Heart of England

Coughton Court Rose Garden

2011-11-01T15:27:00.002Z

The beautiful Rose Garden at Coughton Court has 200 varieties of roses. The best time to visit is in the last week of June or first week in July.

The centrepiece of the rose garden is a statue of Rosamund, lover of King Henry II. She is surrounded by a bed of rose 'Rosa Mundi'. This rose is named after her.

In addition to the rose garden, there is also a beautiful lake, with a little gazebo on the far side, which you can see right in the distance on this photograph:

Packwood House

2011-11-01T15:21:00.002Z

Packwood House, in Warwickshire, is a garden with a message. Described by Roy Strong as "capturing the atmosphere of religious emblematic horticulture".

The garden has some conventional herbaceaous borders, and an attractive sunken garden.

Most of these photos were taken at the end of the season and don't do the garden justice. This garden is very near to me, so I will revisit during this season, and get some far better photos.

This photo shows the sunken garden, which looks at its best in the Spring.

This feature is called the Terrace Walk.

You can see that the plants are getting a bit tired and ragged towards the end of the season. The photo enlarges if you want a closer look.

There's a lot of nice brickwork around the garden.

Now we get to the novelties.

The first unusual feature of this garden is a garden of yew trees. The yew garden was originally laid out around 1660.

There is an avenue of yews, and at the far end, another flight of brick steps (just visible in this photo), leading to....

A spiral walkway, which climbs up to a solitary yew.

If you enlarge the photo you can see two figures standing at the top of the walkway, beneath the solitary conical yew.

The entire yew garden is said to represent the Sermon on the Mount. The avenue of yews represents the Apostles, and the single yew is referred to as The Master.

Another novel feature of the garden is a number of clocks and sundials scatered around the garden and on the walls of the buildings. These are just a few...

Like the Yew garden, this collection of time-keeping devices is inviting us to consider something, about time and eternity.

This is a garden which is more than an arrangement of plants. It invites the visitor to engage their minds with the garden and to think about things.

This extract is from The Renaissance Garden in England by Roy Strong:

"What the garden [in general] spoke about most powerfully of all was time. And the object which precipitated these darks thoughts was the sun-dial. Cupid and the Faithful Soul standing within the hortus conclusus point to it. The garden with its cycle of seasons of death and resurrection was a perpetual reminder of life.

One garden which is full of this symbolism and which still survives is Packwood House, Warwickshire. In the absence of any other surviving instance this re-creation seems to capture the atmosphere of this type of religious emblematic horticulture".

The entrance to the property is also unique.

Originally, the approach to the property passed along an avenue of oak trees, a mile long.

The modern road entrance uses a different route, so most visitors today do not normally see the house from this viewpoint.

There is also much to be seen inside the house. These 3 photos are from the guidebook:

The phrase 'A Thinking Man's Garden' is probably worth a post in itself.

On the whole I do think that a man's perception of a garden is different to a woman's. The woman's perception inclines more towards experiencing the garden in terms of senses rather than thought. Though having not been born inside a woman's body I don't know what it's like to experience a garden as woman do. I have to use my feeble brain to think about gardens instead.

Living History at Kenilworth Castle

2011-11-01T15:12:00.002Z

These photographs were all taken at living history events at Kenilworth Castle or Warwick Castle.

All of the photographs enlarge, by clicking on them.

The Forest of Arden

2011-09-03T04:25:00.000+01:00

A wide footpath inside Crakley Wood

The part of Warwickshire North-West of the river Avon was the old Forest of Arden.

The name still occurs in the several place names in the region: Hampton-in-Arden and Henley-in-Arden.

Much of the Forest of Arden was cleared during the Middle Ages, and some of it earlier. By the time of Domesday, 1086, about 35% of North West Warwickshire is known to have been wooded.

Despite clearance, the entire area today still retains a wooded character. Everywhere can be seen oak trees, in small copses, in hedgerows, or marking places where hedgerows have been.

Woodland Clearings - Place Names

Some useful evidence comes to us in the form of Anglo-Saxon place names.

Old oaks liine the B4113 near Stoneleigh

The names of many villages in the Arden area end with "ley" or "leigh", a Saxon suffix meaning "woodland clearing", and these settlements may have been cleared in Saxon times.

There are some 85 such place names in Warwickshire, almost all within the Forest of Arden area. The name is rare in Warwickshire outside the Arden region (only 4 occurences outside).

A "leah" could be either a man-made clearing, or a natural glade or open space. Some place names are based on the name of a family, but many have simple woodland meanings. Here are a few:

An old oak frames the Manor House at Baddesley Clinton

Allesley, Ansley (hermitage in a leah), Aspley (aspen leah), Astley (eastern leah), Baddesley-Clinton (leah owned by Clinton), Baddesley-Ensor (leah owned by Ednesouere), Bentley (bent grass leah), Birchley (birch leah), Botley (bot=firewood), Canley, Corley (cranes forest), Crackley, Darley (deer leah), Fillongley, Haseley (hazel leah), Henley (high leah), Honiley (honey leah), Ipsley (leah on a hill), Keresley, Kingley, Knightley, Langley (long leah), Oakley (oak wood), Pinley (pinn=slope), Pooley (pool leah), Ragley (rag=moss leah), Ratley (rot=merry), Saltley (sallow=willow), Shelley (leah on slope), Shirley (shire leah, where a moot is held), Shrewley (sheriff's leah), Stoneleigh (stony leah), Studley (pasture for horses), Tackley (tack=sheep), Walmley (warm leah), Waverley (waver=brushwood), Whitley (white leah), Willey (willow leah), Windley (winn=meadow).

Footpath from Preston Bagot leading to Henley-in-Arden

Such place names are evident in the three photos above, which were taken at Crack-ley, Stone-leigh, and Baddes-ley. And also in the photo right, taken near Hen-ley.

Virtually no Roman roads cross the region. It has been suggested that this was due to the difficulty of building roads through woodland.

The dominant tree in the Arden area of Warwickshire is oak. In some villages approximately 90% of the large trees are oaks.

The subsoil here is a generally a heavy deep clay. Digging a small hole, after about 9 inches down will hit clay, which is what oaks like, and many other trees don't. This heavy clay soil is less favourable to agriculture and so was less susceptible to being cleared for farmland.

The Geology of the Area

The Arden area is effectively bounded by Roman roads (shown in red on this map), the Fosse Way on the East side, and the Salt Road along the Southern boundary.

The area of the Forest of Arden correlates with an area of underlying Mercia Mudstone (shown in light brown) and Carboniferous Sandstones (grey). Sherwood Forest lies 40 miles to the North, on the same band of Mercia Mudstone, which forms a narrow arc across England.

The contrasting area of Warwickshire South-East of the Avon consists of much more open countryside. This overlays a band of Jurassic Lias Clay soils (shown in dark brown). In contrast to the Arden, the South-East area of Warwickshire is traditionally known as Feldon. The historian Dugdale speaks of the Avon dividing the "wooded part" from the Feldon.

Shakespeare's Arden

View outside Stratford, more typical of the landscape today

The Forest of Arden is the setting for Shakespeare's play As You Like It. Besides the Forest of Arden in Warwickshire, there are two similary named woodlands in France. Shakespeare's play is an adaption of an earlier story written by Thomas Lodge, which was originally set in one of the French woodlands. By a coincidence Arden also happened to be the name of the woodland around Shakespeare's home, and also, by another coincidence Arden was the maiden name of Shakespeare's mother.

In Shakespeare's mind the woodland imagary would have come from his local wood. Shakespeare seems to have compared Arden with the Biblical Eden. The idylic ife inside the forest contrasts with the "fallen" world outside the forest. There are several allusions to the Biblical story in the play. The Forest is a magical place, where strange coincidences occur, strange apparitions appear, and where people are transformed through self-discovery, or by finding love.

Modern Regeneration of Forest of Arden

In 1989, the UK Countryside Commision were investigating the possibility of creating a new National Forest. The combined local authorities of the Warwickshire area proposed a plan to regenerate the Forest of Arden. This map, from their proposal document, shows the proposed area of the new forest. This would have been similar to the area of the original forest, with the exceptions that the City of Coventry, and the Eastern perimeter of Birmingham, which did lie within the old forest, would have been excluded from the new forest. The new forest would not have extended South beyond Warwick. This is not a plan to introduce wall-to-wall forest, but to increase the proportion of land under woodland. The plan would have involved planting 150 million trees, including a high proportion of oak, in the area. For various political and economic reasons, no progress has been made to accomplish this.

There is one notable modern forestation scheme in the area. This is a private initiative being run by Mr Felix Dennis, owner of the lad's magazine Maxim. Mr Dennis is buying between 10,000 and 20,000 acres of land across South Warwickshire, at a cost of up to £200M, specifically for the purpose of planting new broadleaf woodlands.

British Native Trees

There are 32 species of native British trees: alder, crab apple, ash, aspen, beech, birch (2 species), box, wild cherry (2), elm, hawthorn (2), hazel, holly, hornbeam, juniper, lime (2), maple, oak (2), scots pine, poplar, rowan, service tree, whitebeam, willow (4) and yew.

Inside Withycombe Wood, near Stratford

The ecological values of trees can be measured by the number of different insects they host. Oak hosts 284 species; followed by willow (266); birch (229) and blackthorn (149). Sweet and horse chestnuts are popular as specimen trees on village greens in Warwickshire, but are foreign imports. Horse chestnut was introduced, in the 16th century from Turkey, and only hosts 4 insects.

The dominant tree in the Arden area of Warwickshire is oak. Silver birch is common (the 2nd most common tree in English woodlands) and grows very quickly. Ground left open here will first be covered by bramble and birch, and then, as oak grows up through and over it, the oak takes over. Elm used to be common in Warwickshire hedgerows, but was mainly wiped out by Dutch Elm disease about 10 years ago.

Short History of British Woodlands

During the last ice age, 12,000 years ago, there were no trees at all across England. At the end of the ice age, trees began to move northwards from Southern Europe. 5,000 years ago, England was largely covered by wildwood. Pollen analysis shows that the commonest tree, throughout central and southern England was the lime.

Inside Crackley Wood

Much of the extensive natural woodland covering of England was cleared in pre-Roman times. By the time of the Norman Conquest only around 15% of England remained wooded. Substantial areas of woodland remained in Warwickshire and Middlesex. These pre-Norman woodlands were not deserted wall-to-wall-forest, but contained within them clearings, natural and man-made, and thriving communities, raising pigs and other livestock, and sustainable harvesting of timber for building and for charcoal.

1066 - Norman Conquest. The Norman Kings wished to claim large areas of woodland for sport, and introduced the concept of Royal Forest. These designated areas included both wood, meadow and farmland. About 25% of England was brought under "Forest Law", with severe penalties for poaching the King's game.

In the 12th Century the Royal Forests became means for raising money, though fines and other mechanisms. Nobilty could buy leases from the Crown to farm areas of the Forest.

By the 16th Century English Kings had ambitions for national power and independence particularly against Catholic Spain. This demanded charcoal for iron, and timber for shipbuilding. The tanning of leather required the use of oak bark, which was another major demand specifically for oak. Large areas of forest were sold to enterprising nobility. A third of the entire Forest of Dean was felled in one year.

The 17th Century marked England's rise as a seafaring nation. To build a single large warship required 2,000 mature oaks. Only 12% of England remained wooded, and declining woodland became cause for concern. Within 80 years the number of oaks in Sherwood Forest alone had dwindled from 23,000 to 1,300.

By the 18th Century there was a shortage of naval timber, and the start of programs to plant new forest. By the end of the 18th Century several millions of new trees had been planted.

Stratford to Coventry

2011-08-31T03:46:00.000+01:00

The Stagecoach 16 bus service provides a convenient way for visitors to Stratford to visit Warwick Castle, Kenilworth Castle and Coventry (and for visitors to Coventry and Warwick University to visit Stratford).

There's a full timetable, and route details here: Stagecoach Service 16

This picture shows the Service 16 bus at its departure point in Wood Street, Stratford. (The bus may often be a single-decker bus).

All the remaining pictures on this page were taken from the top of the bus.

This is the A439, Warwick Road, as it leaves Stratford.

From the A439, there are some good long distance views to the right, looking across the Avon valley...

The countryside is flat and open here (this was called the Feldon). It becomes more wooded as we get North of Kenilworth (the Arden).

The photo above is taken near Snitterfield, the childhood home of John Shakespeare, Shakespeare's father. But the 16 bus does not pass through Snitterfield itself. If you want to visit Snitterfield, then you would need to catch a different, less frequent, local bus service.

Approaching Warwick, along the A46, near Coplow Hill, there is a good view of the town straight ahead.

You can very easily see St Mary's Church, Warwick. The towers of Warwick Castle are just visible, but these are largely obscured by trees. The tower of St Mary's Church is much higher than the towers of Warwick Castle.

Before we reach Warwick, we need to cross the Longbridge Island.

The Longbridge Island is a major junction where 3 main routes intersect:
The M40 Motorway, which links London with Birmingham.
The A46, which links Stratford to Coventry.
The A429, which links Warwick to Cirencester and the Fosse Way.

This is a view looking along the M40 towards Birmingham, taken from the bus as it passes over the flyover at the Longbridge Island.

Coming into Warwick, this is West Street.

The main entrance for cars to Warwick Castle is indicated by the red arrow. It isn't very well signposted. If you are on the bus, then there are also alternative entrances for pestestrians further around the castle.

We pass by the main car entrance to Warwick Castle.

You can't see anything of the castle towers from any part of the bus ride (except the view from Coplow Hill).

The tall stone building at the top of the hill is West Gate, one of the gates around the old town.

There's also an East Gate, on the opposite side of the town, which the bus will pass by. And there was a North Gate, which no longer exists.

The centre of Warwick consists of some narrow and winding streets, on top of a small hill. The bus makes it's way, tortuously, to the small bus station.

This is the market square. The building in the centre of the picture is the former Market Hall, which is now used to house the Warwickshire County Museum.

The bus station is just round the corner.

The bus may wait for several minutes at the bus station.

Leaving the bus station, the bus passes around the hillside, and passes the end of Northgate Street.

Looking up Northgate Street, we can catch a brief glimpse of St Mary's Church, and The Shire Hall (County Council administrative offices).

The bus leaves Warwick along Smith Street.

At the bottom of Smith Street the bus turns left. This is where Warwick railway station is. There is a bus stop outside the railway station.

On its way to Kenilworth, passing through the small village of Leek Wootton, mid-way between Warwick and Kenilworth.

There are a number of thatched cottages in this village, which the bus passes very swiftly.

Coming into Kenilworth, we first see St John's Church.

Kenilworth has a long straight main street, called Warwick Road.

This is a view looking down the length of Warwick Road.

At the far end of Warwick Road is Kenilworth Clock. The bus travels up the road at the right, and then does a right left.

Kenilworth Clock, shown in the picture, is point to get off for Kenilworth Castle.

Service 16 only goes through Kenilworth town centre, so there is a short walk to the castle. Walk up the road on the right, and then take the left turn, or walk through the park, to the castle.

The tops of the stonework of Kenilworth Castle can just be seen over the trees (red circle).
At this point you can walk along the road, or through the park ahead (at the right in the picture).

The park is known as the Abbey Fields, and the contains the remains of Kenilworth Priory.

The three pictures, immediately below. were taken from the road walking towards the caste. The Service 16 bus doesn't pass down this road...

