Grandborough
Encyclopedia
Grandborough is a small village
and civil parish
in Warwickshire
, England
. The parish includes the hamlets
of Calcutt, Grandborough Fields and Woolscott.
Grandborough is in a rural area of eastern Warwickshire, around six miles (10 km) south of Rugby
. The village is part of the borough of Rugby
. Grandborough is about two miles from the nearest main roads and can be reached by country lanes from the A45
to the east, and the A426
to the west.
The River Leam
flows north of the village. There was a watermill (now a private residence) where the river passed under the road from Woolscott. In times of flood, the river flows over the road creating a ford
. A road sign suggests that pedestrians and motorists should "Use causeway if necessary".
Grandborough's church is dedicated to St Peter. The church spire, and the two tall Wellingtonia trees which flank it, are notable local landmarks. There is also a Primitive Methodist
chapel (erected in 1856 and extended in 1991), a village hall (the Benn Memorial Hall, erected in 1897) and a number of old (mostly Victorian
) cottages. The village has a pub
called the Shoulder of Mutton. In Main Street there is a private house which was formerly a pub called the Royal George. Harrow House, in Woolscott, was formerly a pub called the Old Harrow Inn.
as Graensburgh. Until the early 20th century the name was spelt as Granborough. Its name was supposed by Eilert Ekwall
to come from Anglo-Saxon Grēnbeorg = "green rounded hill", but the Domesday Book form points otherwise. It appears as Granborowe on the Christopher Saxton
map of 1637.
The former village school still stands. It closed in the 1970s and is now a private house. A stone plaque hidden on an east-facing wall has the inscription "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" and the date 1840.
The first mention of a post office
in the village is the issue in April 1847 of a type of postmark
known as an undated circle (with the spelling Granborough). The post office and village shop closed in April 1997.
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 Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, 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...
. The parish includes the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Calcutt, Grandborough Fields and Woolscott.
Grandborough is in a rural area of eastern Warwickshire, around six miles (10 km) south of Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
. The village is part of the borough of Rugby
Rugby (borough)
Rugby is a local government district with borough status in eastern Warwickshire, England.The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town....
. Grandborough is about two miles from the nearest main roads and can be reached by country lanes from the A45
A45 road
The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
to the east, and the A426
A426 road
The A426 road is a road in England which runs from the city of Leicester to the market town of Southam in Warwickshire via the towns of Lutterworth and Rugby.-History:...
to the west.
The River Leam
River Leam
The River Leam is a river which flows through eastern and southern Warwickshire. It is a small river about 25–30 miles long. The town of Leamington Spa lies on, and is named after, the River Leam....
flows north of the village. There was a watermill (now a private residence) where the river passed under the road from Woolscott. In times of flood, the river flows over the road creating a ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
. A road sign suggests that pedestrians and motorists should "Use causeway if necessary".
Grandborough's church is dedicated to St Peter. The church spire, and the two tall Wellingtonia trees which flank it, are notable local landmarks. There is also a Primitive Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
chapel (erected in 1856 and extended in 1991), a village hall (the Benn Memorial Hall, erected in 1897) and a number of old (mostly Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
) cottages. The village has a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
called the Shoulder of Mutton. In Main Street there is a private house which was formerly a pub called the Royal George. Harrow House, in Woolscott, was formerly a pub called the Old Harrow Inn.
History
Grandborough was mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Graensburgh. Until the early 20th century the name was spelt as Granborough. Its name was supposed by Eilert Ekwall
Eilert Ekwall
Bror Oscar Eilert Ekwall , known as Eilert Ekwall, was Professor of English at Lund University, Sweden, from 1909 to 1942, and one of the outstanding scholars of the English language of the first half of the 20th century...
to come from Anglo-Saxon Grēnbeorg = "green rounded hill", but the Domesday Book form points otherwise. It appears as Granborowe on the Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton was an English cartographer, probably born in the parish of Dewsbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England around 1540....
map of 1637.
The former village school still stands. It closed in the 1970s and is now a private house. A stone plaque hidden on an east-facing wall has the inscription "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" and the date 1840.
The first mention of a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
in the village is the issue in April 1847 of a type of postmark
Postmark
thumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...
known as an undated circle (with the spelling Granborough). The post office and village shop closed in April 1997.