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Nuneaton

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Nuneaton
Nuneaton Town Centre
PopulationExpression error: "70,721 (2001)" must be numeric
OS grid referenceSP361918
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNUNEATON
Postcode districtCV10, CV11, CV13
Dialling code024
PoliceWarwickshire
FireWarwickshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Warwickshire

Nuneaton is the largest town in the English county of Warwickshire, and the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth. Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for much of her early life. In fiction, Nuneaton is referred to as "Milby" in the George Eliot novel Scenes of Clerical Life (1858).

Geography

The town is located 14.5 km (9 miles) north of Coventry, 32 km (20 miles) east of Birmingham and 166 km (103 miles) northwest of London. The River Anker runs through the town and is subject to flooding during lengthy spells of heavy rain. Nuneaton had a population of 70,721 (2001 census). Towns close to Nuneaton include Bedworth, Atherstone and Hinckley with the towns Tamworth, Lutterworth and city of Leicester further afield. Motorists entering Nuneaton from the west in the Tuttle Hill area are afforded dramatic views of the town and countryside, and on a clear day the visibility can stretch for miles around.

History

Nuneaton's name came from a 12th century Benedictine nunnery (parts of which still survive) from which much of the town grew around. Prior to this it was a settlement known as 'Etone', which translates literally as 'water-town'. Nuneaton was listed in the Domesday Book as a small hamlet [1].A market was established in 1233 (and is still held today). The first recorded use of the modern name was in 1247 when a document recorded it as 'Nonne Eton'. The Nunnery fell into disrepair after 1539 (with Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries). Nuneaton's only Grammar School (which would later become a sixth form college), King Edward VI Grammar School, was established by a royal charter in 1552.

Nuneaton grew gradually from the 17th century onwards, due to its position at the centre of the Warwickshire coalfields. At the time of the first national census in 1801 Nuneaton was already one of the largest towns in Warwickshire, with a population of 5,000 [2]. During the Industrial revolution in the 19th century, Nuneaton developed a large textile industry. Other industries which developed in the town included brick and tile making and brewing. By 1901 the population of Nuneaton had grown to 25,000[3].

Nuneaton became an urban district in 1894. And was upgraded to the status of a municipal borough in 1907 [4].

Due largely to munitions factories located in Nuneaton, the town suffered heavy bombing damage during World War II. The heaviest bombing raid on Nuneaton took place on 17 May 1941, when 100 people were killed, 380 houses were destroyed, and over 10,000 damaged [5], a few smaller raids took place on the town, most notably on the 25 June 1942. As a result of the bombing, much of the town centre was re-built in the post war years.

On 6 June 1975, six people died and 38 were injured when a train crashed just south of Nuneaton railway station.

Economy

Nuneaton's traditional industries like textiles and manufacturing have declined drastically in the postwar years. Due to its good transport links, Nuneaton is now largely a commuter town for nearby Coventry and Birmingham. However electronics and distribution remain major economic activities in the town. One of the biggest developments in the town's history, the multi-million pound Ropewalk Shopping Centre, opened on 1 September 2005 in the hope that it will give the town extra income from the shopping, attract more visitors and retailers, and steer shoppers away from larger retail centres such as Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and Solihull. The town centre itself has undergone a successful transition from being an uninteresting 'dormitory town' service centre in the 1980s to a relatively thriving and well-planned retail and business district by the 2000s.

Politics

Nuneaton is part of the constituency of the same name in the House of Commons, which is currently represented by the Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Bill Olner. The local council, Nuneaton and Bedworth, is also currently controlled by the Labour Party. On 1 April 1974, Nuneaton's council was merged with that of nearby Bedworth to form the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth. The plan was originally to name the new council the Borough of Nuneaton, but disapproval from Bedworth residents resulted in the current title.

Media

The local radio stations are Mercia FM, part of the independent radio network, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, which are both based in the nearby city of Coventry (although BBC C&W does have an outpost in Nuneaton Town Library) and also Fosseway Radio which is broadcasted from the nearby town of Hinckley. Within Nuneaton itself there is Anker Radio which serves the George Eliot Hospital, but also broadcasts on 1386am and can be received throughout the area broadcasting 24 hours a day.

The local newspapers are the Nuneaton Evening Telegraph, a localised version of the Coventry Evening Telegraph, the Heartland Evening News and the Weekly Tribune, which is a free paper delivered to most homes in the area weekly.

Transport

The town is near the M6, the M42 and M69 motorways and the main A5 trunk road (Watling Street), which also acts as a border with Leicestershire and the neighbouring town of Hinckley.

Nuneaton railway station near the town centre is an important railway junction, served by the West Coast Main Line, the Birmingham to Leicester railway line, and by a line to Coventry via Bedworth. It offers direct rail services to those destinations. The Coventry Canal passes through the town.

