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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the south-west of
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
, England. It is 2.3 miles west of
Daventry
Daventry ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, Daventry had a populati ...
, 7.9 miles east of
Southam and 15.3 miles east of
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...
. It straddles the
A425 road from Daventry to Leamington. The
Jurassic Waybr>
long-distance footpath between
Banbury
Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...
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 into the neighbouring county of
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 ...
. Both the
Malvern and
Shropshire
Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
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
haystacks,
stables
A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed.
Styles
There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
, 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 or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to ...
. 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.
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 usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
, situated at the end of Manor Road and thought to have parts originating possibly from
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 ...
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 Great Central Main Line, London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company ...
Company between 1894 and 1899 and ran from
Nottingham Victoria to
London Marylebone
Marylebone station ( ) is a London station group, 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 a ...
. A mission was established for the
navvies 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 historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
hill fort of an unusually square shape is plainly seen. The
River Nene
The River Nene ( or ) flows through the counties of Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk in Eastern England from its sources in Arbury Hill in Northamptonshire. Flowing Northeast through East England to its mouth at Lutt ...
rises nearby. The
Jurassic Way 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
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
A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...
in the north-west corner, which is from the
Norman 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 ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan. . 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 (instrument), bell foundry. It is locat ...
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 bus service 65 between
Leamington-
Southam-
Banbury
Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...
, operated by
Stagecoach in Warwickshire from Monday to Saturday. The closest railway is the
West Midlands Trains 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, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
. Nearby
Northampton
Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
and
Rugby stations are served by
Avanti West Coast services, while
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways (legal name The Chiltern Railway Company Limited) is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains.
Chiltern Rail ...
.
CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2006, ...
and West Midlands Trains trains can be joined at
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...
or
Banbury
Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...
.
Amenities
There is one
public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
, ''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 teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
and
driving range.
The first mention of 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 ...
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