Nuneaton

Geography

Nuneaton is 9 miles (14 km) north of Coventry, 20 miles (32 km) east of Birmingham and 103 miles (166 km) northwest of London. The River Anker runs through the town.

Towns close to Nuneaton include Bedworth, Atherstone and Hinckley, with Tamworth and Lutterworth a little further afield. The town lies 3 miles from the Leicestershire border, 8 miles from Staffordshire and 12 miles from Derbyshire.

History

Nuneaton's name came from a 12th century Benedictine nunnery (parts of which still exist) around which much of the town grew. 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. A market was established in 1233, which is still held. 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. King Edward VI School was established by a royal charter in 1552. From 1944 it became a grammar school for boys and, although it was locally known as KEGS, it never included the word "grammar" in its name. In 1974 it became a sixth form college. The other grammar schools in Nuneaton in the 1944 to 1974 period were Nuneaton High School for Girls and Manor Park. Nicholas Chamberlaine School in Bedworth was an early comprehensive school that had a grammar school stream.

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 one of the largest towns in Warwickshire, with a population of 5,000. 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.

Nuneaton parish included the settlements of Attleborough and Stockingford. The parish was joined with Chilvers Coton parish in 1894 to form an urban district. Nuneaton was upgraded to the status of a municipal borough in 1907 and the parish of Weddington was added.

Due largely to munitions factories being located in Nuneaton, the town suffered heavy bombing damage during the Second World War. 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; several smaller raids took place on the town, most notably on 25 June 1942. As a result of the bombing, much of the town centre was rebuilt in the post-war years.

On 6 June 1975, six people died and 38 were injured when a train crashed as it was approaching Nuneaton railway station. In 2015 on the 40th anniversary of the train crash, raised money and a plaque was unveiled to remember those who lost their lives and to also remember all volunteers and members of the emergency services who worked tirelessly throughout the rescue operation

Nuneaton Abbey

An ancient abbey church founded at 'Eaton' in the 1150s was home to Benedictine nuns and gave the present town the name 'Nuneaton'.

Little remains of the original building. The cruciform church was sold after the Dissolution and converted into a mansion. Abandoned in the 17th century it was quarried away until all that remained by the 1860s were the foundations, some low walls and the battered crossing piers of the former central tower.

In 1876–77 four of the original seven bays of the nave were rebuilt on the old foundations in Neo-Romanesque style by the Gothic Revival architect C. C. Rolfe with the old crossing piers enclosed by a temporary brick structure for use as a chancel. The west wall was left in plain brick to allow for possible completion of the nave on the ancient footings further west at a later date, though this remains incomplete.

In 1904 the chancel was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style on the old foundations east of the crossing by architect Harold Brakspear, followed by the north transept in 1930. He planned to restore the south transept and central tower too, but never did so, leaving the south transept as a ruin sealed off by the 1877 'temporary' brick wall and leaving the church comprising half the nave, the chancel, north transept and base of the crossing.

Inside the ruined crossing piers remain from the original church, as well as part of a medieval tiled floor and the bases of what remained of the walls. Outside, the ruins of the nave and south transept remain, along with the base of what is thought to have been a chapter house.

The church (such as it stands) is used as the Parish Church of St. Mary and is known locally as the Abbey Church. The tradition of the church is Anglo-Catholic.

Despite this building's significance in Nuneaton's past and its recent history, it is a relatively unknown place, with little promotion or signage.

Economy

Nuneaton's traditional industries like textiles and manufacturing have declined significantly in the post-war years. Due to its 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. MIRA Limited, formerly the Motor Industry Research Association, is based on a disused wartime airfield on the A5, to the north of 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 attract shoppers as an alternative to larger retail centres such as Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and Solihull, with other shopping available at the longer established Abbeygate Shopping Centre located in the centre of the town. Holland & Barrett has its headquarters based in the town while Bermuda Park, which is south of Nuneaton, is the location of the national distribution centres of Dairy Crest and RS Components. Nuneaton is also the location of several international online marketing companies.

National

Nuneaton is part of the constituency of the same name in the House of Commons. The constituency is currently represented by the Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP), Marcus Jones, who was first elected in the 2010 general election, and re-elected in the 2015 general election. From 1935–1983 Nuneaton was a safe Labour seat, but it has since been more marginal. Between 1983 and 1992, the Conservatives held the seat, until losing it back to Labour. For the next 18 years, the Labour Party (in the form of Bill Olner) was the local representative at Parliament, until his retirement. At the 2010 general election, the parliamentary seat was taken by Marcus Jones (the Conservative candidate). Marcus Jones held his seat at the 2015 general election, which was described as a landmark point, as it was the point in which the exit poll became generally accepted over the pre-election polls.

Local

The local council, Nuneaton and Bedworth, is currently controlled by the Labour party. On 1 April 1974, as a part of wholesale local authority reorganisation, the then Nuneaton Borough Council was merged with the neighbouring Bedworth Urban District to form a new district council. Borough status was conferred on the new district on 15 November 1976. The new council was initially known as "Nuneaton Council" and then "Nuneaton Borough Council". However, in 1980, following objections from Bedworth residents, the name of the Borough was changed to "Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council". The council was controlled by the Labour Party from 1973, when the shadow council was elected in preparation for the 1974 merger, until the 2008 local elections, when the Conservatives gained control, ending 35 years of Labour rule. (Further reading: Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council election, 2008) However, the period of Conservative control was relatively short lived. The Labour Party won two seats from the Conservative Party in the 2010 local elections, giving no party overall control of the council (but leaving the Labour Party as the largest grouping). (Further reading: Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council election, 2010) In 2012 Labour gained a further 8 seats to regain overall control. (Further reading: Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council election, 2012)

Nuneaton is currently covered by 11 of the borough's 17 electoral wards (see table below). Each ward elects two councillors, who serve 4 year terms. There are elections every 2 years.

