| Southam | |
|---|---|
 Market Hill, at the centre of Southam | |
  Southam Location withinWarwickshire | |
| Population | 8,114 (2021 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP4161 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SOUTHAM |
| Postcode district | CV47 |
| Dialling code | 01926 |
| Police | Warwickshire |
| Fire | Warwickshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Southam (/ˈsaʊðəm/) is a market town andcivil parish in theStratford-on-Avon district ofWarwickshire,England, located about6+1⁄2 miles (10 km) east-southeast ofLeamington Spa. In the2021 census, the population of Southam was 8,114.[1]
The name Southam derives from theOld Englishsūðhām meaning 'south village' or perhapssūðhamm meaning 'south hemmed-in land'.[2]
Southam was a Royalmanor until AD 998, whenEthelred the Unready granted it toEarl Leofwine.[3] WhenCoventry Priory was founded in 1043, Leofwine's sonLeofric, Earl of Mercia granted Southam to it.[3] TheDomesday Book records the manor as "Sucham".[4] The Priory, which in the 12th century became the firstCoventry Cathedral, kept Southam until the 16th century when it surrendered all its estates tothe Crown in theDissolution of the Monasteries.[4]
Southam developed at the intersection of several roads: the main road betweenCoventry andOxford (now theA423 road), the main road fromWarwick toNorthampton viaDaventry, and the ancientdrovers' road known asWelsh Road.[5] In 1227, the monks of Coventry Priory were granted amarket charter for their manor at Southam, causing it to develop into amarket town. Southam later received charters to hold three yearlyfairs: Medieval fairs were special markets, held only a few times a year, which attracted buyers and sellers from longer distances than the normal weekly market.[6]
Southam'sHoly Well, in the picturesque Stowe river valley, is Grade II listed and aScheduled Ancient Monument, and was first recorded in the year 998.[7] The Well was used in medieval times by local monks and for hundreds of years as the town's principal water supply. Water from a natural mineral spring feeds the semi-circular Well and pours through the mouths of carved stone gargoyles into the river. The water from the Well was said to cure eye complaints.[8] The Holy Well and paths were renovated during 2005–2007 using a National Lottery grant.[9]
Southam'smanor house in the centre of town is Grade II listed and dates from the 16th century.[10] The presentparish church of St James was built in the 14th century.[3][11][12] In the 15th century the spire was added[11] and thechancel was rebuilt.[12] Thenave'sclerestory and present roof were added in the 16th century, along with the present west door.[12] St James' is aGrade I listed building.[12]
In the 1540sJohn Leland visited the town and described it as"a modest market town of a single street".[4]William Shakespeare mentions Southam inHenry VI, part 3, Act V, Scene I, Lines 10–16:
WARWICK
Say, Somerville, what says my loving son?
And, by thy guess, how nigh is Clarence now?
SOMERSET
At Southam I did leave him with his forces,
And do expect him here some two hours hence.
WARWICK
Then Clarence is at hand, I hear his drum.
SOMERSET
It is not his, my lord; here Southam lies:
The drum your honour hears marcheth from Warwick.
In theEnglish Civil War,King Charles I used Southam'smint to make new coins to pay his troops.[13] The grade II listed mint building dates from the early16th century.[14] It is now the Old Mintpublic house.[11]
Charles I passed through Southam just before the outbreak of the Civil War and apparently was not made welcome by the townsfolk, who refused to ring the parish church bells.[4] On 23 August 1642, the day after the King formally declared war on Parliament, a skirmish was fought outside the town betweenParliamentary forces led byLord Brooke andRoyalist forces commanded by theEarl of Northampton. The Battle of Southam is claimed by locals to have been the first battle of the English Civil Wars. Later that year, Charles stayed at the Manor House in Southam before theBattle of Edgehill on 23 October 1642.[4] In 1645Oliver Cromwell and 7,000 Parliamentary troops stayed in the town.[15]
In thestagecoach era Southam became an important stop on the coach road between Coventry andOxford. Many oldcoaching inns remain in the town.[16][4] However, few buildings in Southam date from before 1741, when a large fire devastated the town.[4]
RAF Southam, about 0.6 miles (1 km) east of the town, was aWorld War II airfield. It was opened in 1940 and closed at the end of 1944. It was a training base and a relief landing ground.
Southam's history is commemorated inSoutham's Cardall Collection.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1801 | 935[17] |
| 1911 | 1,804[3] |
| 1961 | 2,212[17] |
| 2001 | 6,509[1] |
| 2021 | 8,114[1] |
Southam is about9+1⁄2 miles (15.3 km) south-west ofRugby and9+1⁄2 miles (15.3 km) west ofDaventry, 13 miles (21 km) south-southeast ofCoventry and 14 miles (23 km) north ofBanbury.[18][19]
Southam is situated on the River Stowe, a tributary of theRiver Itchen, which flows fromNapton-on-the-Hill and joins the Itchen at Stoneythorpe, just outside the town.[19]
Destinations from Southam | |
|---|---|
The dominant rock type for the area isBlue Liaslimestone. For many years there was a cement factory and associated limestonequarry 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town. The works was served at one time by both rail and canal transport — the latter being a short arm from theGrand Union Canal. The cement operations at Southam were owned by theRugby Cement company. In 2000 cement production was relocated toRugby, and Southam cement works was closed, but quarrying at the site still continues. The former cement works was demolished in 2011.[20][21]
Southam is part of the area known asSilicon Spa: the area aroundLeamington Spa which is known for its concentration of companies involved in thevideo game industry: The computer games company,Codemasters, is based in Southam, and was founded by two locals.[22][23] It was Europe's largest privately owned computer games company, until its purchase byElectronic Arts in February 2021.
