Walsgrave
Encyclopedia
Walsgrave-on-Sowe is a village located about 3 miles north-east of Coventry
, West Midlands
in England
. It was built on marsh lands, although it now sees very little flooding. However, due to urban growth, it is now an outer suburb of Coventry, near to Ansty
and Shilton
. Walsgrave-On-Sowe neighbours the Potters Green, Henley Green, Wyken, Coombe Fields and Mount Pleasant areas of Coventry and is in the Henley Ward of the city, although Walsgrave on Sowe was formerly in the Wyken Ward.
of a priest serving the area. St Mary's Church currently stands on the site of the former chapel. The original graveyard for the church was covered over and now forms the slope in front of the church, facing onto the main road.
Walsgrave grew into a sizeable village commercially based around agriculture and coal mining. Plans for incorporating Walsgrave within the boundaries of Coventry were proposed in the late 1920s, and Walsgrave gradually lost its individual identity owing to new road development, the replacement of much of its older buildings and houses with new housing schemes, and the eventual closure of the pit. However, an old weaver's cottage lies directly opposite St. Mary's Church; subjected to fire and weathering, it has been restored a number of times but still stands as a reminder of the village's origins. (This cottage became derelict and has now been demolished and now incorporates a row of new cottages).
More detailed history of Walsgrave on Sowe can be found at http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=16018
and M69
interchange and has a growing commercial area including a Barclays bank
call centre, Lloyds Pharmacy
Head Office and several other companies important to Coventry. Opposite Paradise Way is the Walsgrave Triangle Retail Park and Cross Point Business Park. Here there is a Holiday Inn
, Toys 'R' Us, a large Tesco
store, a Frankie & Benny's
restaurant, a Nando's
, Showcase Cinema
, Taybarns
restaurant and several more business offices and warehouses.
The Mound, built in the early '90s was built to shelter the Alvis Factory from residential buildings at the back of McDonald's Restaurant on Wigston Road. It is popular with Dog Walkers, Kids, and in the winter time, Sledging.
hospital, University Hospital Coventry
, has replaced the buildings of the former Walsgrave Hospital. This hospital now has a Helipad, and receives a large number of patients from all over the Midlands.
and Grace Academy, formerly known as Woodway Park School and Community College
.
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...
, 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...
in 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...
. It was built on marsh lands, although it now sees very little flooding. However, due to urban growth, it is now an outer suburb of Coventry, near to Ansty
Ansty, Warwickshire
Ansty is a village and civil parish just outside the outskirts of Coventry, about northeast of the city centre. Ansty was part of the County of the City of Coventry until that county was dissolved in 1842....
and Shilton
Shilton, Warwickshire
Shilton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire. The parish of Shilton also includes the nearby hamlet of Barnacle, Warwickshire, and in the 2001 census had a population of 826....
. Walsgrave-On-Sowe neighbours the Potters Green, Henley Green, Wyken, Coombe Fields and Mount Pleasant areas of Coventry and is in the Henley Ward of the city, although Walsgrave on Sowe was formerly in the Wyken Ward.
History
Walsgrave has reputedly been in existence for approximately 1,000 years. The first mention of a chapel in Walsgrave-On-Sowe (then known as Sowe) was in 1221. It is likely that the chapel would have been built after 1086, as there is no reference 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...
of a priest serving the area. St Mary's Church currently stands on the site of the former chapel. The original graveyard for the church was covered over and now forms the slope in front of the church, facing onto the main road.
Walsgrave grew into a sizeable village commercially based around agriculture and coal mining. Plans for incorporating Walsgrave within the boundaries of Coventry were proposed in the late 1920s, and Walsgrave gradually lost its individual identity owing to new road development, the replacement of much of its older buildings and houses with new housing schemes, and the eventual closure of the pit. However, an old weaver's cottage lies directly opposite St. Mary's Church; subjected to fire and weathering, it has been restored a number of times but still stands as a reminder of the village's origins. (This cottage became derelict and has now been demolished and now incorporates a row of new cottages).
More detailed history of Walsgrave on Sowe can be found at http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=16018
Economy
Walsgrave lies south of the M6M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
and M69
M69 motorway
The M69 is a lightly used dual three lane dual carriageway motorway in Leicestershire and Warwickshire, England connecting Leicester and Coventry. It opened in 1977.-History:...
interchange and has a growing commercial area including a Barclays bank
Barclays plc
Barclays PLC is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. As of 2010 it was the world's 10th-largest banking and financial services group and 21st-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
call centre, Lloyds Pharmacy
Lloydspharmacy
Lloyds Pharmacy is the largest community pharmacy operator in the United Kingdom. It operates over 1,700 pharmacies, located primarily within local communities and health centres...
Head Office and several other companies important to Coventry. Opposite Paradise Way is the Walsgrave Triangle Retail Park and Cross Point Business Park. Here there is a Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, Toys 'R' Us, a large Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
store, a Frankie & Benny's
Frankie & Benny's
Frankie & Benny's is a chain of Italian-American restaurants in the UK with numerous outlets nationwide run by The Restaurant Group plc. Its first location was Leicester in 1995 but now the chain has over 150 locations across the UK and also abroad, and smaller branches called "Little...
restaurant, a Nando's
Nando's
Nando's is a casual dining restaurant group originating from South Africa with a Portuguese/Mozambican theme. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates in thirty countries on five continents....
, Showcase Cinema
Showcase Cinemas
Showcase Cinemas is a movie theater chain owned and operated by National Amusements. Operating more than 1,354 indoor screens in the United States, United Kingdom and Latin America.-USA:* Connecticut* Massachusetts* Ohio* New Jersey* Rhode Island...
, Taybarns
Taybarns
Taybarns is a British low-cost 'all-you-can-eat' restaurant chain owned by Whitbread, modelled on the US Golden Corral chain. Customers pay on arrival and can eat as much food as they like from a 34-metre food counter....
restaurant and several more business offices and warehouses.
The Mound, built in the early '90s was built to shelter the Alvis Factory from residential buildings at the back of McDonald's Restaurant on Wigston Road. It is popular with Dog Walkers, Kids, and in the winter time, Sledging.
Health
Coventry's new PFIPrivate Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
hospital, University Hospital Coventry
University Hospital Coventry
University Hospital Coventry is a large National Health Service hospital situated in the Walsgrave area of Coventry, West Midlands, England, from the city centre. It is part of the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust...
, has replaced the buildings of the former Walsgrave Hospital. This hospital now has a Helipad, and receives a large number of patients from all over the Midlands.
Education
Nearby schools include Sir Frank Whittle, Potters Green Primary, Walsgrave CoE Primary School and SS Peter and Paul RC Primary. There are two secondary schools in the area, which are Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School and Language CollegeCardinal Wiseman Catholic School and Language College
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School is a comprehensive school with Language College status situated in Potters Green, Coventry, England.-Feeder primary schools:*Corpus Christi, Ernesford Grange*Good Shepherd, Foleshill*Sacred Heart, Stoke*St Gregory's, Wyken...
and Grace Academy, formerly known as Woodway Park School and Community College
Woodway Park School and Community College
Woodway Park School and Community College was a comprehensive school in Coventry, England. It had an expanding sixth form.It was converted into an Academy called Grace Academy on 31 August 2008 using the same buildings, prior to housing the new academy in new buildings on 31 August 2009....
.