Warwickshire: Difference between revisions

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| police                =  
| police                =  
| website                ={{URL|https://warwickshire.gov.uk}}  
| website                ={{URL|https://warwickshire.gov.uk}}  
| largest_town          = [[Nuneaton]] (ceremonial)
| largest_town          = [[Nuneaton]] (new boundaries)<br/>[[Birmingham]] ([[Historic counties of England|historic county]])
[[Birmingham]] (historic)
}}
}}
'''Warwickshire''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-warwickshire.ogg|ˈ|w|ɒr|ɪ|k|ʃ|ər|,_|-|ʃ|ɪər}};  abbreviated '''Warks''') is a [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] in the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]] of England. It is bordered by [[Staffordshire]] and [[Leicestershire]] to the north, [[Northamptonshire]] to the east, [[Oxfordshire]] and [[Gloucestershire]] to the south, and [[Worcestershire]] and the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands county]] to the west. The largest settlement is [[Nuneaton]] and the [[county town]] is [[Warwick]].
'''Warwickshire''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-warwickshire.ogg|ˈ|w|ɒr|ɪ|k|ʃ|ər|,_|-|ʃ|ɪər}};  abbreviated '''Warks''') is a [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] in the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]] of England. It is bordered by [[Staffordshire]] and [[Leicestershire]] to the north, [[Northamptonshire]] to the east, [[Oxfordshire]] and [[Gloucestershire]] to the south, and [[Worcestershire]] and the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands county]] to the west. The largest settlement is [[Nuneaton]].


The county is largely rural; it has an area of {{convert|763|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} and a population of 571,010. After Nuneaton (88,813), the largest settlements are [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]] (78,125), [[Leamington Spa]] (50,923), Warwick (36,665), [[Bedworth]] (31,090) and [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] (30,495). For [[Local government in England|local government]] purposes, Warwickshire is a [[non-metropolitan county]] with five districts. The county [[Historic counties of England|historically]] included the city of [[Coventry]] and the area to its west, including [[Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield|Sutton Coldfield]], [[Solihull]] and a significant part of [[Birmingham]], including the [[Birmingham city centre|city centre]].
The county is largely rural, with an area of {{convert|763|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} and an estimated population of {{English cerem counties|POP=Warwickshire}} in {{English cerem counties|TXT=Year}}. It contains a number of towns, including Nuneaton and [[Bedworth]] in the north-east, [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]] in the east, [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] in the south-west, and [[Warwick]] and [[Leamington Spa]] adjacent to each other in the centre. For [[Local government in England|local government]] purposes, Warwickshire is a [[non-metropolitan county]] with five [[Non-metropolitan district|districts]]. The county [[Historic counties of England|historically]] included the city of [[Coventry]] and the area to its west, including [[Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield|Sutton Coldfield]], [[Solihull]] and the [[Birmingham city centre|city centre]] of [[Birmingham]].


Warwickshire is a relatively flat, lowland county, but its far south contains a very small part of the [[Cotswolds]] [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty|AONB]]. The [[River Avon, Warwickshire|River Avon]], a major tributary of the [[River Severn|Severn]], flows through the south of the county.
Warwickshire is a flat, lowland county, but its far south contains part of the [[Cotswolds]], which have been designated a [[national landscape]]. The [[River Avon, Warwickshire|River Avon]], a major tributary of the [[River Severn|Severn]], flows through the south of the county.


The region was part of [[Roman Britain]] and later the Roman road called [[Watling Street]] became the boundary between the [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain|Anglo-Saxon]] kingdom of [[Mercia]] and the [[Danelaw]]. The county was relatively settled during the rest of the Middle Ages and Early Modern period; Coventry developed as a major centre of the textiles trade. The playwright [[William Shakespeare]] was born in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] in 1564, living much of his life there, and the [[Gunpowder Plot]] of 1605 was planned near [[Snitterfield]]. During the Industrial Revolution, the [[Warwickshire Coalfield|Warwickshire coalfield]] was exploited and Coventry and the west of the county became manufacturing centres; Leamington Spa developed as a tourist resort at the same time. The Victorian novelist Mary Ann Evans, better known as [[George Eliot]], was born just outside Nuneaton in 1819.
The region was part of [[Roman Britain]] and later the Roman road called [[Watling Street]] became the boundary between the [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain|Anglo-Saxon]] kingdom of [[Mercia]] and the [[Danelaw]]. The county was relatively settled during the rest of the Middle Ages and Early Modern period; Coventry developed as a major centre of the textiles trade. The playwright [[William Shakespeare]] was born in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] in 1564, living much of his life there, and the [[Gunpowder Plot]] of 1605 was planned near [[Snitterfield]]. During the Industrial Revolution, the [[Warwickshire Coalfield|Warwickshire coalfield]] was exploited and Coventry and the west of the county became manufacturing centres; Leamington Spa developed as a tourist resort at the same time. The Victorian novelist Mary Ann Evans, better known as [[George Eliot]], was born just outside Nuneaton in 1819.
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===Historic county boundaries===
===Historic county boundaries===
Areas [[Historic counties of England|historically part]] of Warwickshire include [[Coventry]], [[Solihull]], [[Sutton Coldfield]], and some of [[Birmingham]] including the [[Birmingham city centre|city centre]], [[Aston]], [[Castle Bromwich]], [[Digbeth]], [[Edgbaston]], [[Erdington]], [[Hodge Hill]], [[Ladywood]], [[Nechells]], [[Saltley]], [[Shard End]], [[Sheldon, Warwickshire|Sheldon]], [[Small Heath]] and [[Sparkbrook]]. These areas also became part of the [[metropolitan county]] of [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] (and Sutton Coldfield became part of Birmingham) following [[Local Government Act 1972|local government re-organisation in 1974]].
[[File:Birmingham-Skyline-from-the-West.jpg|thumb|right|Much of [[Birmingham]], presently the UK's second-largest city, was historically in Warwickshire]]
[[File:Flag of Warwickshire.svg|left|thumb|The flag of the historic county of Warwickshire]]
Areas [[Historic counties of England|historically part]] of Warwickshire include [[Coventry]], [[Solihull]], [[Sutton Coldfield]], and much of [[Birmingham]] including the [[Birmingham city centre|city centre]], [[Aston]], [[Castle Bromwich]], [[Digbeth]], [[Edgbaston]], [[Erdington]], [[Hodge Hill]], [[Ladywood]], [[Nechells]], [[Saltley]], [[Shard End]], [[Sheldon, Warwickshire|Sheldon]], [[Small Heath]] and [[Sparkbrook]]. Other areas historically in Warwickshire, all now in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands county]] following [[Local Government Act 1972|local government re-organisation in 1974]], include [[Marston Green]], [[Meriden, Warwickshire|Meriden]], [[Chelmsley Wood]], [[Kingshurst]], and [[Smith's Wood]].
 