This is known as Kenilworth Ford.

At times of very heavy rain, perhaps once or twice a year, the road can come under several inches of water. Just a small puddle is visible in this picture.

The entrance to the castle is just on the left, exactly at the spot where I was standing to take this photo.

Following this road a bit further and bearing right, is a tea shop and a public house.

Directly opposite the pub and the tea shop, is a small village of half-timbered thatched cottages. This hamlet is known as Little Virginia.

Resuming the service 16 route, and leaving Kenilworth, there are a couple of miles of open countryside between Kenilworth and Coventry.

The countryside here has a different character from the countryside around Stratford.

This is the region of the old Forest of Arden. Although the forest was clear long ago, this area still has a wooded feel to it.

This is a view of the approach to Coventry along the Kenilworth Road.

The bus doesn't go directly into Coventry but takes a short detour through the the University of Warwick.

This picture is taken with the bus, stopped at a cross roads, at the top of Gibbet Hill. The bus turns left here, along Gigget Hill Road, which runs through the University of Warwick.

Student Halls of Residence, and numerous teaching buildings, are visible through the trees, on both sides of the road.

Gibbet Hill Road, as it runs through the University campus.

The bus makes a complete circuit around the University campus.
On the left is Rootes Hall, the University students' social centre.

These pictures are all taken from the top of the bus.

On the right, directly opposite Rootes Hall, is Warwick Arts Centre.

Leaving the University, the bus travels along the A45 to Coventry.

Before the M40 or M1 were built, the A45 was the main road between London and Birmingham. The A45/M45 joins the M1 near Rugby, and still provides an alternative route to London.

Approaching Coventry along the A429, the road passes over a bridge over the London to Birmingham railway line, and Coventry station.

There is a bus stop on the bridge which provides convenient access to and from the station.

There is train service between here and London, every 30 minutes, and the journey to London takes 70 minutes. There is a Virgin express from London in the station in this picture.

Approaching Coventry City Centre.

On the left we pass the church of St John the Baptist, in Corporation Street.

Approaching Millennium Place and the Whittle Arch, where the journey terminates.

The bus at its Coventry arrival/departure point, which is outside the Coventry Transport Museum.

The most direct route to the Old and New Cathedrals is up an alley way, just opposite where the bus stops.

Up the alley way, the red brick building is the building that was built over the foundations of the medieval priory. At ground level (to the left and just out of the picture) there is a large window where you can look down onto what remains of the old foundations. The walkway on the right leads to the visitors centre and to the New Cathedral.

Royal Leamington Spa

2011-08-26T02:55:00.000+01:00

Royal Leamington Spa is a spa town built mainly during the 19th century. The town was visited by Queen Victoria in 1838, and was given the "Royal" status.

Leamington's main architectural characterisitic is it's wide main streets, with elegant Georgian, Regency and Victorian buildings, many lined with trees. This picture shows Regency style houses in Beauchamp Avenue.

Regency style houses in Clarendon Square, built around an area of grass and trees.

6 Clarendon Square, sometime home of Napoleon Boneparte who spent part of his exile here.

The curving arc of Landsdowne Crescent.

Just off Landsdowne Crescent, is Landsdown Circus, built around a circular area of grass and trees.

This house is 10 Landsdowne Circus, sometime home of writer Nathaniel Hawthorne.

A spring was known here since Elizabethan times, but the spa became important during the late 19th century. The Pump Rooms were built in 1813.

The pump rooms have recently been modernised and now also house a museum and library, and the town's Tourist Information Centre.

Today most people visit Leamington for its shopping.
This is a view looking up Leamington's main shopping street, The Parade.

Bordering the River Leam is a municipal park, the Jephson Gardens, named after Henry Jephson, a local doctor who popularised the spa waters.

The River Leam, as it runs through the Jephson Gardens.

The recently constructed Palm House, in the Jephson Gardens.

Inside the Palm House.

Shakespeare's Warwickshire Roots

2011-08-25T17:49:00.000+01:00

This map, reproduced from Michael Wood's book In Search of Shakespeare, shows a number of places which played a role in Shakespeare's background.
The Shakespeare family originated in Balsall, and from there spread to the adjacent villages of Wroxall, Knowle, Packwood and Rowington, and in the next generation to Snitterfield. Packwood, Baddesley Clinton and Lapworth, near to these villages, were homes of important Catholic families close to the Shakespeares and the Ardens. An accompanying TV series has been shown on BBC/PBS.

Michael Wood writes:

"The search for Shakespeare starts not in Stratford but a short way to the North in a tiny cluster of villages in the Forest of Arden. In the 16th century it was still a vast tract of forest, part of what the Normans called "beautiful wild country", and a completely different world from the crowded streets of London. Unlike the works of most of his university-educated contemporaries, Shakepeare's plays are full of images of flowers, trees and animals. This was a place to fire the imagination...".

For several generations Shakespeare's ancestors, on both his father's and mother's sides, had been Warwickshire farmers. The river Avon (shown on the map above) divided Warwickshire into 2 halves. The North-West half was the old Forest of Arden. Shakespeare's ancestors all farmed holdings, of around 100 acres each, all in the Forest of Arden.

The Shakepeare family name originated in Balsall in the 14th Century.
This picture shows present day farmland at Balsall.

This picture is taken looking towards Green Lane which runs left-to-right behind the trees along the top of the hill.

The picture is taken from the Heart of England Way, a recreational footpath.

Michael Wood writes:

"The Shakespeares' ancestors came from around the village of Balsall with its old chapel and hall of the Knights Templars. Down Green Lane, shrouded by thickets of ash and silver birch, across a ford that runs deep in Winter there is still a red-brick farm house where Adam of Oldeditch lived in the 14th Century. His son gave himself the surname Shakespeare. There were still Shakespeares at Oldeditch 100 years later, and almost certainly the clan descended from them".

This is a view along Green Lane, showing the ford referred to by Michael Wood.

About 200 yards from the ford is the present Oldeditch Farm House.

This is the view from a field at the rear of Oldeditch farm house.

The group of buildings in the centre of the picture is the hall and chapel of the Knights Templar at Balsall, referred to by Michael Wood. These buildings are shown in close-up in the picture below.

The white lines running across the picture are power cables.

The Shakespeares of Balsall spread into 4 surrounding villages - Rowington, Wroxall, Packwood and Knowle. There are pictures taken in these 4 villages immediately below...

Rowington

This picture shows the Shakespeare family's home, Shakespeare Hall, at Rowington.

Wroxall

This picture shows the remains of a Benedictine Priory at Wroxall.

Richard Shakespeare (grandfather of Willimam Shakespeare) was born in Wroxall, c1500 (not at the Abbey). He moved from Wroxall to farm in Snitterfield (see further below).

Packwood

This is the moated manor house Packwood Hall, at Packwood.

The Shakespeares of Packwood were business partners of Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare. The historian Raphael Holinshed lived at nearby Packwood House. He was the author of the Chronicles of England, that were the primary source for Shakespeare's history plays. Michael Wood wonders whether William, as a youth, might have known Holinshed in person.

Knowle

2 miles from Balsall was the village of Knowle, today a small town.

The first records of Knowle date from 1200, and refer to bequests of William de Arden, an ancestor of Mary Arden, Shakespeare's mother.

This picture shows the Guild House, which dates from 1412. Thomas Shakespeare of Balsall, became a member of the Guild here in 1486.

Another view of Knowle Guild House, and the adjacent Church of St John Baptist, St Lawrence and St Anne.

Michael Wood also lists the members of the Guild here in 1526, which effectively names the principal figures in Arden Society (more about the Knowle Guild members further down this page).

Snitterfield

Richard Shakespeare (born in Wroxall, c1500) left Wroxall to farm leased land in Bell Lane, Snitterfield (2 miles North-East of Stratford). Richard Shakespeare farmed here for 35 years.

This picture, taken from the bottom of Bell Lane, shows farmland around Snitterfield Church.

This picture shows the farmhouse originally occupied by Richard Shakespeare. One of Richard's sons, John Shakespeare, became the father of William Shakespeare. It is likely that young William Shakespeare would have been a frequent visitor to this place.
The house has been substantially changed, but does retain some tudor features.

Just down the road is an authentic half-timbered farm building, used by the Shakespeares.

Snitterfield is within easy walking distance of Stratford.
There are good views from Snitterfield. This picture shows the view looking from Snitterfield towards Stratford. You can't actually see Stratford, because it is hidden behind the Welcombe Hills (the groups of trees around the obelisk at the right). The Welcombe Obelisk looks down over Stratford.

The is the church of St James The Great at Snitterfield.

On display in Snitterfield Church are copies of parish records referring to members of the Shakespeare family.

The names in those shown here (dated 1581) are spelt Saxper and Shaksper.

Wilmcote

The land in Snitterfield which Richard Shakespeare farmed was owned by the Arden Family from Wilmcote, another old Warwickshire family of yeoman farmers.
This picture shows the Arden's farmhouse at Wilmcote, now known as Mary Arden's House.

One of Richard's sons, John Shakespeare, who grew up at the Snitterfield farm, met one of the daughters of the Arden family, Mary Arden.

Aston Cantlow

John Shakespeare married Mary Arden in Aston Cantlow church, which was the parish church for Wilmcote, the bride's home.

This picture shows old tombstones, old yew trees, and old pines in the churchyard of St John the Baptist at Aston Cantlow.

The interior of Aston Cantlow church is shown in the picture just below.

Stratford

John and Mary Shakespeare went to live in a house in Henley Street, in Stratford (the Shakespeare birthplace), which is where their son, William Shakespeare, was born.

Shottery

A mile from the centre of Stratford, and on the edge of the Forest of Arden, was the village of Shottery, and the home of Anne Hathaway, who became Shakespeare's wife.

Temple Grafton

William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were married at Temple Grafton, another village connected with with the Knights Templar.
It is believed that Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were married here, and not in Stratford, because the priest here, John Frith, was sympathetic towards a Catholic form of service, which was not available in Stratford.

Shakespeare's childhood was a time of intense religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. The Shakespeare and Arden families both had stong Catholic sympathies.
The whole Forest of Arden was an area of Catholic support. Also shown on Michael Wood's map are Lapworth and Baddesley Clinton.

These places were the homes of important Catholic families, close to the Ardens, and the Shakespeares. These families were at the centre of plots to attempt to overthrow the Protestant Crown, and were themselves the focus of Protestant persecution.

Michael Wood lists some names from the guild book of the Chapel at Knowle in 1526, which are effectively the principal figures of local society. They include:

Robert Catesby (of Lapworth, see just below),
George Throgmorton (of Coughton, also see below),
Edward Ferrers (of Baddesley)
Richard Shakespeare,
William Shakespeare (not the WS of Stratford, although a relative),
John Shakespeare.

Lapworth

This picture, taken in Lapworth Churchyard, shows the table-top tomb of Robert Catesby, principal conspirator behind the Catholic inspired Gunpowder Plot, to blow up Parliament and the Crown.
There are more pictures of Lapworth Church and the countryside around Lapworth on the Lapworth Page.

Coughton

Another important family of Warwickshire Catholics involved in the Gunpowder Plot were the Throgmorton's of Coughton (not on Micheal Wood's map), but also a few miles North-West of Stratford.

Charlecote

In the South-East corner of Michael Wood's map, and on the other side of the Avon, is Charlecote. Definitely on the wrong side of the river.
Shakespeare ridiculed Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote as his Justice Shallow in Merry Wives of Windsor, and Henry IV part 2. The traditional explanation has been that Thomas Lucy caught Shakespeare poaching deer. In fact, there were no deer at Charlecote then. Micheal Wood explains that Shakespeare's animosity towards Thomas Lucy was far more likely due to Thomas Lucy's role in the persecution of Warwickshire Catholics, and particularly his role in the arrest of Edward Arden, head of Shakespeare's mother's family, who was taken to London, tortured and executed.

Pictorial Biography of William Shakespeare

2011-08-25T04:37:00.000+01:00

Many of the pictures on this page are taken from the book William Shakespeare by Andrew Gurr. The book includes a large number of reconstructions of scenes from Shakespeare's life. The pictures were directed by Julian Napier and photographed by Dominic Clemence. The photos on this page of present day Stratford are my own.

This first picture shows young William Shakespeare with his father, John Shakespeare, and his mother, Mary Arden.

John Shakespeare was a glove-maker, and this picture shows Willam and his brother Gilbert helping their father in their father's workshop.

Young William would have attended the King Edward's Grammer School in Stratford.
After leaving school at around 14 it is likely that Shakespeare went to learn his father's trade in his father's shop.

When he was 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathway, who was a few years older than himself. Anne's original home was a farmhouse, now known as Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Anne had been the eldest of 3 sisters, and their father had died a year before Anne and Willam were married.

One of William's earliest poetic works is a sonnet (number 145) written to Anne.

Anne and William had their first child, Susanna, in 1583.
Susanna was followed by twins, Judith amd Hamnet, 2 years later.

There was general economic hardship in Warwickshire at that time, which seriously affected Shakespeare's father's business and the Shakespeare family. William needed to find other employment. His early sonnet to Anne shows his interest in writing, but there was no such work locally.
Fate brought William into contact with a travelling theatre company, and he joined them, as an actor.

Travelling companies of actors would perform at market fairs, or at great country houses. Each company was under the patronage of some wealthy nobleman. The Earl of Leicester (who lived at nearby Kenilworth Castle) was the patron of one local company.

The picture below shows the Guild Hall at nearby Coventry which was also used for such performances.

The travelling company of actors took Shakespeare to London. Little is known of Shakespeare's early years in London. He must have pursued his writing after his day's work, in the taverns where he was lodging.

By 1592, when he was aged 27, Shakespeare had established himself as both an actor and writer.

This picture shows the Earl of Southampton, a very rich young gentleman, to whom Shakespeare dedicted two of his earliest works, and who was an early patron of Shakespeare.

This picture shoes the Burbage family. James Burbage (left) had been an actor in the company of Lord Leicester's Men (Kenilworth Castle). He established his own company in London under the patronage of the Lord Chamberlain, which became known as the Chamberlain's Men. This company included Shakespeare as one of its managers and players. James Burbage's son, Richard Burbage (standing), was the foremost actor of the day, and played all of the great roles created by Shakespeare for the company (Hamlet, Othello, etc)

Beside his great philosophical explorations, Shakespeare's time in London was one of intense personal emotions, reflected in the content of his Sonnets. Some of these are attributed to an unidentified figure known as the Dark Lady.

Until 1596 The Chamberlain's Men had used a theatre in Shoreditch, which needed replacement. In 1598 the conpany decided to finance the construction of a new theatre, The Globe. The money was raised by contributions from members of the company. Shakespeare who made substantial profits from his share in the scheme.
The Globe theatre has recently been rebuilt, very near to the site of the original, and closely resembling the original.

This picture shows a performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor before Queen Elizabeth.

In 1603 Queen Elizabeth died, without an heir. She had appointed James VI of Scotland to be ruler of England on her death. The Chamberlain's Men soon secured the favour of the new King, and became known as The King's Men. Shakespeare's play Macbeth was composed soon afterwards in gratitude to the new King.

Throughout his time in London Shakespeare lived in lodgings, and sent money back to maintain his property and investments in Stratford. He always maintained the intention of returning to Stratford someday. This picture shows Shakespeare travelling back to Stratford, by horse, and staying overnight in Oxford. He may have returned to Stratford each year during the period of Lent when the playhouses in London would have been closed.

