Leek Wootton is a village and former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

, now in the parish of

Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe Leek Wootton & Guy's Cliffe is a civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District of Warwickshire, England. It was created when the smallest parish in England, Guy's Cliffe, was merged with Leek Wootton on 1 April 1986, and includes the h ...

, in the

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

district, in the county of

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

, England, approximately 2 miles south of

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...

and 2.5 miles north of

. It lies in the triangle created by Kenilworth, Warwick and Leamington Spa. In 1961 the parish had a population of 671.

Geography

The civil parish of

, including the

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

of Hill Wootton, Chesford, Goodrest, North and Middle Woodloes, has a population of approximately 1,100. The village is adjacent to the A46 dual-carriageway trunk road. The nearest

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

is Warwick town with

Warwick Parkway Warwick Parkway is a railway station with Park and Ride facilities on the western outskirts of Warwick in Warwickshire, England. It also serves the village of Budbrooke. The station is owned by Network Rail and Warwickshire County Council. Wa ...

further away. The nearest airport is

Birmingham Airport Birmingham Airport , formerly ''Birmingham International Airport'', is an international airport located east-southeast of Birmingham city centre, west-northwest of Coventry slightly north of Bickenhill village, in the Metropolitan Borou ...

(11.7 miles). There are numerous public footpaths and walks in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

, including the ''Tink-a-Tank'', (believed to have been named because people used to use the path to walk to church and think about God and thank him for his blessings), several across the

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

s, a woodland walk between the

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

Road (B4115), which crosses the

A46 road The A46 is a major A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway developmen ...

and comes out at the north end of the village on the

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

Woodcote, HQ of Warwickshire Police - geograph

Blacklow Hill is found to the south of the village, close to the

. Its name comes from the fact the trees that partly cover it are very dark (black) and the Anglo-Saxon ''hlaew'' (

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

). In 1971 an archaeological team found

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

s and hunting tools from the early Mesolithic period, around 9,000. They also found three graves of Anglo-Saxon origin. The monument ''Gaveston's Cross'' is in the wood on the hill. It marks the point where

Piers Gaveston Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall (c. 1284 – 19 June 1312) was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of Edward II of England. At a young age, Gaveston made a good impression on King Edward I, who assigned him to the househ ...

was murdered. In 1308 Edward II travelled to Boulogne to marry Isabella, leaving Piers Gaveston, a Gascon knight to act as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

. Resentment against Edward II rule and

'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 The title of Earl of Lancaster was created in the Peerage of England in 1267. It was succeeded by the title Duke of Lancaster in 1351, which expired in 1361. (The most recent creation of the ducal title merged with the Crown in 1413.) King Henry ...

and his allies. He was captured first by the

Earl of Warwick Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick. Overview The first creation ...

, 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. The railway bridge over the road between Leek Wootton and Hill Wootton on the

Coventry to Leamington Line Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed by ...

collapsed in a railway accident on 11 June 1861 with the driver and fireman being killed. On 1 April 1986 the parish was abolished and merged with

Guy's Cliffe Guy's Cliffe (variously spelled with and without an apostrophe and a final "e") is a hamlet and former civil parish on the River Avon and the Coventry Road between Warwick and Leek Wootton, in the parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe, in the ...

to form "Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe".

Local economy and services

All Saints' Church, Leek Wootton

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

is All Saints', an Anglican church centred in the middle of the village. The current

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

of the church is The Reverend Jim Perryman.

All Saints' CofE Academy, Leek Wootton

When Leek Wootton First School was threatened with closure in the early 1990s, the community campaigned to save it and a new school was built at the southern end of the village and All Saints'

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

(

Voluntary Aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...

)

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

was opened in 1996 by The Right Reverend Simon Barrington-Ward,

Bishop of Coventry The Bishop of Coventry is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Coventry in the Province of Canterbury. In the Middle Ages, the Bishop of Coventry was a title used by the bishops known today as the Bishop of Lichfield. The presen ...

. Since 1 September 2014 All Saints’ and Burton Green Primary Schools have been working together as a federation of schools. On 1 March 2018 All Saints' and Burton Green schools became academies and members of the

Diocesan

Multi-Academy Trust Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) or school trust is an academy trust that operates more than one academy school. Academy schools are state-funded schools in England which are directly funded by the Department for Education and independent of local author ...

. On 24 April 2018 The Right Reverend Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry, attended both schools to formally welcome them into the trust.

Leek Wootton War Memorial Recreation Ground

The

War Memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

Recreation Ground is to the north-west of the village. "The Rec" as it is known locally is home to a children's playground, Leek Wootton

Village Hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...

and Leek Wootton

Sports Club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...

, which includes a cricket club that competes in the Cotswold Hills League, and a junior football club.

The Warwickshire Golf and Country Club

Leek Wootton is home to The

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

and

Country Club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offe ...

, and has the Anchor Inn

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

at its centre. The ''Chesford Grange

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'' also falls within the boundaries of the

, as does the Saxon Mill at

. The Warwickshire Golf and Country Club is an exclusive members only club and comprises two 18-hole

s, a par-3 course and a comprehensive leisure centre with gym, indoor pools, and spa.

Woodcote House and Estate

Woodcote is a 19th-century

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

and estate on the western boundary of the village. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

it was repurposed as a convalescent home for military personnel and was home to the headquarters of

Warwickshire Police Warwickshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Warwickshire in England. It is the second smallest territorial police force in England and Wales after the City of London Police, with only 823 (full-time equivalents ...

from 1949. A new purpose-built headquarters for the Police at Woodcote was proposed, but the planning application was refused by

Warwick District Warwick is a local government district of central Warwickshire in England. It borders the Borough of Rugby and Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire as well as the West Midlands County (of which Coventry and Solihull are within the historic ...

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. Following the construction of a new control room in

and the inclusion of some of the estate in a local housing planning allocation, the site was put up for sale in 2018. On 1 April 2019 Warwickshire Police announced that, due to the collapse of its alliance with

West Mercia Police West Mercia Police (), formerly the West Mercia Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin) and Worcestershire in England. The force area cove ...

, Warwickshire Police would be returning to Woodcote and it would become the Service's headquarters again. This resulted in the sale of the estate being halted.

Community Events

In 2016, for HM The Queen's 90th Birthday celebrations, the annual Church Garden Fete was amalgamated into a Parish Fete held on "The Rec". This has remained a regular event, with a break in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. In 2022 a Big Jubilee Lunch was held instead for HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Leek Wootton & District Horticultural Society holds an Annual Flower Show at the Village hall on the Saturday of the weekend before the August Bank Holiday. There are various gardening, cooking and household classes and children's competitions, ranging from miniature gardens to digital art. Unclaimed entries are entered into an arction of produce at the end of the event.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Warwickshire Former civil parishes in Warwickshire Warwick District