In 1986 the [[West Midlands County Council]] was abolished and Birmingham, Coventry, and Solihull became effective [[unitary authority|unitary authorities]]. However, the West Midlands county name has not been altogether abolished, and still exists for [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial purposes]]. Since 2016, it has been used as part of the [[West Midlands Combined Authority]], with powers over transport, economic development and regeneration. Some organisations, such as [[Warwickshire County Cricket Club]], which is based in [[Edgbaston]], in Birmingham, observe the [[Historic counties of England|historic county]] boundaries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Warwickshire County Cricket Club|url=https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/warwickshire-county-cricket-club|access-date=14 June 2021|website=Our Warwickshire}}</ref>
In 1986 the [[West Midlands County Council]] was abolished and Birmingham, Coventry, and Solihull became effective [[unitary authority|unitary authorities]]. However, the West Midlands county name has not been altogether abolished, and still exists for [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial purposes]]. Since 2016, it has been used as part of the [[West Midlands Combined Authority]], with powers over transport, economic development and regeneration. Some organisations, such as [[Warwickshire County Cricket Club]], which is based in [[Edgbaston]], in Birmingham, observe the [[Historic counties of England|historic county]] boundaries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Warwickshire County Cricket Club|url=https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/warwickshire-county-cricket-club|access-date=14 June 2021|website=Our Warwickshire}}</ref>


The [[Flag of Warwickshire|flag of the historic county]] was registered in October 2016. It is a design of a [[Bear and Ragged Staff|bear and ragged staff]] on a red field, which is long associated with the county.<ref>{{cite web|year=2016|title=UK Flag Registry- Warwickshire|publisher=Flag Institute|url=http://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/flags/warwickshire/|access-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107113604/https://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/flags/warwickshire/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|year=2016|title=British County Flags – Warwickshire|publisher=British County Flags|url=https://britishcountyflags.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/warwickshire-flag/|access-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014075829/https://britishcountyflags.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/warwickshire-flag/|archive-date=14 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
The [[Flag of Warwickshire|flag of the historic county]] was registered in October 2016. It is a design of a [[Bear and Ragged Staff|bear and ragged staff]] on a red field, which is long associated with the county.<ref>{{cite web|year=2016|title=UK Flag Registry- Warwickshire|publisher=Flag Institute|url=http://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/flags/warwickshire/|access-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107113604/https://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/flags/warwickshire/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|year=2016|title=British County Flags – Warwickshire|publisher=British County Flags|url=https://britishcountyflags.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/warwickshire-flag/|access-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014075829/https://britishcountyflags.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/warwickshire-flag/|archive-date=14 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
[[File:Flag of Warwickshire.svg|left|thumb|The flag of the historic county of Warwickshire]]
[[Coventry]] is effectively in the centre of the Warwickshire area, and still has strong ties with the county. Coventry and Warwickshire are sometimes treated as a single area and share a single [[Chamber of Commerce]], [[Local enterprise partnership|Local Enterprise Partnership]] and BBC Local Radio Station ([[BBC CWR]]).
[[Coventry]] is effectively in the centre of the Warwickshire area, and still has strong ties with the county. Coventry and Warwickshire are sometimes treated as a single area and share a single [[Chamber of Commerce]], [[Local enterprise partnership|Local Enterprise Partnership]] and BBC Local Radio Station ([[BBC CWR]]).


