Berkswell ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull,

county of West Midlands West Midlands is a metropolitan county in the West Midlands Region, England, with a 2021 population of 2,919,600, making it the second most populous county in England after Greater London. It was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 19 ...

, England.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

in Warwickshire, Berkswell is situated in the rural east of the borough, approximately 2 miles (3.25 km) west of the western city boundary of Coventry, at Eastern Green. It is situated about 6.5 miles (10 km) west of Coventry city centre, 8.5 miles (13.5 km) east of central Solihull, 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Meriden and 2 miles (3.25 km) north of Balsall Common. The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded a parish population of 2,843, increasing to 3,139 at the 2011 Census.

History and places of interest

The parish includes a number of hamlets as well as Berkswell village.

Berkswell railway station Berkswell railway station ( ), in the West Midlands of England, takes its name from the nearby village of Berkswell although it is located on the northern edge of the village of Balsall Common. The station originally opened in 1844 as ''Docker's ...

serves the village, but is actually much closer to Balsall Common than to Berkswell village (it was formerly 'Berkswell & Balsall Common' station). Berkswell Church Crypt

The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

of St. John Baptist is a late-12th century Norman building, notable for its two-part

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

. The eastern part is a rectangular space of two

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

under the chancel. The western part is an unusual

octagon In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, whi ...

al space under the eastern part of the nave. Later features of the church include the

Perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-c ...

windows of the north aisle and the two-storied wooden porch. Berkswell's toponym is derived from the Berks Well, a square, stone-walled water well just outside the

churchyard In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

. It is said to have been used for baptisms by immersion and can still be seen today. There are several 16th and 17th century houses in the village. The Bear Inn dates from the 16th century. The local history society runs a small museum in a 17th-century cottage near the church. Ram Hall, about southeast of the village, was built about 1600. The Old Rectory, now called The Well House, south of the church, is early 18th century, then replacing a rectory whose records go back to early 17th century. The

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

s were built in 1853. There is a village green on which are the

stocks Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...

that were used for punishing petty offenders. It is claimed that these were especially built for a one-legged ex-soldier and his two drinking companions as there are only five leg holes. On Windmill Lane is the protected and restored Berkswell Windmill, a fine example of a tower mill with its original machinery. Other local features include Marsh Lane Nature Reserve. There is a small Church of England primary school near the church on Church Lane.

Notable residents

Notable people from Berkswell include the actor

Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series), Granada TV series from 1984 ...

, whose roles include

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

in a television drama series, tennis player Maud Watson – the first Ladies Singles Champion in 1884 at The Championships, Wimbledon and Bob Wyatt (R.E.S.), England Cricket Captain for a number of years from 1934. The

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

stayed in the village for two weeks in 1988, writing the B-side ''Jubbsy's Treasure''. Former county cricketer Dominic Ostler, a key member of Warwickshire's historic treble winning side in 1994, who lives in neighbouring Balsall Common, went on to skipper Berkswell Cricket Club in the Birmingham League, winning the league's Twenty20 Cup competition in 2010.

Filming

Numerous television series have shot scenes in Berkswell – including BBC's ''Beat the Boss'' and ITV's Comedy/Drama ''Love and Marriage''.

References

Sources and further reading

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Gallery

Image:Berkswell village green 1308.JPG, Berkswell village green Image:Berkswell - the well 1m08.JPG, The well Image:Berkswell Church.jpg, St John the Baptist parish church, with its unusual wooden porch Image:Berkswell church crypt.jpg, The crypt of St John the Baptist parish church Image:SP_A0307.jpg, War memorial in the grounds of St. John the Baptist parish church Image:SP_A0315.jpg, Front view of Berkswell Church of England Primary School Image:SP_A0317.jpg, The stocks on the village green

External links

panoramic 360 view of Berkswell (Virtual Midlands)St John Baptist parish church website – includes information of the villagelocal history group website
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Geograph photos of Berkswell and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in the West Midlands (county) Conservation areas in England