Branches of Mathematics

Pure mathematics

• Algebra
• Calculus
• Geometry
• Topology
• Trignometry
• Combinatorics
• Logic
• Number theory

Applied mathematics

• Dynamical systems and differential equations
• Mathematical physics
• Computing
• Information theory and signal processing
• Probability and statistics
• Game theory
• Operations research

Related Topics

• Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Linear Equations
• Applied Physics
• Nano Technology
• Engineering Sciences
• Mathematical Medicine
• Fluid dynamics
• Computational Mathematics
• Gamma Ray Optics
• Onfrared Optics
• Relative Velocity
• Iciam
• Intelligent Imaging Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience Research
• Quantum Cosmology
• Brain Research

• A45 road
• A452 road
• A46 road
• Alcester
• Allan Donald
• Arbury Hall
• Ashlawn School
• Atherstone
• Baginton
• Balsall Heath
• Battle of Edgehill
• Bedfordshire
• Bedworth
• Beeching Axe
• Berkshire
• Birmingham
• Bob Willis
• Brian Lara
• Brinklow Castle
• Bristol
• British GAA
• Buckinghamshire
• Bulkington
• Burton Dassett Hills
• Cambridgeshire
• Canal
• Cement
• Chamber of Commerce
• Charlecote Park
• Cheltenham
• Cheshire
• Chiltern Main Line
• Chiltern Railways
• City of London
• Civil parish
• Codemasters
• Compton Verney House
• Compton Wynyates
• Coombe Abbey
• Cornwall
• Cotswolds
• Coughton Court
• County corporate
• County council
• County Durham
• County town
• Coventry
• Coventry Airport
• Coventry Canal
• CrossCountry
• Cumbria
• Daniel Byles
• Derbyshire
• Devon
• Districts of England
• Dorset
• Draycote Water
• East Staffordshire
• East Sussex
• Edgbaston
• Eleven plus
• Elizabeth Gaskell
• Engineering
• England
• English Civil War
• Essex
• Eurostat
• Forest of Arden
• GAA county
• Gaelic games
• Geoff Humpage
• George Eliot
• George Elliot
• Gloucestershire
• Grand Union Canal
• Greater London
• Greater Manchester
• Hampshire
• Hampton-in-Arden
• Harborne
• Hartshill
• Hatton, Warwickshire
• Henley-in-Arden
• Herefordshire
• Hertfordshire
• Ian Bell
• Ireland
• Isle of Wight
• ISO 3166-2 GB
• Kenilworth
• Kenilworth Castle
• Kent
• King's Norton
• Kingsbury Water Park
• Kingsley School
• Ladywalk Reserve
• Lancashire
• Landlocked
• Leamington Spa
• Leicester
• Leicestershire
• Lichfield (district)
• Lincolnshire
• London
• London Midland
• Lowsonford
• Lunt Roman Fort
• M1 motorway
• M40 motorway
• M42 motorway
• M45 motorway
• M6 motorway
• M6 Toll
• M69 motorway
• Mark Pawsey
• Mary Arden's House
• Mercia
• Merseyside
• Metropolitan county
• Michael Drayton
• Middle Ages
• Midland Air Museum
• Motorway
• Nadhim Zahawi
• Napton-on-the-Hill
• Norfolk
• North Warwickshire
• North Yorkshire
• Northamptonshire
• Northumberland
• Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton
• ONS coding system
• Oxford
• Oxford Canal
• Oxfordshire
• Perry Barr
• Peterborough
• Philip Larkin
• Polesworth
• Princethorpe College
• Quinton, Birmingham
• Ragley Hall
• Redditch
• Regions of England
• River Alne
• River Anker
• River Blythe
• River Dene
• River Leam
• River Rea
• River Sherbourne
• River Sowe
• Rollright Stones
• Royal Leamington Spa
• Royal Pump Rooms
• Rugby (borough)
• Rugby football
• Rugby Group
• Rugby School
• Rugby, Warwickshire
• Rupert Brooke
• Rural District
• Rutland
• Sandwell
• Shipston-on-Stour
• Shropshire
• Shropshire Council
• Solihull
• Somerset
• South Staffordshire
• South Yorkshire
• Southam
• Stafford
• Stafford (borough)
• Staffordshire
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Stratford-upon-Avon
• Studley
• Suffolk
• Surrey
• Sutton Coldfield
• Tamworth
• Tamworth (borough)
• Tanworth-in-Arden
• Telford and Wrekin
• Textiles
• The Belfry
• Town
• Tyne and Wear
• UK Coal
• Unitary authority
• Urban District
• W. W. Quatremain
• Warwick
• Warwick (district)
• Warwick Castle
• Warwick Parkway
• Warwick School
• Warwickshire
• Warwickshire College
• Warwickshire Police
• Water Orton
• Weir
• Welford-on-Avon
• Wellesbourne
• West Coast Main Line
• West Sussex
• West Yorkshire
• Whitnash
• William Shakespeare
• Wiltshire
• Wolverhampton
• Worcester
• Worcestershire
• Wychavon
• Yardley
• 
  

• 2007 Atherstone fire
  The 2007 Atherstone on Stour fire took place on 2 November 2007 near the village of Atherstone on Stour in Warwickshire in England located on the former RAF station RAF Atherstone
  A vegetable packing plant the size of four association football pitches caught fire in a suspected arson attack. Four firefighters were reported missing that night after they went in to rescue workers they thought they were stuck in building. One was quickly pulled out of the wreckage but died later in hospital. Due to the debris and the instability of the building three of the bodies were not found until 6 November, despite the efforts of several crews. This was the largest number of firefighters lost in a single incident in the United Kingdom since seven firefighters died while fighting a fire at a warehouse in Kilbirnie Street, Glasgow in 1972.
  On 28 February 2011 it was announced that three senior fire officers from the Warwickshire Fire Service would face manslaughter by gross negligence charges over the deaths.
  
  wn.com/2007_Atherstone_fire
• 
  A45 road
  The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry. It then heads to Northampton and Wellingborough before running north of Rushden and Higham Ferrers and terminating at its junction with the A14 road near Thrapston.
  Prior to the construction of the M6 motorway it was the main route from the Midlands to Ipswich and to the Haven ports. When the A1-M1 link road section of the current A14 opened in 1994 most of the A45 to the east of Cambridge was re-designated as the A14 and some sections to the west were downgraded to B-roads.
  The original (1923) route of the A45 was Birmingham to Ipswich. The road was extended to Felixstowe in 1935, replacing the A139. Initially, the A45 passed through Ipswich to Felixstowe; when the Orwell bridge was opened in 1982, the road was diverted to pass over the new bridge.
  A bypass for the village of Eltisley was built in 1972, along with a bypass on the B1040 road. The 3-mile (4.8 km) £8 million St Neots Bypass opened in December 1985 on what was then the A45. When the M6-to-Felixstowe route was moved and upgraded to become the A14, this bypass became redesignated part of the less important Cambridge-Coventry A428.
  