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Warwickshire is also establishing a growing reputation as a global hub of the [[video game industry]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Kersley|first=Andrew|title=How a small town in the Midlands became a gaming powerhouse|magazine=Wired UK|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/leamington-spa-games-industry|access-date=11 June 2021|issn=1357-0978}}</ref> One of Britain's oldest still-running game studios, [[Codemasters]], has operated out of [[Southam]] for decades; the greater "[[List of places with 'Silicon' names|Silicon Spa]]"<ref>{{cite magazine|date=13 January 2020|title=Leamington Spa: At the heart of the UK games industry|url=https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/leamington-spa-at-the-heart-of-the-uk-games-industry/|access-date=11 June 2021|magazine=MCV/DEVELOP}}</ref> area, including Southam, [[Royal Leamington Spa]] and [[Warwick]], is now home to dozens of game studios which employ a combined total of over 2,000 highly skilled people, equating to more than 10% of the UK's games development workforce.<ref>{{cite web|title=home {{!}} Silicon Spa – Leamington Spa Gaming Cluster|url=http://backspaceuk.com/siliconspa/home-2.html|access-date=11 June 2021|website=backspaceuk.com}}</ref>
Warwickshire is also establishing a growing reputation as a global hub of the [[video game industry]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Kersley|first=Andrew|title=How a small town in the Midlands became a gaming powerhouse|magazine=Wired UK|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/leamington-spa-games-industry|access-date=11 June 2021|issn=1357-0978}}</ref> One of Britain's oldest still-running game studios, [[Codemasters]], has operated out of [[Southam]] for decades; the greater "[[List of places with 'Silicon' names|Silicon Spa]]"<ref>{{cite magazine|date=13 January 2020|title=Leamington Spa: At the heart of the UK games industry|url=https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/leamington-spa-at-the-heart-of-the-uk-games-industry/|access-date=11 June 2021|magazine=MCV/DEVELOP}}</ref> area, including Southam, [[Royal Leamington Spa]] and [[Warwick]], is now home to dozens of game studios which employ a combined total of over 2,000 highly skilled people, equating to more than 10% of the UK's games development workforce.<ref>{{cite web|title=home {{!}} Silicon Spa – Leamington Spa Gaming Cluster|url=http://backspaceuk.com/siliconspa/home-2.html|access-date=11 June 2021|website=backspaceuk.com}}</ref>


Increasingly the region is establishing itself as one of the leading areas in battery technology with major developments announced in 2021 that include a £130&nbsp;million UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC)<ref>{{cite web|title=Background|url=https://www.ukbic.co.uk/about/background/|access-date=11 June 2021|website=UKBIC|archive-date=11 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611170140/https://www.ukbic.co.uk/about/background/|url-status=dead}}</ref> based in Coventry.
Increasingly the region is establishing itself as one of the leading areas in battery technology with major developments announced in 2021 that include a £130&nbsp;million UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC)<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Story |url=https://www.ukbic.co.uk/our-story |access-date=23 December 2025 |website=UKBIC}}</ref> based in Coventry.


Tourism is also a key area of employment with country parks, rural areas and historic towns across the county. It generates a total business turnover of over £1 billion to the local economy and supports almost 20,000 jobs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tourism in South Warwickshire {{!}} Stratford-on-Avon District Council|url=https://www.stratford.gov.uk/business-investment/tourism.cfm|access-date=11 June 2021|website=www.stratford.gov.uk}}</ref>
Tourism is also a key area of employment with country parks, rural areas and historic towns across the county. It generates a total business turnover of over £1 billion to the local economy and supports almost 20,000 jobs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tourism in South Warwickshire {{!}} Stratford-on-Avon District Council|url=https://www.stratford.gov.uk/business-investment/tourism.cfm|access-date=11 June 2021|website=www.stratford.gov.uk}}</ref>


