 following the execution and forfeiture of Sir Simon de Montford for supporting the rebellion of [[Perkin Warbeck]]. The (Wingfield-Digby) family descendants still hold the titles. Coleshill village was granted a [[market charter]] by [[John of England|King John]] in 1207, alongside [[Liverpool]], [[Leek, Staffordshire|Leek]] and [[Great Yarmouth]]. During the era of [[stagecoach]] and the [[turnpike trust]]s, Coleshill became important as a major [[staging post]] on the coaching roads from [[London]] to [[Chester]], Liverpool and [[Holyhead]]. At one point there were over twenty inns in the town. The Coleshill to [[Lichfield]] Turnpike dates from 1743.

==Notable buildings==
[[File:Coleshill Church.jpg|thumb|right|Church of St Peter and St Paul]]
Many former coaching inns remain in Coleshill, mostly along the High Street and Coventry Road. One of the most notable buildings in the town is the parish's [[Church of St Peter and St Paul, Coleshill|Church of St Peter and St Paul]] at the top of the Market Square. It has a 52-metre (170 ft) high [[steeple (architecture)|steeple]], one of the finest in Warwickshire, dating from the 13th century. Inside there is a 12th-century [[baptismal font|font]] of Norman origin, which is one of the finest examples in the country. There are also medieval table tombs with [[effigies]] of knights, including John de Clinton. Just outside the south door are the preserved remains of a medieval cross.

Church Street is the location of the town's [[pillory]] and whipping post, which were last used in 1863.<ref>{{cite web |title=COLESHILL PILLORY |url=https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/catalogue_her/coleshill-pillory |publisher=Our Warwickshire |access-date=12 February 2023}}</ref> A bronze sculpture by [[Peter Walker (landscape architect)|Peter Walker]] in the High Street shows three themes of the town's origins: a stagecoach wheel, a visiting circus elephant and the creation of the [[Typhoo Tea]] brand by [[John Sumner (tea merchant)|John Sumner]].

==Transport==
[[File:170514 Reyaz Hussain.jpg|thumb|170514 stands at [[Coleshill Parkway railway station|Coleshill Parkway]]]]
The town is close to the [[M6 motorway|M6]], [[M6 Toll]] and [[M42 motorway]]s. It is on Junction 4 of the M6, with [[Birmingham City Centre]] at Junction 6, [[Sutton Coldfield]] J5, [[Nuneaton]], [[Bedworth]] and [[Coventry]] North at J3 and Coventry East at Junction 2. The town is connected to East Birmingham by the B4114 Road which subsequently creates a road connection into Birmingham City Centre. There is also a route to Coventry via the [[A446]], which becomes the [[A452]] just before the [[A45 road]] junction at [[Stonebridge, West Midlands|Stonebridge]]. Upon reaching the Western edge of Coventry, it is necessary to follow the A4114 road which now takes you to the city centre ring road [[A4053]] after the A45 was diverted to run south of Coventry acting as a [[Bypass (road)|bypass]].

Two regular bus routes serve the town. The X13 (previously called X70) passes through Coleshill between [[Birmingham]] and [[Chelmsley Wood]] operated by [[National Express West Midlands]]. The 76 passes through between [[Tamworth, Staffordshire|Tamworth]] and [[Sutton Coldfield]] operated by [[Diamond West Midlands|Diamond Bus]].

The town is served by [[Coleshill Parkway railway station]], which reopened in 2007, on the site of the previous Coleshill station, which had closed in 1968. It is on the [[Birmingham to Peterborough Line]] and is served half hourly by [[CrossCountry]] as part of their service between [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham]], [[Nuneaton railway station|Nuneaton]], [[Leicester railway station|Leicester]], [[Peterborough railway station|Peterborough]], [[Cambridge railway station|Cambridge]] and [[Stansted Airport]]. Historically the town was also served by [[Maxstoke railway station|Maxstoke]] on the [[Stonebridge Railway]] which closed in 1917 and Coleshill railway station, originally named Forge Mills, which closed in 1968. As a result until 2007, the town's nearest railway station was at [[Water Orton railway station|Water Orton]], some {{convert|2.5|mi|km|0}} to the north-west.

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC West Midlands]] and [[ITV Central]]. Television signals are received from the [[Sutton Coldfield transmitting station|Sutton Coldfield]] TV transmitter. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sutton_Coldfield|title=Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) Full Freeview transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=26 December 2023}}</ref> The town is served by both [[BBC Radio WM]] on 95.6 FM and [[BBC CWR]] on 94.8 FM. Other radio stations received in the town are [[Heart West Midlands]] on 100.7 FM, [[Smooth West Midlands]] on 105.7 FM, [[Capital Mid-Counties]] on 96.2 FM, [[Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands]] on 105.2 FM, and [[Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire]] on 97.0 FM. The town is served by local newspapers, ''Leamington Courier'' and ''Warwick Courier''. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-wmids/leamington-courier/|title=Leamington Courier|date=14 January 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=28 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-wmids/warwick-courier/|title=Warwick Courier|date=4 June 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=28 December 2023}}</ref>

==Twin towns==
Coleshill has been [[twin town|twinned]] with [[Chassieu]] near [[Lyon]] in [[France]] since 1983.

==Education==
*[[The Coleshill School]]
*Coleshill [[Church of England]] [[Primary School]]
*St Edwards [[Roman Catholic]] Primary School
*High Meadow Community School [[Primary School]]
*Woodland [[Special School]]

==Notable people==
* Reverend [[George Lloyd (archaeologist)|George Lloyd]] (1820–1885), a curate and archaeologist
* [[Henry Plumb, Baron Plumb|Baron Plumb]], farmer and politician (passed in 2023)
* [[John Wynne (cricketer)|John Wynne]] (1819–1893), cricketer

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{commons}}

==External links==
*[https://www.coleshilltowncouncil.gov.uk Coleshill Town Council]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081121100627/http://www.coleshillinbloom.org.uk/ Coleshill Community]
*[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42654 Coleshill] at British History Online
*[https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/location/coleshill Coleshill archives] at Our Warwickshire
{{Warwickshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Coleshill, Warwickshire| ]]
[[Category:Market towns in Warwickshire]]
[[Category:Towns in Warwickshire]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the FitzGerald dynasty]]