Located in the West Midlands region of England in the United Kingdom, Warwickshire comprises some famous towns and popular tourist destinations. Its worldwide fame as the birthplace of William Shakespeare gives it its nickname “Shakespeare’s county” though of course it has much more to offer, such as Warwick Castle, located in the county town of Warwick, a Norman castle built on the foundations of a former Anglo-Saxon burg. The county also boasts a famous spa town in the form of Leamington Spa, known to the Romans but mostly developed much later, in the 19th century. One of the counties largest towns, located in the heart of coal mining country, Nuneaton was actually better known for its textiles, it too goes back to Saxon times but grew mostly later around a Benedictine nunnery. The town with which William Shakespeare is inextricably linked is, of course, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and life in this pretty town seems to revolve around the Bard and everything connected to him.
March 25, 2011
Leicestershire Towns
Continuing our series of posts on Leicestershire, today we shall be visiting 4 more towns to the west of the city of Leicester, Coalville, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Hinckley and Lutterworth. Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch are two ex-coalmining towns, the name Coalville of course, slightly gives this away, and in fact it has seen the digging of coal since medieval times, and continued until the decline in the industry in the late twentieth century. Ashby-de-la-Zouch has not been quite so reliant on mining, with other industries like brick-making and ribbon making, to supplement the coal. Hinckley on the other hand is famous for the production of hosiery and stockings, second only to Leicester for this specialised trade. The Warwickshire border runs between Hinckley and Nuneaton which is only five miles away. Lastly we shall consider Lutterworth, a smaller town with around eight thousand residents, Lutterworth got its name from the Old Norse, and has some ancient buildings.
March 24, 2011
Bodies Found in Ashbury Oxfordshire
Latest news suggests that 2 bodies have been found near to the village of Ashbury in Oxfordshire. It is thought that one of the bodies is that of Sian O’Callaghan, the 22 year old girl who went missing in Swindon at the weekend. The surprising fact is that there were two bodies, the identity of the other body is unknown. A man has been arrested in Swindon, and his taxi taken away by the police. Ashbury is situated close to the Oxfordshire border with Wiltshire. This fast moving and shocking story continues.
Leicestershire Populations
A county located in the East Midlands region of England, United Kingdom, Leicestershire is named after its large and populous city Leicester. In fact the urban sprawl of Leicester and its outlying towns and villages account for a large proportion of the counties population, with the only other sizeable towns being Loughborough (the second largest), Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray and Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Leicester’s urban areas are home to over 440,000, while the second largest Loughborough has only around 58,000. Market Harborough to the south-east of Leicester has a population of just 20,000 and Melton Mowbray (famous for its cheese and its pork pies) a little higher at 25,000, while Ashby-de-la-Zouch brings up the rear with just 12,000.
March 22, 2011
Thorpe Malsor Map
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Thorpe Malsor Map: Above you can view a detailed street map of Thorpe Malsor, a village to the west of Kettering in Northamptonshire. Thorpe Malsor has a 13th century church and a 16th century well.
Desborough Rothwell Loddington and Braybrooke
Four of the lesser known of Northamptonshire’s towns and villages, Desborough, Rothwell, Loddington and Braybrooke, are all in the Kettering area, and all lie to the west of that larger town. The largest of the towns, Desborough grew around the weaving industry and now has a population of approximately 8,000. Another town of a similar size is Rothwell, its well known Market House, was designed by the eccentric William Grumbold, and took over three hundred years to complete. The village of Loddington lies close to the Cransley Reservoir, and has a population of just four hundred. Finally the village of Braybrooke used to be the site of a fortified manor house, called Braybrooke Castle, little now remains of this structure, Braybrooke has a population of just three hundred.