  wn.com/A45_road
• 
  A452 road
  The A452 is a road in England, which runs from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire to Brownhills in Staffordshire. It is the major link to the M6 motorway for both Leamington and Warwick in addition to serving as Leamington's link to the M40 motorway and to Coventry.
  Between Brownhills and Kenilworth it follows the line of the ancient drover's road called the Welsh Road, which probably has pre-Roman origins.
  The A452 starts south of Leamington Spa with two separate spurs running to junctions 13 (southbound) and 14 (northbound) of the M40 motorway. These meet and the road heads into Leamington along Europa Way, a road newly created at the same time as the M40 extension in that area. The road into Leamington is signed as a primary route but most maps show it as non-primary. After running up the western edge of the town centre, the road crosses the A425 and then heads north. Just before Kenilworth, the A452 crosses the A46, the major dual carriageway linking the M40 to Coventry. The A452/A46 is thus the principal route between Leamington and Coventry.
  
  wn.com/A452_road
• 
  Alcester
  Coordinates: 52°12′54″N 1°52′34″W / 52.215°N 1.876°W / 52.215; -1.876
  Alcester (ⁱ/ˈɒlstər/ or /ˈɔːlstər/) is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately 8 miles (13 km) west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,214 in the town, which also has civil parish status.
  In Roman times Alcester (Alauna) was a walled town and Roman fort of some importance^{[citation needed]} being located at a junction between the Ryknild Street Roman road and the ancient Saltway from Droitwich and the roman road from Stratford upon Avon and the Fosse Way.
  An important market town, Alcester was the site of a Benedictine monastery founded in the middle of the 12th century by Ralph le Boteler. The monastery was once a thriving one. In 1318 Walter de Beauchamp, who had a seat in the neighbourhood, complained to the abbot of the monastery that some of his monks had removed Beauchamp's possessions from his manor. At the Dissolution, King Henry VIII granted the monastery to the Greville family.
  
  wn.com/Alcester
• 
  Arbury Hall
  Arbury Hall (grid reference SP335893) is a Grade I listed country house in Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England, and is the ancestral home of the Newdigate family, later the Newdigate-Newdegate and Fitzroy-Newdegate families.
  The hall is built on the site of a former monastery in a mixture of Tudor and 18th-century Gothic Revival architecture, the latter being the work of Sir Roger Newdigate from designs by Henry Keene.
  The hall is set in 300 acres (121 ha) of parkland. The 19th-century author George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) was born on one of the estate farms in 1819, the daughter of the estate's land agent. She immortalised Arbury Hall as "Cheverel Manor" in Scenes of Clerical Life, where it is the setting for "Mr Gilfil's Love Story".
  The film Angels and Insects was shot entirely at Arbury Hall and within the grounds.
  Coordinates: 52°30′02″N 1°30′29″W / 52.50058°N 1.50794°W / 52.50058; -1.50794
  
  wn.com/Arbury_Hall
• 
  Atherstone
  Coordinates: 52°34′43″N 1°32′46″W / 52.5787°N 1.5462°W / 52.5787; -1.5462
  Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. The town is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire, close to the border with Staffordshire and Leicestershire and is the administrative headquarters of the borough of North Warwickshire.
  Atherstone has a long history dating back to Roman times. An important defended Roman settlement named Manduessedum existed at Mancetter near the site of modern day Atherstone, and the Roman road, the Watling Street (now known as the A5) ran through the town. It is believed by some historians that the rebel Queen of the Britons, Boudica was defeated at the Battle of Watling Street by the Romans in her final battle near Manduessedum.
  The Domesday Book of 1086, records that Atherstone was held by Countess Godiva.
  The ancient St. Mary’s Chapel in Atherstone dates from the early 12th century when the monks of Bec made a donation of 12 acres (4.9 ha) to a house of friars and hermits, later referred to as “Austin friars”. According to Nichols the chapel was granted to Henry Cartwright in 1542, then left abandoned and neglected until 1692 when Samuel Bracebridge settled a yearly sum for the parson of Mancetter to preach there every other Sunday in the winter season
  
  wn.com/Atherstone
• 
  Baginton
  Coordinates: 52°22′12″N 1°29′24″W / 52.370°N 1.49°W / 52.370; -1.49
  Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry of the West Midlands county. With a population of 801 (2001 Census), Baginton village is four miles (6.5 km) south of Coventry city centre and seven miles (11 km) north of Leamington Spa. The Lucy Price playing field is situated centrally in the village.
  Coventry Airport (built 1936), the Lunt Roman Fort and the ancient "Baginton oak" tree are within the village, whilst the Midland Air Museum and Coventry Railway Centre are just outside Baginton.
  The road from Baginton to South Coventry passes over the River Sowe near an old mill.
  The Domesday Book records that in the 11th century Baginton consisted of 15 households and a mill.
  Baginton is home to Coventry Airport, which lies just southeast of the village. First opened in 1936 as Baginton Aerodrome, it has been used for general aviation, flight training, and commercial freight and passenger flights. It had a grass surface for aeroplanes to land and take off. With World War II it became a fighter airfield. By October 1941 308 Polish squadron were located at Baginton.
  
  wn.com/Baginton
• 
  Bedfordshire
  Bedfordshire ( /ˈbɛdfərdʃər/ or /ˈbɛdfərdʃɪər/; abbreviated Beds.) is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.
  It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east.
  The highest elevation point is 243 metres (797 ft) on Dunstable Downs in the Chilterns.
  As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the Bee Orchid as the county flower.
  The traditional nickname for people from Bedfordshire is "Bedfordshire Bulldogs" or "Clangers", this last deriving from a local dish comprising a suet crust dumpling filled with meat or jam or both.
  It is the 14th most densely populated county of England and the fifth most densly populated non-metropolitan county with over half the population of the county living in the two largest built up areas of Bedford (102,000) and Luton (236,000).
  The first recorded use of the name was in 1011 as "Bedanfordscir," meaning the shire or county of Bedford, which itself means "Beda's ford" (river crossing).
  
