Whitley, Coventry
Encyclopedia
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...
in the 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...
of 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...
.
Industry and commerce
Whitley is the home of the Whitley plantWhitley plant
The Whitley plant, situated in Whitley, Coventry in the West Midlands of England, is one of the engineering centres of Jaguar Land Rover and the headquarters of Jaguar Cars...
, which is the Engineering Centre and Headquarters of Jaguar Cars Limited
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
. The facility is a fully integrated design, research and development centre for all current and future Jaguar products.
In the 1990s (approx), a supermarket was built on the site of the former Whitley Hospital. The supermarket was originally owned by Safeway
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
, and after the 2004 takeover by Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
, it was sold on to Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
. Whitley has a number of small shops, takeaways and businesses including a hair salon and an in-car entertainment shop. Whitley also has an IBIS hotel and a large sports centre.
Whitley Abbey Bridge
River Sherbourne
The River Sherbourne is a river that flows under the centre of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England.The source of the river is in the fields of Hawkes End in the Parish of Allesley. From where it flows south continuing through the city centre, where it is mainly culverted, and through the...
at the bottom of Abbey Road is now blocked off to road vehicles, but before Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
built the current London Road, it formed part of the main London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
coaching route. The mill which stood next to the bridge had been unused since the 1880s, but remained occupied until it was demolished in the 1950s.
Whitley Abbey
Until the turn of the 19th century, Whitley had its own identity based around a principal grand house which was built in the 14th century. Contrary to popular belief, it was this house which bore the name "Whitley Abbey" and not a monastic residence. Several changes and additions to the house took place over the following centuries until the entire estate was sold in 1924, and the house fell into disrepair. Planning permission was granted during the 1950s to build Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School on the site, which was later demolished to make way for Whitley Abbey Community SchoolWhitley Abbey Community School
Whitley Abbey Community School is a comprehensive school in Whitley, Coventry, England. It opened on 13 October 2000 and replaced the former Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School built in the 1950s, which was one of the first comprehensive schools in Coventry....
later named Whitley Business & Enterprise College, but now called Whitley Academy.
Schools
Whitley has three schools: Whitley Abbey Community School, Alice Stevens School, and Whitley Primary. Whitley Abbey Community SchoolWhitley Abbey Community School
Whitley Abbey Community School is a comprehensive school in Whitley, Coventry, England. It opened on 13 October 2000 and replaced the former Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School built in the 1950s, which was one of the first comprehensive schools in Coventry....
is a secondary school and sixth form for boys and girls, 11 and 18 years old. Alice Stevens School
Alice Stevens School
Alice Stevens School is a special secondary school situated in Whitley, Coventry, England for children with moderate learning difficulties. It is named after a former Coventry City councillor who worked for the city's children....
is a special school (state sector) for boys and girls, 11 to 19 years old.