In 1610 Shakespeare returned to Stratford permanently to manage his investments and properties.

Shakespeare's final play, The Tempest, was probably written in comfort in Stratford.

In 1613, the Globe was burnt down in the Great Fire of London. The company rebuilt the theatre, but Shakespeare was no longer part of the company.

Shakespeare's daughter Susanna married a Stratford doctor John Hall. This picture shows Shakespeare with Susanna's daughter Elizabeth, at New Place in Stratford.

This family portrait shows (back row) Shakespeare, Dr John Hall, Judith (Shakepeare's other daughter), (centre row) Anne Hathaway, Susanna, Thomas Quiney (a friend of Judiths), (front) Elizabeth (Susanna's daughter).

Shakespeare died in Stratford on 23 April 1616, and now lies in Holy Trinity Church Stratford.

Geological History of Warwickshire

2011-08-24T17:21:00.001+01:00

From the cover of
The Geology of Britain
by Peter Toghill

The geology of Britain can be very complex. This post presents a simplified explanation, which covers the main features of the Warwickshire landscape.

Beneath the surface of England is a series of layers of deposits. There are very ancient deep rocks, and on top of these successive layers of younger deposits (like a layered cake). The entire country has then been tilted, upwards at the North West, and the top surface eroded (a large slice taken horizontally off the top of the tilted cake), so that bands of older rocks can be found at the surface in the North West, and progressively younger rocks are at the surface moving South Eastwards.

This picture shows the bands of rocks, near the surface, across England.

The map below shows a more detailed picture of the Warwickshire area:

(1) North West of the Avon, beneath the former Forest of Arden, is a band of older rocks, called Triassic Mercia Mudstone (also called Keuper Marl, Keuper Red Sandstone, and Arden Sandstones). The slightly hilly areas in this region, are due to variations in the hardness of the sandstones. These rocks date from 250Ma-200Ma (Ma=millions of years ago). Fossils have been found suggesting sand flats in a hot arid climate.

(2) Between Kenilworth, Tamworth and Nuneaton an anomalous island of older Carboniferous Coal Measures is exposed. These older rocks, which contain layers of sandstones and coal have been pushed upwards through the Triassic Mercia Mudstone, and the soft mudstones eroded away. The coal seams are near the surface in the North of the area, but run progressively deeper to the South. The rocks in this area date from 300Ma-350Ma.

(3) Between Nuneaton and Atherstone is a narrow Pre-Cambrian Volcanic ridge. These are very old rocks indeed and date from 600Ma-500Ma. Quartzite, a hard volcanic rock, has been quarried commercially near Nuneaton.

(4) South East of the Avon, the Feldon, is the next younger band of rocks in the main sequence. These were laid down about 200Ma, and are called Jurassic Lower Lias Clays. These form heavy poorly drained soils.

(5) In the far South East is a still younger band, the Edge-Hill escaprpment, not visible on the map. This is called Middle Lias. It is a 150 feet thick band of brown sandstones, laid down 150Ma.

(6) In the extreme South East is the edge of the Cotswold escarpment, an even younger band of Jurassic Limestone, dating from 140Ma.

At times between 400,000 - 10,000 years ago the area was covered by ice sheets. When this ice melted large amounts of glacial deposits were dumped, particularly around Dunsmore Heath. Many Warwickshire villages are located on top of these deposits as these give easy access to sub-surface water.

The coal deposits mean that the entire area was, at one time, sub-tropical forest. The sandstone means that the entire area was, at one time, desert. The limestone deposits mean that the area was, at one time, warm shallow sea.

How It All Happened

From The Geology of Britain, by Peter Toghill

500 million years ago (Cambrian Period), when primitive life was forming in the seas, the entire land mass of England was situated near the South Pole. England, Wales, southern Ireland, and a small part of NE America formed a drifting subcontinent known as Avalonia.
On the diagram shown right, just North of Avalonia, is a line drawn like a weather front labeled "subduction zone". This is where sea bed was being forced down beneath the subcontinent. Subduction zones cause volcanos. The volcanic rocks near Nuneaton date from this period. The Snowdonian range, also extinct volcanoes, also dates from this period.

The volcanic rocks near Nuneaton contain important fossils laid down when England was located near the Antarctic Circle. Rocks near Nuneaton have been dated 615Ma.

Scotland was then near the equator. 5,000km of ocean, the Iapetus Ocean, separated England and Scotland. Continental drift has moved England Northwards, typically at about 4cm per year. This amounts to 4,000km per 100 million years:

4cm x 100,000,000 year = 400,000,000cm = 4,000km.

By 350Ma (Carboniferous Period) England had joined up to Scotland. The Scottish Highlands were created by the continental collision of these two land masses. Britain was then situated near the equator. This is the time that early tropical forests and swamps were forming what were to become coal measures. The coal seams alternate with sandstones and clays, as the land was periodically inundated with river deltas and tropical seas.

By 290Ma Britain was at latitude 25N, typical of the Sahara or a Caribbean climate. Around 250Ma (Triassic Period), the Mercia Sandstones were being formed from sandy desert.

Around 150Ma (late Jurassic Period) warm shallow seas were forming the limestones of the Cotswolds. This type of limestone is called "oolitic". This is not a marine creature, but is a physical precipitation of calcium carbonate, although it does include marine fossils. This type of precipitation is occuring near Bermuda today.

The tilting of England occurred between 60Ma and 2Ma (Tertiary Period). This was caused by a mantle upswell beneath the Irish Sea. This raised the North West of England by up to 2km, causing a 2-degree tilt across the country. In the North West of England up to 2km of upper layer rocks have been eroded from the upraised surface, exposing the older rock layers below. About 200,000 cubic kilometers of eroded material have been deposited in the North Sea or Atlantic.

Detailed Local Geology

Because of the presence of coal measures in Warwickshire the region was been extensively explored with deep boreholes, and the underlying geology, which is quite complicated, is known with some detail.

The diagram shown left is one which I constructed based on information in a British Geological Survey publication 'Geology of the Country Around Warwick'. The map might not be precisely accurate, although the main features are. It shows the surface rocks in the Kenilworth/Warwick area.

The grey tones are the older carboniferous period rocks. The dark grey, in the North is called Tile Hill Mudstone, the mid-grey is called Kenilworth Sandstone, the light grey is Ashow Foundation.

The younger rocks of the Jurrassic period are in terracota color. The light colour, in the outer region, is the Mercia Mudstone. The dark brown is Bromsgrove Sandstone, so-called because this same band of rocks occurs prominently near Bromsgrove. This porous stone forms the aquifier beneath Leamington, which is the source of the spa waters.

The light green colour in the North West is a band of glacial deposits, forming high ground in the area of Burton Green. This is called Oadby Till, named from a district in Leicestershire. The rock was carried here by glaciers coming down through Rugby. There is a large amount of glacial deposit in the Dunsmore area.

The map also shows the quarries used for the stone used to build the two castles in the area. Kenilworth Castle was built from Kenilworth Sandstone, mined at Castle Quarry. Warwick Castle was built from Bromsgrove Sandstone, mined at Coten End Quarry.

Illustrated Biography of J R R Tolkien

2011-08-24T17:04:00.000+01:00

This is a short illustrated biography of J R R Tolkien. It emphasises his formative childhood in Warwickshire, and illustrates shows some locations in Warwickshire that are particularly evocative of certain places in his books. The page includes some interpretations of possible meanings of his stories.

Tolkien's Warwickshire

Some of the images on this page are from a BBC Documentary Tolkien's Middle Earth; some are from a BBC Omnibus program J R R Tolkien - Master of Middle Earth; some are from Channel 4's Treasure Hunt program; and many are my own. The biographical details are based on information in Humphrey Carpenter's "J R R Tolkien: the Authorised Biography".

John Ronald Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on 3rd January 1892. His parents both came from Birmingham, England, and were staying in South Africa on business. In 1896 his mother and his younger brother Hilary returned to England on a short visit, and while here, their father died.

The picture at right is from a piece of film taken at Oxford in 1967. Tolkien spoke about his first experiences of England as a child, the contrast of coming from a landscape of "wilting eucalyptus trees" and "troubled by heat and sand", to a green and leafy Warwickshire. He said:

"To find oneself, just at the time when one's imagination is opening out, in a quiet Warwickshire village, engenders a particular love of a central middle England countryside."

His mother had originally come from Birmingham, and on their return from South Africa found lodgings in the Warwickshire village of Sarehole, which was a couple of miles outside Birmingham, on the road to Stratford.

This old photo shows Sarehole as it was when Tolkien grew up here.

And this is the house in Sarehole where they lived, shown as it appears today.

There were only a few houses at Sarehole, but there was also a water mill, used for grinding flour. This is Sarehole Mill, which became Tolkien's Mill at Hobbiton.
Near the end of his life Tolkien left a sum of money to go towards the preservation of Sarehole Mill.

This is a modern aerial view of Sarehole, showing the Mill in the foreground, with the mill pond in the center of the picture.
Tolkien's childhood home was in Gracewell Road, which is the road at the very top right.

The old village has now been engulfed by urban sprawl from Birmingham.

Just behind Gracewell Road is Moseley bog, a secret and atmospheric place, where the Tolkien bothers liked to play.
Sarehole lies on the North-West edge of what used to be the Forest of Arden.

Hobbit Country

The name "hobbit" comes, consciously or otherwise, from the Old English name Hob. This is a character well known in English folklore. There are several roads in Warwickshire which were named, in Medieval times, after this character.
The Hob Lane shown here is a quiet country lane, still unspoiled, about 6 miles East of Sarehole, and lying just to the North of Temple Balsall. Temple Balsall was the home, in Warwickshire, of the Knights Templar, who are believed to have revered a similar figure.

This is the road sign of another Hob Lane in Warwickshire, lying to the East. The road sign here was old and weathered, and overgrown with stinging nettles.
This particular Hob Lane is very much "hobbit country".

This is a view along Hob Lane. You can well imagine hobbits walking, unseen, over the fields behind these tall winding hedgerows.

Both of these Hob Lanes, and the entire area of Warwickshire between Sarehole and Stratford, lie within the old Forest of Arden.

Bilbo's Garden

This is Bilbo's garden.

The garden is in typical hobbit style, with native flowers nestling around the hobbit hole, with its round door and windows, set in a grassy bank.

The flowers crowd together in a haphazard way. Foxgloves predominate. The grass "lawn" is slightly unkempt, and littered with wild flowers.

Bilbo's garden includes a carved life-size image of his friend Gandalf.
This is a garden which everyone stops to see, and most people immediately recognise whose garden it is.

Bilbo's garden was designed by David Fountain, Gold medal winner at Chelsea 2001 (seated here), and Kim Wilde, sponsored by Countryside Properties, for the Gardeners World Live exhibition, held at the NEC, near Meriden.

Tolkien's Youth

This is one of the Tolkiens' neighbours in Sarehole, Samson Gamgee, whose name has become immortalised in Sam Gamgee.

In 1900, Tolkien gained a place at King Edwards School in Birmingham. This was an impressive Gothic building in the center of the town.
That meant a 4-mile walk to school. At about this time his mother became a Roman Catholic, and she wanted to be able to attend a Catholic church.

So, the family moved, from the green and leafy Sarehole into the dark and urban environment of Birmingham itself.

In 1904, his mother became ill with diabetes, for which there was then no treatment, and which proved fatal.

The Tolkein brothers came under the care of a Catholic priest, Father Francis Morgan.

Father Francis found the boys lodgings at the home of a Mrs Faulkner. Tolkien was then 16. Also lodging in the same house was an attractive girl named Edith, aged 19, and a relationship between them began. This outraged Father Francis who forbade Tolkien to see Edith, until he was 21.
Tolkien applied himself to his studies at King Edwards and in 1911 obtained a scholarship to Oxford University, to study languages.

When he became 21, while at Oxford, he again contacted Edith, and they renewed their relationship and planned to marry. Edith moved to Warwick, which Tolkien particularly liked.

In August 1914, the First World War broke out.
Tolkien was able to complete his degree in June 1915, but soon had to leave with the troops. Before leaving for France, he and Edith married, at the small Catholic Church in Warwick, on 22 March 1916.

He was sent to the Western Front, just before the Battle of the Somme. After four months of horror in the trenches of the Somme, he caught trench-fever (fortunately for him), and was returned to England. Most of the friends he had formed at University did not return.

Tolkien recovered and stayed with Edith at Great Haywood in Staffordshire.

It was at the Presbatory at Great Hayworth, shown here, that Tolkien began to write what was to become the Silmarillion, which was to serve as a framework for the some of the ideas in The Lord of The Rings.

Part of his motivation was a need to do something for all the friends he had lost. He says that he had an ambition to write a "Mythology of England" (biography p97).

The Barrow Downs

The A34 Birmingham to Stratford road, which runs through Sarehole, continues through Stratford, and passes through the Warwickshire village of Long Compton. Here are Warwickshire's Barrow Downs. There are long barrows on the tops of these hills. On the particular day that these pictures were taken the lower slopes of the downs were shrouded in fog. This is Tolkiens "Fog on the Barrow Downs". Just as described in his story, this fog can appear and disappear rapidly.

Just above Long Compton, and close to where the picture above was taken, is the Rollright Stones neolithic monument. According to Professor Shippeys Road to Middle Earth, p75, when Tolkien refers to Standing Stones, Rollright is probably the place he is thinking of. Tolkien's phrase "jagged teeth out of green gums" is also a good description of the stones here at Rollright.

Those hills were crowned with green mounds and on some were standing stones pointing upwards like jagged teeth out of green gums.

"There stood a single stone standing tall under the sun above"

At the end of hostilities, in November 1918, Tolkien was demobed and obtained a position working on the New English Dictionary. In the summer of 1920 he applied for a post of Reader in English Language at Leeds University.

In 1923 Tolkien caught a severe cold which turned to pneumonia. To recover he went to stay with his Aunt Jane, who lived on a farm named Bag End Farm (shown at left).

This is the original Bag End, which was to reappear a few years later, as Bilbo's home in The Hobbit.

In 1925 Tolkien returned to Oxford, no longer as student, but as Professor of Anglo-Saxon.
This house is 20 Northmoor Road, Oxford, where Tolkien lived for most of his working life.

During the long uneventful years at Oxford, Tolkien wrote The Lord of The Rings, and produced The Hobbit, a compact story, for children, forming a part of the grander design.

In 1936, Tolkien submitted The Hobbit to publisher Stanley Unwin.

This picture shows Stanley's son, Raynor Unwin.

Raynor Unwin was 10 years old when Tolkien submitted The Hobbit for publication. Raynor Unwin had the task of "reviewing" children's books for his father, and wrote the first review of The Hobbit.

This is Raynor Unwin's original
"Report on The Hobbit".

Raynor Unwin ends by saying "this is a good book and should appeal to all children between the ages of 5 and 9".
The Hobbit was published in 1937.

Some years later, Raynor Unwin, then grown up, assisted Tolkien through the difficult publication of The Lord Of The Rings.

This is the flysheet of a first edition of The Hobbit that Tolkien gave to his Aunt Jane.

You can just see "Aunt Jane" at the top of the page. Tolkien had included a complete handwritten rune alphabet in this book.