  wn.com/Bedfordshire
• 
  Bedworth
  Coordinates: 52°28′30″N 1°28′37″W / 52.475°N 1.477°W / 52.475; -1.477
  Bedworth is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. It lies 101 miles (163 km) northwest of London, 19 miles (31 km) east of Birmingham, and 15 miles (24 km) north northeast of the county town of Warwick. It is situated between Coventry, 5.5 miles (9 km) to the south, and Nuneaton, 3 miles (5 km) to the north.
  In the 2001 census the town had a population of 32,268. Residents are known as "Bedworthians". Bedworth is often pronounced "Beduth" by many (but not all) residents of the town and inhabitants of nearby Coventry and Nuneaton, though the standard "Bed-worth" pronunciation is used virtually everywhere else.
  Bedworth has six main suburban districts, namely Collycroft, Mount Pleasant, Bedworth Heath, Coalpit Field, Goodyers End and Exhall. Exhall is a generic name for the area surrounding junction 3 of the M6 motorway, comprising parts of both Bedworth and Coventry. Much of what is now considered Exhall within south Bedworth is also referred to as Hayes Green by locals and on older maps of the area.
  
  wn.com/Bedworth
• 
  Berkshire
  Berkshire ( /ˈbɑrkʃər/ or /ˈbɑrkʃɪər/, abbreviated Berks) is both a ceremonial county and a historic county of England. The administrative county of Berkshire including the Berkshire County Council were abolished in 1998. The county is often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and letters patent issued confirming this in 1974.
  The ceremonial county has the same boundaries as the former administrative county, but historically the county was not co-terminous with this. The county borders the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire. Historically the county included several towns to the northwest of the county (including Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage) that were moved into Oxfordshire in 1974 boundary changes. At the same time the town of Slough was moved into Berkshire from Buckinghamshire.
  
  wn.com/Berkshire
• 
  Birmingham
  Birmingham (ⁱ/ˈbɜrmɪŋəm/ BUR-ming-əm, locally /ˈbɜrmɪŋɡəm/ BUR-ming-gəm) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 (2010 estimate), and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census). Birmingham's metropolitan area is also the United Kingdom's second most populous with a population of 3,683,000.
  A medium-sized market town during the medieval period, Birmingham grew to international prominence in the 18th century at the heart of the Midlands Enlightenment and subsequent Industrial Revolution, which saw the town at the forefront of worldwide developments in science, technology and economic organisation, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society. By 1791 it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world". Birmingham's distinctive economic profile, with thousands of small workshops practising a wide variety of specialised and highly-skilled trades, encouraged exceptional levels of creativity and innovation and provided a diverse and resilient economic base for industrial prosperity that was to last into the final quarter of the 20th century. Its resulting high level of social mobility also fostered a culture of broad-based political radicalism, that under leaders from Thomas Attwood to Joseph Chamberlain was to give it a political influence unparalleled in Britain outside London and a pivotal role in the development of British democracy.
  
  wn.com/Birmingham
• 
  Brinklow Castle
  Brinklow Castle known locally as,the Tump, is a medieval castle in the village of Brinklow in the county of Warwickshire between Coventry and Rugby.
  Brinklow seems to have first been used as a prehistoric barrow thus the old English of hlāw in the name Brinklow which was later modified by Earl Alberic, the first Norman lord of Brinklow, but he left his Earldom in Northumbria and thus lost his lands in England before the writing of the Domesday, however his land and title had not been reassigned by the time of the Domesday recording thus there is a good record of his land holdings.
  Brinklow is a motte and bailey castle of grand size: the motte is 12m high and its original bailey was 121m wide by 152m long, later it seems that Brinklow’s bailey was modified to enclose a smaller area by cutting a ditch and forming a rampart in the middle of the bailey: this seems to suggest that Brinklow slowly declined.
  Coordinates: 52°24′46″N 1°21′27″W / 52.41265°N 1.35749°W / 52.41265; -1.35749
  
  
  
  wn.com/Brinklow_Castle
• 
  Bristol
  Bristol ⁱ/ˈbrɪstəl/ is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007. It is England's sixth and the United Kingdom's eighth most populous city, one of the group of English Core Cities and the most populous city in South West England.
  Historically within Gloucestershire, the city received a Royal Charter in 1155 and was granted County status in 1373. From the 13th century, for half a millennium, it ranked amongst the top three English cities after London, alongside York and Norwich, on the basis of tax receipts, until the rapid rise of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester during the Industrial Revolution in the latter part of the 18th century. It borders the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire, and is also located near the historic cities of Bath to the south east and Gloucester to the north. The city is built around the River Avon, and it also has a short coastline on the Severn Estuary, which flows into the Bristol Channel.
  
  wn.com/Bristol
• 
  Bulkington
  Coordinates: 52°28′37″N 1°25′30″W / 52.47691°N 1.424989°W / 52.47691; -1.424989
  Bulkington is a large village and former parish in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, UK. In the 2001 census it had a population of 6,303. It is located around 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Coventry, just east of the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth and 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Hinckley. Despite historically having stronger links with Bedworth, Bulkington forms part of the Nuneaton Urban Area.
  Bulkington was mentioned in the Domesday Book as Bochintone, meaning "estate associated with a man called Bulca". The parish originally contained seven hamlets, two of which were subsumed by Bulkington village following residential building expansion which began in the 1930s. Historically the main industry in Bulkington was ribbon weaving. Today Bulkington is largely a commuter village for larger nearby urban centres such as Coventry, Nuneaton, Bedworth, Hinckley and Leicester. Bulkington has connections with the locally-born author George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), who knew the village well. She referred to it as Raveloe in her book Silas Marner (1861). The church of St James is where George Eliot's uncle and aunt are buried.
  
  wn.com/Bulkington
• 
  Burton Dassett Hills
  Burton Dassett Hills Country Park is a country park in southeastern Warwickshire, England.
  It was created as a country park in 1971 and is run by Warwickshire County Council. It comprises a group of ironstone hills, which are named after the tiny village of Burton Dassett which is located in the hills. The hills rise to 203m (666 ft) above sea level and are situated half a mile east of the M40 motorway.
  The area was once extensively quarried for ironstone and a short industrial railway – Edge Hill Light Railway – existed for this purpose until the 1920s.
  Of interest at the site is a 12th century parish church at the old village of Burton Dassett. Outside the church is a holy well which still provides water. The park is also highly popular with flyers of kites and radio-controlled gliders.
  Impressive views across the surrounding countryside can be seen from the hills; towns and other features that are viewable are described by a toposcope. On a clear day places as far afield as Coventry (more than 20 miles way) can be seen. The park and the church were used as a location in the Tom Selleck 1990 film Three Men and a Little Lady.
  
