Whitestone is a suburban area of
Nuneaton
Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth in northern Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire and West Midlands County.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's ...
in
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-Avon an ...
in central
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
It is located approximately two miles south-east of Nuneaton town centre. Historically part of
Attleborough
Attleborough is a market town and civil parish located on the A11 between Norwich and Thetford in Norfolk, England. The parish is in the district of Breckland and has an area of .
The 2001 Census recorded the town as having a population of 9 ...
, the area has developed its own identity following extensive housing developments since the 1950s and 1960s. Today, it is generally considered one of Nuneaton's more desirable areas.{{Citation needed, date=June 2018
Boundaries
Whitestone is bounded approximately by 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 ...
, Eastboro Way (A4254), the
River Anker
The River Anker is a river in England that flows through the centre of Nuneaton. It is a major tributary of the River Tame, which it joins in Tamworth. The name of the river derives from an old British term for ''winding river''. From source t ...
, the borough boundary, and the
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal
The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal is a long canal in England which connected the mining district around Moira, just outside the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, with the Coventry Canal at Bedworth in Warwickshire. It was opened in 1804 ...
.
For district (borough) council elections, Whitestone is split between two wards: Whitestone, and Attleborough. Each ward is represented by two councillors, elected by halves.
For county council elections, Whitestone is split between three electoral divisions: Nuneaton Whitestone, Nuneaton St Nicolas, and Bulkington. Each electoral division is represented by one county councillor.
For postal purposes, that part of Whitestone broadly north of Lutterworth Road has postcodes beginning "CV11 6––", while that part of Whitestone broadly to the south of Lutterworth Road has postcodes beginning "CV11 4––".
Whitestone, like the rest of Nuneaton, is located within the
historic county of Warwickshire. It is also part of the
administrative county
An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...
of Warwickshire (i.e. it is covered by
Warwickshire County Council
Warwickshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Warwickshire in England.
Its headquarters are located at Shire Hall, Market Square, in centre of the county town of Warwick. Politically the county is ...
) and the Warwickshire
ceremonial county
The counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, also referred to as the lieutenancy areas of England and informally known as ceremonial counties, are areas of England to which lords-lieutenant are appointed. Legally, the areas i ...
.
Population
In the 2011 census, a total of 6,876 people were recorded in Whitestone ward. However, the current ward boundaries exclude that part of Whitestone bounded by Lutterworth Road, Bulkington Lane, the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal and the West Coast Main Line, which falls instead in Attleborough ward. This area (minus The Hollows, Quarry Lane, Mill Close, Rutherford Glen, Loudon Gate, the south side of Lutterworth Road between the West Coast Main Line and the junction with Middelburg Close, plus Coughton Close and part of Upton Way on the Maple Park estate) corresponds to a super output area for statistical purposes, and had a population of 1,498 in the 2011 census. Adding these figures gives a total of 8,374 inhabitants.
History
![The White Stone Guide Post](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/The_White_Stone_Guide_Post.jpg)
The area takes its name from "The White Stone", a former milestone or guide post. This stone is still visible to travellers at the junction of Lutterworth Road, Bulkington Lane and Golf Drive, in front of the area's main shopping parade.
Until well into the 1920s, the area was largely undeveloped, the only notable buildings being farms (such as White Stone Farm, Quarry Farm and Thorn Hill) and a few large houses (such as Hazelwood and Quarry House). Apart from agriculture, the only industry in the area was quarrying: Quarry Farm (and later Quarry Lane) was built next to Attleborough Quarries, while Quarry House, further east, was named after an older quarry.
In 1905, Nuneaton Golf Club was established in the area, originally as a nine-hole course. Access was initially via the track that ran from the White Stone, north along a track that also led to farm land. This track later became Golf Drive.
In the mid-1920s and 1930s, houses were built along Lutterworth Road, Bulkington Lane and Gipsy Lane, but construction remained limited to minor ribbon development, with the only new roads to be built being Arden Road and Golf Drive.
The area was subject to bombing during the Second World War. Bomb craters can still be seen in the fields behind White Stone beyond the Golf Course. The second house along the B4114 from White Stone was subject to a direct hit.
In the decades following the Second World War, the area (now known as "White Stone", without the
definite article
An article is any member of a class of dedicated words that are used with noun phrases to mark the identifiability of the referents of the noun phrases. The category of articles constitutes a part of speech.
In English, both "the" and "a(n)" ar ...
) was seen as prime development land, and new housing estates began to be built. The first of these comprised the new streets of Whitestone Road and Stonewell Crescent, built on the site of White Stone Farm. This was shortly followed in the early 1960s by new streets off Golf Drive, named after golf courses and golfing terms. The shopping parade by the crossroads was also built at this time.
The late 1960s and the 1970s saw these estates expand (extending as far as Chetwynd Drive and Alderbrook Drive respectively), with new estates – and schools – built around Magyar Crescent and Purcell Avenue. For the first time, some of these estates included social housing. The name of the area was also changing: "Whitestone" was becoming one word instead of two.
