Wellesbourne

Infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Wellesbourne
latitude= 52.19434
longitude= -1.59472
civil_parish= Wellesbourne
population = 5,691 (2001)
shire_district= Stratford-on-Avon
shire_county= Warwickshire
region= West Midlands
constituency_westminster= Stratford-on-Avon
post_town= WARWICK
postcode_district = CV35
postcode_area= CV
dial_code= 01789
os_grid_reference= SP278552

Wellesbourne is a large village and civil parish in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of the UK. In the 2001 census the parish, which also includes the village of Walton, had a population of 5,691 (2008 est. 6,400).

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

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

History

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

In May 1140 Wellesbourne was hit by a tornado - one of the earliest recorded in the British Isles. It damaged several buildings and killed a woman. [Lane, F.W. "The Elements Rage" (David and Charles 1966), pp.50-51]

Wellesbourne was once two villages – "Wellesbourne Mountford" and "Wellesbourne Hastings", the two villages being divided by the River Dene. In 1947 the two parishes were merged, and are now considered to be a single village. For these historical reasons Wellesbourne lacks a proper village centre.

Perhaps the most significant event in Wellesbourne's history was the founding in 1872 of the first trade union for agricultural workers by Joseph Arch – an event which is still celebrated by an annual parade. There is a somewhat unusual memorial in the form of a plaque in the village bus shelter.

Features

Just outside the village is one of the sites of Horticulture Research International, formerly the Institute of Horticultural Research and, before that, the National Vegetable Research Station. This is partly operated by the University of Warwick. Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield near Wellesbourne is a small civil airfield, also the site of a large market held every Saturday and bank holiday Mondays.

Wellesbourne gained recent publicity when Chedham's Yard, a historic agricultural building featuring a blacksmith's and wainwright's workshops, won BBC TV's "Restoration" series in 2006; however, work is yet to begin, and with the flooding of the village in mid 2007, the yard has remained untouched. Many people believe this to be a future tourist attraction on the same scale as the Wellesbourne Watermill which is situated on the outskirts of the village.

References

External links

* [http://www.wellesbourne.f9.co.uk/welsweb/village.htm Wellesbourne Village website]
* [http://www.wellesbournemill.co.uk Wellesbourne Watermill]
* [http://www.chedhamsyard.org/flat/ Chedhams Yard]
* [http://www.wellesbourneairfield.com/ Wellesbourne Airfield]
* [http://www.wellesbournerfc.co.uk/ Wellesbourne RFC]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/restoration/2006/mid_chedhams_yard_01.shtml BBC News Article]