== Settlements ==
== Settlements ==
{{main|List of places in Warwickshire}}
{{further|List of Warwickshire towns by population}}
{{Location map+|Warwickshire|width  = 400
{{Location map+|Warwickshire|width  = 400
   |float  = right
   |float  = right
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     }}
     }}
  }}
  }}
{{main|List of places in Warwickshire}}
{{further|List of Warwickshire towns by population}}
Main Warwickshire towns and villages, with a population of at least 5,000:
Main Warwickshire towns and villages, with a population of at least 5,000:
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
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==History==
==History==
{{main|History of Warwickshire}}
[[File:Warwickshire Administrative 1832.png|right|240px|thumb|Warwickshire in 1832]]
[[File:Warwickshire Administrative 1832.png|right|240px|thumb|Warwickshire in 1832]]
[[File:StratfordAvon20040717.jpg|right|thumb|[[Stratford-upon-Avon]]]]
[[File:StratfordAvon20040717.jpg|right|thumb|[[Stratford-upon-Avon]]]]
[[File:Kenilworth Castle gatehouse landscape.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kenilworth Castle]]]]
[[File:Kenilworth Castle gatehouse landscape.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kenilworth Castle]]]]
{{main|History of Warwickshire}}
Warwickshire came into being as a division of the kingdom of [[Mercia]] in the early 11th century. The first reference to Warwickshire was in 1001, as ''Wæringscīr,'' named after [[Warwick]]. The prefix ''wara-'' is the [[Genitive case|genitive]] [[plural]] of the [[Old English]] [[noun]] ''waru'', which means "those that care for, watch, guard, protect, or defend". It was used as an [[endonym]] by both [[Goths]]{{efn|[[Warmia]] and [[Warsaw]].}} and Jutes.{{efn|[[Meonwara]].}}  The suffix ''-wick'' is an [[Old English]] [[cognate]] (''-wic'') for the [[Latin]] word for village, ''vicus''. Near [[Warwick]] are the villages of [[Long Itchington]] and [[Bishop's Itchington]] along the [[River Itchen, Warwickshire|River Itchen]].{{efn|''Itchen'' derives from ''Ytene'', the [[genitive plural]] of ''Yte'' the [[exonym]] of "Jute", i.e. "of the Jutes".<ref>{{cite book |last=Stenton |first = F.&nbsp;M. |year=1971 |title = Anglo-Saxon England|edition =3rd  |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-280139-5 |page=23}}</ref> Various place-names identify locations as Jutish. These include [[Bishopstoke]] (''Ytingstoc''), the [[River Itchen, Hampshire|River Itchen]] (''Ytene'') and the [[River Meon|Meon Valley]] (''Ytedene'').}}
Warwickshire came into being as a division of the kingdom of [[Mercia]] in the early 11th century. The first reference to Warwickshire was in 1001, as ''Wæringscīr,'' named after [[Warwick]]. The prefix ''wara-'' is the [[Genitive case|genitive]] [[plural]] of the [[Old English]] [[noun]] ''waru'', which means "those that care for, watch, guard, protect, or defend". It was used as an [[endonym]] by both [[Goths]]{{efn|[[Warmia]] and [[Warsaw]].}} and Jutes.{{efn|[[Meonwara]].}}  The suffix ''-wick'' is an [[Old English]] [[cognate]] (''-wic'') for the [[Latin]] word for village, ''vicus''. Near [[Warwick]] are the villages of [[Long Itchington]] and [[Bishop's Itchington]] along the [[River Itchen, Warwickshire|River Itchen]].{{efn|''Itchen'' derives from ''Ytene'', the [[genitive plural]] of ''Yte'' the [[exonym]] of "Jute", i.e. "of the Jutes".<ref>{{cite book |last=Stenton |first = F.&nbsp;M. |year=1971 |title = Anglo-Saxon England|edition =3rd  |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-280139-5 |page=23}}</ref> Various place-names identify locations as Jutish. These include [[Bishopstoke]] (''Ytingstoc''), the [[River Itchen, Hampshire|River Itchen]] (''Ytene'') and the [[River Meon|Meon Valley]] (''Ytedene'').}}


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[[Atherstone]] is the headquarters of the North Warwickshire district, [[Nuneaton]] is headquarters of the Nuneaton and Bedworth District and [[Leamington Spa]] is the headquarters of the Warwick district.
[[Atherstone]] is the headquarters of the North Warwickshire district, [[Nuneaton]] is headquarters of the Nuneaton and Bedworth District and [[Leamington Spa]] is the headquarters of the Warwick district.


[[Warwickshire County Council]], based in [[Warwick]] is elected every four years. The last [[2021 Warwickshire County Council election|election was the held on 6 May 2021]] and resulted in a Conservative majority. The county council operates a [[cabinet-style council]]. The county council is made of 57 councillors, who decide upon the budget and appoints the council leader. The council leader selects 8 councillors and together they form the cabinet. The Leader assigns portfolios on which cabinet members make decisions. Key decisions are made by the whole cabinet while others are made only by the portfolio holders for relevant areas.<ref>{{cite web
[[Warwickshire County Council]], based in [[Warwick]] is elected every four years. The [[2021 Warwickshire County Council election|election on 6 May 2021]] resulted in a Conservative majority. The county council operates a [[cabinet-style council]]. The county council is made of 57 councillors, who decide upon the budget and appoints the council leader. The council leader selects 8 councillors and together they form the cabinet. The Leader assigns portfolios on which cabinet members make decisions. Key decisions are made by the whole cabinet while others are made only by the portfolio holders for relevant areas.<ref>{{cite web
  |url          = http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/34FF93A8C745ABD480256CA70053C6F7
  |url          = http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/34FF93A8C745ABD480256CA70053C6F7
  |title        = How the County Council makes decisions
  |title        = How the County Council makes decisions
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===Cricket===
===Cricket===
[[Warwickshire County Cricket Club]] play at [[Edgbaston Cricket Ground]], Birmingham, which was historically part of Warwickshire. Notable English players for the side have been [[Eric Hollies]], [[M.J.K. Smith]], [[Bob Willis]], [[Dennis Amiss]], [[Jonathan Trott]], [[Ian Bell]], [[Moeen Ali]] and [[Chris Woakes]]. Overseas players have included [[Alvin Kallicharran]], [[Rohan Kanhai]], [[Brian Lara]], [[Allan Donald]] and [[Shaun Pollock]]. In 2014, the club partly severed its links to the county by renaming its [[Twenty20]] side the ''[[Birmingham Bears]]'', much to the chagrin of many supporters.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Halford |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/cricket/warwickshires-t20-birmingham-bears-name-6745754 |title=Warwickshire's T20 'Birmingham Bears' name is confirmed |newspaper=[[Birmingham Mail]] |date=25 February 2014 |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109121820/http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/cricket/warwickshires-t20-birmingham-bears-name-6745754 |archive-date=9 January 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref>
[[Warwickshire County Cricket Club]] play at [[Edgbaston Cricket Ground]], Birmingham, which was historically part of Warwickshire. Notable English players for the side have been [[Eric Hollies]], [[M.J.K. Smith]], [[Bob Willis]], [[Dennis Amiss]], [[Jonathan Trott]], [[Ian Bell]], [[Moeen Ali]] and [[Chris Woakes]]. Overseas players have included [[Alvin Kallicharran]], [[Rohan Kanhai]], [[Brian Lara]], [[Allan Donald]] and [[Shaun Pollock]]. In 2014, the club partly severed its links to the county by renaming its [[Twenty20]] side the ''Birmingham Bears'', much to the chagrin of many supporters.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Halford |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/cricket/warwickshires-t20-birmingham-bears-name-6745754 |title=Warwickshire's T20 'Birmingham Bears' name is confirmed |newspaper=[[Birmingham Mail]] |date=25 February 2014 |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109121820/http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/cricket/warwickshires-t20-birmingham-bears-name-6745754 |archive-date=9 January 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref>


