Bilton is a suburb of Rugby in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, England, located about south-west of Rugby town centre. It is also a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of the

Borough of Rugby The Borough of Rugby is a local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, England. The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town. At the 2021 census the ...

, which at the 2021 Census had a population of 6,544. It comprises much of the western half of the town. Historically a village in its own right, Bilton was incorporated into Rugby in 1932.

History

Historically a village in its own right (many residents continue to refer to the area as a village), Bilton's name is derived from the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

''Beolatun'' (Beola's town), and it was mentioned 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

as both ''Beltone'' and ''Bentone''. The parish Church of St. Mark in Bilton dates from the mid-14th century, but was expanded and restored in 1873. It is now

grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. In the early 20th century, Bilton was enveloped by the

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

an expansion of Rugby. In 1932, when Rugby became a

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

, the

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Bilton was abolished, and most of its territory incorporated into the new borough, with the remainder going to

Dunchurch Dunchurch is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Rugby, approximately south-west of central Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby in Warwickshire, England. The civil parish, which also includes the nearby hamlet of Toft, Warwickshire, Toft, had ...

. In 1931 the parish had a population of 5966. In the 1960s, two large

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision (land), subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to count ...

s were built at Bilton; the Admirals Estate and the Woodlands Estate, to the north and the south of the old village centre respectively: The Admirals Estate had its streets named after

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

s of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, whilst the streets in the Woodlands Estate, were given names with

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

connections, as the estate was laid out in 1964, the quarter centenary of William Shakespeare's birth. The old village centre of Bilton still survives. The

village green A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...

of Bilton contains the remains of an ancient stone cross. Bilton Hall in the old village is a

grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, the earliest parts of which date from 1623. To the north of Bilton is the area known as New Bilton. To the east is the area of Overslade, to the south is the village of

, and to the west is the suburban village of Cawston.

Amenities

Most of the local amenities in Bilton are clustered around Main Street and The Green, including a number of shops and businesses, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

, and two

public houses A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

; ''The Black Horse'' and ''The George''.

Education

Primary schools in Bilton include: Bawnmore Infant School, Bilton C. of E. Junior School, Bilton Infant School, Henry Hinde Infant and Junior Schools and Crescent School. Secondary schools include: Bilton School and

Rugby High School for Girls Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** ...

Notable residents

*The writer and politician

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...

(1672-1719) lived at Bilton Hall. *The television presenter and actor

Peter Purves Peter John Purves (; born 10 February 1939) is an English television presenter and actor. Beginning his career as an actor, he joined ''Doctor Who'' to play Steven Taylor (Doctor Who), Steven Taylor, a companion of the First Doctor, which he play ...

lived in Bilton between 1987 and 1992. *The 1960s pop singer Billy J. Kramer married a local woman, Ann Ginn, at St Mark's Church in Bilton in 1968, and lived locally for a number of years.

Gallery

File:St Mark's Church, Bilton 6.19.jpg, St Mark's Church File:Bilton-Church Walk - geograph.org.uk - 2282148.jpg, Bilton Hall File:Bilton stone cross 7.20.jpg, Old stone cross remains File:Old Bilton - Church Walk - geograph.org.uk - 79277.jpg, Church Walk

References

External links

Map and statistics for Bilton wardBilton Evangelical ChurchBilton C.of E. Junior SchoolBilton Archives - Our Warwickshire
{{authority control Areas of Rugby, Warwickshire Former civil parishes in Warwickshire