Religion

Nuneaton's name reflects the effect that Christianity has had upon the town's history. Although the Benedictine nunnery which gave the town its name was destroyed at the time of the Reformation, the remaining fragments were incorporated into the Anglican church building now known as the Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin in Manor Court Road. This is a Victorian construction.

Church of England

Near the town centre, but unusually not a part of it and outside the ring road, lies the mediaeval church of St. Nicolas- a grade I listed building. Chilvers Coton contains All Saints' Church, where Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) worshipped and Justin Welby, now Archbishop of Canterbury, served as a curate. This was badly damaged by bombing during the Second World War, and rebuilt largely by German prisoners of war. There are also Anglican churches in Weddington (St James's), Attleborough (Holy Trinity), Stockingford (St Paul's), Galley Common (St Peter's), Abbey Green (St Mary's), and more recently built(1954), in Camp Hill (St Mary's & St John's).

Roman Catholic Church

There are two parishes in the town serving the Catholic community in Nuneaton. Our Lady of the Angels on Coton Road, was opened in 1838 (originally as St Mary's). The building, designed by Jospeph Hansom, was extensively remodeled in 1936. The Parish of St Anne's, Chapel End, Nuneaton was created in 1949 out of the Parish of Our Lady of the Angels (which originally covered the whole town). The original church building was replaced with the existing church, which was opened in 2000.

Other Christian traditions

In the town, Baptist, Methodist, Wesleyan Reform Union, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pentecostal, the Salvation Army and United Reformed churches serve their respective congregations.

A Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is located in the Stockingford area.

Other world religions

In addition to Christianity, there are also followers of Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism. There is a mosque on Frank Street, Chilvers Coton and two gurdwaras (Sikh temples): the Nuneaton Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Park Avenue, Attleborough, and the Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara in Marlborough Road, Chilvers Coton.

A number of Jewish families have settled in and around Nuneaton over the past two centuries as local industries have grown and ebbed. Historically, families would travel for important life events and holidays to worship at the mediaeval Spon Street Synagogue in Coventry, at the short lived Hinckley Synagogue in the early 20th century and most recently, in the modern Coventry Reform Synagogue. There has never been a formal, organised community in the area and most Jewish people are now elderly, with younger more observant people moving to larger communities in London and Manchester.

The Baha'i Faith was introduced to Nuneaton in the early 1970s and now has a community of over 30 members.

Statistics

In the 2011 Census, 63.6% of the population of Nuneaton and Bedworth said they were Christian, 24.0% of no religion, 2.3% Muslim, 2.2% Sikh, 1.1% Hindu, and 0.7% Buddhist or of other religions. 6.1% did not state their religion.

Radio

The local radio stations are:

Written media

The main local newspapers are:

Television news

The Nuneaton area is covered on regional TV News by:

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. The A444 provides a high-speed dual-carriageway route into the town from the south and also acts as the often busy town centre ring road. The A47 links the town with neighbouring Hinckley and onwards to Leicester, and the A4254 – Eastern Relief Road – provides direct access from the east of Nuneaton to the south, avoiding the town centre.

The town has two railway stations.

Nuneaton railway station near the town centre is an important railway junction, served by the West Coast Main Line running from London to the North West, the cross-country Birmingham to Peterborough Line and by a line to Coventry via Bedworth. A new railway station at Bermuda Park has recently been opened south of the town centre on the line towards Coventry, as part of the NUCKLE (Nuneaton, Coventry, Kenilworth, and Leamington) rail upgrade scheme.

The Coventry Canal passes through the town.

The main operators for buses in Nuneaton are Stagecoach in Warwickshire and Travel de Courcey.

Recreation

Nuneaton has two non-league football teams: Nuneaton Town (nicknamed "the Boro") who play in the National League North and Nuneaton Griff who play in the Midland Football League Division One. Sunday League football is played 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 clubs: Nuneaton R.F.C. (nicknamed "the Nuns"), who play in National 3 Midlands, Nuneaton Old Edwardians of Midlands 2 West (South) division and Manor Park of the Midlands 4 West (South) league.

The town is also the location of Nuneaton Bowling club, where flat green bowls is played.

There are three main leisure centres in the town owned by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and managed by Everyone Active on the council's behalf (after a competitive tender process):

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

The Abbey Theatre is Nuneaton's only theatre and hosts a wide variety of performances including visiting opera and ballet companies, touring shows, musicals, pantomime and drama.

Despite there having been many in the town historically, Nuneaton now has one theatre. Run solely by volunteers, the Abbey Theatre seats 250 plus space for wheelchair patrons.

Culture

Nuneaton annually enters the Britain in Bloom competition and in 2000, Nuneaton and Bedworth was a national finalist. It is the location of Nuneaton Carnival, the largest carnival in Warwickshire, which takes place every June.

Nuneaton was home to the smallest independent newspaper in Britain (the Heartland Evening News) until it was purchased in 2006 by life News & Media.

Nuneaton has a museum and art gallery within the grounds of Riversley Park. The museum includes a display on George Eliot. Eliot's family home Griff House is now a restaurant and hotel on the A444.

Public art in Nuneaton includes a statue of George Eliot on Newdegate Square, and the Gold Belt.

Primary

Secondary

Further education

George Eliot's inspirations

Many locations in George Eliot's works were based on places in or near her native Nuneaton, including:

Twin towns

The borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth is twinned with the following towns:

Literature

Science and technology

Media and the arts

Sports

Other

Districts and suburbs of Nuneaton

Within the borough boundaries:

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