Other grounds in modern-day Warwickshire which have hosted [[First-class cricket|first-class cricket matches]] are:
Other grounds in modern-day Warwickshire which have hosted [[First-class cricket|first-class cricket matches]] are:
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*[[Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire|List of Lord Lieutenants of Warwickshire]]
*[[Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire|List of Lord Lieutenants of Warwickshire]]
*[[High Sheriff of Warwickshire|List of High Sheriffs for Warwickshire]]
*[[High Sheriff of Warwickshire|List of High Sheriffs for Warwickshire]]
*[[List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century)#Warwickshire]]
*[[Custos Rotulorum of Warwickshire]] – List of Keepers of the Rolls
*[[Custos Rotulorum of Warwickshire]] – List of Keepers of the Rolls
*[[Warwickshire (UK Parliament constituency)]] – List of MPs for Warwickshire constituency
*[[Warwickshire (UK Parliament constituency)]] – List of MPs for Warwickshire constituency

Latest revision as of 14:15, 23 December 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Infobox English county Warwickshire (Template:IPAc-en; abbreviated Warks) is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcestershire and the West Midlands county to the west. The largest settlement is Nuneaton.

The county is largely rural, with an area of Script error: No such module "convert". and an estimated population of 607,604 in 2022. It contains a number of towns, including Nuneaton and Bedworth in the north-east, Rugby in the east, Stratford-upon-Avon in the south-west, and Warwick and Leamington Spa adjacent to each other in the centre. For local government purposes, Warwickshire is a non-metropolitan county with five districts. The county historically included the city of Coventry and the area to its west, including Sutton Coldfield, Solihull and the city centre of Birmingham.

Warwickshire is a flat, lowland county, but its far south contains part of the Cotswolds, which have been designated a national landscape. The River Avon, a major tributary of the Severn, flows through the south of the county.

The region was part of Roman Britain and later the Roman road called Watling Street became the boundary between the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia and the Danelaw. The county was relatively settled during the rest of the Middle Ages and Early Modern period; Coventry developed as a major centre of the textiles trade. The playwright William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, living much of his life there, and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was planned near Snitterfield. During the Industrial Revolution, the Warwickshire coalfield was exploited and Coventry and the west of the county became manufacturing centres; Leamington Spa developed as a tourist resort at the same time. The Victorian novelist Mary Ann Evans, better known as George Eliot, was born just outside Nuneaton in 1819.

Geography

Warwickshire is bordered by Leicestershire to the northeast, Staffordshire to the northwest, Worcestershire and the West Midlands to the west, Northamptonshire to the east and southeast, Gloucestershire to the southwest and Oxfordshire to the south. The northern tip of the county is only Script error: No such module "convert". from the Derbyshire border. An average-sized English county covering an area of Script error: No such module "convert".,[1] it runs some Script error: No such module "convert". north to south.

The majority of Warwickshire's population live in the north and centre of the county.[2] The market towns of northern and eastern Warwickshire were industrialised in the 19th century, and include Atherstone, Bedworth, Coleshill, Nuneaton, and Rugby. Major industries included coal mining, textiles, engineering and cement production, but heavy industry is in decline, being replaced by distribution centres, light to medium industry and services. Of the northern and eastern towns, Nuneaton and Rugby (as the birthplace of rugby football) are best known outside of Warwickshire. The prosperous towns of central and western Warwickshire, including Leamington Spa, Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon, Kenilworth, Alcester, Southam and Wellesbourne, harbour tourism, gaming and services as major employment sectors.

The north of the county, bordering Staffordshire and Leicestershire, is mildly undulating countryside (rising to 178m / 581 ft near Hartshill) and the northernmost village, No Man's Heath, is only Script error: No such module "convert". south of the Peak District National Park's southernmost point.

The south of the county is largely rural and sparsely populated, and includes a very small area of the Cotswolds, at the border with northeast Gloucestershire. The plain between the outlying Cotswolds and the Edgehill escarpment is known as the Vale of Red Horse.[3] The only town in the south of Warwickshire is Shipston-on-Stour. The highest point in the county, at Script error: No such module "convert"., is Ebrington Hill, again on the border with Gloucestershire, grid reference Script error: No such module "Ordnance Survey coordinates". at the county's southwest extremity.[4][5]

There are no cities in Warwickshire since both Coventry and Birmingham were incorporated into the West Midlands county in 1974 and are now metropolitan authorities in themselves. According to the 2011 United Kingdom census, the largest towns (+20,000 pop.) in Warwickshire were: Nuneaton (pop. 81,900), Rugby (70,600), Leamington Spa (49,500), Bedworth (32,500), Warwick (30,100), Stratford (25,500) and Kenilworth (22,400)[6]

