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historic county of Warwickshire was home to Guy of Warwick;
to Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, the "King Maker";
William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon; Sir Hugh Willoughby,
the explorer; George Eliot, novelist; Joseph Arch, campaigner
for the rights of agricultural labourers. It has strong associations
with the Gunpowder Plot, designed to blow up King James 1 and
his Parliament; with the English Civil War, particularly the
Battle of Edge Hill; with the development of the game of Rugby
Football. This page provides views of some of the historic and
varied buildings and landmarks to be found throughout the county.
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Compton
Verney
Originally the home of the Verney family, the present house
was designed by Robert Adam and built in the 1760s. The work
was commissioned by John Peyto Verney, 14th Baron Willoughby
de Broke. The estate was owned by the Verney family from the
mid-1400s to 1921. The house was purchased for the Compton
Verney House Trust by the Peter Moores Foundation in 1993.
It now serves as an art gallery and museum with both permanent
and temporary exhibitions. |
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19th century road
sign in Atherstone
This sign on a shop front in Long Street,
Atherstone, confirms the town's location on the old A5 coaching
road between London and Holyhead.
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Alvecote
Priory
The priory was established by Benedictine
Monks in 1159. It was only a small establishment, being
a sub-priory of one at Great Malvern and it appears to have
been a struggle to maintain it in good order. It ceased
to operate as a Priory in 1543, following the suppression
of the monasteries.
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Bedworth Tower
A water tower in Bedworth which once provided
water supplies to the local area and still provides a local
landmark. It is now surrounded by a residential housing
estate. It was planned to convert the tower to apartments
and flats but as yet this has not happened.
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Wolfhampcote &
The River Leam
The River Leam, one of the principal rivers
of Warwickshire, rises near Hellidon in Northamptonshire.
For a few miles it forms the boundary between Northamptonshire
and Warwickshire. It reaches Wolfhampcote and is bridged
by the old LNWR line between Rugby and Leamington. Shortly
after, the river turns westward on its journey to Leamington
and the county boundary continues northwards, skirting Braunston
in Northamptonshire. These 2 bridges were constructed to
carry the railway through the small, isolated settlement
of Wolfhampcote. A short distance away, the old trackbed
of the Great Central Railway also passes through the parish,
crossing the LNWR at right angles. The GCR bridges have
been demolished.
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Rowington Windmill
An old windmill in the village of Rowington
which has been attractively converted to residential use.
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Packhorse Bridge
Old packhorse bridge over the Smite Brook
near Combe Fields.
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King's Newnham Church Tower
All that remains of the old St. Peter's Church,
replaced by a newer building at Church Lawford. Reputed
to be haunted.
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Walton
Hall
Walton Hall was constructed in the 1860's
to the design of Sir George Gilbert Scott, on the site of
the old manor house. It was the home of the Mordaunt family.
The enlarged Hall provided employment to a large number
of people in the late 19th century, providing a boost to
the size of the congregation of the church. The Hall was
at the centre of a controversy in the late 19th century
which involved the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII.
His liaison with Harriet Mordaunt was discovered by her
husband, Sir Charles Mordaunt. A court case followed in
1870 with Sir Charles suing for divorce and the Prince of
Wales facing the ignominy of being called as a witness.
The tragic outcome, designed to save the family name, was
the declaration of Harriet as insane and her confinement
to an asylum for the remainder of her life.
The house served as an hotel, in the second
half of the 20th century and was owned by the entertainer
Danny La Rue in the 1980s. It then operated as a timeshare
location but is now an hotel and leisure facility.
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