The 1980s and 1990s brought major development: Crowhill Road was extended, with new housing developments on both sides. Further east, farmland belonging to Thorn Hill was turned over to housing; the farm's name lives on in Thornhill Drive. The rest of the estate's roads largely continued the golfing theme of existing nearby developments.
The most recent developments in Whitestone consist mainly of minor additions to existing estates and the conversion or modification of existing large houses.
The area's white stone has been subjected to graffiti by young people on several occasions, but thanks to the residents, it is always painted back to its original colour in line with Whitestone's tradition.
Schools
The area was originally, in the 1950s through to the early 1970s, served by the Park Avenue primary school in Attleborough. Some children in the Whitestone area also attended Attleborough ( Holy Trinity) Church Infants School, and Caldwell County Junior School until the schools were later closed.
The area is now served by two primary schools: Whitestone Infant School (ages 4 to 7) and Chetwynd Junior School (ages 7 to 11). The infant school was originally opened in 1970 as Whitestone Primary School, intended for all 4- to 11-year-olds in the area. However, demand soon outstripped supply, and a second school, Chetwynd, was opened in 1972. At this time, Whitestone Primary became Whitestone First School, for children aged 4 to 8, while Chetwynd Middle School catered for pupils aged 8 to 12. This arrangement of first and middle schools continued until 1996, when all of Warwickshire's schools were brought back into line with the more traditional infant-junior system. Whitestone First thus became Whitestone Infant, and Chetwynd Middle became Chetwynd Junior.
Part of Chetwynd Junior School burned down in the 1999–2000 school year.
At secondary level, Whitestone is in the catchment area for
George Eliot Academy (located roughly a mile away in Caldwell). The northern part of Whitestone is also in the catchment area for
Etone College
Etone College (formerly Etone Community School and Technology College) is a secondary academy school in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. It was founded in 1910 as the Nuneaton High School for Girls. It is a mixed school of non-denominational ...
(located in central Nuneaton). Post-16 education is currently provided by
King Edward VI College (in Nuneaton town centre) and
North Warwickshire and Hinckley College
North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College - North Warwickshire and Hinckley Campus, previously North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, is a Further Education College with main campuses in Nuneaton, Hinckley, Harrowbrook and Wigston. T ...
(in eastern Nuneaton).
Community and leisure facilities
Community facilities in the area include Whitestone Community Centre (adjacent to Whitestone Infant School in Magyar Crescent), Whitestone Clinic (also in Magyar Crescent), and Paul's Land Pavilion, located by the Mill Close entrance to the area's largest recreation ground, Paul's Land (named after the Paul family, the previous owners, who bequeathed the land to the borough council for preservation as a green space).
Paul's Land is home to a number of playing fields and a large play area. It is linked to the Maple Park estate in southern Attleborough via a cable-stayed footbridge that crosses 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 ...
. This bridge, known as the Maple Park Footbridge, was officially opened on 17 December 2004.
Whitestone also boasts many play areas, including the sizeable "Crowhill Park", located behind Crowhill Shopping Centre.
The area has three public houses: the Whitestone, (this was originally called The Hayrick when the Pub was first built) on Meadowside; the Chetwynd Arms, on Chetwynd Drive; and the Crow's Nest, on Crowhill Road, name came from Crow Hill Farm, that was originally on the land where the road and the Public house was later built.
There are no purpose built places of worship in Whitestone, although
Christadelphians
The Christadelphians () or Christadelphianism are a restorationist and millenarian Christian group who hold a view of biblical unitarianism. There are approximately 50,000 Christadelphians in around 120 countries. The movement developed in the U ...
use the Infant school for weekly meetings. The Anglican parish church for the area is Holy Trinity church in Attleborough. There is also the Baptish Church in The Green, Attleborough.
Shopping facilities
Whitestone benefits from three local shopping areas:
*Whitestone shops (including the area's sub-post office) on Lutterworth Road, at its intersection with Golf Drive;
*Copsewood shops on Copsewood Avenue;
*Crowhill Shopping Centre on Raven Way.
*Garage (originally known as "Kings Garage" diagonally opposite White Stone. Once a BMC and later a SAAB dealer in the 1970s.
Additional shopping facilities can be found in nearby Attleborough and
Horeston Grange, as well as in Nuneaton town centre.
Street names
As with many suburban developments, street names in Whitestone follow a number of themes:
*Stately homes:
Chatsworth Drive,
Blenheim Close,
Arlington Way,
Sheringham
Sheringham (; population 7,367) is an English seaside town within the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban Distr ...
Close,
Chartwell
Chartwell is a country house near Westerham, Kent, in South East England. For over forty years it was the home of Winston Churchill. He bought the property in September 1922 and lived there until shortly before his death in January 1965. In th ...
Close,
Ragley Way,
Burghley Close,
Newstead Close; however,
Avebury
Avebury () is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. One of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in t ...
Close (on the same estate) is named after an ancient monument rather than a stately home.
