| Nuneaton | |
|---|---|
    .jpg)
| |
  Nuneaton Location withinWarwickshire | |
| Population | 88,813 (2021 census) |
| OS grid reference | SP361918 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NUNEATON |
| Postcode district | CV10, CV11 |
| Dialling code | 024 |
| Police | Warwickshire |
| Fire | Warwickshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Nuneaton (/nəˈniːtən/nə-NEE-tən) is amarket town in theNuneaton and Bedworth district, in northernWarwickshire, England, close to the county border withLeicestershire to the north-east.[1] Nuneaton's population at the2021 census was 88,813,[2] making it thelargest town in Warwickshire. Nuneaton's urban area, which also includes the large villages ofBulkington andHartshill, had a population of 99,372 at the 2021 census.[3]
Nuneaton gained its name from a medievalnunnery which was established in the 12th century, when it became a small market town. It later developed into an important industrial town due to ribbon weaving and coal mining.
The authorGeorge Eliot was born on a farm on theArbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for much of her early life. Her novelScenes of Clerical Life (1858) depicts Nuneaton. TheGeorge Eliot Hospital is named after her,[4] and there is also a statue of her in the town centre.
Nuneaton was originally anAnglo-Saxon settlement known as 'Etone' or 'Eaton', which translates literally as 'settlement by water', referring to theRiver Anker. 'Etone' was listed in theDomesday Book as a small farming settlement with a population of around 150. In the early 12th century, the settlement came under the control of theBeaumont family, and in around 1155Robert de Beaumont granted hismanor of Etone to the FrenchAbbey of Fontevraud, who established aBenedictinenunnery here, which became known asNuneaton Priory. This led to Etone becoming known as Nuneaton.[5] A document from 1272 referred to the town asNunne Eton.[6] The nunnery was closed in 1539 during KingHenry VIII'sdissolution of the monasteries, and subsequently fell into ruin. However part of the Abbey church was rebuilt in the 19th and early 20th centuries.[7][8]
Nuneaton obtained amarket charter in around 1160 fromHenry II which was reconfirmed in 1226, causing Nuneaton to develop into amarket town and become the economic focal point of the local villages.[9]
In 1485, theBattle of Bosworth, the last significant battle of theWars of the Roses, was fought around 5 miles (8 km) to the north-west of Nuneaton, across theLeicestershire border[10]
King Edward VI School was established in 1552 by a royal charter byKing Edward VI.[11] The school was originally a fee-paying school, although the county council provided some scholarships, and became non-fee-paying as a result of theEducation Act of 1944. Thevoluntary aided school had around 400 boys in the 1960s. In 1974 thegrammar school closed and was re-established as asixth form college.[12]
In 1543, Nuneaton was recorded as containing 169 houses, with a population of around 800. By 1670 this had grown to 415 households, with a population of 1,867, and by 1740 the population had risen further to 2,480.[13]
In the mid-17th century, asilkribbon weaving industry became established in the local area which included Nuneaton,Bedworth,Coventry and much ofNorth Warwickshire. This industry was enhanced by the arrival of FrenchHuguenot immigrants in the latter part of the century, who brought with them new techniques. This industry operated as acottage industry, with the weavers working fromtop-shops; a type of building which was specific to the local area, and had living space in the two lower floors, and a workshop with very large windows on the top floor. This industry flourished for nearly two centuries, albeit with periodic booms and slumps. However, by the early 19th century the industry was struggling to compete against thefactory produced textiles from northern manufacturers, and the local weavers strongly resisted adopting factory production methods as they valued their independence. Nevertheless, in 1851 46% of Nuneaton's workforce was still employed by the ribbon trade. The industry was finally wiped out after 1860 by cheap imports, following theCobden–Chevalier Treaty, which removed duties on imported French silks.[14] This caused a slump in the local economy which lasted nearly two decades.[15]
