Warwickshire Places (30) : Ufton

The village of Ufton is in the centre of the county between Leamington Spa and Southam.

The village was known as Ulchtune in the Domesday Book, the name may be derived from Ulla who was a Danish chief in the area during pre-Norman times. Ufton was granted to Coventry Priory in 1043 and remained in monastic hands for most of the subsequent centuries until the Reformation. In later times much of the manor was owned by Oxford University's Balliol College though was not very valuable land.

The parish church of St Michael has 13th century origins though much of the current church is 14th and 15th century. 

In modern times Ufton has won an award for being the best village in Warwickshire. Ufton has no railway station though the Grand Union Canal passes to the north of Ufton.

Warwickshire Places (29) : Radford Semele

Radford Semele is a village in central Warwickshire to the east of Leamington Spa.

Remains of a Roman villa have been found close to the village indicating habitation in the area for some time. The village is named for the Saint-Pierre-de-Semilly family of Normandy who were lords of the manor in the early Norman period.

The parish church of St Nicholas dates the 12th century. The church was nearly destroyed by a fire in 2008 which left only the tower and the shell of the main building remaining. The church has now been rebuilt. Another old building in Radford Semele which was nearly lost was the 16th century pub the White Lion which was badly damaged in 2006 in another fire. The pub has also now been restored.

Warwickshire Places (28) : Clifford Chambers

The village of Clifford Chambers is a mile and a half south of Stratford-upon-Avon. Until 1931 it was part of Gloucestershire.

The village has Saxon origins, land was granted at Clifford by the Bishops of Worcester in the early 10th century. Clifford manor was later granted to Gloucester Abbey and was given to the Chamberlain of the Abbey, hence the Chambers part of the name. The manor was later owned by the Rainford family, Sir Henry Rainford was known for his love of poetry, writers including William Shakespeare visited him.

The parish church of St Helen is Norman, there being records of a priest in Clifford Chambers since 1086. The church was rebuilt and enlarged in the 12th century, the tower being added in the 14th.

Clifford Chambers has remained a small village with a population of only 325 in 1951 and 418 in 2001. The village has a single pub and has a garden centre nearby. 

Warwickshire Places (27) : Dunchurch

The village of Dunchurch is in the east of the county, south west of Rugby.

Dunchurch, then known as Don Cerce, was listed in the Domesday Book. The village was at the cross roads of two stage coach routes and three major roads, at one time there were twenty seven coaching inns in the village of which two survive today as inns. Amongst the people who stayed in Dunchurch were the Gunpowder plotters in 1605. They waited at a coaching inn for news of Guy Fawkes successful destruction of Parliament. The former inn is now known as Guy Fawkes House.

Dunchurch's location and transport links meant it was one of the most important settlements in eastern Warwickshire, though the coming of the railways saw Rugby eclipse it in size and importance.

The parish church dedicated to St Peter dates from 13th century but was rebuilt in the 14th century with little remaining of the original church apart from one of the chancel walls. The tower was added in the 15th.

Warwickshire Places (26) : Long Itchington

The village of Long Itchington is east of Leamington Spa in central Warwickshire.

The village takes it's name from the river Itchen which flows past it. The village has existed since Saxon times, it is said to have been the birthplace of Saint Wulfstan in 1012. The parish church has existed since the early Norman times. A Tudor house in the village was stayed at twice by Queen Elizabeth it is believed in the early 1570s.

To the south of the village was a cement works, a model village being built to house the workers. The cement works has now closed but quarrying continues at the site. The village has no railway station though once was a stop on the Weedon to Leamington Spa Line which closed to passengers in 1958.

Warwickshire Places (25) : Kenilworth

Kenilworth is a market town to the north of Warwick. Kenilworth was known as Chinewrde at the time of the Domesday Book. The town gained importance early in the Norman period with the establishment of an Augustinian priory and also a castle in the early 12th century. 

The castle was a major strongpoint, it was besieged by Prince Edward's forces in 1266 during the Second Barons War for six months and did not fall. Later on Kenilworth was the setting for a parliament by King Henry III which eventually led to the end of the war. During the Wars of the Roses the castle was a base for King Henry IV. Later on Elizabeth I stayed at the castle and prayed at the nearby St Nicholas church.

The castle was slighted after the Civil War and soon became a ruin. Kenilworth's national importance diminished as a result. The priory eventually became an abbey though this also became ruins after dissolution. However, in modern times the castle is a major visitor attraction. The town gained a railway station in 1844, though it closed in 1965 before being re-opened in 2018!

Inside St Nicholas' church

St Nicholas' church

Near the abbey ruins

Part of the abbey ruins

Warwickshire Places (24) : Southam

Southam is a market town to the east of Leamington Spa. Southam has Saxon origins and was granted to Coventry Priory in 1043. By the time of the Domesday Book the manor was known as Sucham. It remained owned by Coventry Priory until the Dissolution.