*Thorny plants:
Holly
''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
Walk,
Blackthorn
''Prunus spinosa'', called blackthorn or sloe, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. The species is native to Europe, western Asia, and regionally in northwest Africa. It is locally naturalized in New Zealand, Tasmania, ...
Grove,
Bramble
A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...
Close – almost certainly inspired by nearby Holly Tree Farm.
*Horse-related names:
Farrier
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjus ...
s Way,
Stable
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 ...
Walk.
*Places in the Yorkshire Dales:
Grassington
Grassington is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is situated in Wharfedale ...
Drive,
Stainforth Close,
Arncliffe Close,
Ingleton Close,
Aysgarth
Aysgarth is a village and civil parish in Wensleydale, in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, about south-west of Richmond and west of the county town of Northallerton.
...
Close,
Malham
Malham is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Before 20th century boundary changes, the village was part of the Settle Rural District, in the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. In the ''Domesday Book' ...
Close,
Leyburn
Leyburn is a market town and civil parish in the district of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England, sitting above the northern bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the name was derived from 'Ley ...
Close,
Woodhall Close,
Hebden Way.
*Warwickshire rivers and brooks:
Rainsbrook Drive, Marchfon
Close, Inchfor
Close,
River Leam, Leam Close, Pickfor
Close, Alderbroo
Drive.
*Shakespeare-related names:
William Shakespeare, Shakespeare Drive,
Hathaway Drive,
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
Close,
Juliet
Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...
Close,
Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fair ...
Close,
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
Close,
Portia Close,
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
Close – possibly inspired by the much older Arden Road (named after the Forest of
Arden
Arden may refer to:
Places
;Australia
*Arden, an area in North Melbourne, Victoria near the Arden Street Oval
;Canada
* Arden, Ontario
;Denmark
* Arden, Denmark, a town
**Arden Municipality, a former municipality, including the town of Arden
; ...
, a name shared by
Shakespeare's mother).
*Golf-related names:
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 wi ...
Drive,
Wentworth Wentworth may refer to:
People
* Wentworth (surname)
* Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder
* S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator
* Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...
Drive,
Sunningdale
Sunningdale is a large village with a retail area and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England. It has a railway station on the (London) Waterloo to Reading ...
Close,
Birkdale
Birkdale is an area of Southport, within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, though historically in Lancashire, in the north-west of England. The area is located on the Irish Sea coast, approximately a mile away from the centre of S ...
Close,
Hoylake
Hoylake is a coast, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee, Wales, River Dee meets the Irish Sea. Historic counties of En ...
Close,
Fairway,
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
way,
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
Drive,
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
side Close,
Turnberry Drive,
Gleneagles Close,
Carnoustie
Carnoustie (; sco, Carnoustie, gd, Càrn Ùstaidh) is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast. In the 2011 census, Carnoustie had a population of 11,3 ...
Close,
Muirfield
Muirfield is a privately owned golf links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Muirfield is one of the golf courses used in rotation for The ...
Close,
Moorpark
Moorpark is a city in Ventura County in Southern California. Moorpark was founded in 1900. The town grew from just over 4,000 citizens in 1980 to over 25,000 by 1990. As of 2006, Moorpark was one of the fastest-growing cities in Ventura County.. ...
Close ''
ic', Hollinwel
Close,
1992 Solheim Cup, Dalmahoy Close.
*Local farms: Hill Farm Avenue, Gorse Farm Road, Faultlands Close, Crowhill Road, Thornhill Drive.
*Birds of prey:
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
Close,
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
Close,
Osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
Close,
Hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
Close.
*Places in Suffolk:
Lavenham
Lavenham is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is noted for its Guildhall, Little Hall, 15th-century church, half-timbered medieval cottages and circular walks. In the medie ...
Close,
Cavendish
Cavendish may refer to:
People
* The House of Cavendish, a British aristocratic family
* Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), British poet, philosopher, and scientist
* Cavendish (author) (1831–1899), pen name of Henry Jones, English auth ...
Walk.
*Explorers:
Barne Close,
Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to:
People
* Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan
* Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning
* Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland
Places
* RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...
Way.
*Local builders: Chetwynd Drive.
*Composers:
Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer.
Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest En ...
Avenue,
Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
Close,
Tippett Close,
Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
Close,
Walton Walton may refer to:
People
* Walton (given name)
* Walton (surname)
* Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer
Places
Canada
* Walton, Nova Scotia, a community
** Walton River (Nova Scotia)
*Walton, Ontario, a hamlet
United Kingdo ...
Close.
*Local features and houses: Mill Close (named after Mill House), Quarry Lane (named after Quarry House, itself named after the nearby Attleborough Quarries), Slade Close (named after The Slade).
*Nomadic peoples:
Gipsy
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
Lane,
Magyar Crescent – the name of the latter being inspired by the (much older) former.
*Middelburg Close: named after the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
city of
Middelburg Middelburg may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Europe
* Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands
** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...
.
External links
Chetwynd Junior SchoolUK National Statistics
Areas of Nuneaton