Meon Hill - Weathertop

Along the top of the Cotswold escarpment there are many Iron Age hill forts. The one which gives a feeling of being much like Tolkien's Weathertop is the flat-topped Meon Hill. This hill is a landmark visible for miles around in all directions. And the hill itself commands a strategic view of the roads around.
Meon Hill has many associations with the supernatural and witchcraft. The hill is said to have been created by The Devil, in anger, at the construction of Evesham Abbey some miles away. There are legends that phantom hounds of the Celtic King Arawyn hunt the hill at night. In 1945 Meon Hill was the site of a well-publicised ritual witchcraft murder, the victim impaled on a pitchfork, his body marked with pagan symbols. Investigations were led by Scotland Yard's "Fabian of The Yard". (Full details of all these in Haunted Warwickshire, by Meg Atkins, pp118-122).

Soon after the publication of The Hobbit, in 1937, Unwins asked for a sequel. Tolkien already had much of the material for The Silmarillion, and wanted them to publish that. But The Silmarillion has no hobbits in it. So Tolkien embarked on writing a second hobbit story - The Lord of The Rings. This second, huge, story was not completed until 1949, and was eventually published in 1954-55.
This is Raynor Unwin's brother, David Unwin, talking about the publication of The Lord of The Rings.

He explained that this was a very large work, and publication had been considered a risky venture. Because of the risk, The Lord of The Rings was published in 3 parts. The publication of the 1st volume cost £1,000, which would have had to be written off if the book had flopped.

This picture is taken from an interview which was filmed in 1967.
You may imagine Tolkien to speak with a deep and slow voice, as someone who did not know, might expect a Gandalf to speak.

But in fact, Tolkien did not have a deep voice, and spoke quite rapidly, reflecting his nimbleness of mind. In his biography Humphrey Carpenter also comments on Tolkien's quality of speech (and his short stature). Not what you would expect of a Gandalf - more like Bilbo.

Tolkien liked to smoke a pipe. Here, he demonstrates his party trick blowing smoke rings.

Here Tolkien was filmed writing, in Elvish runes, the phrase "a star shines upon our meeting".

He uses a normal fountain pen to write the characters, and writes the letters quite slowly.

Significant Dates

3 Jan 1892 Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa
15 Feb 1896 Family returned to England; father died; childhood spent at Sarehole Warwickshire
1900 Mother becomes Catholic; starts school; move to Birmingham
1904 Mother died
1908 Met Edith (future wife)
1911 Student at Oxford
1913 Resumed relationship with Edith
1914 World War I
1915 Graduated from Oxford
22 Mar 1916 Married Edith; sent to France
1918 Returned to England; end of War; became lexicographer
1920 Obtained post at Leeds University
1925 Obtained post at Oxford
1937 Hobbit published
1954-55 Lord of Rings published
1969 Retired; moved to Bournemouth
22 Nov 1971 Edith died
2 Sep 1973 Tolkien died

Tolkien retired in 1969, and he and his wife moved to Bournemouth.
Edith Tolkien died on 22 November 1971. Tolkien died on 2 September 1973. They are both buried in Wolvercote cemetery, Oxford.

Interpretation - What's It All About

The BBC Omnibus program interviewed a range of people interested in Tolkien's work.

An environmentalist believed the most important meaning involved our relation to the planet. In an interview on the ITV South Bank Show, Terry Pratchett, an author of childen's stories, believed that Tolkien's works were fundamentally childen's stories. Terry Pratchett said:

"If you don't believe that Tolkien is the greatest writer there ever was when you are 13 years old there is something wrong with you. If you still believe that when you are 53 there really is something wrong with you."

People's interpretations of Tolkien depend on their own experiences and knowledge. So Terry Pratchett, who writes what are nothing more than children's stories, sees in Tolkien just a children's story. Other people will see different things. There is a passage in The Lord of The Rings, where Lady Galadriel holds up her elven ring. Sam Gamgee sees nothing. She says to Frodo:

As ring-bearer you have seen that which is hidden, and perceived my thought more clearly than many who are accounted wise.
An interesting view on the Omnibus program was given by Professor T A Shippey, himself a philologist, who for some time held the same position and taught the same syllabus as Tolkien had at Leeds. Professor Shippey held that the invention of languages is the foundation of Tolkien and that the stories were made to provide a world for the language, rather than the reverse. Shippey refers to this as "Tolkien's Heresy".

Tolkien's Heresy

The idea behind Tolkien's Heresy can be found in many commentaries on the Old Testament which describe beliefs about the "power of the word". The idea also occurs in Ancient Egyptian. The Egyptians had the concept of the onomasticon, and a belief that a word contained all the properties of the thing. And it occurs in Plato. Plato's Cratylus is his exposition on the nature of language. Plato comes to the conclusion that words are not arbitrary labels, and that they can only be given by a name-maker who is "of all artisans the rarest among men". It occurs in the New Testament, "in the beginning was the word and the word was Jesus Christ". In Tolkien's Letters (p378), he mentions that he was a translator of the Jerusalem Bible, so he would have been familiar with those Old Testament beliefs. And, also in Letters (p281), there are some of his drawings of Ancient Egyptian crowns, and he writes with knowledge about Egyptian beliefs. So Tolkien could have formed his beliefs from any, or more likely, all, of those sources.

Tolkien's linguistic insights, and the way they are applied in his work, differentiate Tolkien, quite radically, from all other fantasy writers.

Tolkien as Gandalf

It is tempting to see Tolkien himself as a Gandalf-like figure, and to ask whether, in any of the statements which Tolkien makes about Gandalf, he might also be speaking about himself.

When Tolkien introduces Gandalf to us, he explains that Gandalf's fame in The Shire is "mainly due to his skill with fires, smokes and lights", but that the Shire folk know nothing of his "real business". When the hobbits first meet Aragorn in The Prancing Pony, Aragorn tells Frodo "As a rule you can only see his jokes and toys. But this business of ours will be his greatest task". And Galdariel says "Those that followed him knew not his mind, and cannot report his full purpose". It is natural to ask whether Tolkien meant The Lord of The rings to have some high purpose.

The idea of a "one-ring" has similaries to Old Testament views about a sole power that moves the events of history. Tolkien's use of the name Melkor (derived from an Old Testament name for a messenger of the sole power in the Silmarillion raises interesting questions in this area.

What's It All About

Tolkien disliked people asking this question, and was reluctant to answer it. The nearest he comes to an answer is in his Letters, where there he says that it is about death and immortality.
Tolkien likes to use the term "applicability". A valid interpretation of Tolkien needs to ask how his works might be applicable to events and situations.

If we are looking to Tolkien to help us illuminate current events, then we might observe that he sees technology as the tool of evil, and especially when used as a vehicle of military aggression. Saruman, with his mechanical devices at Isengard, and Sauron in his fortress at Baraddur epitomise evil.

In his Letters Tolkien tells us:

"The Enemy in successive forms is always concerned with sheer domination, and so the Lord of machines. This frightful evil can and does arise from an apparently good root, the desire to benefit the world and others, speedily and according to the benefactors own plans."

In a letter dated 6 August 1945, 3 days after the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Tolkien writes of:

"the utter folly of these lunatic physicists content to do such work for the purposes of war".

1960's American Interpretation

Morals about the development and use of atomic weapons, and about the misuse of science and technology in general to produce armaments, are as applicable now as then. The story can even be interpreted as a criticism of technology in general. Many cultures have myths about the dubious nature of technology. The ancient Greeks had the myth of Hephaestos, the deformed god. In Jewish legend this is the Golem, which is the origin of the name Golem in Tolkien.

Themes of temptation run through the story: Frodo struggles against the temptation to use the ring; Gandalf tells Frodo what great need he has of it but refuses it; Galadriel is offered it and through wisdom declines it.

At a political level the story can be interpreted as the temptation to resort to force and violence as a means of solving problems. The Pentagon's military might forms an excellent parallel with the might of Mordor.

But The Lord of The Rings is not just about two parties fighting it out with weapons. Such an interpretation doesn't do justice to the place of Frodo and Ring. Particularly to much of the first part of the story, and Gandalf's talks with Frodo about the Ring. Nor to the role of Galadriel, who might be seen as pulling the strings of Fate, in order to bring the entire story to fullfillment.

Living Churchyards

2011-08-09T06:09:00.001+01:00

Several churchyards in Warwickshire (and across England) are managed to encourage wildlife - flowers, birds, butterflies and animals, and to conserve lichens.

This scheme was originally referred to as the Living Churchyards and Cemetery Project. This page contains a few pictures of some of the churches in Warwickshire taking part in this scheme.

Alderminster is 4 miles South-East of Stratford, on the Birmingham-Stratford-Oxford Road.

Alderminster is one of the oldest villages in Warwickshire. The village had a church in the 6th century (not on the site of the present one). The present Church of St Mary and the Holy Cross dates from about 1200, but has been heavily restored. The original village was wiped out by the plague in 1349.

Alderminster has been in the Living Churchyards scheme for several years. It's churchyard illustrates some of the main features.
Close to the church are closely mown paths, and just outside these paths is meadow-type grassland. This is mown once or twice a year, usually in late Summer (but mowing schemes vary).

In the more remote parts of the churchyard, the grass is not mown, and these are allowed to grow wild.
The area around these gravestones had been colonised by vipers bugloss.

Nettles envelop a crucifix.

Offchurch, 3 miles East of Leamington, lies on the Welsh Road, a former sheep droving road from sheep farming areas of Wales to London. Anglo-Saxon artifacts from the 7th century have been found here. Offchurch takes its name from King Offa of Mercia (757-796), who had a manor nearby and built the first church here.

The windows in this church are very small, so it is quite dark inside. The darkness accentuates the brightness of the stained glass windows.
The area of the church near the main door is bathed in blue light coming from one window near the door.

This picture shows the doorway into the church and the adjacent window.

Visible through the doorway is a bench in the porch outside.

Offchurch is one of the most interesting living churchyards.

A notable feature at Offchurch is its communities of different species of tall wild flowers.

There are ivy covered tombstones, and many bird and bat boxes up in the yew trees.

There were also squirrels in the trees.

Oldberrow lies 2 miles West of Henley-in-Arden, on the Warwick-Henley-Redditch Road. There has been a chapel here since 1150. The present St Mary's Church is 13th century.

Various areas of Oldberrow churchyard are mowed with different frequencies, and at different times of the year. This diagram, on display inside the church, explains their mowing plan.
Also in the church are collections of photos identifying various types of lichen that can be found in the churchyard, and other wildlife pamphlets.

Wootton Wawen is 2 miles South of Henley-in-Arden, on the Warwick-Henley Road.

Barston Churchyard.

One important consequence of living churchyard projects is that they raise awareness of conservation principles among ordinary gardeners, who might adopt some of these practices in their own gardens.

More about Living Churchyards

The Living Churchyard (Principles)

Palmer's Farm

2011-08-04T05:46:00.004+01:00

Palmer's Farm, near Stratford-upon-Avon, and is owned and maintained by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Until just a few years ago, Palmer's Farm was believed to have been the home of Mary Arden, Shakespeare's mother.

Recent research has revealed that Mary Arden actually lived in the house next door, and that house is now known as Mary Arden's House.

All the photos on this page show Palmer's Farm.

Round the back of the house is the farmyard.

These are some of the outbuildings, complete with ivy and red climbing roses.

Also round the back is an authentic Elizabethan vegetable garden.

I was surprised to see raised beds. I had thought that raised beds were a modern innovation.

This member of staff was very happy to take a few minutes out to tell me about the history of raised beds. He was able to quote references and dates from various books written at the time.

He told me that raised beds are documented in the first gardening book to written in English, The Gardener's Labyrinth, written by one Didymus Mountain.

This 16th Century illustration is from a modern reprint of The Gardener's Labyrinth.

Here we see the gardener, sitting in his potting shed, with a large jug of ale, refreshing himself.

At the top right is castle on top of a hill, presumably intended to be Camelot, the home of King Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot.

Church Lawford and Kings Newnham

2011-08-04T05:10:00.044+01:00

Church Lawford and Kings Newnham are two villages occupying the Avon Valley, between Coventry and Rugby.

This picture shows part of the small village of Kings Newnham, viewed from the A428 Coventry to Rugby road.

This is a slightly wider view of the scene above.
In the centre of the picture can be seen the River Avon (white). The houses just beyond are also part of Kings Newnham.

The houses at the right of the picture are the village of Church Lawford.

The picture below is a wide angle panorama, through almost 180 degrees, showing the entire view of the Avon Valley at this point. At the far left lies Coventry, Kings Newnham is two-thirds the way along the picture, and Church Lawford is visible at the far right. Rugby lies beyond Church Lawford, to the right. Various woods are visible in the background, and the River Avon meanders back and forth across the picture. You can click on the picture to enlarge the image.

This is a view looking towards Church Lawford from the Rubgy side.

The River Avon is visible in the foreground. The river meanders wildly in this area. It flows right-to-left in the foreground, but just behind, where there are willow trees visible, it flows back left-to-right. The church tower visible in the distance is St Peter's Church, Church Lawford.

Sheep grazing on the banks of the meandering Avon.
This view is taken mid-way between Church Lawford and Kings Newnham, looking down the Avon Valley in the direction of Coventry. The tall buildings of Coventry are just visible beyond the group of 3 trees at the far left of the picture.

A ford across the River Avon.
The place name Law-ford means a ford over the river. I don't know if this is the original ford.

The Avon flows left to right, behind the fence in the foreground. The water in the foreground is the roadway, which crosses the Avon here, then rises up the far bank.

A view looking down into the village of Kings Newnham from a hill just behind the village.

St Peter's Church, Church Lawford.

The Elizabethan Manor House, Church Lawford.

Dunchurch

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This is St Peter's Church, Dunchurch.

Dunchurch was an important staging post on the road from London to the Midlands. It lies at the cross roads between the old London-Birmingham road, and the old Oxford-Leicester road.

The inn sign of the Dun Cow Inn, Dunchurch. An 18th century coaching inn, the inn had stabling for 40 pairs of horses. The Dun Cow comes from a medieval romance. It was a monster terrorising local villages. According to the tale, the beast was defeated by the legendary Guy of Warwick.

Just across the road from the Dun Cow Inn is the village Smithy. A blacksmith on hand was essential to keep those horses shod. And over the smithy is the Chestnut Tree. The present tree is a replacement for its parent.
It is claimed by many English tourism guidebooks that this is the Smithy and Chestnut Tree that inspired Longfellow's poem The Village Blacksmith.

2 miles West of Dunchurch is Draycote Water.

Managed by Severn Trent to supply Rugby with water, Draycote Reservoir covers more than 600 acres with a capacity of 5,000 million gallons. Draycote Water is one of the best locations in the Midlands for winter wildfowl and gulls, and for migrating birds on spring and autumn passage.

Tanworth-in-Arden

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The green at Tanworth-in-Arden, showing the village pub.

Another view of the green at Tanworth-in-Arden, showing shops at the left, a nice red pillar box, and the church beyond.
We always like to see hollyhocks growing outside people's houses, at the left of the picture.

This is quite a small green, but was presumably much larger before the tarmac roads were laid around its sides.

The 14th century church of St Mary Magdalene.

The churchyard contains the gravestone of folk icon Nick Drake, brother of Gabriel Drake, who became a cult figure after his death.

Tanworth was also the filming location for the village of Kings Oak in the TV series Crossroads.