Arden and Felden

Much of western Warwickshire, including the area now forming part of Coventry, Solihull and Birmingham, was covered by the ancient Forest of Arden[7] (most of which was cut down to provide fuel for industrialisation). Thus the names of a number of places in the central-western part of Warwickshire end with the phrase "-in-Arden", such as Henley-in-Arden, Hampton-in-Arden and Tanworth-in-Arden. The remaining area, not part of the forest, was called the Felden – from fielden - and is now an undulating and agricultural landscape, through which the rivers Avon and Leam flow.[8]

Historic county boundaries

File:Birmingham-Skyline-from-the-West.jpg
Much of Birmingham, presently the UK's second-largest city, was historically in Warwickshire

Areas historically part of Warwickshire include Coventry, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, and much of Birmingham including the city centre, Aston, Castle Bromwich, Digbeth, Edgbaston, Erdington, Hodge Hill, Ladywood, Nechells, Saltley, Shard End, Sheldon, Small Heath and Sparkbrook. Other areas historically in Warwickshire, all now in the West Midlands county following local government re-organisation in 1974, include Marston Green, Meriden, Chelmsley Wood, Kingshurst, and Smith's Wood.

In 1986 the West Midlands County Council was abolished and Birmingham, Coventry, and Solihull became effective unitary authorities. However, the West Midlands county name has not been altogether abolished, and still exists for ceremonial purposes. Since 2016, it has been used as part of the West Midlands Combined Authority, with powers over transport, economic development and regeneration. Some organisations, such as Warwickshire County Cricket Club, which is based in Edgbaston, in Birmingham, observe the historic county boundaries.[9]

The flag of the historic county was registered in October 2016. It is a design of a bear and ragged staff on a red field, which is long associated with the county.[10][11]

File:Flag of Warwickshire.svg
The flag of the historic county of Warwickshire

Coventry is effectively in the centre of the Warwickshire area, and still has strong ties with the county. Coventry and Warwickshire are sometimes treated as a single area and share a single Chamber of Commerce, Local Enterprise Partnership and BBC Local Radio Station (BBC CWR).

Coventry was administered separately from the rest of Warwickshire between 1451 and 1842. It formed the County of the City of Coventry, a county corporate from 1451. In 1842 the county corporate of Coventry was abolished and remerged with the rest of Warwickshire.

The town of Tamworth was historically divided between Warwickshire and Staffordshire, but since 1888 has been fully in Staffordshire.

Green belt

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Places of interest

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File:Warwick Castle May 2016.jpg
Warwick Castle
File:Chesterton Windmill, Chesterton.jpg
Chesterton Windmill

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Economy

Warwickshire has a strong and growing economy with the automotive industry being a major contributor. In the north, BMW's Hams Hall plant employs over 1,000 people,[12] while Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin Lagonda have headquarters, including a giant advanced production creation centre,[13] at Gaydon in the south.

Warwickshire is also establishing a growing reputation as a global hub of the video game industry.[14] One of Britain's oldest still-running game studios, Codemasters, has operated out of Southam for decades; the greater "Silicon Spa"[15] area, including Southam, Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick, is now home to dozens of game studios which employ a combined total of over 2,000 highly skilled people, equating to more than 10% of the UK's games development workforce.[16]

Increasingly the region is establishing itself as one of the leading areas in battery technology with major developments announced in 2021 that include a £130 million UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC)[17] based in Coventry.

Tourism is also a key area of employment with country parks, rural areas and historic towns across the county. It generates a total business turnover of over £1 billion to the local economy and supports almost 20,000 jobs.[18]

Settlements

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History

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Warwickshire in 1832
File:StratfordAvon20040717.jpg
Stratford-upon-Avon
File:Kenilworth Castle gatehouse landscape.jpg
Kenilworth Castle

Warwickshire came into being as a division of the kingdom of Mercia in the early 11th century. The first reference to Warwickshire was in 1001, as Wæringscīr, named after Warwick. The prefix wara- is the genitive plural of the Old English noun waru, which means "those that care for, watch, guard, protect, or defend". It was used as an endonym by both GothsTemplate:Efn and Jutes.Template:Efn The suffix -wick is an Old English cognate (-wic) for the Latin word for village, vicus. Near Warwick are the villages of Long Itchington and Bishop's Itchington along the River Itchen.Template:Efn

During the Middle Ages Warwickshire was dominated by Coventry, at the time one of the most important cities in England because of its prominence in the textiles trade. Warwickshire played a key part in the English Civil War, with the Battle of Edgehill and other skirmishes taking place in the county. During the Industrial Revolution Warwickshire became one of Britain's foremost industrial counties, with the large industrial cities of Birmingham and Coventry within its boundaries.

Boundary changes

File:St Mary's church in Church Street, geograph 6862602 by Steve Daniels.jpg
Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick from Church Street

Local government

File:Arms of Warwickshire County Council.svg
The coat of arms of Warwickshire County Council

Like most English shire counties, Warwickshire has a two-tier local government of a county council, and five districts each having a district or borough council. These districts are: North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford, and Warwick (see map). The county and district councils are responsible for providing different services.

Atherstone is the headquarters of the North Warwickshire district, Nuneaton is headquarters of the Nuneaton and Bedworth District and Leamington Spa is the headquarters of the Warwick district.

