Barford, Warwickshire

Barford
Church Street and St Peter's Church
Barford is located in Warwickshire
Barford
Barford
Location within Warwickshire
Population1,336 (2011 Census)
Civil parish
  • Barford
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWarwick
Postcode districtCV35
PoliceWarwickshire
FireWarwickshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Warwickshire
52°14′42″N 1°36′18″W / 52.245°N 1.605°W / 52.245; -1.605

Barford is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, about three miles south of Warwick. As at the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,171, that increased to 1,336 at the 2011 census.[1] The Joint parish council also runs the villages of Sherbourne and Wasperton. In March 2014 "The Sunday Times" listed the village as one of the Top 10 places to live in The Midlands.[2] In the village there are two pubs, a hotel with swimming pool, and a village shop owned and run by the community.[3]

The Church of England primary school that is in the village is called "Barford St. Peters".[4] The University of Warwick Boat Club trains on the River Avon at Barford. Barford is served by Stagecoach bus routes X18 and 18A which link it with Coventry, Leamington Spa, Warwick and Stratford Upon Avon.[5] The M40 motorway is just 1.5 miles from the village, with Warwick and Warwick Parkway railway stations just over 4 miles away.

History

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Barford is mentioned in the Domesday Book as a fair-sized settlement situated in the hundred of Tremlowe and in Warwickshire[6] with a water mill.[7]

St Peter's Parish Church dates back to the 14th century although largely rebuilt in 1844 by Richard Charles Hussey, sponsored by Louisa Ryland.[8][9] The floors are paved with local Wilmcote stone.

Westham House on Westham Lane is now cut off from the rest of the village by the A429 bypass. It was originally a 16th century farmhouse, before being rebuilt in the 18th century as a gentleman's hunting lodge. In World War II, the house was used by Seaford Ladies College. It is now converted into apartments.[10]

Barford House is a fine Grade II* listed Regency house, located on the main Wellesbourne Road through the village. Evelyn Waugh was a frequent visitor in the 1920s and 1930s.[11]

A private asylum operated in Barford from 1833 until the early 1850s.[12]

Notable people

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Joseph Arch's Cottage in Barford.

In Fiction

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C. P. Snow's novel The New Men is set as a British nuclear experimental establishment in Barford where the characters try to build a nuclear pile and harvest enough enriched uranium or plutonium to beat US atomic bomb development.

Snow’s characters are portrayed as Cambridge dons so he did not use the real United Kingdom nuclear Centre at Harwell, with its close association to Oxford.[citation needed] The novel describes the location: “For a site, they picked on a place called Barford – which I had not heard of, but found to be a village in Warwickshire, a few miles from Stratford-upon-Avon”.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  2. ^ http://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/news/local-news/leamington-and-barford-named-in-midlands-best-places-to-live-list-1-5952727 Local newspaper report on the placing
  3. ^ http://www.barfordvillageshop.org.uk/ The shop website
  4. ^ http://www.barfordschool.org/ The school's website
  5. ^ http://www.stagecoachbus.com Search for timetables
  6. ^ "Barford | Domesday Book".
  7. ^ "Barford Water Mill". Barford Heritage. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Parishes: Barford | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Church of St Peter". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Westham House". Barford Heritage. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Barford House". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  12. ^ "The Barford Asylum 1833 - 1850s". Barford Heritage. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  13. ^ "St Peter's Church". Barford Heritage. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Louisa Anne Ryland". Barford Heritage. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  15. ^ Chinn, Carl (9 March 2013). "Carl Chinn: Heartbreak led to Louisa Anne Ryland's gift to Birmingham". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
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