Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked rural county, famous for being the birthplace of the playwright William Shakespeare. Steeped in culture and history today Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon is one of the most important tourist destinations in the UK and home to the world renowned Royal Shakespeare Company.
The county town of Warwick is well known for its castle- the finest medieval castle in Britain. The principal town is Coventry, one of Britain's largest provincial cities with a population of 300,000. Its cathedral is one of the most famous in Britain and is a clever combination of historic and vibrant modernist architecture.
The majority of Warwickshire's population of 522,000 live in the north and centre of the county. In the north and east the principal towns are Nuneaton and Rugby. Other prosperous towns of central and western Warwickshire include Leamington Spa, known for its Royal Pump Rooms and Spa, Kenilworth, which reputedly has the "finest ruined castle in England" and the Roman town of Alcester. In the south of the county it is largely rural and includes a small area of the North Cotswolds. The town of Shipston-on-Stour was known in ancient times as sheep-wash-town because of its connection to the local wool trade! Henley-in-Arden, in the north west of Warwickshire, is in an area once covered by the ancient Forest of Arden. Its charming High Street is officially a conservation area.
Heavy industry has now declined in the area and has been replaced by distribution centres, light to medium industries and services. Warwickshire is home to a number of automotive companies, including the historic and prestigious Jaguar, Aston Martin and Land Rover brands.
Education
Warwickshire is one of the few local authorities in England to still maintain the Grammar school system in two districts-Stratford-upon-Avon and Rugby. Children are given the opportunity to sit the eleven plus examination at the start of school year 6 to secure a place at one of the Grammar schools. There are two in Stratford and Rugby and one in Alcester. William Shakespeare was a pupil at King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford. Warwickshire has excellent state schools and some of the best independent schools in the country, including Warwick School and Rugby School.
Transport
Warwickshire has excellent transport links. The M40 which connects London to Birmingham runs through the centre of the county. The M6 connects the NW of England and the Midlands to the M1 motorway. Other major routes through the county are via the M45, the M6 toll and the M42. There are excellent train services too - Birmingham is only approximately 40 minutes away and London 1 hour 40 minutes.
Interesting Warwickshire facts
- In the 1969 film 'The Italian Job', the scenes where the Mini Coopers speed through the catacombs of Rome were in fact filmed in huge sewer pipes beneath the streets of Coventry.
- In 1823 in Rugby, William Webb Ellis "with a fine disregard for the rules of football... first took the ball in his hands and ran with it". Rugby football was born. Countries as diverse as Argentina, France, Western Samoa and South Africa today compete every four years for the William Webb Ellis Trophy at the Rugby World Cup.
- Erasmus Darwin was a member of the Warwickshire Lunar Society. They were a group of brilliant engineers, scientists and inventors living in the area between 1765 and 1813. He published a theory of evolution 60 years before his famous grandson Charles, as well as developing a steering system adopted by Henry Ford.
