Offchurch

Church of St. Gregory

Offchurch is a village and civil parish in the centre of Warwickshire, England, east of Leamington Spa. There is a strong possibility that it was home to Offa, who was King of Mercia from 757 to 796. King Offa had a church built in the village (hence the name Offchurch, which comes from "Offa's Church"). This church has since gone, but a church has been rebuilt on the supposed site of Offa's church.

King Offa's son was killed in an ambush nearby and it is suggested that the church was built by Offa to commemorate his son's death. A stone coffin is on display in the current church, but there is no direct evidence that this dates from that time. This is the link with Offa rather than that he lived there.

Offchurch lies just off the Fosse Way Roman Road, and the Welsh Road, an important mediaeval drovers road passes through the village. The River Leam runs through the village.

The area around Offchurch was associated with a monastery, dissolved by Henry VIII. The estate was purchased and remained in the Knightley family until the Great War. The estate was then purchased together with other estates through a company based at York racecourse and associated with the development of Olympia in London.(Olympia and York?). At this time some development took place in the building of a series of cottages for estate workers during the 1920's (New Cottages, Bridge Cottages, Ford Cottages, Ham Barn Cottages etc.) to similar designs. After the death of the head of the family following a hunting accident, interest in the area was reduced and the estate sold on to a local family who still own most of the estate and occupy Offchurch Bury.

The local amenities include St Gregory's Church, a redeveloped Village Hall (previously part of the defunct village school), and The Stag's Head (an excellent Real Ale Pub/Restaurant). The disused Leamington to Rugby railway, the Grand Union Canal and a network of footpaths make the pub a good focus for walks in this beautiful area of rural Warwickshire.

The house of Offchurch Bury is a mile to the north west. Offchurch is home to about 280 people. It is said if you go to the top of the church and jump off, King Offa will rise from the ground and catch you.

External links

• Offchurch village website

52°17′N 1°28′W