The History of
Kenilworth
Abbey Fields |
Beating of the Bounds
|
High Street
|
Kenilworth Castle
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Kenilworth War Memorial
| Little
Virginia
|
Millennium Walks |
Nature
Reserves
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Stoneleigh Abbey |
Stoneleigh Park
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St
Nicholas' Church
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The Clock Tower
|
The Old School House
 The
first mention of the settlement of Kenilworth is in the 1086
Domesday book, as a small settlement, of approximately 100
villagers, in a clearing in the Forest of Arden.
50 years after the Norman conquest, King Henry I gave land
from the Royal Estate of Stoneleigh to Geoffrey de Clinton
(his Chamberlain) and the story of Kenilworth at the heart
of English history really began. In the early 12th Century,
Geoffrey founded a priory and started work on the castle. It
wasn’t always called Kenilworth, and The Domesday Book
refers to the settlement as “Chinewrde", meaning "farm of a
woman named Cynehild". There have been various spellings for
the town between then and now.
Throughout its life the castle had considerable additions
before its destruction as a fortification at the end of the
English Civil War (1649). Today, it stands as the finest
ruined castle in England.
 The
town had extensive links with royalty throughout history and
the town’s markets and fairs were granted charters by Henry
III and Queen Elizabeth I, and a midsummer fair was allowed
in the town. King Charles I stayed in Kenilworth and
Sir
Walter Scott (www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk) wrote the novel 'Kenilworth' whilst staying in
the Kings Arms and Castle Hotel on the corner of Station
Road and Warwick Road.
Turner painted Kenilworth Castle (www.j-m-w-turner.co.uk) and the town has links to the
major manufacturing dynasties of the Midlands.
There is a whole host of historical information available on
the various sites: The A2A database contains catalogues
describing archives held locally in England and Wales and
dating from the eighth century to the present day (www.a2a.org.uk).
The Warwickshire County Council archive also has a host of
historical information contained within it please follow the
link below:
http://archivesunlocked.warwickshire.gov.uk
Today, Kenilworth stands as a small market town in the green
heart of the Midlands, easily accessible from anywhere in
the world.
For a huge selection of old photos of Kenilworth please
visit
www.windowsonwarwickshire.org.uk
, drop into The
Picture Shop at Smalley Place, or visit
www.francisfrith.com
A number of histories of the various aspects of Kenilworth
are produced by local publishers Odibourne Press (www.odibournepress.co.uk
)
Online Domesday Book:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/domesday
£3.50 for information, but searches are
free.
Places Of Interest
Abbey Fields,
embracing the Abbey Ruins, Gatehouse & 'Barn'
Close to the
Parish Church of St Nicholas lie the ruins of the Abbey of
St Mary the Virgin.
A history of the Priory is available
online here >>
There is also a complete history of the Abbey itself
contained within the
British History online website.
Beating of the Bounds
The perambulation, or beating the bounds, was an
ancient custom common to a number of European countries, but had generally
faded away by the end of the 19th century. In England at Rogation tide,
often on Holy Thursday or Ascension Day, the local vicar lead his
parishioners round the bounds of the parish.
Kenilworth Castle
Immortalised and romanticised by Sir Walter Scott in his early 19th
century novel, Kenilworth is probably one of the finest ruined castles to
be seen in Britain today.
Click here for Opening Times >>
High Street
Bridge Street and
High Street, form the east
and north sides of Abbey Fields. Numerous examples of fine listed
buildings can be found here all in excellent condition.
Little
Virginia
The
little hamlet of Little Virginia originally consisted of fifteen cottages
which date from the 17th Century.
Millennium Walks
The high banks and massive ditch that encircle todays car-park protected
the Tiltyard and its sluice-gates. Why do you think this was so important
for the Castle's defence? Soldiers used this arena to practise fighting in
mock battles called 'melees'.
Nature
Reserves
There are four
local nature reserves in Kenilworth. All are managed through
a partnership agreement between Warwickshire Wildlife Trust
and Warwick District Council
Stoneleigh Abbey
Stoneleigh Abbey stands beside the River Avon,
and buildings have been inhabited on this site for 830 years, since 1154
when King Henry II granted the lands to a community of Cistercian monks.
Click for details of Tours >>
Stoneleigh Park
Stoneleigh
Park is home to the Royal and Town and Country Shows,
each held annually, and which draw
thousands of visitors from across the Country.
St
Nicholas' Church
St
Nicholas' Church is situated in High Street, and looks out over Abbey
Fields. The exact date of its founding isn’t known, but by 1291 it was in
the patronage of the Priory of Kenilworth.
The Clock
Tower
The clock stands at the head of Warwick Road by Abbey End, and was
presented to Kenilworth in 1906 by G.W. Turner as a
memorial to his late wife. The inscription for the
plaque at Abbey End reads "Near this spot stood The Globe Hotel, destroyed
by enemy action on the night of 21 November 1940, killing 28 people.
Their known names are recorded on a table in the cemetery chapel"
The Old
School House
The benefactor was Dr Edwards, a surgeon, who died in 1723.
He also bequeathed amounts to charities for the education of
boys in other villages
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