Another major industry which grew in the local area wascoal mining. Nuneaton was located in theWarwickshire coalfield, and mining was recorded locally as early as 1338. However the lack of efficient transport and the primitive mining techniques kept the industry on a small scale.[16] Mining did not start to develop on a larger scale until the 17th century, with the dawn of theIndustrial Revolution, which led to greater demand for fuel and technical advancement.[clarification needed] A major problem was the drainage of water from coal pits as they were dug deeper. The use of awaterwheel to drive drainagepumps was recorded as early as 1683. The first recorded use of anatmospheric engine; a primitive form ofsteam engine, to pump water from coal pits was recorded at Griff Colliery in 1714; this was the first recorded use of a steam engine in Warwickshire. Another major problem facing the industry was poor transport. SirRoger Newdigate, who owned several local coal mines, developed aturnpike road to Coventry in the 1750s, which partially resolved this problem. Early on Newdigate recognised the potential ofcanals as a means for transporting bulk cargoes. He developed a system ofprivate canals on his land on theArbury Estate from 1764 to transport coal, and helped promote theCoventry Canal, which opened from Coventry to Nuneaton in 1769, before being finally completed toStaffordshire in 1790. He also helped promote theOxford Canal. Ironically, the new canal system led to a decline in the Warwickshire coal industry after 1800, as it was exploited by Staffordshire coal producers to capture the local market. The local coal industry was not exploited to its maximum potential until the development of the railway network in the 19th century.[17]
The first railway to reach Nuneaton was theTrent Valley Railway which opened in 1847, linking Nuneaton to the growing national railway network atRugby andStafford. This was followed by abranch line to Coventry in 1850. In 1864 a line was opened fromBirmingham to Leicester via Nuneaton, and this proved to be the most important for the local economy, as it linked Nuneaton with the rapidly growing town (later city) ofBirmingham. Due largely to this, the local coal industry expanded rapidly in the latter half of the 19th century, with production from the Warwickshire coalfield expanding nearly tenfold between 1860 and 1913 from around 545,000 tons to over five million tons. The industry peaked in the early 20th century; in 1911 one third of the male workforce in Nuneaton were employed as miners.[18] The industry, however, declined rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, with the last coal mine in Nuneaton closing in 1968, although Newdigate colliery at Bedworth lasted until 1982.[19] The last Warwickshire coal mine at nearbyDaw Mill closed in 2013.[20]
Nuneaton underwent a period of rapid growth from the 1880s onwards with the rapid development of an array of industries. These includedbrick andtile making,brewing, the production ofhats and leather goods. andengineering.[7][21] At the time of the first national census in 1801 Nuneaton was one of the largest towns in Warwickshire, with a population of 5,135. By 1901 this had grown to 24,996.[22][8]
Nuneaton was anancient parish, which covered the hamlets ofAttleborough andStockingford as well as the town itself.[23] The parish was made alocal board district in 1850, which was Nuneaton's first modern form of local government; previously it had been governed by itsvestry andmanorial court.[24] The local board's main responsibilities were to provide the town with infrastructure such as paved roads, clean drinking water, street lighting and sewerage.[25] The neighbouring parish ofChilvers Coton was made a separate local board district at the same time.[26]