  wn.com/Burton_Dassett_Hills
• 
  Charlecote Park
  Charlecote Park (grid reference SP263564) is a grand 16th century country house, surrounded by its own deer park, on the banks of the River Avon near Wellesbourne, about 4 miles (6 km) east of Stratford-upon-Avon and 5.5 miles (9 km) south of Warwick, Warwickshire, England. It has been administered by the National Trust since 1946 and is open to the public. It is a Grade I listed building
  The Lucy family, who came to England with William the Conqueror, has owned the land since 1247. Charlecote Park was built in 1558 by Sir Thomas Lucy, and Queen Elizabeth I stayed in the room that is now the drawing room. Although the general outline of the Elizabethan house remains, nowadays it is in fact mostly Victorian. Successive generations of the Lucy family had modified Charlecote Park over the centuries, but in 1823, George Hammond Lucy (High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1831) inherited the house and set about recreating the house in its original style.
  In the middle of the 19th century the Fairfax Baronets inherited the property when the male line of the Lucy family failed on the death of Henry Spencer Lucy. The baronets changed their family name to Lucy to reflect the traditions of Charlecote.
  
  wn.com/Charlecote_Park
• 
  Cheshire
  Cheshire ( /ˈtʃɛʃər/ or /ˈtʃɛʃɪər/; also known as the County Palatine of Chester, and archaically, as the County of Chester; abbreviated Ches.) is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although the largest town since county boundary changes in 1974 is Warrington (moved from Lancashire for administrative purposes in 1974). Other major towns include Widnes (also moved from Lancashire in 1974), Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow. Historically the county contained the Wirral, Stockport, Altrincham and other towns. The county is bordered by Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south, and Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales to the west. The county is a part of the Welsh Marches.
  Cheshire's area is 2,343 square kilometres (905 sq mi) and its population is around 700,000. Apart from the large towns along the River Mersey and the historic city of Chester, it is mostly rural, with a number of small towns and villages that support an agricultural industry. It is historically famous as a former principality and for the production of Cheshire cheese, salt, bulk chemicals, and woven silk.
  
  wn.com/Cheshire
• 
  City of London
  The City of London is an area in central London, England. In the medieval period it constituted most of London, but the conurbation has grown far beyond it. As the City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, it is now only a tiny part of the metropolis, though it remains a notable part of central London, holds city status in its own right, and is a separate ceremonial county.
  It is often referred to as the City (often written on maps as "City") or the Square Mile, as it is just over one square mile (1.12 sq mi/2.90 km²) in area. These terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's financial services industry, which continues a notable history of being based in the City.
  The term London now refers to a much larger conurbation roughly corresponding to Greater London, a local government area which includes 32 London boroughs including the City of Westminster as well as the City of London. The local authority for the City, the City of London Corporation, is unique in the United Kingdom, and has some unusual responsibilities for a local authority in Britain, such as being the police authority for the City. It also has responsibilities and ownerships beyond the City's boundaries. The Corporation is headed by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, an office separate from (and much older than) the Mayor of London.
  
  wn.com/City_of_London
• 
  Compton Verney House
  Compton Verney House (grid reference SP312529) is an 18th century country mansion at Compton Verney near Kineton in Warwickshire which has been converted into the Compton Verney Art Gallery.
  The building is a Grade I listed house built in 1714 by Richard Verney, 11th Baron Willoughby de Broke. It was first extensively extended by George Verney, the 12th baron in the early 18th century and then remodelled and the interiors redesigned by Robert Adam for John Verney, the 14th baron, in the 1760s. It is set in more than 120 acres (0.49 km²) of parkland landscaped by Lancelot "Capability" Brown in 1769.
  The house and its 5,079-acre (20.55 km²) estate was sold by Richard Greville Verney, the 19th baron, in 1921 to soap magnate Joseph Watson who was elevated to the peerage as 1st Baron Manton of Compton Verney only two months before his death in March 1922 from a heart attack whilst out hunting with the Warwickshire Foxhounds at nearby Upper Quinton. George Miles Watson, 2nd Baron Manton sold the property to Samuel Lamb. It was requisitioned by the Army during World War II and became vacant when the war ended.
  
  wn.com/Compton_Verney_House
• 
  Compton Wynyates
  Compton Wynyates is a country house in Warwickshire, England, a Grade I listed building. The Tudor period house, an example of Tudor architecture, is constructed of red brick and built around a central courtyard. It is castellated and turreted in parts. Following action in the Civil War, half timbered gables were added to replace damaged parts of the building. Today, set in its topiary gardens and green lawns, its appearance of idealized English country life contrasts sharply with the story of the family who have lived there for over five hundred years, a story inextricably linked to the history of the house as both have prospered, declined and prospered simultaneously.
  The Compton family, who still live today in this private house, appear in records as resident on the site as early as 1204. The family continued to live in the manor house as knights and squires of the county until Sir Edmund Compton (who died circa 1493) decided, circa 1481, to build a new family home.
  Edmund Compton constructed the house of bricks which have a glowing raspberry colour of striking intensity. Edmund's four-winged house around a central courtyard is recognisable by the thickness of the 4 ft deep walls which form the core of the existing mansion. This new fortified house was fully moated, and parts of the moat form a pond in the garden today. There was also a second moat (probably dry) and second drawbridge. However, fortifications were not the only consideration for the new mansion—dark brick diapering and decorative mouldings add variety to the façade. Over the entrance the Royal Arms of England are supported by the dragon and greyhound of Henry VII and Henry VIII. The architect or mason builder is unknown.
  
  wn.com/Compton_Wynyates
• 
  Coombe Abbey
  Coombe Abbey is a hotel which has been developed from an historic grade I listed building and former country house. It is located roughly midway between Coventry and Brinklow in the countryside of Warwickshire, England. The house's original grounds are now a country park known as Coombe Country Park and run by Coventry City Council.
  Coombe Abbey was founded as a monastery in the 12th century. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century it became royal property.
  Elizabeth of Bohemia, the daughter of king James I, was educated there in the early 17th century. Had the Gunpowder Plot succeeded she was to have been abducted from Coombe Abbey and proclaimed as Queen Elizabeth II.
  In 1682, the West Wing was added by architect Captain William Winde, who also designed Buckingham House, which later became Buckingham Palace. In 1771, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown redesigned the gardens, incorporating the Coombe Pool lake.
  For successive generations Coombe Abbey was owned by the Earls of Craven, in whose possession the estate remained until 1923.
  