This is the view from the Churchyard, across the Arden countryside.

Running right to left across this picture, in the distance, is the Stratford to Birmingham railway line.

Lapworth

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Typical rolling countryside around Lapworth.

The church at the top of this hill is St Mary the Virgin, Lapworth.

St Mary the Virgin, Lapworth.

In Lapworth Church the stonework and polished wood are much in evidence, like Berkswell, but Lapworth has a much lighter feeling and less gravitas, perhaps befitting its dedication to St Mary.

Stonework at Lapworth Church.

The table-top tomb beside the church porchway is the tomb of Robert Catesby, mastermind behind the Gunpowder Plot.

Boats moored along the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, at Lapworth.

A holiday houseboat on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, navigating locks at Lapworth.

Lowsonford

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Lowsonford is 4 miles North-East of Henley-in-Arden.

The Stratford Canal passes through the village.

The village is well known because of the Fleur de Lys pub, visible at the left of this picture. In the 1950's the pub started making meat pies, which was an innovative idea at the time. The Fleur de Lys meat pies are now a nationally known brand.

On the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal at Lowsonford.
At the right is a barrel-roofed lockkeeper's cottage.

The boats moored in the background are moored opposite the Fleur de Lys canalside inn.

Looking across the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal at Lowsonford, towards the gardens of the Fleur de Lys canalside inn.

Knowle

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The first records of Knowle date from 1200, and refer to bequests of William de Arden, an ancestor of Mary Arden, Shakespeare's mother.

This photo shows the Guild House, which dates from 1412. Thomas Shakespeare of Balsall, became a member of the Guild here in 1486.

Another view of Knowle Guild House, and the adjacent Church of St John Baptist, St Lawrence and St Anne.

Madonna lilies and blood-red roses, about the altar in Knowle Church.

Barston

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St Swithins Church, Barston.

In the Churchyard at St Swithins Church, Barston.

The churchyard here is managed to encourage wildlife.

The village pub, The Bulls Head.

This is the view from a public footpath which runs from Barston Church, down to the River Blythe. The river lies behind the trees at the left, at the bottom of the hill.

The River Blythe, at Barston.

Many different species of wild flowers, along the bank of The River Blythe, at Barston.

Dormston and Bag End

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Dormston is a small hamlet 15 miles West of Stratford-upon-Avon.

This view shows the approach to Dormston from Stratford. The narrow lane only permits single a file of traffic.

Dormston is the location of the original Bag End. J R R Tolkien stayed here in 1923, and it became the inspiration for Bag End in The Hobbit.

This is a view overlooking Dormston from the the East.
The building at the far right of the picture is St Nicholas' Church (more pictures below).

The farm at the left is Bag End Farm (more pictures below).

There are several half-timbered buildings in Dormston.

The area of the ditch and the grass verge in front of this timber-framed old cottage is covered with irises (flags) and other wild flowers.

This is a moated farmhouse, Moat Farm.

The farmhouse is surrounded by a moat of deep water. The moat is in the wide ditch running across the foreground of the picture.

This is St Nicholas' Church, Dormston.

The half-timbered church tower and wooden porchway.

The woodwork of the porchway is old and heavily weathered and very attractive.

A close-up of the heavily weathered woodwork of the porchway.

Tolkien would have appreciated weathered woodwork like this, and the door shown just below.

Inside the porchway, beneath heavy wooden beams, is this wooden door.

One might imagine Tolkien's figure Gandalf tapping on a door like this with his staff, commanding it to open.

In the 1920's Bag End Farm, was owned by a woman named Jane Neave. Her nephew, J R R Tokien, stayed at the farm for a period in 1923, while he was recovering from pheumonia.

Some 8 years later, Bag End and the Baggins's, and possibly some other impressions of Dormston, reappeared in Tolkien's story The Hobbit.

J R R Tolkien loved trees. A few hundred yards from Bag End Farm is this magnificent old oak.

This oak is one of the largest I've seen in the area. It's probably around 300 years old, maybe much more.

This tree would certainly have been one of Tolkien's favourite trees, perhaps his favourite.

This is another view of the same ancient oak, showing Bag End Farm in the background.

Bag End Farm comprises a 17th century house, and a number of farm outbuildings. It is not possible to obtain a clear view of the house from the road. The house seems to be similar in size to Moat Farm (pictured near the top of the page), though Bag End is entirely brick and timber.

This is the entrance to the house from the main road (by "main road" I mean the narrow lane you can see in the picture at the top of this page). The entrance appears to be overgrown and disused. Many of the farm outbuildings also appear to be in a state of disrepair.

This is the view, looking to the West, from the top of the hill behind Bag End.
On the horizon towards the right you can see a range of hills and beyond them are mountains. These are the Malverns, and the Black Mountains.

Standing in this green meadow, you are drawn to wonder what lies in, and beyond, those distant hills and mountains.

This picture shows exactly the same view of meadows and distant mountains as the picture above, but is taken from a few yards further back, to show a footpath sign and a gate.

This footpath can take you, via other paths, all the way from Bag End in The Shire to the Black Mountains.

Sarehole

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The former village of Sarehole was the childhood home of J R R Tolkien. He lived at 5 Gracewell Road, which is the centre of the group of houses shown here.

In the 1930's this was a quiet village in the Warwickshire countryside. The area around Sarehole is now built-up and forms part of the Hall Green district of Birmingham. Gracewell Road is now called Wake Green Road.

This picture shows the large wooded area, Moseley Bog, which is immediately behind the houses in Gracewell Road.

This photo is a view inside the wood.

This wilderness extends back for about half a mile, although it is quite narrow in width.

It is claimed that playing in this wood gave Tolkien the inspiration for the Old Forest.

This pond, in a dell, is at the end of Moseley Bog near to Gracewell Road.

These mature oak trees are on the bank which is immediately behind the houses in Gracewell Road.

Tolkien would have certainly played around these oaks.

Moseley Bog is now administred by the Birmingham Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve.

The entrance into Moseley Bog is not easy to find (it's hard to find your way in and out!), but the helpful staff at the Sarehole Mill (see below) will give visitors a free map showing the entrance and paths.

This is another view along Gracewell Road.

The houses in Gracewell Road are visible at the left of the picture.

In the right foreground is another wild area, which is part of the Sarehole Mill Millpond.

This is approximately the same view, showing the road as it was when Tolkien grew up here.

In the distance, a road on the right leads down to a very attractive ford over the River Cole, and another very nice place to play.

This is the Ford over the River Cole.

Here the road crosses the River Cole. Gracewell Road is up the road to the right.

At times of exceptional rain the ford can become very deep. At the far left of the picture, in front of the fence, is a vertical post. This has graduations marked on it to mark the water levels. The markings go up to 6 feet.

The length of the River Cole, for a couple of miles, is preserved as a nature and recreational walkway, called the Millstream Way.

The River Cole runs behind the mature oak trees at the left of the picture. Gracewell Road lies to the right of the picture (out of shot).

The building in the right background is Sarehole Mill.

The outside of Sarehole Mill is concealed by trees on all sides.

This is the view from the roadway.

This is the Mill Yard.

Sarehole Mill is open to the public, as a museum showing how a water mill operated.
There are also some Tolkien-related leaflets available in the small shop.

This is a view of some of the machinery inside the Mill buildings.

This is the Mill Pond.

Gracewell Road lies just the other side of the trees.

City of Coventry

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Statue of Lady Godiva in Broadgate

Coventry has an important historical place in the region, and there are some attractive historical buildings that can still be found in the City.

In the mid-14th Century, Coventry was the largest and most important town in the Midlands of England. Coventry grew to prosperity through a trade in wool and textiles. Later it became the main centre in England for the manufacture of watches, bicycles, and then cars. Today the City employs workers in the sevice industries, light enginerring, and telecommunications. The City is also famous for its connections with Lady Godiva, and the Cathedral of St Michael, which was destroyed during the Blitz.

Arthur Mee's The Kings England, written in 1936, describes Coventry in the following terms:

"In the middle of England like the hub of a wheel stands Coventry, the town of Fortune's Wheel, for the wheel has made its fortune. It is England's birthplace of the age of speed and swift communications.

Coventry gave us the means to span continents in the aeroplane; it made all England our parish if we own a car. The city puts a girdle round the earth with its telecommunications. If we turn back the pages of this town's history as a manufacturing centre we see how one great industry and then another has risen and often declined, but how the long view has made Coventry what it is."

The approach to Coventry from the South is impressive.

This picture shows the approach to Coventry along the road from Warwick and Stratford.

It is an avenue over a mile long with broad verges, backed by banks of mature oak and beech.

Origins of Coventry - the Benedictine Priory

One of the oldest habitations in Coventry was a nunnery, near the present town centre. This was sacked by the Danes in 1011. Between 1020-1043, the Saxon Earl Leofric and his wife, Lady Godiva, founded a Benedictine Abbey on the site of the nunnery.

All that remains, above ground, of the abbey are some foundations. The two buildings shown left are the Old Blue Coat School, built on the old foundations, in 1850.

There is another view of some of the abbey foundations further down the page.

Leofric and Godiva endowed the abbey with extensive estates and it soon became one of the richest foundations in the midlands. In 1102 the abbey church became Coventry's first Cathedral, and the abbey became a Priory. (Abbeys and priories are both monastic houses. A priory is associated with a cathedral, but an abbey is independant).

Around 1540, with the dissolution of the monasteries, the original Cathedral here and its priory were demolished, under the orders of Henry VIII.

Visitors to Coventry may find it confusing that there are 4 very large churches (or their remains) all together in the centre of the city:

The remains of the Cathedral of St Mary and its Priory. This was the oldest and grandest church. The surviving buildings are shown in the photo above. Very little of the original buildings remains above ground.
Built alongside and parallel to the Cathedral of St Mary is a very large church, Holy Trinity Church, shown right. This is the parish church for the West side of the centre of Coventry.
At the East end of the Priory Cathedral of St Mary, and perpendicular to it is the New Cathedral Church of St Michael, built in the 1960's (described further down this page).
At the South end of the New Cathedral is the shell of the Old St Michael's Cathedral (also described further down this page). This was formerly the parish church for the East side of the City, and was made a cathedral in 1918. This was the cathedral that was destroyed during the Blitz.

This plan shows the 4 churches: the outlines of the Cathedral of St Mary and its Priory (in blue), together with the existing Holy Trinity Church, and the New and Old Cathedrals of St Michael. The two small surviving buildings of the Priory (in the photo above left) are shown black on the plan.
Quite recently some excavations have been performed around the area at the top of this plan, and some medieval stonework has been unearthed (more details just below). A visitors centre has been built (shown green) and the remainder of the area is in the process of being made into a condition suitable for visitors.

Time Team Excavation of St Mary's Cathedral and Priory

The initial excavation of the grounds of Coventry's Cathedral of St Mary and Priory was undertaken by the Channel 4 TV archaeology program Time Team. Coventry City Council are redeveloping this area and had asked Time Team to visit the site.

This picture shows the Time Team at work on the excavation.

The Time Team TV program has been repeated on the Discovery Channel. Pictures in this section which have the "Discovery Channel" icon at the top right corner, are from that program. The very recent pictures at the bottom of the section are my own.

This aerial photo shows the area, just before excavation.
In the left foreground of the picture is the shell of the Old St Michael's; in the right foreground, with the green roof, is the New Cathedral; Holy Trinity can be seen towards the upper left.

The area formerly covered by the Priory Cathedral consists of the two areas of grass, and the buildings in the centre of the picture.

An aerial view from a different angle, giving a better view of Holy Trinity, now on the right.

This shows a plan of the Priory Cathedral, superimposed on the aerial photo above.

Coventry's Cathedal of St Mary is believed to have been very similar to Lichfield Cathedral, which is about 40 miles away. Coventry was the only cathedral to be demolished during the dissolution.

This picture shows the West front of Lichfield Cathedral today.

Here Tony Robinson, the Time Team presenter, visits Lichfield Cathedral.

This painting is a reconstruction showing how Coventry's Cathderal of St Mary and its Priory, would have originally appeared, in its medieval hilltop setting.

This photo shows the foundations of the West Front of the cathedral. These moss-covered stones have been uncovered for some years.

The stonework in the foreground of this picture is the recently unearthed base of the South Wall of the Cathedral.

This picture shows the best of the excavations of the Priory. This site is about 50 yards from the Cathedral wall above.

When these pictures were taken (February 2002), work was about to start to make the area available to visitors.

A modern building was erected over the top of the ruins, and the ruins were maintained, effectively forming part of the basement of the new appartment block.
There is a large window, at street level, from which visitors can look down into the basement of the new building and see this view of the ruin.

Most visitors to Coventry today come to visit the Cathedral Church of St Michael's, which was destroyed during the Blitz. Most people share a sense of sorrow that such a beautiful religious building should have been wantonly destroyed. The Cathedral Church of St Michael has become an international symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation.

However, Coventry's former cathedral, which was even more glorious, was also destroyed by the hand of man. But this was not done by "wicked Germans", but under the orders of England's own King. If you wish to draw moral lessons from Coventry's past, Coventry offers much to ponder.

Growth of Coventry - The Wool Industry

Soon after the foundation of the priory, a market and small town began to develop. By the beginning of the 12th century the abbey was served by two churches, Holy Trinity, fronting on the market place, and an independent church at nearby Radford. The prosperity of the abbey encouraged the Bishop of Chester to transfer the diocesian see to Coventry in 1095.

By 1150 more than a dozen textile mills had become built in the town, and the textile trade had become the foundation of the town's prospetity and growth.

By the 14th century merchants were building large timber-framed houses with cellars in which to store their merchandise.

This picture, actually taken in 1900, shows Butcher Row, and gives a good impression of how Coventry would have been at that time.

This picture was taken from near the same place, today.

By 1300 Coventry mechants were engaged in an international wool trade. The city's prosperity rested not just on the manufacture of cloth, but on its dyes and its non-fading Coventry-blue cloth.

By 1345 the power of the merchants in the the town had become so great that the town was granted a charter so that it became governed by a mayor, rather than by the priory.

In the mid-14th century the most important wool merchants in the country were Warwickshire men, mostly from Coventry. Most wool was exported thorugh London, and the trading links between Coventry and London became very strong. On 19 occasions between 1349 and 1377 the mayor of Coventry was a wool merchant.

In 1398 Coventry was the largest wool marketing and production centre in England. The town gave employment to a host of related trades including weavers, dyers, tailors and drapers.

This picture shows Spon Street in Coventry, today. This street has been preserved as a heritage area, and many of the buildings have been restored to their medieval appearance. A few of the buildings in Spon Street were originally located in other parts of the town, and were taken apart and re-assembled here.

Cloth manufacture declined in the 16th and 17th centuries, but other related higher-value trades rose to prominence.

Caps were made from high quality wool and felt, and the cappers became one of Coventry richest and most important guilds.

By 1815 some 10,000 workers were engaged in high quality ribbon-making, half of Coventry's population. In the 1850's 25,000 people in Coventry were employed in ribbon-weaving. A high proportion was made of locally produced silk.

Glove making had been a speciality in nearby Stratford-Upon-Avom. William Shakepeare's father, John Shakepeare, had been a glovemaker.

Ford's Hospital

Some of the wealthy merchants helped to found charitable institutions in the town. While their fortunes and the houses that they owned have disappeared, they are remembered now by the institutions that bear their names.