The two local board districts of Nuneaton and Chilvers Cotton were merged in 1893. The following year, all such districts were converted intourban districts.[27] The Nuneaton and Chilvers Coton Urban District was elevated to become amunicipal borough in 1907 under the single name of Nuneaton.[28] The borough was enlarged several times, notably in 1931 when it absorbed the neighbouring parish ofWeddington.[7] In 1974, the Municipal Borough of Nuneaton was merged withBedworth Urban District to create anon-metropolitan district withborough status which was initially called Nuneaton, but changed its name toNuneaton and Bedworth in 1980.[29][30]
Nuneaton suffered severe bomb damage duringThe Blitz in theSecond World War between 1940 and 1942. The heaviest bombing raid on Nuneaton took place on 17 May 1941, when 130 people were killed. 380 houses were destroyed, and over 10,000 damaged during the course of the war.[31][32]
In 1947 the architect and town plannerFrederick Gibberd was appointed to create a masterplan to redevelop the bomb damaged town centre. The redevelopment, which continued until the 1960s included the features typical of town planning from that era, including a new ringroad,indoor shopping centre, administrative centre and library.[33]
Nuneaton continued to expand in the latter 20th century. In the early postwar years the need arose for low-cost housing, and in response to this around 2,500council houses were built during the 1950s, the largest such development was atCamp Hill, where 1,400 new houses were built by 1956, while around 1,100 new council houses were built at new estates at Hill Top, Caldwell and Marston Lane by 1958. Following this, Nuneaton's expansion was largely driven by private developments atWeddington,St Nicolas Park,Whitestone andStockingford.[33]
| Year[34][35] | 1801 | 1851 | 1871 | 1881 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1951 | 1971 | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,135 | 13,532 | 12,868 | 13,714 | 24,996 | 37,073 | 41,875 | 46,291 | 54,407 | 66,979 | 70,721 | 86,552 | 88,813 |
Nuneaton is 9 miles (14 km) north ofCoventry, 18 miles (29 km) east ofBirmingham and 16 miles (26 km) south west ofLeicester.[36][10]
The town centre lies 2 miles (3 km) south west of theLeicestershire border (which is defined by theA5 road the former RomanWatling Street), 8 miles (13 km) south east ofStaffordshire, and 12 miles (19 km) south-south east fromDerbyshire’s southernmost point.[36][10]
Nuneaton lies very close to thegeographic centre of England, which since 2002 has been recognised as being atLindley Hall Farm, about 3 miles (5 km) north of Nuneaton, across the county border in Leicestershire.[37]
TheRiver Anker runs through the town. Nuneaton town centre was historically prone to regular flooding from the Anker, with especially bad floods in 1932 and 1968. This was relieved in 1976 by the construction of aflood relief channel.[38][39]
Nuneaton forms the largest part of the Nuneaton built-up area which also includes the large villages ofHartshill andBulkington. It had a population of 132,236 at the2001 Census.[40] In the2011 Census it had a considerably lower population of 92,698[41] becauseHinckley ceased to be defined as part of the urban area. In the2021 Census the urban area was recorded as having a population of 99,372, and comprising Nuneaton, Bulkington and Hartshill.[3]
Towns close to Nuneaton includeBedworth,Atherstone andHinckley, withTamworth,Rugby,Coleshill andLutterworth a little further afield.[36][10]
Destinations from Nuneaton | |
|---|---|
Within the borough boundaries:
Adjacent or adjoining places, some of which fall outside the borough boundaries:
Nuneaton is part of the constituency of the same name in theHouse of Commons. The constituency is currently represented by theLabour PartyMember of Parliament (MP),Jodie Gosling who was first elected in the2024 general election.
From1935 to1983, Nuneaton was a safeLabour seat, but it has become more marginal. Between 1983 and1992, theConservative Party held the seat, until losing it back to Labour. For the next 18 years, the Labour Party (in the form ofBill Olner) was the local representative at Parliament, until his retirement. The Conservatives won it back at the2010 general election, withMarcus Jones holding the seat until 2024.