  wn.com/Coombe_Abbey
• 
  Cornwall
  Cornwall ( /ˈkɔrnwɔːl/ or /ˈkɔrnwəl/;Cornish: Kernow [ˈkɛrnɔʊ]; Latin: Cornubia or Cornuvia) is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of 537,400 and covers an area of 3,563 km² (1,376 sq mi). The administrative centre and only city is Truro.
  The area now known as Cornwall was first inhabited in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. It continued to be occupied by Neolithic and then Bronze Age peoples, and later (in the Iron Age) by Brythons with distinctive cultural relations to neighbouring Wales and Brittany. There is little evidence that Roman rule was effective west of Exeter and few Roman remains have been found. Cornwall was a division of the Dumnonii tribe—whose tribal centre was in the modern county of Devon—known as the Cornovii, separated from Wales after the Battle of Deorham, often coming into conflict with the expanding English kingdom of Wessex before King Athelstan in AD 936 set the boundary between English and Cornish at the Tamar. From the early Middle Ages, British language and culture was apparently shared by Brythons trading across both sides of the Channel, evidenced by the corresponding high medieval Breton kingdoms of Domnonee and Cornouaille and the Celtic Christianity common to both territories.
  
  wn.com/Cornwall
• 
  Cotswolds
  The Cotswolds are a range of hills in southwestern and west-central England, an area 25 miles (40 km) across and 90 miles (145 km) long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The highest point in the Cotswolds range is Cleeve Hill at 1,083 ft (330 m), 2.5 miles (4 km) to the north of Cheltenham.
  The Cotswolds lie mainly within the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, but extend into parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The hills give their name to the Cotswold local government district in Gloucestershire, which administers a large part of the area.
  The name Cotswold is sometimes attributed the meaning sheep enclosure in rolling hillsides, incorporating the term wold meaning woodland. The English Place-Name Society has for many years accepted that the term Cotswold is derived from Codesuualt of the twelfth century or other variations on this form, the etymology of which was given 'Cod's-wold', which is 'Cod's high open land'. Cod was interpreted as an Old English personal name, which can be recognised in further names: Cutsdean, Codeswellan, and Codesbyrig, some of which date back to the eighth century AD. It has subsequently been noticed that "Cod" could philologically derive from a Brittonic female cogname "Cuda", which is the name of a mother goddess recognised in the Cotswold region.
  
  wn.com/Cotswolds
• 
  Coughton Court
  Coughton Court ( /ˈkoʊtən/) (grid reference SP080604) is an English Tudor country house, situated on the main road between Studley and Alcester in Warwickshire. It is a Grade I listed building.
  The house has a long crenelated façade directly facing the main road, at the centre of which is the Tudor Gatehouse, dating from 1530, this has hexagonal turrets and oriel windows in the English Renaissance style. The gatehouse is the oldest part of the house and is flanked by later wings, in the Strawberry Hill Gothic style, popularised by Horace Walpole.
  The Coughton estate has been owned by the Throckmorton family since 1409. Because the family were practicing Catholics, the house at one time contained a priest hole, a hiding place for priests during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The Hall also holds a place in English history for its roles in both the Throckmorton Plot of 1583 to murder Queen Elizabeth I of England, and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, although the Throckmorton family were themselves only indirectly implicated in the latter, when some of the Gunpowder conspirators rode directly there after its discovery.
  
  wn.com/Coughton_Court
• 
  Coventry
  Coventry (ⁱ/ˈkɒvəntri/) is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester and Nottingham have larger urban areas. The population of Coventry had risen to 315,800 as of 2010, according to the Office of National Statistics.
  Historically within Warwickshire, Coventry is situated 95 miles (153 km) northwest of central London and 19 miles (31 km) east-southeast of Birmingham, and is further from the coast than any other city in Britain. Although harbouring a population of almost a third of a million inhabitants, Coventry is not amongst the English Core Cities Group due to its proximity to Birmingham.
  Coventry was the world's first twin city when it formed a twinning relationship with the Russian city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) during World War II. The relationship developed through ordinary people in Coventry who wanted to show their support for the Soviet Red Army during the Battle of Stalingrad. The city is now also twinned with Dresden, Lidice and 23 other cities around the world.
  
  wn.com/Coventry
• 
  Cumbria
  Cumbria ( /ˈkʌmbriə/, locally [ˈkʊmbɾiə]) is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle and the only other major urban area is the town of Barrow-in-Furness on the south-western tip of the county. It consists of six districts, and in 2008 had a population of just under half a million. Cumbria is one of the most sparsely populated counties in the United Kingdom, with 73.4 people per km² (190/sq mi). In comparison, the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, in the south, has a population density over twelve times this at 921/km² (2,385.3/sq mi).
  Cumbria, the third largest ceremonial county in England by area, is bounded to the north by the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders, to the west by the Irish Sea, to the south by Lancashire, to the southeast by North Yorkshire, and to the east by County Durham and Northumberland.
  
  wn.com/Cumbria
• 
  Derbyshire
  Coordinates: 53°8′N 1°36′W / 53.133°N 1.6°W / 53.133; -1.6
  Derbyshire (ⁱ/ˈdɑrbɨʃə/ DAR-bi-shər or /ˈdɑrbɪʃɪər/ DAR-bi-sheer; abbreviated Derbys. or Derbs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The southern extremity of the Pennine range of hills extends into the north of the county. The county contains within its boundary of approximately 225 miles part of the National Forest. It borders on Greater Manchester to the northwest, West Yorkshire to the north, South Yorkshire to the northeast, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the southeast, Staffordshire to the west and southwest and Cheshire also to the west. In 2003 the Ordnance Survey placed Church Flatts farm, near Coton in the Elms, as the furthest point from the sea in Great Britain.
  The city of Derby is now a unitary authority area, but remains part of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. The non-metropolitan county contains 30 towns with between 10,000 and 100,000 inhabitants. There is a large amount of sparsely populated agricultural upland: 75% of the population live in 25% of the area.^{[citation needed]}
  
  wn.com/Derbyshire
• 
  Devon
  Coordinates: 50°42′N 3°48′W / 50.7°N 3.8°W / 50.7; -3.8
  Devon ( /ˈdɛvən/) is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although it has never been officially "shired" and that use often indicates a traditional or historical context. Nowadays, "Devonshire" is mostly a demonym.
  The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to the east. Its southern coast abuts the English Channel and its northern coast the Bristol Channel and Celtic Sea. The name "Devon" derives from the ancient Dumnonia, which was home to the independent kingdom of Brythonic Celtic speaking people who inhabited this area of the southwestern peninsula of Britain continuously from through the Roman era until partial absorption into the English-speaking Kingdom of Wessex some time in the eighth or ninth century, with some emigration to the sister Kingdom of Domnonee in Brittany taking place.
  Devon is the fourth largest of the English counties by area and has a population of 1,141,600 making it the 11th most populous. The county town is the cathedral city of Exeter. In addition to Devon County Council, the county contains two unitary authorities (independent from Devon County Council's control): the port city of Plymouth and Torbay, a conurbation of seaside resorts. Plymouth is also the largest city in Devon. Much of the county is rural (including national park) land, with a low population density by British standards. It contains Dartmoor 954 km² (368 sq mi), the largest open space in southern England. It is the only English county to have two separate coastlines – a north and southern coastline.
  