The town gained a market charter in 1227, it was well located on the intersection of a number of ancient roads including main roads to Coventry, Warwick and Oxford. Southam later gained the right to hold a number of medieval fairs. During the Civil War the Royalists had a mint creating coins to pay the troops, the building is now the Olde Mint pub! Later on Southam became an important stagecoach stop. Despite being close to a couple of railway lines Southam has never been directly served it's own railway station.

Southam has a Holy Well, which was first recorded in 998. The water from the well is said to cure eye complaints. Southam's parish church dedicated to St James dates from the 14th century. 

St James churchyard

Southam

Ye Olde Mint

St James

Warwickshire Places (23) : Bearley

The village of Bearley is north of Stratford-upon-Avon. The area around Bearley is mostly agricultural, including a vineyard. Bearley has a small amount of light industry and retail but most people will be working elsewhere in surrounding towns and cities.

Bearley was recorded in the Domesday Book as Burlei, the name is derived from the Old English for a woodland clearing near a fortified place. The oldest building in the village is the church dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, parts of the nave dates from the 12th century including a blocked doorway and the chancel from the 13th century. However, the church was largely rebuilt in more recent times with extensions and remodelling in the early 19th century including a new bell tower.

Near Bearley is the Edstone Aqueduct of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. This is the longest aqueduct in England and crosses the North Warwickshire railway line. Bearley's railway station is on the Leamington-Stratford Line.

Warwickshire Places (22) : Offchurch

Offchurch is a village to the east of Leamington Spa just off the Fosse Way. The village is not mentioned in the Domesday Book but other evidence indicates the village was in existence in late Saxon times. The name is derived from Offa's Church, near to the village is a manor house called Offchurch Bury said to be built on the site of the former palace of the Mercian king Offa.

The most notable building in the village is the parish church of St Gregory. The church is 12th century and possibly built on the site of Offa's Saxon church though no confirmed trace of this earlier church has been found. Traces of a Saxon cemetery have been found to the south of the church.

The area around the village is mostly agricultural.

Warwickshire Places (21) : Preston Bagot

Preston Bagot is a village to the west of Warwick and east of Henley-in-Arden. The village has existed since Saxon times and was listed in the Domesday Book. The village was known as Prestetone and was granted to Ingeram Bagot by the Earl of Warwick in the late 12th century. This is likely how the name Preston Bagot was derived.

The most notable building in the village is the 12th century church of All Saints which is located on a high spur with steep slopes. The road between Claverdon and Henley-in-Arden passes through the village as does the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. The land around the village is mostly agricultural.

Warwickshire Places (20) : Wood End

The village of Wood End is just to the North of Tanworth-in-Arden. The village is part of Tanworth parish to the West of Umberslade manor and South of Terry's Green. Umberslade was given in the reign of Henry II to Robert Archer and remained in his family for the next six hundred years.

Wood End is a small village mostly consisting of residential properties though there is a pub of course. The village has a railway station on the North Warwickshire Line.

Warwickshire Places (19) : Kingsbury

Kingsbury is a village in the North of Warwickshire which has Saxon origins and was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The village was in a defensible position by the river Tame, indeed the "bury" part of the name means fort. Parts of Kingsbury Hall, a fortified manor house, still remain including parts of it's defensive walls.

Kingsbury is in the Hemlingford Hundred of Warwickshire, Hemlingford being a ford over the river Tame very close to Kingbury's church. The hundred's meeting place was at Hemlingford Green.

The church dedicated to St Peter and St Paul has been dated to 1200CE though an earlier church was likely on the same site, parts of the Norman church still remain. Kingsbury remained a small village until the 19th century when coal and mineral mining and the railways helped the village expand (though the station is now gone). Since the 1960s a large oil storage depot has been situated near the village. Also near the village is Kingsbury Water Park, a large leisure facility which re-used former gravel pits.

Warwickshire Places (18) : Bedworth

Bedworth is a market town in the North of Warwickshire. Bedworth has Saxon origins and was listed in the Domesday Book as Bedeword. Bedworth was a small settlement until the early-modern period, local coal mines helping spark a boom in the town. In 1939 Bedworth had twenty coal mines but the last closed in 1991. Bedworth also grew due to ribbon weaving and textile manufacturers moving from Coventry. 

Both industries have now gone and Bedworth inhabitants mostly work elsewhere especially in nearby Coventry and Nuneaton. The parish church of All Saints has 14th century origins though was rebuilt by the Victorians.

The Coventry Canal, which flows through the town, opened in 1789. The railway arrived in Bedworth in 1850.