_6.19.jpg)
There are two tiers of local government covering Nuneaton:Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council as the lower tier, andWarwickshire County Council as the upper tier. Nuneaton is anunparished area and so there is no tier of administration below the Borough council. Nuneaton and Bedworth council was once solidly controlled by the Labour Party, but has in more recent years become more volatile: It was Labour controlled from its creation in 1974, until the2008 local elections, when the Conservatives gained control, ending 34 years of Labour rule.[42][43] However, the period of Conservative control was relatively short lived. The Labour Party won two seats from the Conservative Party in the2010 local elections, giving no party overall control of the council (but leaving the Labour Party as the largest grouping).[44] In 2012 Labour gained a further 8 seats to regain overall control which they lost again to no overall control in 2018. In the May 2021 elections, the Conservatives once more gained a majority; winning ten seats from Labour and one from an independent.[45] However, the pendulum swung back again in the May 2024 elections, when Labour again won back control of the council, winning 15 seats.[46]
Nuneaton's traditional industries like textiles, mining and manufacturing have declined significantly in the post-war years. Due to its transport links, Nuneaton is to some extent acommuter town for nearby Coventry and Birmingham. However a relatively large number of businesses involved in the automotive, aerospace and engineering supply chains industries are active in the area.MIRA Limited, formerly the Motor Industry Research Association, is based on a disused wartime airfield on theA5, to the north of the town.[47]
One of the biggest developments in the town's history, the multimillion-poundRopewalk Shopping Centre, opened in September 2005 in the hope that it will give the town extra income from the shopping, attract more visitors and retailers, and attract shoppers as an alternative to larger retail centres such as Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and Solihull.[48] An older shopping centre, theAbbeygate Shopping Centre in the town centre was first opened in the 1960s, and was formerly known as Heron Way.[49]
The European headquarters ofHolland & Barrett are based in the town, as is the UK head office ofFedEx.[47] While Bermuda Park, which is south of Nuneaton, is the location of the national distribution centres ofDairy Crest andRS Components. Nuneaton is also the location of several international online marketing companies.
In 2017 the Nuneaton and Bedworth borough was less prosperous than the rest of Warwickshire, reflecting the long established north–south divide in the county. The average annual workplace wage in Nuneaton and Bedworth was £21,981, the lowest in the county and below the Warwickshire average of £28,513 (and UK £28,296) although the productivity gap had narrowed with the rest of Warwickshire since 2009.[47]
Nuneaton's name reflects the effect thatChristianity has had upon the town's history. Although theBenedictine nunnery which gave the town its name was destroyed at the time of theReformation, the remaining fragments were incorporated into theAnglican church building now known as theAbbey Church of St Mary the Virgin in Manor Court Road. This is aVictorian construction.
Near the town centre, but unusually not a part of it and outside the ring road, lies the medieval church ofSt. Nicolas – a grade I listed building.[50]Chilvers Coton contains All Saints' Church, where Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) worshipped andJustin Welby, laterArchbishop of Canterbury, served as acurate.[51] This was badly damaged by bombing during theSecond World War, and rebuilt largely by Germanprisoners of war. There are also Anglican churches in Weddington (St James's), Attleborough (Holy Trinity), Stockingford (St Paul's), Galley Common (St Peter's), Abbey Green (St Mary's), and more recently built (1954), in Camp HillSt Mary's and St John's.
There are two parishes in the town serving theCatholic community in Nuneaton.Our Lady of the Angels on Coton Road, was opened in 1838 (originally as St Mary's). The building, designed byJoseph Hansom, was extensively remodelled in 1936. The Parish ofSt Anne's, Chapel End, Nuneaton was created in 1949 out of the Parish of Our Lady of the Angels (which originally covered the whole town). The original church building was replaced with the existing church, which was opened in 2000.
In the town,Baptist,Methodist,Wesleyan Reform Union,the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,Pentecostal,the Salvation Army,United Reformed andChristadelphian churches serve their respective congregations.
There is a Kingdom Hall ofJehovah's Witnesses located in the Stockingford area and Christadelphians inWhitestone.