  wn.com/Devon
• 
  East Staffordshire
  East Staffordshire is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire in England. It has two main towns, Burton upon Trent, famous for its breweries, and Uttoxeter, for its racecourse.
  Villages in the area include Abbots Bromley, Tutbury, Barton-under-Needwood, Rolleston on Dove, Hanbury, Kingstone, Marchington, Mayfield and The Heath.
  The borough was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of the former county borough of Burton upon Trent with Uttoxeter Urban District, Tutbury Rural District and Uttoxeter Rural District.
  The main roads through the Borough are the A38 through Burton upon Trent and the A50 near Uttoxeter.
  There are two railway stations in the Borough, Burton-on-Trent on the Cross Country Route and Uttoxeter on the Crewe to Derby Line, There is also a station serving Tutbury also on the Crewe to Derby Line called Tutbury and Hatton which is in the South Derbyshire district.
  Coordinates: 52°48′29″N 1°38′45″W / 52.8080°N 1.6457°W / 52.8080; -1.6457
  
  
  
  wn.com/East_Staffordshire
• 
  East Sussex
  East Sussex ( /ˈsʌsɨks/) is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.
  East Sussex is part of the historic county of Sussex, which has its roots in the ancient kingdom of the South Saxons, who established themselves there in the 5th century AD, after the departure of the Romans. Archaeological remains are plentiful, especially in the upland areas. The area's position on the coast has also meant that there were many invaders, including the Romans and later the Normans. Earlier industries have included fishing, iron-making, and the wool trade, all of which have declined, or been lost completely.
  Sussex is traditionally divided into six sub-divisions known as rapes. From the 12th century the three eastern rapes and the three western rapes each had separate quarter sessions, with the county town of the three eastern rapes being Lewes. This situation was formalised by Parliament in 1865, and the two parts were made into administrative counties, each with distinct elected county councils in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888. In East Sussex there were also three self-administered county boroughs: Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings.
  
  wn.com/East_Sussex
• 
  Edgbaston
  Coordinates: 52°27′29″N 1°55′09″W / 52.45805°N 1.919048°W / 52.45805; -1.919048
  Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton.
  Edgbaston traditionally has a reputation for being one of the most upmarket and affluent parts of Birmingham or "where the trees begin". In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family who refused to allow factories or warehouses to be built in Edgbaston, thus making it attractive for the middle class. However, while the central and southern parts of the suburb remain ostensibly affluent^{[citation needed]}, there are some areas that are less so, with a high proportion of multi-occupancy rented private housing, as well as council-owned accommodation. Edgbaston is also home to the University of Birmingham, established as Birmingham Medical School in 1825.
  
  wn.com/Edgbaston
• 
  England
  England ⁱ/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
  The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
  
  wn.com/England
• 
  Gloucestershire
  Gloucestershire (ⁱ/ˈɡlɒstərʃər/ GLOSS-tər-shər; abbreviated Glos.) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean.
  The county town is the city of Gloucester, and other principal towns include Cheltenham, Cirencester, Stroud, and Tewkesbury.
  When considered as a ceremonial county, Gloucestershire borders the preserved county of Gwent in Wales (now Monmouthshire), and in England the ceremonial counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Somerset. Ceremonially, it includes the area covered by the South Gloucestershire unitary authority.
  According to a 2002 campaign by the charity Plantlife, the county flower of Gloucestershire is the Wild Daffodil.
  Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century, though the areas of Winchcombe and the Forest of Dean were not added until the late 11th century. Gloucestershire originally included the then "small town" of Bristol. The "local" rural community moved to the port city, (as Bristol was to become) and Bristol's population growth accelerated during the industrial revolution. Bristol became part of the administrative County of Avon in 1974.
  
  wn.com/Gloucestershire
• 
  Grand Union Canal
  The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line starts in London and ends in Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles (220 km) with 166 locks. It has arms to places including Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton.
  The Grand Union Canal was also the original name for part of what is now part of the Leicester Line of the modern Grand Union: this latter is now generally referred to as the Old Grand Union Canal in order to avoid ambiguity.
  With competition from the railways having taken a large share of traffic in the second half of the 19th century, improvements in roads and vehicle technology in the early part of the 20th century meant that the lorry was also becoming a threat to the canals. Tolls had been reduced to compete with the railways, but there was little scope for further reduction. The Regent's Canal and the Grand Junction Canal agreed that amalgamation and modernisation were the only way to remain competitive.
  The (present) Grand Union Canal came into being on 1 January 1929, extended in 1932. It was formed from the amalgamation of several different canals:
  
  wn.com/Grand_Union_Canal
• 
  Greater London
  Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London and the 32 London boroughs. This territory has the same boundaries as the London Government Office Region and the London European Parliament constituency. The region has by far the highest GVA per capita in the United Kingdom. It covers 1,572 km² (607 sq mi) and had a 2009 mid-year estimated population of 7,753,600. The term Greater London was in use before 1965 to refer to a variously defined area, larger than the County of London and often similar to the Metropolitan Police District.
  In addition to its administrative and statistical functions, Greater London (excluding the City of London) is one of the 48 ceremonial counties of England, and is under the Greater London Lieutenancy.
  Instead of forming a single political unit, London is divided into the small, interior City of London and the much wider Greater London. This arrangement has come about because as the area of London grew and absorbed neighbouring settlements, a series of administrative reforms did not fully amalgamate the City of London with the metropolitan area, and its unique political structure was retained. Outside the limited boundaries of the old city, a variety of arrangements governed the wider area since 1855, culminating with the creation of the Greater London administrative area in 1965.
  
