Leek Wootton

Leek Wootton from the main road

Leek Wootton is a village in Warwickshire, England, roughly one mile from Kenilworth and two miles from Warwick. It lies in the triangle created by Kenilworth, Warwick and Leamington Spa.

Geography

The civil parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe, including Hill Wootton, has a population of approximately 1,100. The parish church is All Saints'. The village is adjacent to the A46 dual-carriageway trunk road. The nearest railway station is Warwick town with Warwick Parkway further away. The nearest airport is Birmingham Airport (11.8 miles).

The War Memorial Recreation Ground is to the north-west of the village and is home to The Village Hall and Leek Wootton Sports Club. "The Rec" as it is known locally is also home to a children's playground.

There are numerous public footpaths and walks in the village, including the 'Tink-a-Tank', several across the golf courses, a woodland walk between the Coventry Road (B4115), which crosses the A46 and comes out at the north end of the village on the Warwick 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 and more notable River Avon.

History

A monument called Gaveston's Cross sits on a site, south of Leek Wootton. It marks the point where Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall was murdered. In 1308 Edward II travelled to Boulogne to marry Isabella, leaving Piers Gaveston, a Gascon knight to act as regent. Resentment against Edward's rule and Gaveston'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 and his allies. He was captured first by the Earl of Warwick, 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 Wootton bridge collapse, a notable railway accident, occurred here on 11 June 1861.

Local economy and services

Leek Wootton is home to the Headquarters of Warwickshire Police, The Warwickshire Golf and Country Club, Broad Lane Caravans and has the Anchor Inn public house at its centre. The Chesford Grange Hotel also falls within the boundaries of the civil parish, as does the Saxon Mill at Guy's Cliffe.

The school is All Saints' Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School. When the village school was threatened by closure in the early 1990s, the community campaigned to save it and after moving to new premises, it was opened in 1996 by The Right Reverend Simon Barrington-Ward, Bishop of Coventry.

In November 2005 a new Health and Fitness centre was opened at The Warwickshire, which now operates as The Warwickshire Golf & Country Club (part of the Club Company Group) and the separate golf Club House was reopened in March 2007.

Local information and issues

Recent local debate has included a planning application for a new terminal building with a capacity of 2 million passengers per annum by West Midlands International Airport Limited (WMIAL or Coventry Airport). There was a lengthy planning row and planning inquiry, which resulted in the airport being refused planning permission. WMIAL continued at existing capacity until 8 December 2009, when the Board and shareholders voted to close the airport with immediate effect.

A new purpose-built headquarters for the Warwickshire Police at Woodcote was proposed, but the planning application was refused by Warwick District Council on 31 October 2007. A revised application has since been approved, but there are no indications of when the site may be redeveloped.

External links

Media related to Leek Wootton at Wikimedia Commons