In addition to Christianity, there are also followers ofIslam,Sikhism andHinduism. There is amosque on Frank Street, Chilvers Coton,[52] and twogurdwaras (Sikh temples): the Nuneaton Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Park Avenue, Attleborough, and the Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara in Marlborough Road, Chilvers Coton.[53] There are also twoHindu temples in Nuneaton: the Shree Hindu Gujrati Samaj on Upper Abbey Street,[54] and a second Hindu temple, the Watford Kantha Swami Hindu Temple, which opened in 2021, using a converted former Methodist Chapel in Stockingford.[55]
In addition to these, there is an activeBahá'i Faith group in Nuneaton.[56][57]
At the2021 census, there were 88,813 residents in Nuneaton. In terms of ethnicity in 2021:[2]
In terms of religion, 50.7% of Nuneaton residents identified asChristian, 40.2% said they hadno religion, 4.1% wereMuslim, 1.8% wereHindu, 1.6% wereSikh, 0.7% wereBuddhists, and 0.8% were from another religion.[2]
The town is near theM6, theM42 andM69 motorways and the mainA5 trunk road (Watling Street), which also acts as a border with Leicestershire and the neighbouring town of Hinckley. TheA444 provides a high-speeddual-carriageway route into the town from the south and also acts as the often busy town centrering road. TheA47 links the town with neighbouring Hinckley and onwards to Leicester, and the A4254 – Eastern Relief Road – provides direct access from the east of Nuneaton to the south, avoiding the town centre.
The town has two railway stations. The mainNuneaton railway station, located near the town centre, is an important railway junction and is served by theWest Coast Main Line running from London to the North West, the cross-countryBirmingham to Peterborough Line and bya line to Coventry via Bedworth. A new railway station atBermuda Park was opened south of the town centre in 2016 on the line towards Coventry,[58] as part of the NUCKLE (Nuneaton, Coventry,Kenilworth andLeamington) rail upgrade scheme.
Historically, Nuneaton was also served byChilvers Coton station,Abbey Street station andStockingford station. Chilvers Coton station was located on the Coventry line, a short distance north of the new Bermuda Park station, and was closed in 1965. Abbey Street station and Stockingford station were on the line towards Birmingham and were both closed in 1968. In January 2017, there were proposals to open a new station at Stockingford, at a different location from the former one, which could open by 2023.[59] Warwickshire County Council have also proposed a newNuneaton Parkway station between Nuneaton andHinckley, which could open by 2034.[60]
The principal operator around Nuneaton isStagecoach in Warwickshire and the depot is located next to the fire station on Newtown Road, just west from the bus station.Arriva Midlands also operate a number of routes around Nuneaton with buses running toTamworth,Hinckley,Barwell,Leicester.MIRA, andCoventry. Arriva Midlands also operate service 78 toWalsgrave Hospital, a service operated byTravel de Courcey until the company entered administration in 2020.
In January 2020NX Coventry announced an extension to Nuneaton on their 20 route from Coventry to Bedworth.[61]
TheCoventry Canal passes through Nuneaton, while theAshby Canal skirts the town's south-eastern outskirts.
Nuneaton has two non-leaguefootball teams:Nuneaton Borough andNuneaton Griff who both play in theMidland Football League. Sunday League football is played in the town, with teams from Nuneaton, Bedworth and North Warwickshire competing in the Nuneaton & District Sunday Football League (NDSFL).
There are threerugby union clubs:Nuneaton R.F.C. (nicknamed"the Nuns"), who play inNational 3 Midlands, Nuneaton Old Edwardians ofMidlands 2 West (South) division and Manor Park of theMidlands 3 West (South) league.
The town is also the location of Nuneaton Bowling club, where flat green bowls is played.[62]
There are three mainleisure centres and one stadium in the town owned by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and managed byEveryone Active on the council's behalf (after a competitive tender process):
| Pingles Leisure Centre | The town's main leisure centre in Nuneaton. Rebuilt in 2004 to replace the original Pingles built in 1965. Includes an indoor and outdoorswimming areas, dance studio andgym. |
| Pingles Stadium | Built in 1998. Capacity 4,000, with a 250-seater stand, athletics track, and football pitch. The stadium is home to Nuneaton Harriers Athletic Club, Nuneaton Griff Football Club and Nuneaton Triathlon Club. |
| Jubilee Sports Centre | This sports hall is used for various sports includingbadminton,five-a-side football/indoor football andbasketball. There is also a scoreboard, used for major basketball and indoor football matches. The hall can be hired out for uses such askarate lessons. |
| Etone Sports Centre | Another sports hall. Also hasastroturf football pitches which are used also forhockey. The centre is in the grounds of the school which bears the same name, Etone School, but 'Everyone Active' maintains the building. |
Nuneaton has amuseum and art gallery in the grounds ofRiversley Park adjacent to the town centre. The museum includes a display onGeorge Eliot. Eliot's family homeGriff House is now a restaurant and hotel on the A444.[63]
TheAbbey Theatre is Nuneaton's only theatre and hosts a wide variety of performances including visiting opera and ballet companies, touring shows, musicals, pantomime and drama. Run solely by volunteers, the Abbey Theatre seats 250 plus space for wheelchair patrons.[64]
Also located in Nuneaton on Abbey Street is theRitz Cinema. It is Grade-II listed due to its Art Deco style.