  wn.com/Greater_London
• 
  Greater Manchester
  Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the cities of Manchester and Salford. Greater Manchester was created on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972.
  Greater Manchester spans 493 square miles (1,277 km²). It is landlocked and borders Cheshire (to the south-west and south), Derbyshire (to the south-east), West Yorkshire (to the north-east), Lancashire (to the north) and Merseyside (to the west). There is a mix of high-density urban areas, suburbs, semi-rural and rural locations in Greater Manchester, but overwhelmingly the land use is urban. It has a focused central business district, formed by Manchester city centre and the adjoining parts of Salford and Trafford, but Greater Manchester is also a polycentric county with ten metropolitan districts, each of which has at least one major town centre and outlying suburbs. The Greater Manchester Urban Area is the third most populous conurbation in the UK, and spans across most of the county's territory.
  
  wn.com/Greater_Manchester
• 
  Hampton-in-Arden
  Coordinates: 52°25′52″N 1°42′00″W / 52.43110°N 1.69992°W / 52.43110; -1.69992
  Hampton-in-Arden is a village and civil parish located within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. The village was previously located within the county of Warwickshire, until the 1974 county boundary changes. It lies in the countryside between Birmingham and Coventry. Hampton-in-Arden is a typical Arden village, but is now very much a commuter development for nearby Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry. In 1968, the central part of the village was designated a Conservation Area, which is an "area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance". Its population in the 2001 census was 1,787.
  Hampton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, when it was held by Geoffrey of la Gurche. "In Coleshill Hundred Hantone. 10 hides. Land for 22 ploughs. In lordship 2; 2 male and 2 female slaves. 50 villagers with a priest and 16 smallholders have 13 ploughs. A mill at 40d; meadow, 10 acres; woodland 3 leagues long and 3 wide. The value was and is 100s." All of Geoffrey's lands were held freely by Leofwin. Geoffrey's wife was called Aelfeva and her English name suggests that Geoffrey may have acquired his Warwickshire lands through her, by inheritance rather than by confiscation; she may have been Leofwin's heiress. A priest was recorded, implying that a church existed.
  
  wn.com/Hampton-in-Arden
• Hartshill
  Hartshill is a village in the borough of North Warwickshire, England.
  Hartshill is three miles from Nuneaton town centre but is still regarded as a suburb of the town despite being in the North Warwickshire borough.
  In the 2001 census, the civil parish of Hartshill had a population of 3,611 [1].
  Hartshill is famous for the writer Michael Drayton who knew William Shakespeare. Drayton was born at Chapel Cottage in Hartshill Green in 1563. A school in Hartshill bears his name.
  Coordinates: 52°32.39′N 1°31.2′W / 52.53983°N 1.52°W / 52.53983; -1.52
  
  wn.com/Hartshill
• 
  Hatton, Warwickshire
  Coordinates: 52°18′00″N 1°38′42″W / 52.3°N 1.645°W / 52.3; -1.645
  Hatton (grid reference SP242670) is a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Warwick, in the Warwick District of Warwickshire in England. It has a population of 1,078. Notable features include a remarkable series of 21 locks on the Grand Union Canal, a shopping village (Hatton Country World) and a former psychiatric hospital (Central Hospital, Hatton) that has been turned into a large housing estate while still preserving the original Victorian buildings. The public house, Hatton Arms, has been noted for its regular large assemblies of motorcycles. Other public houses in the area include the Falcon Inn, although less well known as it is situated further away from the village centre. Shrewley and Beausale are hamlets within the parish.
  Hatton is close to the M40 motorway and is also served by the small, unmanned Hatton railway station, which lies on the main Birmingham Snow Hill to London Marylebone line and a small branch line to Stratford-upon-Avon. Services from this station are run by London Midland and Chiltern Railways and there are direct services to Stratford-upon-Avon and intermediate stations, Warwick, Leamington Spa and stations to London Marylebone, and stations to Birmingham.
  
  wn.com/Hatton,_Warwickshire
• 
  Henley-in-Arden
  Coordinates: 52°17′28″N 1°46′41″W / 52.291°N 1.778°W / 52.291; -1.778
  Henley-in-Arden (also known as simply Henley) is a small town in Warwickshire, England. The name is a reference to the former Forest of Arden. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 2,011.
  Henley is known for its variety of historic buildings, some of which date back to medieval times and wide variety of preserved architectural styles. The one mile long (1.6 km) High Street of Henley is a conservation area.
  Henley-in-Arden is approximately 9 miles west of the county town of Warwick, 15 miles southeast of Birmingham, 9 miles east of Redditch and 9 miles north of Stratford upon Avon (where the road between Stratford and Henley is named Henley Street).
  It is located in a valley of the River Alne, which separates Henley from the adjacent settlement of Beaudesert. Henley and Beaudesert effectively form a single entity, and share a joint parish council, although Beaudesert is a separate civil parish.
  The town lies at a crossroads between the A3400 and the A4189 roads and is the starting point for the circular Arden Way path. It also lies on the Heart of England Way.
  
  wn.com/Henley-in-Arden
• 
  Herefordshire
  Herefordshire ( /ˈhɛrɨfərdʃər/; abbreviated Herefs.) is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG11) and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the County of Herefordshire. It borders the English ceremonial counties of Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh preserved counties of Gwent to the south-west and Powys to the west. Hereford is a cathedral city and is the county town; with a population of approximately 55,800 inhabitants it is also the largest settlement.
  The county is one of the most rural and sparsely populated in England, with a population density of 82/km² (212/sq mi). The land use is predominantly agricultural and the county is well known for its fruit and cider production, and the Hereford cattle breed.
  From 1974 to 1998, Herefordshire was part of the former non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester.
  
  wn.com/Herefordshire
• 
  Hertfordshire
  Hertfordshire (ⁱ/ˈhɑrtfərdʃɪər/ or /ˈhɑrfərdʃər/; abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.
  Hertfordshire is one of the home counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London (to the south), Buckinghamshire (to the west), Bedfordshire (including the unitary authorities of Luton and Central Bedfordshire to the north), Cambridgeshire (to the north east) and Essex (to the east).
  Hertfordshire was originally the area assigned to a fortress constructed at Hertford under the rule of Edward the Elder in 913. The name Hertford is derived from the Anglo-Saxon heort ford, meaning deer crossing (of a watercourse). The name Hertfordshire first appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1011. Deer feature prominently in many county emblems.
  There is evidence of human beings living in Hertfordshire since the Middle Stone Age. It was first farmed during the Neolithic period and permanent habitation appeared at the beginning of the Bronze Age. This was followed by tribes settling in the area during the Iron Age.
  
