Staverton is a village and
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 ...
in the south-west of
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
, England. It is 2.3 miles west of
Daventry
Daventry ( , historically ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority in Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 Census Daventry had a population of 28,123, making ...
, 7.9 miles east of
Southam
Southam () is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Southam is situated on the River Stowe (called 'The Brook' by many locals), which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's ...
and 15.3 miles east of
Leamington Spa. It straddles the
A425 road
A4 most often refers to:
*A4 paper, a paper size defined by the ISO 216 standard, measuring 210 × 297 mm
A4 and variants may also refer to:
Science and mathematics
* British NVC community A4 (''Hydrocharis morsus-ranae - Stratiotes aloide ...
from Daventry to Leamington. The
Jurassic Way
The Jurassic Way is a designated and signed long-distance footpath that connects the Oxfordshire town of Banbury with the Lincolnshire town of Stamford in England. It largely follows an ancient ridgeway traversing Britain; most of its route i ...
br>
long-distance footpath between
Banbury
Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshir ...
and
Stamford passes through the village.
The village sits on the edge of an escarpment and has views westward across the valley of the
River Leam
The River Leam (), anciently Leame, etc, is a river in England which rises at Hellidon Hill in Northamptonshire then flows through Warwickshire, including the town of Leamington Spa, named after it. It then flows into the River Avon near Warwic ...
into the neighbouring 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 ...
. Both the
Malvern and
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
hills are visible on fine days.
History
The village's name means 'Stake farm/settlement', either set apart by such or where they were made or acquired.
In the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
of 1086, Staverton is mentioned as ''Stavertone''.
Before the early part of the 18th century, the original village was located behind the church. However, in 1720 a fire broke out which caused damage, destroying many
hay
Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...
stacks,
stables
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
, grain stores and 22 houses. The total loss was thought to be around £3,000. The result of this was that the village received, via a bequest from Elizabeth Darby, a
fire engine
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an ...
. This came into commission in 1767, was kept in the village until quite recently and was later housed at the Daventry museum. A plaque can be seen on a door opposite the village green to this effect.
![Staverton village 22,04,2007 (3)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Staverton_village_22%2C04%2C2007_%283%29.JPG)
The village has a
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 ...
, situated at the end of Manor Road and thought to have parts originating possibly from
Anglo-Saxon times. It is only one of many examples of vernacular architecture in the village. There is an interesting window detail at ''The Stables'' in Manor Road. A datestone above the window reads R.R. 1684.
Within the village, Well Lane runs parallel to the main
A425. It has been conjectured that this was a much earlier approach to the village. The deeply banked sides to the lane bear testimony to it being an ancient right of way. Possibly, with the increase in coaching traffic from the west, the present A425 route was chosen in preference.
Along the western boundary of the parish runs the now-disused railway, the last mainline railway to be built in Britain. It was constructed by the
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company was grouped into the ...
Company between 1894 and 1899 and ran from
Nottingham Victoria
Nottingham Victoria railway station was a Great Central Railway and Great Northern Railway railway station in Nottingham, England. It was designed by the architect Albert Edward Lambert, who also designed the rebuild of the Nottingham Midland s ...
to
London Marylebone
Marylebone station ( ) is a Central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the Marylebone area of the City of Westminster. On the National Rail network it is also known as London Marylebone and is the southern te ...
. A mission was established for the
navvies
Navvy, a clipping of navigator ( UK) or navigational engineer ( US), is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects and occasionally (in North America) to refer to mechanical shovels and ea ...
in the village in a barn situated on the corner of Manor Road and Glebe Lane. This is now part of a private residence.
Geography
The average elevation of the parish is 700 ft above sea level, and approximately 1.5 miles south of the village is
Arbury Hill, which, at 225 m (738 ft), is the highest point in Northamptonshire. On the summit, evidence of an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
hill fort of an unusually square shape is plainly seen. The
River Nene
The River Nene ( or : see below) is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in Northamptonshire.OS Explorer Map sheet 223, Northampton & Market Harborough, Brixworth & Pitsford Water. The river is about long, about of w ...
rises nearby. The
Jurassic Way
The Jurassic Way is a designated and signed long-distance footpath that connects the Oxfordshire town of Banbury with the Lincolnshire town of Stamford in England. It largely follows an ancient ridgeway traversing Britain; most of its route i ...
and the Three Rivers Circular Walk pass through the parish.
Demography
Staverton parish had a population of 468 at the
2001 census, reducing slightly to 458 at the 2011 Census.
Landmarks
![Staverton Parish Church 22,04,2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Staverton_Parish_Church_22%2C04%2C2007.JPG)
St Mary the Virgin has been a site of Christian worship for well over a thousand years, although the first recorded vicar appears in records started in 1220. A board inside the church lists all subsequent vicars up to the present incumbent. The present church dates from about 1300 with some older parts. For hundreds of years before this, possibly dating back to before 800 AD, a burial ground existed on the site - as evidenced by the raised churchyard. The main structure that can be seen today dates mainly from the 14th century, although traces of older architecture still remain, such as the
lancet window in the north-west corner, which is from the
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
period.
The church has many original architectural and historic features. From the top of the tower, sitting on top of one of the highest points in Northamptonshire, it is said that if one were able to travel eastwards maintaining the same altitude, one would not touch land again until reaching the
Urals
The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...
. The ‘new’ north porch, used as the main entrance into the church, dates back 600 years, whereas the south porch is 100 years older. The original door and roof timbers remain. The church has a peal of six bells cast in 1938 by
John Taylor & Co
John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...
of Loughborough. The vicar from 1933 to 1946, Rev. E.S. Powell, initiated the bell restoration; he and his wife were active bellringers.
Transport
There is a low-floor bus service 65 between
Leamington-
Southam
Southam () is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Southam is situated on the River Stowe (called 'The Brook' by many locals), which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's ...
-
Banbury
Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshir ...
, operated by
Stagecoach in Warwickshire from Monday to Saturday. For timetable clic
hereThe closest railway is the
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...
service from
Long Buckby station on the
Northampton loop of the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
. Nearby
Northampton and
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
stations are served by
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership franchise.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the Inter ...
services, while
Chiltern Railways.
CrossCountry and West Midlands Trains trains can be joined at
Leamington Spa or
Banbury
Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshir ...
.
Amenities
There is one
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 ...
, ''The Countryman'', formerly known as the ''New Inn''. Former Staverton pubs included ''The Windmill'' in Windmill Lane and ''The Crown'', now a private house, opposite The Green. Across the road from the pub, there is a garage. There is a garden centre on the Badby Road out of the village. East of the village on the Daventry road is De Vere Staverton Estate, a hotel where the facilities include an indoor leisure complex and an 18-hole
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". ...
and
driving range
A driving range is a facility or area where golfers can practice their golf swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range att ...
.
The first mention of a
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
in the village was in 1864, but the post office closed in March 2008.
[''Daventry Express'', 28 February 2008]
Image gallery
Image:Central railway viaduct.jpg, Catesby viaduct over the River Leam.
Image:The Countryman, Staverton 12 05 2008 (1).JPG, The Countryman Inn
References
External links
The village websiteInformation about De Vere Staverton Estate
{{authority control
Villages in Northamptonshire
Civil parishes in Northamptonshire
West Northamptonshire District