Warwickshire

I

Introduction

Warwickshire, county, Midlands of England, bounded by Staffordshire to the north-west; by Leicestershire to the north-east; by Northamptonshire to the east; by Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south; and by Worcestershire and the unitary authorities of the West Midlands metropolitan county to the west. Although once heavily industrialized in the north, Warwickshire is now largely rural, with much pleasant countryside. It lost its main urban areas in the local government reorganization of 1974, when Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, and their surrounds, were taken away from Warwickshire to form about half of the area of the new metropolitan county of West Midlands. This reduced the area of Warwickshire by approximately 18 per cent. The area of the county is now 1,981 sq km (765 sq mi).

II

Land and Resources

The River Avon runs across the county from north-east to south-west, and divides it into two regions. North of the river is the region known as the “wood-land” or “Weldon”. In the north-east the Weldon is an area of flat meadows, while in the west is the Forest of Arden, the scene of the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare. The forest is now mostly meadowland; the trees were felled in the 17th century to provide fuel for the iron furnaces of Birmingham. Much of the territory north of the Avon is a plateau, with a height above sea level of 120 to 180 m (400 to 600 ft). South of the river is the “field-land” or “Feldon”, which is chiefly devoted to farming. It rises in the south to ranges of hills, some of which reach 245 m (800 ft). The countryside is mostly undulating, developed on sedimentary rocks, especially red sandstone.

The Avon is the main river in Warwickshire. Its tributaries include the Swift, the Sowe, the Alne, the Leam, the Itchen, and the Stour. In the north-west of the county are the rivers Blythe and Anker. The Grand Union Canal crosses the county.

The climate of Warwickshire is moderate. Average annual rainfall over the county is in the region of 635 to 760 mm (25 to 30 in).

III

Population and Administration

The population of the county was estimated in 2001 to be 505,885. The principal towns are Royal Leamington Spa (1991, 55,396), Warwick (2001, 125,962), Stratford-upon-Avon (2001, 111,474), and Rugby (2001, 87,449). Other towns of note are Alcester (1991, 6,282), Kenilworth (1991, 21,623, 66,715).

Warwickshire is administered by a county council with its headquarters at Shire Hall, Warwick, and by five district councils: North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Warwick. The police authority is the Warwickshire Constabulary, which has its headquarters in the village of Leek Wootton near Warwick. A Crown Court sits at Warwick.

IV

Education and Culture

The University of Warwick is in fact in Coventry in the West Midlands. Rugby School (founded 1567) is one of the most famous of English public schools, and is also where rugby football was invented. It is pre-dated by Warwick School, also a public school, which was founded in 914. The county's best-known authors are Walter Savage Landor, born in Warwick in 1775, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) born a short distance from Nuneaton, in 1819, and the poet Rupert Brooke, born in Rugby in 1887. Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes is set in Rugby School, during the time when the celebrated Dr Thomas Arnold was headmaster. Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the country's leading cricket teams, although its main ground at Edgbaston, also used for Test matches, is in Birmingham in the West Midlands. There is racecourse at Warwick.