Historically, Nuneaton used to take part in theBritain in Bloom competition and in 2000, Nuneaton and Bedworth was a national finalist. It is the location of Nuneaton Carnival, the largest carnival in Warwickshire, which takes place every June.[65]
Nuneaton was home to the smallest[citation needed] independent newspaper in Britain (theHeartland Evening News) until it was purchased in 2006 by life News & Media.
Public art in Nuneaton includes a statue of George Eliot on Newdegate Square, and theGold Belt.
_-_Newdegate_Street%2c_Nuneaton_(17248629494).jpg)
Many locations inGeorge Eliot's works were based on places in or near her native Nuneaton, including:
The Nuneaton Community Carnival is an annual community carnival held in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Established in 1930, the event began as a hospital fundraising carnival and has developed into one of the town's longest-running public celebrations.[69]
The carnival originated in 1930 as the Nuneaton Hospital Carnival, organised to raise funds for Nuneaton General Hospital and associated charitable causes. The first event was held in October 1930[70] and included a procession and ceremonial elements such as the crowning of a carnival queen.
The event became a recurring feature of the town’s social calendar during the 1930s but was suspended during the Second World War. In the post-war period the carnival was revived intermittently, before being more consistently re-established in the 1960s.
The 2024 carnival was cancelled. The event was subsequently revived in 2025 by the Nuneaton Community Carnival Committee.[71]
The carnival traditionally includes a public procession through Nuneaton, decorated floats and themed entries, participation from schools and community groups, and live entertainment in the town centre. In recent years, annual themes have been adopted for parade entrants.
The carnival is organised by a volunteer committee and aims to promote community participation and local heritage.[72]
A local landmark in Nuneaton, which can be seen for many miles isMount Judd which is a conical shaped formerspoil heap, 158 metres (518 ft) high made from spoil from the former Judkins Quarry. It is also known locally as theNuneaton Nipple.[73][74] In May 2018 it was voted the best UK landmark in an online poll for theDaily Mirror newspaper, beating competition from the likes of theAngel of the North andBig Ben.[75]
Another well known landmark is the Roanne Fountain, also known as the Dandelion Fountain, which sits in the middle of aroundabout in the town centre, it was built in 2000, and features 385 spraying arms which spray out 50,000 gallons of water per hour.[76] In 2016 it was voted the 'UK Roundabout of the Year' by theRoundabout Appreciation Society, who stated that the town should feel "very proud for achieving such a high roundabout accolade."[77]
.jpg)
Places of interest in Nuneaton include:
Places of interest near Nuneaton:
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Nuneaton" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Local radio stations includeBBC CWR,Fosse 107 (formerly Oak 107),Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire (formally known as Mercia Sound, Mercia FM, Mercia and Free Radio Coventry & Warwickshire), andBBC Radio Leicester.
The main local newspapers are TheNuneaton Telegraph, a localised sub-edition of theCoventry Telegraph, which was launched in 1992 (when theTribune switched from daily to weekly production); and theNuneaton News (originally known as theEvening News upon launch and then theHeartland Evening News): Owned byReach plc, which is a paid-forweekly newspaper, published every Wednesday.[88]
The Nuneaton area is covered on regional TV News byBBC Midlands Today andITV News Central
The borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth istwinned with the following towns:
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