The main operator for Buses in Nuneaton is Stagecoach in Warwickshire with their travel shop in the Bus Station and their depot at the bottom of Newtown Road (between the Fire Station and Pets@Home). Other operators (and where they are based) in Nuneaton are:

  • A&M Group *Flexibus* (Harbury, South Warwickshire) who run: 206/206/208/208/209/232/242
  • Arriva Fox County (Thurmaston, Leicester) who run: 158
  • Arriva Midlands North (Tamworth, Staffordshire) who run: 776
  • Centrebus (Groby, Leicester) who run: 86
  • Cresswells Coaches (Swandlicote, Derbyshire) who run: 7
  • Travel De Courcey (Next to Coventry Airport, Coventry) who run: 74/75/778 and various School Services

Also you may see National Express Coventry on school routes or Rail Replacement duties at times.

You may see County Links around Nuneaton so here are details on that:

  • 55/55A towards Nuneaton, NWCTA or Keresley (Stagecoach in Warwickshire)
  • 206/206/208/208/209/232/242 to various places in Nuneaton, Bedworth and Rugby (A&M Group Flexibus)

Recreation

Nuneaton has two non-league football teams of note: Nuneaton Borough of the Conference North and Nuneaton Griff who play in the Midland Combination Premier Division. There is also a thriving Sunday League football scene in the town, with teams from Nuneaton, Bedworth, and North Warwickshire competing in the Nuneaton & District Sunday Football League (NDSFL).

There are three Rugby Union teams in the town: Nuneaton R.F.C. (nicknamed the Nuns), who play in National Division 2, Nuneaton Old Edwardiansof Midlands 3 West (South) division and Manor Park of the Warwickshire 1 league.

There are three main leisure centres in the town owned by Nuneaton and Bedworth Leisure Trust and maintained by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council:

  • The Pingles Leisure Centre - The Pingles is the main Leisure Centre in Nuneaton. It was rebuilt in 2004 to replace the old 1960s swimming baths. The new Pingles includes an indoor and outdoor swimming areas, a dance studio and gym. The Pingles also has an associated athletics stadium, the Pingles Stadium, which was built in 2004. The Pingles Stadium has a 250 seater stand, a running track, and athletics facilities. The stadium also has a football pitch which is used by Nuneaton Griff for their home matches.
  • Jubilee Sports Centre - The Jubilee Sports Centre is a sports hall. The hall is used for various sports including badminton, five-a-side football/indoor football and basketball. The Jubilee also has a scoreboard, used for major basketball and indoor football matches. The hall can be hired out for uses such as karate lessons.
  • Etone Sports Centre - Etone Sports Centre is another sports hall. Etone sports hall also has astroturf football pitches which are used also for hockey. The centre is in the grounds of the school which bears the same name, Etone School, but Nuneaton and Bedworth Leisure Trust maintains the building.

Nuneaton has a museum and art gallery in the grounds of Riversley Park adjacent to the town centre.

Trivia

  • Nuneaton enters annually the Britain in Bloom competition and in 2000, Nuneaton and Bedworth was a national finalist.
  • Nuneaton is home to the largest Carnival in Warwickshire which takes place every June - see www.NuneatonCarnival.org
  • Nuneaton was home to the smallest independent newspaper in Britain ( The Heartland Evening News ) until it was purchased in 2006 by Illiffe News & Media
  • Many locations in George Eliot's works were based on places in or near her native Nuneaton, e.g.:
    • Milby (town and parish church, based on Nuneaton and St Nicolas parish church)
    • Shepperton (based on Chilvers Coton)
    • Paddiford Common (based on Stockingford, which at the time had a large area of common land)
    • Knebley (based on Astley; Knebley Church is Astley Church, while Knebley Abbey is Astley Castle)
    • Red Deeps (based on Griff Hollows)
    • Cheverel Manor (based on Arbury Hall)
    • Dorlcote Mill (based on Griff House)
    • The Red Lion (based on the Bull Hotel, now the George Eliot Hotel in Bridge Street, Nuneaton)
    • Middlemarch (based on Coventry)
    • Treby Magna (also thought to be based on Coventry)
    • Little Treby (thought to be based on Stoneleigh)
    • Transome Court (thought to be based on Stoneleigh Abbey)

Twin towns

Notable inhabitants

Districts and suburbs of Nuneaton

Within the borough boundaries:

Outside the borough boundaries but still considered to be part of the town:

  • Ansley
  • Ansley Common
  • Astley
  • Bramcote
  • Caldecote
  • Hartshill
  • Oldbury

References

  1. ^ Nuneaton&Bedworth.gov.
  2. ^ A brief history of Nuneaton
  3. ^ A brief history of Nuneaton
  4. ^ Visionofbritain.org
  5. ^ Veasey, Ted, (2002) Nuneaton: A History ISBN 1860772153
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