Leek Wootton

Leek Wootton from the main road

Leek Wootton is a village in Warwickshire, England, roughly one mile from Kenilworth and two miles from Warwick. It lies in the triangle created by Kenilworth, Warwick and Leamington Spa.

Geography

The civil parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe, including the hamlets of Hill Wootton, Chesford, Goodrest, North and Middle Woodloes, has a population of approximately 1,100. The parish church is All Saints'. All Saints' is an Anglican church centred in the middle of the village. The current vicar of the church is Rev. Jim Perryman. The village is adjacent to the A46 dual-carriageway trunk road. The nearest railway station is Warwick town with Warwick Parkway further away. The nearest airport is Birmingham Airport (11.8 miles).

The War Memorial Recreation Ground is to the north-west of the village and is home to The Village Hall and Leek Wootton Sports Club. "The Rec" as it is known locally is also home to a children's playground. The Leek Wootton Sports Club has formed a recreational cricket team with local members and members from neighbouring villages. Every year there is a fair at the Village hall consisting of competitions from miniature gardens to digital art, also there is locally made items sold such as jams and cakes.

There are numerous public footpaths and walks in the village, including the Tink-a-Tank,[1] several across the golf courses, a woodland walk between the Coventry Road (B4115), which crosses the A46 and comes out at the north end of the village on the Warwick Road, and a small area of woodland to the north west of the village (accessed from Waller Close and the recreation ground).

To the north of Leek Wootton is the Cattle Brook and just north of Hill Wootton this meets the much larger River Avon, which forms the south-eastern boundary of the Parish.

History

Blacklow Hill

The 1823 Gaveston monument at Blacklow Hill.

The monument Gaveston's Cross is located on a site south of Leek Wootton. It marks the point where Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall was murdered. In 1308 Edward II travelled to Boulogne to marry Isabella, leaving Piers Gaveston, a Gascon knight to act as regent. Resentment against Edward's rule and Gaveston's position of power grew, some barons began to insist Gaveston be banished. Edward could do little to prevent Gaveston being captured in 1312 under the orders of the Earl of Lancaster and his allies. He was captured first by the Earl of Warwick, whom he was seen to have offended, and handed over to two Welshmen. They took him to Blacklow Hill and murdered him; one ran him through the heart with his sword and the other beheaded him.

Railway bridge collapse

Wootton bridge collapse 11 June 1861
Modern bridge

The railway bridge over the road between Leek Wootton and Hill Wootton collapsed in a railway accident on 11 June 1861 with the driver and fireman being killed.

Local economy and services

Leek Wootton is home to The Warwickshire Golf and Country Club, and has the Anchor Inn public house at its centre. The Chesford Grange Hotel also falls within the boundaries of the civil parish, as does the Saxon Mill at Guy's Cliffe. The Warwickshire Golf and Country Club is an exclusive members only club and is made up by an 18-hole golf course, gym, indoor pools, a spa, and a cafe. The Anchor Inn proves to be popular during weekend nights, as it is the one of the only pubs in walking distance for the locals.[2]

The school is All Saints' Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School. When the village school was threatened by closure in the early 1990s, the community campaigned to save it and after moving to new premises, it was opened in 1996 by The Right Reverend Simon Barrington-Ward, Bishop of Coventry.

In November 2005 a new health and fitness centre was opened at The Warwickshire, which now operates as The Warwickshire Golf & Country Club (part of the Club Company Group) and the separate golf Club House was reopened in March 2007.

Woodcote

Woodcote, once the home of the Wise family, former HQ of Warwickshire Police

Woodcote is a 19th-century manor house and estate on the western boundary of the village. During the Second World War it was used as a convalescent home for military personnel, notably American servicemen. It was home to the headquarters of Warwickshire Police from 1949. A new purpose-built headquarters for the Warwickshire Police at Woodcote was proposed, but the planning application was refused by Warwick District Council on 31 October 2007. A revised application was subsequently approved, but the site was not redeveloped. In 2011 it was announced that Woodcote was to be sold, and the headquarters relocated to Leamington Spa.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Application for a Modification Order to ADD a Route to the Map" (PDF). Warwickshire CC. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  2. ↑ http://www.thewarwickshire.com/golf
  3. ↑ "Warwickshire Police to sell Leek Wootton headquarters". BBC News. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011.

http://www.thewarwickshire.com/golf

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Coordinates: 52°19′5″N 1°34′35″W / 52.31806°N 1.57639°W / 52.31806; -1.57639

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