There is Thomas Bond's Hospital, John Hale's Hospital and later Grammar School in Hales Street, and Ford's Hospital.

Ford's Hospital, shown here, was an almshouse for elderly men and women, and was provided for in the will of William Ford.

It is one of the finest examples of 16th century architecture in the country.

St Mary's Guild Hall

St Mary's Guild Hall is the heart of Coventry. The various trades were organised into guilds. The guilds would meet to discuss the town's affairs at the guild hall. Coventry's guild hall was built between 1340 and 1460, and is among the finest examples of a medieval guild hall in the country. Here also visiting dignitaries would be entertained.

This picture shows Bayley Lane, with the old cathedral on the left, and the guild hall in the centre. The building does not look very attractive from outside, but the inside is impressive, shown in the photo below.

The stained glass windows around the hall are portraits of the kings of England. There are also life-size paintings of the kings of England on the wall, at the far end, though not easily visible in the photo above. On the opposite wall (behind my back) is a tapestry depicting Henry VI, who was frequently entertained here.

The Town Wall and its Gates

Work began on the town wall in the 1355 and took 40 years to complete. The whole town wall was nearly three miles long, eight to nine feet thick, and had a defensive ditch on the outside. It was the most substantial town defence outside London.

During the Civil War, Royalist forces were denied entry into the City, and in 1662 Charles II ordered that the town wall should be demolished.

Very little of the town wall now remains, but there are still some short sections remaining. The best preserved section is this part between the Cook Street Gate and the Swanswell Gate.

There were 12 original gates, but only three remain.

This is the Cook Street Gate, which is the best preserved. This gate is listed as a national historic monument.

The gates were equipped with portculises.

An interesting feature of this gate is a gargoyle which you can just see jutting out of the wall at the upper right.

Cheylesmore Manor House

Cheylesmore Manor House is what remains of a Royal Palace, which dates back to 1250.

This building is in a part of the town which is now largely occupied by solicitors and estate agents.

This half-timbered building was part of the manor where Queen Isabella and the Black Prince stayed in the 14th century.

The Church of St John The Baptist

The Church of St John The Baptist was founded by Queen Isabella in 1344, as a chapel in memory of her dead husband, King Edward II.

The church became a parish church in 1734.

During the civil war, the building was used as a prison for captured Royalists. Captured Royalists were sent to this prison, in Coventry, and this was the origin of the phrase sent to Coventry.

The Cathedral Church of St Michael

The Cathedral Church of St Michael dated from the early 13th century.

This was originally a parish church, and was raised to the status of cathedral in 1918.

This picture showing the interior view was taken in 1939.

During the Second World War, in a bombing raid on 14 November 1940, the cathedral was destroyed, together with 75% of the buildings in the inner area of the city.

After the war a new cathedral was built alongside the ruins of the old one.

The new cathderal was designed by Sir Basil Spence.

Many craftsmen and artists from around the country were commissioned to contribute to the new cathedral.

These included an abstract stained glass window designed by John Piper; a great engraved screen of clear glass designed by John Hutton; the bronze statue of St Michael and the Devil designed by Sir Jacob Epstein (shown in this photo), and a huge tapestry behind the cathedral altar designed by Graham Sutherland.

19th and 20th Century Industry

Clocks and watches came into domestic use in the early 17th century, and by the 1660 watch making was well established in Coventry. By the 1850s there were some 2,000 watchmakers in Coventry.

In 1863 the Coventry Sewing Machine Company was founded, originally to make sewing machine. However, against strong competition from foreign companies the enterprise did not flourish, and it turned to making bicycles. In 1896, it became Swift Cycles, and was the germ of a rapidly expanding bicycle market. By 1896, Coventry's Premier Cycle Company was the largest in the world, with an output of 20,000 units per year. This network of small engineering firms became the backbone of the motor car industry.

In January 1896 the Daimler Motor Company of Coventry was registered as the first manufacturer of cars. Around 120 motor car firms subsequently built factories in the city.

In the early 1900's the City's industrial skills were turned to making armaments. This picture shows battleship gun-barrels being manufactured. The City also began to manufacture tanks, and later, aircraft parts.
At the time of the Second World War, the City was an obvious military target.

The 1950's and 1960's were periods of rapid growth in the ownership of private cars. Many of the countries major car producers were based in Coventry - Damiler/Rolls Royce, Talbot/Hillman/Humber, Standard-Triumph, and Jaguar.

The city's Museum of British Road Transport holds a collection of around 200 cars, plus bicycles, buses and other road transport.

The City Today

After the Second World War much of the devastated central area of the City had to be cleared and a shopping precinct was developed.

In the 1970's the motor car industry entered a deline. Today the only car manufacturers in the City are Jaguar, which has a manufacturing plant at Browns Lane, and a successful Peugeot plant at Ryton.

New manufacturing indutries which have gained strength in the past decade include the service industries and telecommunications. Many large service organisations, are located in business parks around the edge of the City.

Most recently the area to the North of the Cathedral has being redeveloped.
This futuristic structure is called the Whittle Arch in memory of Frank Whittle, the inventor of the jet engine, who came from Coventry.

Wootton Wawen

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The Ancient Britons first settled here, because they thought, in some sense, this was a sacred place. Today, Wootton Wawen still has its very own ambience. St Peter's Church here is the oldest in Warwickshire. A Saxon church was founded here in the 700s, when the place was named Wudu Tun, an estate in the woods, those 2 words forming "Wooton". Wawen comes from Wagen, the name of the last Saxon thane to rule the area before the Norman conquest. The first church was built of timber and thatch, and it was later rebuilt in stone.
The church is known as The Saxon Sanctuary.

The long grass in the churchyard adds to the charm of the place.

At first the visitor may think the grass has just been left untended. But inside the church, the visitor will find details of a scheme to encourage grasses and wild flowers, which is operating is in selected churchyards in Warwickshire. The grass is cut at particular times of year (haymaking) to help the flowers.

The tomb of Francis Smith, 1604.

Near to the church is Wootton Hall, built in 1637, and home to various Catholic families, principally the Carington family.

Hollyhocks growing outside people's homes.

The Bulls Head, at Wootton Wawen.

The Stratford-on-Avon canal, built in 1813, runs through Wootten Wawen and there are moorings there, the Wootton Wawen Basin.
These ladies were on a "canal boat holiday" touring through Warwickshire, with the narrow boat as a floating hotel. Their boat had stopped overnight at moorings, and they had just visited the Saxon Church, and were now on their leisurely way through the Arden countryside in the direction of Stratford.

Wootton is situated on the bank of the River Alne. The Alne comes from a Celtic name Alwen, meaning bright or shining. The Ancient Britons believed that had some magical or religious meaning.

Here, the Alne flows over a weir at Wooton Wawen.

Offchurch

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Offchurch, 3 miles East of Leamington, lies on the Welsh Road, a former sheep droving road from sheep farming areas of Wales to London.

Anglo-Saxon artifacts from the 7th century have been found here. Offchurch takes its name from King Offa of Mercia (757-796), who had a manor nearby and built the first church here.

The present St Gregory's Church is mainly Norman, with some Saxon features.

This picture shows the doorway into the church and the adjacent window.

Visible through the doorway is a bench in the porch outside.

Offchurch is part of a living churchyards project, where the churchyard is managed to encourage wildflowers and wildlife.

A notable feature at Offchurch is its communities of different species of tall wild flowers.

There are ivy covered tombstones, and many bird and bat boxes up in the yew trees.

There were also squirrels in the trees.

Rowington

2011-07-29T05:28:00.050+01:00

The village of Rowington lies 4 miles North-East of Henley-in-Arden.

This village is dominated by St Laurence's Church, which sits on top of a hill at the centre of the village.

Rowington was the home of one branch of the Shakespeare family during the 15th century.

This picture shows the family's home, Shakespeare Hall.

Local legend claims that Shakespeare wrote As You Like It at Shakespeare Hall.

Shakespeare did own other property in Rowington. A cottage and some land in Rowington passed to his daughter Susanna on his death.

The picture of Shakespeare Hall above, and this one, were taken from the Heart of England Way, a recreational footpath through Warwickshire.

From the point where the photo above was taken, the Heart of England Way leads up a hill around the right side of the house, and then around the opposite side of the house, which is the front entrance.
But there is no clear view of the house from the front entrance.

This picture, which shows Shakespeare Hall at the far right of the picture, was taken from another footpath, which leads from Rowington to the adjacent village of Wroxall.

Shakespeare's grandfather, Richard Shakespeare, was born in Wroxall, c1500.

The black dots in this picture are cows in grazing pasture.

A view looking across typical rolling countryside towards Rowington Church.

From Shakespeare Hall, the Heart of England Way leads over some fields to Baddesley Clinton.

The top of the tower of Baddesley Clinton Church is just visible in this picture, where there is a small gap in the trees, just over the gate post with the yellow waymark symbol.

Another view towards Baddesley Clinton, further along the Heart of England way, and with a better view of the church tower.

Beyond Baddesley Clinton, the Heart of England Way leads to Oldeditch, the original home of the Shakespeare family.

The Cock Horse Inn, at Rowington.

This building formerly incorporated the village forge.

On the Grand Union Canal at Rowington.

Aston Cantlow

2011-07-29T05:22:00.015+01:00

Aston Cantlow lies 5 miles North-West of Stratford, and 2 miles North-East of Wilmcote, the home of Mary Arden, Shakespeare's mother.

This picture shows the 16th Century Guild House, just opposite the village church.

This is the village pub, The King's Head.

Old tombstones, old yew trees, and old pines in the churchyard of St John the Baptist at Aston Cantlow.

This is the church in which Shakespeare's parents, John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, are believed to have been married.

The interior of the church is shown in the picture just below.

Napton on the Hill

2011-07-28T07:09:00.029+01:00

This is the village green at Napton on the Hill, which also has the bonus of a superb view.

A holiday houseboat on the Oxford Canal, near Napton on the Hill.

Napton Windmill can be seen on the horizon.

The picture below is a wider view of Napton Hill. The windmill can just be seen as a grey tower near the left.

A view across South Warwickshire from Napton Hill. This shows the flatter and more open countryside of the South of the county.

The photo was taken in late-August, when the wheatfields in this area had been harvested, and are stubble, or recently ploughed, as the fields at the right.

Old weathered tombstones in Napton Churchyard.

Kineton

2011-07-28T06:53:00.014+01:00

Kineton is a large village, on the (small) River Dene, 10 miles East of Stratford.

This picture shows part of the village green at Little Kineton. The green has a rare Victorian pillar box, visible in the centre of the picture. In the left background is the attractive village pond, also shown in the picture below.

This is the centre of the main part of the village, showing the War memorial, the Swan Inn, and in the background, St Peter's Church.

Ilmington

2011-07-28T06:34:00.040+01:00

Ilmington lies in the far South of Warwickshire, 8 miles South of Stratford.
The village lies just beneath Ilmington Downs (visible in the background of the photo), the Northern edge of the Cotswolds. The houses are all built of a warm local Cotswolds limestone.

Ilmington is a large village, and has two village greens. Shown here is the larger, the Upper Green, triangular, with a mature tree as centre point.

The parish church of St Mary the Virgin lies at the centre of the village, not off to one side, as in many villages.
The church has a fine Norman tower.

There are no roads to this church. It can only be reached by footpaths between the cottages.

Inside, the church has a warm and lived-in feeling. The architecture is human and not dominating.
There seemed to be little notices everywhere about various things, as though a lot of activity had been going on.

And there were lots of bellringing magazines stacked in piles. The church is proud of its bells and the Ilmington Ringers. You can see some of the ropes at the top of this photo.

This photo was kindly supplied by Simon Hall. One of the treasures in the church is this embroidered Apple Map.

The Apple Map was idea of the late June Hobson, an artist and gardener, who lived in the village and inspired old and young alike (children from Ilmington Primary School) to embroider the map. The Apple pole was carved by villager David Greenwood. The village was renowned for the wonderful varieties of old apples in its orchards. Sadly very few orchards remain, but the names of all the varieties are painted around the tapestry, again by David Greenwood. The map is an exact copy of old maps which show where all the orchards were. The project came out of several successful Apple Days in the village. Many of today's houses are not on the tapestry as they weren't built at the time of the old map.

This is one of the 2 village pubs, the Howard Arms, on the Lower Green.

And this is the village shop and Post Office, also on the Lower Green.

The highest point in Warwickshire is on Ilmington Downs.

This picture is taken from the highest point on the downs, 858 feet, next to a communications relay station. There is an almost uninterrupted view here, around 360 degrees.

This photo shows part of the view looking South, towards the Cotswolds Hills.

This photo shows a view looking North, in the direction of Warwick and Stratford.
Most of Warwickshire can be seen in this picture.

The houses visible in the foreground of the picture, at the foot of the hill, are in the village of Ilmington.

A view showing the tapestry of fields, in South Warwickshire, from a track leading steeply down from Ilmington Downs.
The area is very popular with walkers.

Claverdon

2011-07-28T06:21:00.007+01:00

Claverdon Church and village, viewed from a footpath leading to the village.

The village green and chestnut tree at Claverdon.

Another view of the village green at Claverdon, showing the thatched village shop.

The Old Forge, with its unusual horseshoe-shaped oak beam doorway.

The Malthouse at Claverdon.

The Stone Building at Claverdon.

There are various theories about this unusual building. One is that this is the only remaining tower of a great mansion, originally home of Thomas Spencer (died 1630). There is a memorial to him in the village church.

The Spencers were lords of the manor of Claverdon. This is the same Spencer family from whom the late Princess of Wales was descended, although she was not a direct descendent of Thomas Spencer.

Berkswell

2011-07-28T05:32:00.089+01:00

The settlement at Berkswell probably dates from late Anglo-Saxon times. The South part of Warwickshire was ruled by the Hwicce, a Saxon people who had moved Northwards from the Thames. The North and East of Warwickshire (including the area of Berkswell) was ruled by the South Mercians, Angles, who had moved Southwards from the Trent. Berkswell takes its name from Berculs-well. Bercul was a Anglian chieftain.

Our modern perception of the word "well" is a deep hole bored in the ground, but this was not its original meaning. The word originally meant a strong bubbling spring, as in Berculs-well. The word "well" comes from a Sanskrit root, and is related to several other words containing "w-l" or "v-l", which all have the meaning of force or movement: will, volition, re-volve, bene-vol-ent. The word "spring" also had an original sense of "bursting forth". The season of the year, Spring, has the same name, for the same reason. This is the probable origin of ancient religious associations with the spring at Berkswell. The spring now issues into a stone tank shown at the left, which then flows into the river Blythe. It is believed that the well was originally dedicated to an Anglo-Saxon God, and an ancient round stone which is preserved in the nearby Church may have supported a statue of the God.

This is the village green, with, at the right, the village shop, and in the background, at the end of the lane, Berkswell Church.

The well lies just to the left of this picture.

Berkswell Church

Berkswell Church, the Church of St John The Baptist, is built of red sandstone ashlar, and is one of the finest examples of Norman and Early English architecture in the Midlands.

The Church is probably built on a religious site that is much older than the Church. The earliest parts of the present church date from the 12th century, and it is likely that this had been a place of worship for some centuries before that.

The Norman church has a magnificent crypt in which there is some Saxon stonework, perhaps used as a shrine for sacred relics.