Warwickshire County Council, based in Warwick is elected every four years. The election on 6 May 2021 resulted in a Conservative majority. The county council operates a cabinet-style council. The county council is made of 57 councillors, who decide upon the budget and appoints the council leader. The council leader selects 8 councillors and together they form the cabinet. The Leader assigns portfolios on which cabinet members make decisions. Key decisions are made by the whole cabinet while others are made only by the portfolio holders for relevant areas.[19]

In addition many small towns and villages have their own town council or parish council as the most local tier of local government.

Warwickshire is policed by the Warwickshire Police. The force is governed by the elected Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

Proposed local government reorganisation

In August 2020 Warwickshire County Council put forward proposals for the five district and borough councils in the county to be abolished and replaced with a single county-wide unitary authority.[20] This prompted a backlash from the district and borough councils who commissioned their own report, which argued in favour of Warwickshire being split into two unitary authorities, one for the north of the county, covering the current districts of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Rugby, and one for the south of the county, covering Warwick and Stratford districts.[21] In September 2020, it was agreed that both proposals would be sent for consideration to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.[22]

Education

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". In the state sector, children start school in the school year in which they turn five. They stay at primary school for seven years (although this varies even within the county, as some people have previously gone for four years and then spent another four years at a 'middle school') until they are eleven. Warwickshire is one of 36 local authorities in England to still maintain the grammar school system in two districts: Stratford-on-Avon and Rugby. In the final year of primary school, children are given the opportunity of sitting the 11-plus exam to compete for a place at one of the 5 grammar schools: Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for Girls; King Edward VI School, a boys' school from year 7–11 with a mixed Sixth-Form; Lawrence Sheriff Grammar School for Boys; Rugby High School for Girls and Alcester Grammar School (mixed). The Warwickshire 11+ selection test consists of two papers, each containing a mixture of verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning multiple-choice questions.[23]

Warwickshire contains four colleges of further education: North Warwickshire & Hinckley College, King Edward VI Sixth Form College (K.E.G.S) in Nuneaton, Stratford-upon-Avon College and the Warwickshire College Group an institution made up of six main separate colleges that have merged (Leamington Centre, Rugby Centre, Moreton Morrell Centre, Pershore College, Henley-in-Arden Centre and the Trident Centre in Warwick).

There are also six independent senior schools within the county, namely: Rugby School, Warwick School, Princethorpe College, Kingsley School, Arnold Lodge School (both in Leamington Spa), and the King's High School For Girls (in Warwick).

A number of the Warwickshire grammar and independent schools have historical significance. King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon still uses 13th century school buildings and is the likely school of William Shakespeare, Rugby School was founded in 1567 and Warwick School was founded c. 914 ADScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., which makes it the oldest surviving boys' school in the country. Rugby School is one of nine schools that were defined as the "great" English public schools by the Public Schools Act 1868, and is a member of the Rugby Group. Rugby School, Princethorpe College and Warwick School are HMC schools, with the Headmaster from each school attending the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

There are no universities per se in Warwickshire, though the University of Warwick forms part of the border with Warwickshire on the southern edge of the city of Coventry. Some areas of the University of Warwick are within the boundaries of Warwickshire including Lakeside Village and Warwick Business School[24] The university has a small campus near Wellesbourne which houses the Warwick Horticultural Research Centre and an Innovation Centre.[25]

Transport

Roads

Several major motorways run through Warwickshire; these are:

  • The M40 motorway, which connects London to Birmingham, runs through the centre of the county; it serves Leamington Spa, Warwick and Stratford.
  • The M6 motorway, which connects North West England and the West Midlands to the M1 motorway (and then on to London), runs through the north of Warwickshire; it serves Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth on its way to Birmingham.
  • The M69 Coventry to Leicester motorway serves Nuneaton.
  • Other motorways pass briefly through Warwickshire including the M45 (a short spur south of Rugby connecting to the M1), the southern end of the M6 Toll and the M42; it passes through the county at several points.

Other major trunk routes in Warwickshire include:

  • A45 takes a route through Birmingham, Coventry and Rugby, then east into Northamptonshire
  • A46 connects the M40 to the M6 via Warwick, Kenilworth and Coventry
  • A452 Leamington to Birmingham route
  • A5 passes through Atherstone and then east of Nuneaton, and then east of Rugby, it marks the county boundary with Leicestershire.
  • A444 goes through Nuneaton and Bedworth.

Railway

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File:Rugby railway station MMB 23 390XXX.jpg
The West Coast Main Line at Rugby

Main line routes

Two main railway lines pass through Warwickshire:

Other lines

Other railway lines in Warwickshire include:

Between 1965 and 2018, the only major town in Warwickshire without a station was Kenilworth. The Leamington to Coventry line passes through the town, but the station was closed as part of the Beeching cuts. Kenilworth railway station was rebuilt and opened in April 2018,[26] with an hourly service to Coventry and to Leamington provided by West Midlands Trains.

High Speed 2

File:HS2 construction near Leamington Spa, aerial 2021 (3), geograph 6947416 by Chris.jpg
HS2 construction near Leamington Spa in August 2021

The new High Speed 2 (HS2) line is a long-distance route that is being constructed through Warwickshire; however, there will be no stations in the county. It will pass south of Southam, then between Kenilworth and Coventry, before running into the West Midlands towards Birmingham.[27]

Air

Coventry Airport is located in the Warwickshire village of Baginton.

