Wellesbourne Information and History

A BIT ABOUT WELLESBOURNE...

Wellesbourne is a large village and civil parish in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of the UK.

In the 2001 census the parish, which also includes the village of Walton, had a population of 5,691 (2008 est. 6,400).

With the rapid increase in new housing and industrial developments since the 1990s, Wellesbourne is increasingly referred to as a small commuter town servicing its larger neighbours such as Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Leamington Spa and Banbury, and a little further afield, the cities of Coventry and Birmingham.

Wellesbourne sits on the A429 road, and is located around seven miles south of Warwick and five miles east of Stratford-upon-Avon. Nearby are the villages of Walton and Kineton.

History | Features | Airfield | Churches | Schools | Sport at Wellesbourne

history

The name was first recorded in 862 as Wallesburam. It was later referred to as Walesborne in the Domesday Book.

In May 1140 Wellesbourne was hit by a tornado - one of the earliest recorded in the British Isles. It damaged several buildings and killed a woman.

Wellesbourne was once two villages – Wellesbourne Mountford and Wellesbourne Hastings, the two villages being divided by the River Dene. In 1947 the two parishes were merged, and are now considered to be a single village. For these historical reasons Wellesbourne has two village centres, Chestnut Square and the Precinct respectively.

Following a Boundary Change most of Wellesbourne is now in the Parliamentary Constituency of Kenilworth and Southam. Two roads, Hammond Green and Ramsay Green built west of the old Parish Boundary are currently still attached to Stratford.

Perhaps the most significant event in Wellesbourne's history was the founding in 1872 of the first trade union for agricultural workers by Joseph Arch – an event once celebrated by an annual parade, which it was hoped to be revived in 2010. There was little interest from the Trade Unions which once featured quite prominently, but the Wellesbourne Action Group still organises a walk from Barford to Wellesbourne around the 9th of June each year along the Joseph Arch Way. There is a somewhat unusual memorial in the form of a plaque in the village bus shelter.

features

Just outside the village is one of the sites of Horticulture Research International, formerly the Institute of Horticultural Research and, before that, the National Vegetable Research Station. This is partly operated by the University of Warwick.

Wellesbourne gained recent publicity when Chedham's Yard, a historic agricultural building featuring a blacksmith's and wheelwright's workshops, won BBC TV's Restoration series in 2006. The Yard is currently undergoing restoration work and a new visitor centre is being built, it will be opening in April 2012.

airfield

The former RAF Wellesbourne Mountford near Wellesbourne is now a small civil airfield called Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield, also the site of a large market held every Saturday and bank holiday Mondays.

churches

There are three churches in Wellesbourne, St. Peter's parish church, the Roman Catholic and Methodist churches.

schools

Wellesbourne is home to Wellesbourne Church of England primary school.

sport at wellesbourne

Wellesbourne plays a variety of sports via established clubs, notably in football (in which Wellesbourne Wanderers FC have won several awards in recent years), cricket and rugby.

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