The oak font and various other carvings in the church are the work of the woodcarver Robert Thompson, whose hallmark is carved church mice. There are 17 of his mice in Berkswell Church.

Berkswell Hall

In the Middle Ages the manor of Berkswell belonged to the Earls of Warwick. The park at Berkswell was originally granted by Henry I to Henry de Newburgh, Earl of Warwick (around 1120), to provide game for hunting. It continued with the Earls of Warwick, until 1557, when it was granted by Philip and Mary to pne Thomas Marrow. His descendant Samuel Marrow built a substantial house of brick around 1670. Samuel Marrow was created a baronette in 1679. His daughter married a Robert Wilmot. Their great-grandson settled at Berkswell in 1808 and carried out major alterations. The house in its present form was built around 1815. The Gentleman's Magazine of 1827 says the hall was rebuilt "10 years since by Sir John Wilmot". Sir John Wilmot became Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemans Land.

This photo shows Berkswell Hall and its lake. The small white object on the lake, in the centre foreground of the photo is a swan...

In 1843 the building was leased to a Rev Bickmore, and used as a boys boarding school. In 1861 it was sold to the iron master Thomas Walker, who made a lake in the grounds. He died in 1887, and in 1888 the estate was sold to Joshua Wheatley, a wool manufacturer from Yorkshire. Joshua Wheatley died in 1925, and the house passed to his son, Charles Wheatley. Charles Wheatley served in, and then commanded the Warwickshire Yeomanry, who held their Summer camps at the Hall. On his death in 1943 the estate passed into the hands of trustees, though Charles Wheatley's widow continued to live at the Hall for some years. In 1984 the house was sold, and converted into apartments.

These were the Lordships of the Manor of Berkswell:

1674-1707 The 5 heiresses of Sir Samuel Marrow (and their husbands)
1707-1750 Elizabeth Marrow
1750-1764 John Knightley (nephew of Elizabeth)
1764-1812 Catherine Knightley (widow of John)
1812-1815 John Wilmot
1812-1843 Sir John Wilmot (son of John)

This is Blind Hall Farm, just outside the village.

This track is part of the Heart-of-England Way, a 100-mile footpath from the Cotswolds to Cannock Chase. The path here connects Berkswell with Meriden, the centre of England.

View across countryside near Blind Hall Farm.

Nailcote Hall

Nailcote Hall takes its name from the de Naylcote family who lived on a farm on this site and of whom there are records dating from the time of Edward III (1327-1377). The hall itself dates from the 1500s. There are various records referring to Goodier Mathew, owner of the hall at the time of the English Civil war. The allegiance of Goodier Mathew is unclear. He is recorded as supplying horses for King Charles, and also for quartering Cromwell's soldiers.

The hall then passed to the Lant family. It was subsequently sold to the Wickman company (a local engineering company in Banner Lane) for use for corporate hospitailty, and is now a hotel and restaurant.

The Bear Inn

The Bear and Ragged Staff Inn takes its name from the coat of arms of the Earls of Warwick, one time Lord of the Manor of Berkswell. Brewers Dictionary (Bear) gives this origin:

"The first earl was Arth or Arthgal, of the Round Table, whose cognisance was a bear, because arth means a bear. Morvid, the second earl, overcame, in single combat, a mighty giant, who came against him with a club, which was a tree pulled up by the roots, but stripped of its branches. In remembrance of his victory over the giant he added the ragged staff."

There is a reference to the symbol in Shakespeare's King Henry VI, Part 2 (5,1):

Now, by my father's badge, old Nevil's crest,
The rampant bear chain'd to the ragged staff,
This day I'll wear aloft my burgonet,
As on a mountain top the cedar shows
That keeps his leaves in spite of any storm,
Even to affright thee with the view thereof.

The restaurant in The Bear has been known as Cromwell's room, dating from the time of the English Civil War when Cromwell's troops were quartered in the area.

Outside the inn is a gun which originated from the Crimean War, and was brought to the village in 1855.

Berkswell Museum

The village has its own small museum. This is an old half-timbered house, dating from around 1500, shown at the left. The roof was originally thatched. The museum contains memorabilia, old farm implements, and various household items.

Berkswell During the Civil War

The West Midlands Village Book says:

Documentary evidence shows that Oliver Cromwell stationed men and horses in Berkswell before the battle of Kenilworth during the Civil War.

Edgehill and Beyond, by Philip Tennant states that Berkswell was occupied by King Charles and his troops as they made their way from Yorkshire southwards, towards Oxford, at the start of the Civil War, shortly before encountering Parliamentary forces at Edge Hill.

The following extracts are from The West Midlands Village Book:

The earliest record of a school in the parish is in 1500. In 1887 each child paid one penny a week to attend school. In recent years the school has been completely modernised, but throughout it history it has remained a Church of England school.

The Berkswell "Association for the Prosecution of Felons" is one of the oldest in the country. The association was formed because, prior to the establishment of a police force, people were deterred by trouble and expense from prosecuting alleged offenders.

There is a fine set of stocks on the village green. The stocks are curious for having five holes; it is said they were to accomodate a perserse pensioner with a wodden leg and his two boon companions. It is likely that there were originally six holes. There is also a cattle pound.

During October the "Stattis" or Statutes Fair was held. This was a hiring fair at which local farmers engaged their servants for the coming year. They met at the Bear Inn. Each man wore, in his smock or hat, the emblem of his trade, a wisp of wool for a shepherd and some horse hair for a waggoner. On one occasion, believed to be the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the black cannon, a prize from the Crimea, and now in front of the Bear Inn, was towed to the top of the hill behind the village, charged with black powder and fired. The "Stattis" was discontinued at the outbreak of the First World War.

The reading room was opened in 1902 as a meeting place for the "penny readings" which were a feature of rural life at the end of the 19th century. The reading room is now used as a village hall.

Mains water and electricity came to the village during the 1930's.

Berkswell Windmill

On high ground at the south of the parish is Berkswell Windmil. This is a good example of a typical tower mill. It is known to have been in existence since at least 1706. It was in constant use until 1935. At that time a diesel generator was installed to operate the machiney, and that was in use until 1948. The mill has since been restored, by its present owner.

Beausale

2011-07-28T05:23:00.001+01:00

The area to the West of Kenilworth is Beausale.

There is a very small hamlet here, but the area is mainly unspoilt countryside. There is virtally nothing to say about this village, just a few photographs...

Alcester

2011-07-28T05:14:00.017+01:00

Alcester lies 6 miles West of Stratford.

Alcester was a Roman settlement, at the crossing of the Ryknild Street and the Salt Road.

Alcester is now a very small town, with several notable medieval buildings.

This is a view along Alcester High Street. There is a collection of Roman artifacts on display in the town's Roman Alcester Museum, which is in Priory Road, off to the left of this picture (limited opening times, Fridays and weekends only).

The old Malt House, built around 1500.

The old Town Hall, dating from 1618.

Shakespeare's Birthday Celebrations

2011-07-28T04:47:00.001+01:00

April 23rd (St George's Day) is the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, and is a time of celebrations in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Among many events is a procession through the town, of bands, civic dignitaries, actors, morris dancers, and the staff and pupils of some local schools.

The procession is headed by the Evesham Celebration Reed and Brass Band.

The West Midlands Police Brass Band.

Local dignitaries are followed by members of the Diplomatic Corps, the Ambassadors to the UK from most nations.

Costumed actors and actresses, led by Shakespeare himself.

The staff and pupils of King Edward VI's Grammar School (Shakespeare's School).

The Coventry Corps of Drums winds its way down Old Town Road, past Hall's Croft.

The procession terminates at Holy Trinity Church, where participants place their flowers on Shakespeare's grave, inside the church.

At the end of the procession come the Shakespeare Morris Men.

The Shakespeare Morris Men, with the spire of Holy Trinity Church in the background.
The Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations are normally held on the Saturday nearest to April 23rd.

Welford-on-Avon

2011-07-27T05:35:00.034+01:00

Welford on Avon lies 5 miles downstream from Stratford, a little village with some of the most picturesque cottages in Warwickshire.

I took these snaps on a Sunday morning. I'd just passed through Stratford, which was packed with tourists. It is surprising to come into this quiet village, just 10 minutes from the bustle of Stratford.

The chestnut tree at the centre of the village green at Welford-on-Avon.

The chestnut tree is dwarfed by the village Maypole (hidden directly behind the chestnut tree in the picture above).

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

2011-07-27T04:56:00.005+01:00

Anne Hathaway's Cottage, near Stratford-upon-Avon, is, of course, the cottage where William Shakespeare lived, with his wife Anne Hathaway.

The flowers in the garden change throughout the year. The photos shown in this post were taken during a couple of different visits.

Shakespeare was a very keen gardener. Images of gardening and the countryside run throughout his plays.

Gardening metaphors are the most prominent, and form a central role, in his play Richard II.

This is the vegetable plot, where Shakespeare grew his broad beans and kidney beans.

The varieties being grown here today are authentic 16th Century varieites.

The garden at Anne Hathaway's Cottage has a small arboretum, which includes several original statues.

This is the statue that I liked the best. It depicts Ophelia, from Hamlet. The statue is not described in the guide book, but at the foot of the statue is a plaque, with a quotation from Hamlet (Act V, Scene 1):

Hamlet: I lov'd Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers
Could not (with all their quantity of love)
Make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?

Henley-in-Arden

2011-07-27T04:09:00.062+01:00

Henley-in-Arden is a charming and friendly small town in the heart of the old Arden region.

Henley has a long winding High Street, about a mile long, with well-preserved old buildings on either side.

These are small human-scale buildings, unlike the grandiose High Street in Chipping Campden, and the shops are not as commercialised here as in, for example, Broadway.

A castle was originally built here, sometime before 1140, probably with help from the Earls of Warwick.

The oldest building in Henley, shown here, houses the Henley-in-Arden Heritage Centre.

This is a model of Henley Castle inside the Heritage Centre. At that time castles were built of wood. Stone castles date from around the 14th Century. The wooden castle has long since disappeared.

The archaeology program Time Team visited the town, and made some excavations on the site of the old castle. The Time Team TV program may be watched here: Watch Time Team.

Next door to the Heritage Centre is the popular Henley Ice Cream Parlour.

Henley lies on the road between London, Stratford and Birmingham, and a trading town grew up along the road, forming the High Street.

Many of the people living along the High Street take a pride in the floral displays outside their homes.

At the mid-point along the High Street is the church of St John The Baptist, and just beyond the church is the Guild Hall.

The well preserved Guild Hall near the mid-point of the High Street is evidence of the tradesmen who made this town important.

The wide pavements are used for outdoor tables by several pubs and cafes.

These give the main street a relaxed atmosphere.

Several inns along the modern High Street were old coaching inns.

This is the White Swan, a 16th century coaching inn.

Henley was for a long period the major market town in the Arden region.
Until a few years ago there was a thriving livestock market here.

This is all that remains of the town's Market Cross.

Just behind the town is the Norman Church of St Nicholas, built at the same time as the castle.

Long Itchington

2011-07-26T15:58:00.020+01:00

A view across the village green at Long Itchington, overshadowed by chestnut trees.

Another view across the village green at Long Itchington.

The yellow hue on the grass is caused by the carpet of wild flowers.

Close by the village green is the village pond, which is the largest village pond in Warwickshire.

A view of the River Itchin, which gives the village its name, and beyond, Holy Trinity Church.

The 16th Century Tudor House.

Elizabeth I stayed here in 1572 and 1575, when it was the home of Lady Anne Holbourne, daughter of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Meriden

2011-07-26T15:38:00.025+01:00

A view across farmland near Meriden. The tower of Meriden Church is just visible near the centre of the picture.

The green at Meriden, with its cross which marks the centre of England. The village cross at Meriden marks the centre of England.
Meriden was the birthplace of Lady Godiva, who founded the first church at Meriden.

There are modern buildings on the other sides of the green, so the setting is not as idyllic as it might appear.

The village pond at Meriden.

The Bulls Head, at Meriden.

A view from high ground between Berkswell and Meriden. The white buildings on the horizon are Birmingham City Centre, 12 miles distant. This is the Meriden Gap, a very fragile green buffer between Birmingham, and Coventry, which is even nearer, behind us.

This picture is taken from the Heart-of-England Way, a 100-mile footpath, running from the Cotswolds to Cannock Chase

Stoneleigh

2011-07-26T15:15:00.030+01:00

Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, is a small village situated where the River Sowe joins the Avon, about 14 miles upstream from Stratford.

Stoneleigh was one of the earliest areas of settlement in Warwickshire.

Stoneleigh Church

The pride of Stoneleigh Village is its Norman Church, the Church of St Mary The Virgin. In its carved tympanum are two serpents coiled around each other, and two great beasts one eating its own tail, which is the ancient depiction of eternal life. The chancel is of noble Norman architecture. The arch is nearly 5 feet thick, and shows carvings of a serpent and a dove.

The church has a mortuary chapel for the Leighs.

In the chancel is a marble carving, and the tomb, of Alice Leigh, the most famous, and said to be the most generous, woman in England during her lifetime. She was married to Sir Robert Dudley, son of the Earl of Leicester, heir to Kenilworth Castle. On his fathers death he tried to establish himself as both Earl of Leicester and Warwick. This failed and he left his wife for Italy, taking with him the beautiful Elizabeth Southwell, maid-of-honour to the Queen. Alice Leigh found consolation devoting herself to good works, and to the cause of Charles I. She was responsible for building the almshouse in Stoneleigh village. She was created the Duchess of Dudley, by Charles I, in 1645. Her statue and tomb, in white and in black marble, were created many years before her own death by Nicholas Stone, the great master of English tomb making.

The picture below shows Stoneleigh Church, with behind it, the village of Stoneleigh. Visible on the horizon, towards the right, are the spires of the City of Coventry, 5 miles away.

Stoneleigh Abbey

Stoneleigh Abbey was founded by Cistercian monks in 1154 on a secluded site close to the meandering River Avon.

Shown right is the Abbot's House, built in 1346 and one of the finest examples of medieval architecture in the country. The building subsequently became, and now is, the Abbey Gatehouse.

The abbey was purchased in 1538 by Henry VIII's brother in law. In 1561 the abbey was sold to two London merchants, Sir Rowland Hill and Sir Thomas Leigh. Sir Thomas Leigh was Lord Mayor of London in the year of Queen Elizabeth I's accession, and was himself knighted by her.

Sir Thomas Leigh died in 1571, but his widow survived until 1603, giving her name to the almshouses in the nearby village. Her son was responsible for rebuilding parts of the abbey, and by 1626 had many richly furnished rooms. This work continued under his grandson, another Thomas, who was raised to the peerage as Lord Leigh for his loyalty to Charles I in 1643. Just before the outset of English Civil War, Charles I rode to Coventry in anticipation of securing the commercial centre of Coventry, but the city closed its gates to him, and he was received by Lord Leigh at Stoneleigh.

Stoneleigh Abbey is the largest house in Warwickshire.

The impressive facade of the West Wing, shown in these pictures, was designed by Francis Smith of Warwick and dates from 1726.

Part of the house was damaged by fire in 1960. In 1988 the ownership of the house passed from the current Lord Leigh to the Stoneleigh Abbey Preservation Trust.

Stoneleigh Abbey has undergone substantial restoration during the past four years. The main structural restoration is complete, though some internal refurbishment is continuing, and restoration of the grounds is still to take place.