The railwayrolling stock companyVivarail was based in Southam between 2019 and 2023 when it was dissolved.[24]
South of the town is anindustrial estate that is a significant source of local employment.
Southam has become a commuter town due to its road links and location. Taxi and minicab firms operate in the area and frequent bus services serve Southam and local villages.
The principal local authorities administering Southam areWarwickshire County Council andStratford-on-Avon District Council, each responsible for different aspects of local government. In addition to this, as acivil parish Southam has its ownTown Council, which is represented by ten councillors from four wards.[25]
Southam was the seat of theSoutham Rural District from 1894 until 1974, when under theLocal Government Act 1972 it was made part ofStratford-on-Avon District.
Southam was in theparliamentary constituency ofStratford-on-Avon until theboundary changes approved by Parliament in June 2007 when it became part of the new constituency ofKenilworth and Southam. The constituency was first contested in the2010 United Kingdom general election.
Southam has threeprimary schools and asecondary school (Southam College) with 1,643 students on roll from Southam and local villages. There is a leisure centre with swimming pool and gym next to the College on Welsh Road West.
The main shopping area is based around High Street and Market Hill in the town centre. A French street market has run in High Street since the 1990s, it was restarted again in 2022 after being cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[26]
There are four churches in Southam. St James's parish church is behind Market Hill. Both Our Lady and St Wulstan's Catholic church and the Congregational chapel are on Wood Street, and the Community Church is on Coventry Street. There is also a small but activeBahá´í group in the town.[27] The footpath from St James church along the protected Stowe valley to the historic Holy Well and on to Stoneythorpe Hall is a popular route for local people, ornithologists and other naturalists.
Southam Rugby Club was formed in 1962. In 1969 the club purchased pitches at Kineton Road and started playing home games. Over three years' money was raised to build the club house which was constructed mainly by the players and was opened in 1972. Today the club plays in the Midland League and has three senior teams and a colts team.
Southam United F.C. is the town'sassociation football club, and Southam also has a bowling club, a cricket club and the six pitchDallas Burston Polo Club which includes conference and events facilities and the Millstone Hare pub and restaurant.
Southam is home to 2028 (Southam) SquadronAir Training Corps, aRoyal Air Force-sponsored youth organisation for 13- to 20-year-olds. The squadron is based in Millar House, Wattons Lane.
There is a web of footpaths across fields and through woodland, with minimal need to use roads, giving foot access to surrounding villages.
Southam's recreational ground, locally known simply as 'the Rec', is located on Park Lane; the land adjoins St James' churchyard which itself extends to Park Lane, the lower part of Market Hill and the upper part of Warwick Street. The bottom of the park is a bare field used mainly for ball games and the upper part contains various kinds of play equipment, with a separate area for very young children. The second largest park is at Tollgate Road, locally referred to as 'Tollgate'. Asmall Zoo existed in the town between 1966 and 1985.[28]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC West Midlands andITV Central. Television signals can be received from theSutton Coldfield TV transmitter.[29] Local radio stations areBBC CWR,Heart West Midlands,Capital Mid-Counties,Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire,Fresh (Coventry & Warwickshire) andGreatest Hits Radio Midlands. The town is served by the local newspaper,The Leamington Observer.[30]
Southam lies between Leamington Spa and Daventry on theA425 road and between Coventry and Banbury on theA423 road. TheA426 road connects it to Rugby. About 7.5 miles (12.1 km) south of Southam is theM40 motorway, though the town is surprisingly not indicated on the Junction 12 signage, despite being the main population centre in the immediate area.
Stagecoach Midlands run regular bus services connecting Southam with Leamington, Rugby and some of the local villages: like Napton and Long Itchington[31]
The nearest railway stations areLeamington Spa,Rugby andBanbury.
Southam has never been directly served by its own railway station, although there were two within a few miles of the town: TheGreat Western Railway opened its line to Birmingham in 1852, and Southam had a station 3 miles (5 km) to the south-west, namedSoutham Road and Harbury. The station was closed to goods in 1963 and passengers in 1964 byBritish Railways (BR). The line is now part of the London Marylebone to BirminghamChiltern Main Line.[32]
TheLondon and North Western Railway completed itsWeedon to Marton Junction Line in 1895 and openedSoutham and Long Itchington station on it 2 miles (3 km) north of Southam. British Railways closed the station to passengers in 1958 and goods in 1965, although the line remained open to goods trains serving the cement works until 1985.[33]
The newHigh Speed 2 line will pass immediately south of Southam, but will have no stations between London and Birmingham.[34]
Southam has beentwinned withMarolles-en-Hurepoix in France since 1992.[39]
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| Geographic | |
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