Canals and waterways

File:Oxford Canal from Napton.jpg
The Oxford Canal at Napton-on-the-Hill

Canals and navigable waterways in Warwickshire include:

  • The Coventry Canal, which runs through the north of the county from Coventry through Bedworth, Nuneaton, Atherstone and Polesworth, and then onwards to Tamworth.
  • The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal passes briefly through Warwickshire from a junction with the Coventry Canal at Bedworth.
  • The Oxford Canal runs from near Coventry, then eastwards around Rugby and through the rural south of the county towards Oxford.
  • The Grand Union Canal runs through Leamington and Warwick, then onwards to Birmingham.
    • The restored Saltisford Canal Arm is close to the centre of Warwick and is now a short branch of the Grand Union Canal. The arm is the remains of the original terminus of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal; it dates back to 1799.
  • The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal runs from the Grand Union west of Warwick to Stratford, where it joins the Avon.
  • The River Avon runs through Warwickshire on a south-west to north-east axis, running through Stratford, Warwick and Rugby. It is navigable for Script error: No such module "convert". from the River Severn at Tewkesbury to Alveston weir just east of Stratford-upon-Avon, making it the only navigable river in Warwickshire.[28] There have been proposals to extend the Avon navigation Script error: No such module "convert". to Warwick.[29] However, as of 2019, these plans look unlikely to proceed.[30]

Media

Television

The county is covered by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central from its studios in Birmingham. Television signals are received from either the Lark Stoke or Sutton Coldfield TV transmitters.[31][32]

Radio

BBC Local Radio for the county is served by BBC CWR which broadcast from its studios in Coventry. However, the North Warwickshire area is served by BBC Radio WM. County-wide commercial radio stations are Capital Mid-Counties, Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire, Fresh (Coventry & Warwickshire), Heart West Midlands and Greatest Hits Radio Midlands.

Sport

Cycling

Warwickshire's rural roads, canal towpaths and historic towns are increasingly popular with cycling enthusiasts.[33] Its reputation as a major cycling destination has been bolstered in recent years having hosted a stage of the Women's Tour since 2016[34] and the Men's Tour of Britain in 2018 and 2019.[35]

In 2022, St Nicholas Park in Warwick hosted the Elite Men's and Women's Road Race as part of the Commonwealth Games that took place in Birmingham.[36]

Association football

Warwickshire has no Football League clubs. As of the 2022–23 season, the highest-placed team is Leamington, who play in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football. A level below, in the Southern Football League Premier Division Central, are Nuneaton Borough and Stratford Town. Other clubs include Rugby Town, Bedworth United, Southam United, Racing Club Warwick, Coleshill Town, Atherstone Town and Nuneaton Griff; all of these are affiliated to the Birmingham FA.

Aston Villa, a Premier League team, and Football League clubs Birmingham City and Coventry City are located within the historic boundaries of Warwickshire; National League club Solihull Moors and Southern League Division One Central club Sutton Coldfield Town are also sited in this area.

Parkrun

There are six Saturday morning 5 km parkruns in Warwickshire for all ages and abilities: Leamington, Stratford upon Avon, Rugby, Bedworth, Southam and Kingsbury. There are also three Sunday 2 km junior events at Stratford upon Avon, Rugby and Warwick.[37]

Cricket

Warwickshire County Cricket Club play at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, which was historically part of Warwickshire. Notable English players for the side have been Eric Hollies, M.J.K. Smith, Bob Willis, Dennis Amiss, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes. Overseas players have included Alvin Kallicharran, Rohan Kanhai, Brian Lara, Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock. In 2014, the club partly severed its links to the county by renaming its Twenty20 side the Birmingham Bears, much to the chagrin of many supporters.[38]

Other grounds in modern-day Warwickshire which have hosted first-class cricket matches are:

Gaelic sports

The Warwickshire County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (or Warwickshire GAA) is one of the county boards outside Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic games in Warwickshire. The county board is also responsible for the Warwickshire inter-county teams. They play their home games at Páirc na hÉireann.

Polo

The Dallas Burston Polo Club is a six-pitch polo club located near Southam.

Water polo

Warwick Water Polo club play in the Midland League, and train in Warwick, Banbury and Coventry.[39]

Freedom of the county

In March 2014 the freedom of the county was bestowed on the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The honour was officially bestowed following a parade through Warwick on 6 June 2014.[40]

People

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". Warwickshire was the birthplace of William Shakespeare from Stratford-upon-Avon. Road signs at the county boundary describe Warwickshire as "Shakespeare's County". The county has produced figures such as Aleister Crowley (from Leamington Spa), George Eliot and Ken Loach (from Nuneaton), Rupert Brooke (from Rugby), and Michael Drayton (from Hartshill). The poet Philip Larkin lived in Warwick (born in nearby Coventry). Folk musician Nick Drake lived and died in Tanworth-in-Arden. Frank Whittle the inventor of the jet engine was born in Coventry and was closely associated with Warwickshire, growing up in Leamington Spa, and carrying out much of his work at Rugby.[41][42]

See also

Notes

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References

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  3. Proceedings of the Cotteswold Naturalists' Field Club, v.14, (1903), p.217
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External links

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