The 2nd and 3rd floors, and the monastic quarters behind the West Wing, have been converted to modern private appartments.

The state rooms on the ground floor are in the process of being restored for public viewing. Stoneleigh Abbey, as it is now open to the public, reflects the abbey during the ownership of the Leigh family during the 18th century. There is not very much to see of the original monastic buildings.

Many of the state rooms have oak and walnut panneling and resemble a bit those at Warwick Castle, though not so opulently furnished.

In constrast to the other state rooms, the saloon (shown right) has a light and open feel. The ceiling decorations in the saloon, by Cipriani, depict the gods of Greek mythology receiving Hercules, and medallions on the walls show the Labours of Hercules. On a panel over a mantelpiece (visible at the right of the picture) Hercules is leaning on his spear making his choice between Pallas and Aphrodite.

The room is presently unfurnished (not as in this photo), though the ornate ceiling, and the mural decorations depicting the labours of Hercules, are in perfect condition. The ceiling decoration has a remarkable 3-dimensional construction, the hands and limbs of the figures stretch out several inches, away from the ceiling towards the viewer.

There is also a remarkable library fully stacked with the generations of books acquired by the Leigh family. The library has been famous for its possession of the four Folio Shakespeares, and the portrait and relics of Byron.

It is said that Shakespeare walked under some of the old oaks in the deer park, which lies half a days walk from Stratford. The following description of the abbey is from Arthur Mee's Warwickshire, written in 1936:

"Stoneleigh Abbey has a perfect setting of trees against a wide expanse of lawn, and it has great architectural interest too. At the end of shady walks, down by noble trees, the Avon broadens to a pool and gathers itself to surge over a weir. It is a place of unforgettable beauty at the very heart of England."

Temple Balsall

2011-07-26T11:12:00.036+01:00

Temple Balsall takes its name
from the Knights Templar.

Temple Balsall lies near the centre of the old Forest of Arden.
Here, in a woodland glade, in an isolated place, you find a church.

But this is no little parish church, more like a cathedral built in a forest.

The Knights Templar were formed in 1119, to provide military protection for pilgrims to the Holy Land.

Around 1162, the manor of Balsall was given by Roger de Mowbray to the Knights Templar, who built a Hall and chapel on a small hill in wooded meadows here.

Detailed records of the manor exist from a nationwide survey conducted in 1185. By 1308 the Knights' estate included 100 cattle, and 500 sheep. Preceptaries around the country, like the one at Temple Balsall, were run as working farms, and the income derived used to finance the Templars' military operations in the Holy Land.

This picture shows the Old Hall of the Knights Templar.

The external brickwork is 18th Century, but the internal timbers have been dated to around 1180 and are original.

This photo is taken from the churchyard of the Church of St Mary.

In 1312 the Knights Templar were disbanded under a papal directive, and their properties were transferred to the Knights Hospitaller, another crusading order of Knights. The Knights Hospitaller built the Church of St Mary.

This picture shows the Old Hall on the left, with the Church of St Mary behind it.

The Knights Hospitaller were disbanded, by Henry VIII as part of his dissolution of monasteries, and the Church fell into neglect.

The manor subsequently came into the ownership of the Crown, and was given by Elizabeth I to Robert Dudley, owner of Kenilworth Castle. It passed to two of his granddaughters, Lady Anne Holbourne and Lady Katherine Leveson, who restored the Church sometime around 1670.

In a bequest in her will, in 1674, Lady Katherine Leveson also established this nearby almshouse for elderly ladies, which is still in use today.

Kenilworth Castle

2011-05-14T06:18:00.000+01:00

The earliest reference to Kenilworth occurs in the Domesday Book, of 1086, where we find that Kenilworth was a small settlement of about 100 villagers living in a clearing in the Forest of Arden, belonging to the Royal Manor of Stoneleigh.

Within the space of 40 years, for reasons that are unclear, Geoffrey de Clinton, Chamberlain to Henry I, determined to build what was to become possibly the most magnificent castle in England, in this obscure forest clearing. A local outcrop of good building stone would have been one factor for selecting this spot.

The picture at the left shows part of the present day lake in Kenilworth's Abbey Fields. In medieval times there was a large Abbey on the hillside just to the right of this picture. In the background can be seen the towers of Kenilworth Castle. In medieval times the streams that feed this lake were dammed near the castle. This created the largest artificial lake in the kingdom, over a mile long, surrounding the castle.

Kenilworth Castle was established by Geoffrey de Clinton, Chamberlain to Henry I, in about 1122. Warwick Castle was founded slightly earlier, shortly after the Norman Conquest.

The picture at the left is an artists impression of the castle at the time of King John, surrounded by its great lake. This picture, and the present aerial view of the castle, below, are both taken from the castle guide book, Kenilworth Castle, by Derek Benn. (All other photos are my own).

This is the Norman Keep. It is one of the oldest parts of Kenilworth Castle, and was designed to be an impregnable military fortress. The great stone walls are up to 20 feet thick. The wide base of the towers was designed to prevent attempts at undermining the walls. In a siege in 1266 the castle resisted every form of military assault. The defenders only surrendered after a siege of nine months, when they were debilitated by an epidemic within the castle.

Many English kings contributed to the construction of Kenilworth Castle. The central block on high ground in the centre of this picture is the Norman Keep. King John added the outer curtain wall and towers. In the late 14th century the castle was owned by John of Gaunt, who began its conversion from a fortress into a palace. He added the Great Hall, which is the building at the left of the Keep in the picture. This process continued under Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in the 1570s, who added the Leicester building, a large apartment and residential block overlooking the lake. This is the tall structure at the far right of the picture.

The picture at right shows the remains of John of Gaunt's Great Hall.

John of Gaunt was a son of Edward III. On Edward's death the crown passed to Richard II, who was only 12, and John of Gaunt was in practical terms king of England. John of Gaunt's eldest son, Henry Bolingbroke deposed Richard, and became Henry IV. Henry IV probably spent some of his childhood here.

John of Gaunt's daughter, Joan, married Ralph Neville, and their son Richard was father of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker.

Henry IV's son, Henry V (Prince Hal) constructed a pleasure garden at the far end of the great lake, and retired here briefly after his victory at Agincourt.

Kenilworth was one of the five licensed tournament grounds in England where knights could meet. In a tournament held in 1279, 100 Knights and their Ladies assembled. This assembly was known as the Round Table of Knights. The term Round Table is used in the description of the event in Dugdales Antiquities of Warwickshire. Dugdale states that it was called the Round Table "to avoid contention of Precedency". A raised causeway outside the castle, shown at the left, was the tiltyard where the Knights of the Round Table competed in jousting before their Ladies.

This picture, from the Kenilworth Castle Guidebook, is an artists impression of a tournament in progress. This picture is looking at the tiltyard from approximately the same position as in the photo just above.

The picture at the left shows one of the towers along the southern part of the curtain wall. This particular tower is known as the Water Tower. There is still a small moat, visible in the picture, along this part of the wall.

Kenilworth Castle changed hands twice during the Civil War, without much fighting.

After the Civil War, under Cromwell's instructions, parts of the walls and one side of the keep were demolished, and the great lake was drained, to prevent the castle from ever being used as a royalist garrison.

The gatehouse, Leicester's Gatehouse, shown here, was built by Robert Dudley, specifically as an impressive entrance for Elizabeth.

The rooms in Leicester's Gatehouse are very occasionally opened to the public. This is the "Fireplace Room", which includes an elaborate fireplace, with heraldic carvings, dating from Leicester's time.

In 1984 English Heritage became responsible for the castle. I believe that English Heritage have long term ideas of restoring these rooms, and using some of them for educational purposes.

The fine stables, inside the castle wall, constructed in Tudor times, have been preserved.

The stables now accommodate a tea room and a gift shop.

Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester

The high point of Kenilworth Castle's history was under the ownership of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. He was the favourite of Elizabeth I.
Elizabeth was daughter of Henry VIII and his 2nd wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry had a daughter, Mary, by his first wife, and son, Edward, by his third. On Henry's death, in 1547, Edward, aged 10, became King. Edward died in 1553, and Mary, a Catholic, became queen. Mary died, without an heir, in 1558, and Elizabeth became queen. England was, at the start of Elizabeth's reign, a weak country. Elizabeth was under heavy pressures to form alliances, through marriage, with other countries, France and Spain. And there were struggles at home, between Catholic and Protestants, trying to manipulate Elizabeth to further their own beliefs. But Elizabeth was strong-willed and independent and resisted such manipulation. Her own choice in love was Robert Dudley an attendant at court, a choice was not appreciated by any of her advisors. Elizabeth did not marry and devoted her life to her country. There have been many films made about the early years of her reign. The two pictures here are from the version staring Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes.

Robert Dudley made elaborate extensions to the castle. The towering apartments he constructed, Leicesters Building, were somewhat like a great hotel overlooking the lake.

Elizabeth's visits culminated in her visit of 1575. This visit included a firework display and elaborate water-borne pageant on the great lake. The visit is believed to have been seen by the young Shakespeare, and is believed to have been an influence on Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream. It also forms the background to Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth.

A contemporary description of Kenilworth Castle, written by Robert Laneham, at the time of Elizabeth, describes it in the following terms:

"Raised on an easily mounted hill, plentifully well sorted on every side. To the West is a goodly pool of rare beauty, and store of all kinds of fish and wild fowl. By a rare situation and natural agreement this pool seems conjoined to the castle. To the north and west a goodly chase vast, wide, large, and full of red-deer and other stately game. Beautified with many delectable, fresh, and shaded bowers, arbours, seats and walks, that with great art, cost, and diligence were very pleasantly appointed. Which also the natural grace, by the tall trees, did so far commend, as Diana herself might have deigned there well enough to range for her pastime."

Kenilworth Castle in Simon Schama's History of Britain

Kenilworth Castle was featured as a backdrop in the 4th episode of Simon Schama's TV series A History of Britain. This episode dealt with the reigns of Henry III and Edward I. The story told of the opposing power of the Barons, led by Simon de Montfort, and the Barons war.

Simon de Montfort had married the sister of Henry III, and Henry had granted to Simon a lifetime's residency at Kenilworth Castle. Simon Schama says:

"Henry gave Simon two royal castles, one of them the immense and grandiose Kenilworth in Warwickshire. It quickly became more than just a baronial fortress; it was, rather, a centre of courtly and even scholarly life, which completely overshaddowed any other noble residence in the country."

Simon de Montort was protrayed as an idealistic hero. Simon had travelled to the Holy Land on the Crusades. On his return Simon became the driving force behind criticism of the monarchy, and which developed into the Baron's War. One of the main incidents in the War was a siege of Kenilworth Castle by Henry III's forces. After the seige of Kenilworth the Barons were defeated, but the King's influence was curbed.

Simon was also the only Baron who wanted to go beyond reclaiming power from the King, and to support some form democratic participation in government by the people themselves. We could see for the first time a relationship between the 3 levels of rulership - Edward (the monarchy), the Barons (the aristocracy) and the people (democracy). The main hotel in Kenilworth is named after Simon de Montfort.

Illustrations of Kenilworth Castle by John Brandard

A Victorian lithographer, John Brandard, produced a series of illustrations of Kenilworth Castle. Kenilworth is indebted to John Drew for reproducing these pictures, in a limited edition book, Kenilworth Castle Illustrated, which is in the Kenilworth Public Library.

The book also includes some drawings made in the 19th Century when much of the stonework was covered by ivy, and which gave the castle a very Romantic appearance.

The Augustinian Priory and Abbey of St Mary

An Augustinian Priory in Kenilworth was founded between 1123 and 1129 by Geoffrey de Clinton, at the same time as he built the castle. Geoffrey de Clinton founded the Priory as a spiritual act of gratitude, in response to being given the land on which to build the castle.

A priory is generally a monastic house reporting to a cathedral; an abbey is generally independent. Other nearby houses included Cistercian abbeys at Stoneleigh and Coombe, and a Benedictine Proiry at Coventry. The various orders refer to the rules the monks lived by. Members of the court of Henry had a preference for founding Augustinian orders.

In 1447 Kenilworth Priory was raised to the status of abbey, possibly due to its connections with the crown. The Augustinian Abbey at Kenilworth became one of the wealthiest in the country. By the 16th century, 17 churches in the area were held by Kenilworth Abbey, the largest number for any abbey in the county.

The once great Abbey covered a large area, though only two significant structures above ground are still visible today.
The pictures above, and at left, show what remains of the Abbey Gatehouse. The Abbey formerly covered the area between the Gatehouse and St Nicholas' Church, just visible in the background.

Part of the Abbey foundations, with the parish church in the background.

This surviving building now houses a small museum.
The abbey was dissolved, with the dissolution of the monasteries, in 1538. Some of the stonework was taken by Henry VIII, and later by Robert Dudley for building work on extensions at the castle, and some used to extend other churches.

A monastic house sometimes had an associated parish church, and close to the Abbey is St Nicholas' Church.

The arch around the church doorway, shown at the left, is believed to have been taken from the Abbey, and is described by the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner as the "most sumptuous Norman doorway in Warwickshire".

When Geoffrey de Clinton built Kenilworth Castle and founded Kenilworth Priory in 1125 he made, in some sense, a bargain with God. Over the next four centuries the castle grew in strength and splendour, and the Abbey amassed vast wealth.

When Henry VIII, and Robert Dudley, plundered the Abbey, Geoffrey's bargain was, in a sense, broken.

Whether it was by fate, or otherwise, within 75 years of Robert Dudley's spectacular entertainments for Elizabeth I, his impregnable and magnificent castle lay in ruins.

The Old Town

The main street of the original town of Kenilworth ran from the Castle Green, just outside the castle, shown at the left, and along the High Street. High Street forms the direct straight-line route between the castle and Coventry, and this was the principal road in Kenilworth in medieval times.

The demands of building work, and the day-to-day running of the castle, brought wealth and employment to the town. After the Civil War, and the loss of the castle and its royal patronage, the people of the town were reduced to a period of relative poverty.

Kenilworth was situated on the sheep droving road, an ancient path which runs from the Welsh hills to London. This path comes down through Brownhills, Stonebridge, and Berkswell. It continues on through Southam, Buckingham, and Leighton Buzzard to London.

Kenilworth then became, like many similar towns, a small market town, supporting a range of local industries, including candle-making and the manufacture of agricultural implements.

In 1900 the population of Kenilworth was around 4,500. By 1970 it had grown to over 20,000.

Origin of the Name Kenilworth

The name Kenilworth is composed of two elements, someone's personal name, a name now taking the form Kenil-, and the suffix -worth.
-worth is a common place-name suffix and means "fence" or "enclosure" . It has a similar meaning to the place-name suffix "ton". There is a long list of English places name which have the -worth suffix in The Origin of English Place-Names, by P Reaney, p 129-130. Some examples: Hurworth, Shuttleworth, Butterworth, Harmondsworth, Rickmansworth, etc, etc. In all of these examples the place name is pre-Norman conquest. The -worth suffix is usually used for settlements of between 4 and 120 hides. A hide is about 120 acres.

The first syllable of such names is often a personal name. In the case of Kenilworth the first name is believed to be Cynehild, which is a Saxon woman's name.

In the Domesday Book the earliest form of the name which became Kenilworth is spelt Chinewrde. The Oxford Dictionary of English Placenames lists recorded references to the place as Kenildewurda in 1165, and Kenillewurd in 1190.