Berkswell
Encyclopedia
Berkswell is a village
and civil parish
in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
, county of West Midlands
, England
.
, borders Coventry
and is about 7 miles (11 km) west of Coventry city centre.
the parish had a population
of 2,843.
The civil parish
includes a number of hamlets apart from Berkswell village itself. Berkswell railway station
serves the village, but is actually closer to Balsall Common
than to Berkswell village.
Berkswell took its name from a 16 ft (5 m) deep, stone-walled water well
just outside the churchyard
of the 12th century parish church
of Saint John the Baptist
. It is said to have been used for baptisms by immersion and can still be seen today.
The village has a village green
and the stocks
were used for punishing petty offenders. It is claimed that these were especially built for a one-legged ex-soldier and his two drinking companions as there are only five leg holes.
The Bear Inn dates from the 16th century. The local history society run a small museum in a 17th century cottage near the church.
On Windmill Lane is the protected and restored Berkswell Windmill
, a fine example of a tower mill with its original machinery. There are several 16th and 17th century houses in the village.
Local features include Marsh Lane Nature Reserve. There is also a small Church of England
primary school located close to the church on Church Lane.
, famous for his TV role as Sherlock Holmes
, tennis
player Maud Watson
- the first Ladies Singles Champion in 1884 at The Championships, Wimbledon
and Bob Wyatt
(R.E.S.), England Cricket Captain for a number of years from 1934. The Beastie Boys
famously stayed in the village for two weeks in 1988, writing the B-side "Jubbsy's Treasure". Former county cricketer Dominic Ostler, a key member of Warwickshire's historic treble winning side in 1994, who lives in neighbouring Balsall Common, went on to skipper Berkswell Cricket Club in the Birmingham League, winning the league's Twenty20 Cup competition in 2010.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, in west-central England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary...
, county of West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Geography
It is in the east of the boroughBorough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
, borders Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and is about 7 miles (11 km) west of Coventry city centre.
History and places of interest
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the parish had a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 2,843.
The civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
includes a number of hamlets apart from Berkswell village itself. Berkswell railway station
Berkswell railway station
Berkswell railway station, in the West Midlands of England, takes its name from the nearby village of Berkswell, but it is actually located much closer to the larger village of Balsall Common. In fact the station originally opened as Docker's Lane, changed to Berkswell on 1 January 1853, then to...
serves the village, but is actually closer to Balsall Common
Balsall Common
Balsall Common is a large village and one of the larger rural settlements in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, situated west of Coventry and to the east of Birmingham, to which it serves as a commuter village in the West Midlands. It is currently undergoing gradual suburbanisation and is...
than to Berkswell village.
Berkswell took its name from a 16 ft (5 m) deep, stone-walled water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
just outside the churchyard
Churchyard
A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
of the 12th century parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Saint John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
. It is said to have been used for baptisms by immersion and can still be seen today.
The village has a village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
and the stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
were used for punishing petty offenders. It is claimed that these were especially built for a one-legged ex-soldier and his two drinking companions as there are only five leg holes.
The Bear Inn dates from the 16th century. The local history society run a small museum in a 17th century cottage near the church.
On Windmill Lane is the protected and restored Berkswell Windmill
Balsall Common Mill, Berkswell
Berkswell windmill or Balsall Common mill is a four bladed tower mill constructed in 1826 on the site of a former post mill, near the village of Balsall Common, in the parish of Berkswell, in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands...
, a fine example of a tower mill with its original machinery. There are several 16th and 17th century houses in the village.
Local features include Marsh Lane Nature Reserve. There is also a small Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
primary school located close to the church on Church Lane.
Famous residents
Famous people from Berkswell include the actor Jeremy BrettJeremy Brett
Jeremy Brett , born Peter Jeremy William Huggins, was an English actor, most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in four Granada TV series.-Early life:...
, famous for his TV role as Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player Maud Watson
Maud Watson
Maud Watson was an English tennis player.Born in Harrow, London, the daughter of a local vicar, she began playing competitive tennis in 1881. Undefeated in tournament play, in 1884 the nineteen-year-old Watson won the first ever Ladies’ Singles title at Wimbledon...
- the first Ladies Singles Champion in 1884 at The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
and Bob Wyatt
Bob Wyatt
Robert "Bob" Elliott Storey Wyatt was an English cricket player. He played for Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and the English cricket team....
(R.E.S.), England Cricket Captain for a number of years from 1934. The Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
famously stayed in the village for two weeks in 1988, writing the B-side "Jubbsy's Treasure". Former county cricketer Dominic Ostler, a key member of Warwickshire's historic treble winning side in 1994, who lives in neighbouring Balsall Common, went on to skipper Berkswell Cricket Club in the Birmingham League, winning the league's Twenty20 Cup competition in 2010.
External links
- panoramic 360 view of Berkswell (Virtual Midlands)
- Church of St. John Baptist website - includes information of the village
- The website of the local history group
- Marsh Lane Nature Reserve
- British History Online - Berkswell Parish (Includes a more detailed account of Berkswell's history and places of interest)
- www.geograph.co.uk photos of Berkswell and surrounding area