Warwick
From Freepedia
- For other uses, see Warwick (disambiguation).
Warwick (pronounced 'warrick' [ˈwɒɹɪk]) is the historic county town of Warwickshire in England and has a population of 25,434 (2001 census). The town lies upon the River Avon.
The town is most famous for the impressive Warwick Castle which attracts huge numbers of tourists from around the world. The town centre is also known for its historic architecture, and contains a mixture of Tudor and 17th-century buildings.
Warwick School is a public school which claims to be the third-oldest surviving school in England. The actual date of its founding is unknown; although 914 has been quoted in some cases, the school celebrated its millennium in the 1990s and it has also honoured King Edward the Confessor (c.1004-1066) as its founder. The school moved to its current site in 1879.
The University of Warwick is named after the county of Warwickshire, rather than the town, and is in fact some miles away on the outskirts of Coventry.
Warwick is also known for Warwick Racecourse, near the west gate of the medieval town.
Contents |
History
According to tradition, Warwick was founded on the banks of the River Avon in the year 914 AD, when Ethelfleda, sister of Mercian king Edward the Elder built defences against Danish (Viking) invaders; these were to be the basis of Warwick Castle. The name 'Warwick' means "dwellings by the weir".
In 1016 the Danes invaded Mercia and burned down much of Warwick, including the nunnery (which stood on the site of the present day St Nicholas Church).
Its fortifications led Warwick to become an important administrative centre within the Mercian kingdom. In the early 11th century Anglo-Saxon England was divided into administrative areas known as shires, and the shire administered from Warwick became known as Warwickshire. By the time of Domesday Book, Warwick was a royal borough.
In medieval times, Warwick remained under the control of various Earls of Warwick, mostly of the Beauchamp family, and became a walled town. Today the only remains of the town walls are the east and west gatehouses. The east gatehouse now serves as part of the Kings High School, a sister institution to Warwick School. Warwick was not incorporated as a town until 1546.
In 1694 a great fire destroyed much of the town, and as a result most of the buildings in the town centre are of 17th and 18th century origin, although a number of older medieval buildings survive, especially around the edges of the town centre.
The fire burnt down most of the medieval church of St Mary; the Beauchamp Chapel, however, survived, having been built between 1443 and 1464 according to the wishes of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick (who had died in Rouen in 1439). A full size reclining copper gilt effigy of the Earl lies upon his Purbeck marble tomb - a fine piece of medieval metalwork cast in 1459.
Transport
Warwick is near the M40 motorway and the A46 trunk road. The town also has good rail links, with direct services to London, Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon provided by Chiltern Railways from the original station in the town and also from Warwick Parkway, a new out-of-town station opened in 2000. The other rail operator serving Warwick is Central Trains (to Birmingham and Stratford). The Grand Union Canal and the River Avon also pass through the town.
Administration
Population growth has led to Warwick becoming joined to its larger neighbouring town Leamington Spa with which it forms a small conurbation. Both towns are now administered as part of the Warwick District, which has its headquarters in Leamington, although each retains a separate town council. Warwickshire County Council remains based in Warwick itself.
Associations
J. R. R. Tolkien seems to have been much influenced by Warwick (where he was married) and by its Mercian connections: Lynn Forest-Hill, in an article in the Times Literary Supplement (TLS 8 July 2005 pp 12-13) argues cogently that two important settlements in Tolkien's work were modelled on Warwick - Edoras closely on the early town, and Minas Tirith more remotely on the Norman; and that aspects of the plot of the Lord of the Rings are paralleled in the romance known as Guy of Warwick.
Warwick and its historic buildings have featured in a number of television series, including the BBC's drama series Dangerfield, the period dramas Pride and Prejudice and Tom Jones and Granada Television's Moll Flanders.