  wn.com/Hertfordshire
• 
  Ireland
  Coordinates: 53°20′N 08°00′W / 53.333°N 8°W / 53.333; -8
  Ireland (pronounced [ˈaɪrlənd] ( listen); Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen); Ulster Scots: Airlann or Airlan) is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth. To its east is the larger island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea.
  Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island. The population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
  Relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain epitomise Ireland's geography with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 17th century. Today, it is one of the most deforested areas in Europe. There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland.
  
  wn.com/Ireland
• 
  Isle of Wight
  The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–5 miles (3–7 km) off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent. The Island has many resorts which have been holiday destinations since Victorian times.
  The Island has a rich history, including a brief status as an independent kingdom in the 15th century. Until 1995, like Jersey and Guernsey, the Island had its own Governor—most notably Lord Mountbatten from 1969 to 1974, after which he became Lord Lieutenant until his assassination in 1979.
  It was home to the poets Swinburne and Alfred Lord Tennyson, and to Queen Victoria, who built her much-loved summer residence and final home Osborne House at East Cowes. The Island's maritime and industrial history encompasses boat building, sail making, the manufacture of flying boats, the world's first hovercraft and the testing and development of Britain's space rockets. It is home to the Isle of Wight International Jazz Festival, Bestival and the recently revived Isle of Wight Festival, which, in 1970, was the largest rock music event ever held. The Island has some exceptional wildlife and is one of the richest locations of dinosaur fossils in Europe.
  
  wn.com/Isle_of_Wight
• 
  Kent
  Kent /ˈkɛnt/ is a county in South East England, and one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of Medway. Kent has a nominal border with France halfway through the Channel Tunnel. Maidstone is its county town and historically Rochester and Canterbury have been accorded city status, though only the latter still holds it.
  Kent's location between London and the continental Europe has led to its being in the front line of several conflicts, including the Battle of Britain during World War II. East Kent was known as Hell Fire Corner during the conflict. England has relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of the past 800 years; the Cinque Ports in the 12th–14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance to the country's security. France can be seen clearly in fine weather from Folkestone, and the iconic White Cliffs of Dover.
  
  wn.com/Kent
• 
  Kingsbury Water Park
  Kingsbury Water Park is a country park in north Warwickshire, England, not far from Birmingham and lying on the River Tame. It is owned and managed by Warwickshire County Council. It has fifteen lakes situated in over 600 acres (2.4 km²) of country park. It is renowned for its birdlife, and is popular with birdwatchers. It is bordered on the western edge by the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.
  The area which is now Kingsbury Water Park was previously the site of gravel extraction pits that were operated by the Midland Gravel Company. The lakes were created from the craters left behind after the gravel had been taken out. The Water Park was opened on 24 May 1975 with two lakes and 123 acres. It has been expanded over the years and as of 2011 has fifteen lakes in an area covering over 600 acres. The Park welcomed 50,000 visitors in its first year, a number which had expanded to 350,000 in 2007. The Water Park was briefly closed to the public in June 2007 after the area was hit by the worst flooding since the 1930s. At the time it was estimated the floods had caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage. The Park was opened again once the flooding had subsided.
  
  wn.com/Kingsbury_Water_Park
• 
  Lancashire
  Lancashire ( /ˈlæŋkəʃər/ or, less commonly, /ˈlæŋkəʃɪər/) is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. Lancashire is sometimes referred to by the abbreviation Lancs, as originally used by the Royal Mail. The population of the county is 1,449,700. People from the county are known as Lancastrians.
  The history of Lancashire is thought to have begun with its founding in the 12th century. In the Domesday Book (1086), some of its lands had been treated as part of Yorkshire. The land that lay Inter Ripam et Mersam, "between the Ribble and Mersey", formed part of the returns for Cheshire. Once its initial boundaries were established, it bordered Cumberland, Westmorland, Yorkshire and Cheshire.
  Lancashire emerged during the Industrial Revolution as a major commercial and industrial region. The county encompassed several hundred mill towns and collieries. By the 1830s, approximately 85% of all cotton manufactured worldwide was processed in Lancashire.Preston, Accrington, Blackburn, Bolton, Rochdale, Oldham, Chorley, Darwen, Nelson, Colne and Burnley were major cotton mill towns during this time. Blackpool was a major centre for tourism for the inhabitants of Lancashire's mill towns, particularly during wakes week.
  
  wn.com/Lancashire
• 
  Leicester
  Coordinates: 52°38′03″N 1°08′19″W / 52.63422°N 1.13852°W / 52.63422; -1.13852
  Leicester (/lɛstər/ LESS-tər  pronunciation (help·info)) is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest. In 2010, the population of the Leicester unitary authority was estimated at 306,600, the second highest in the region, whilst 441,213 people lived in the wider Leicester Urban Area in 2006, making Leicester the tenth most populous settlement in the United Kingdom and the UK's fourteenth largest urban area. It is the largest city in the East Midlands yet has the second largest urban area in the region behind Nottingham Urban Area. Eurostat's Larger Urban Zone listed the population of the area at 772,400 people as of 2004.
  Ancient Roman pavements and baths remain in Leicester from its early settlement as Ratae Corieltauvorum, a Roman military outpost in a region inhabited by the Celtic Corieltauvi tribe. Following the demise of Roman society the early medieval Ratae Corieltauvorum is shrouded in obscurity, but when the settlement was captured by the Danes it became one of five fortified towns important to the Danelaw. The name "Leicester" is thought to derive from the words castra of the "Ligore", meaning camp of the dwellers on the (river) Legro. Leicester appears in the Domesday Book as "Ledecestre". Leicester continued to grow throughout the Early Modern period as a market town, although it was the Industrial Revolution that facilitated a process of rapid unplanned urbanisation in the area.
  
  wn.com/Leicester
• 
  Leicestershire
  Leicestershire (ⁱ/ˈlɛstəʃɪər/ or /ˈlɛstərʃər/ or /ˈlɛstəʃə/; abbreviation Leics.) is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire. The county borders Derbyshire to the north-west, Nottinghamshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Warwickshire to the south-west, Staffordshire to the west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-east. The border with Warwickshire is Watling Street (the A5).
  County Hall, situated in Glenfield, about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Leicester city centre, is the seat of Leicestershire County Council and the headquarters of the county authority. The City of Leicester is administered from offices in Leicester itself and the City Council meets at Leicester Town Hall.
  The River Soar rises to the east of Hinckley, in the far south of the county, and flows northward through Leicester before emptying into the River Trent at the point where Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire meet. A large part of the north-west of the county, around Coalville, forms part of the new National Forest area extending into Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The highest point of the county is Bardon Hill at 278 metres (912 ft), which is also a Marilyn.
  
  wn.com/Leicestershire
• 
  Lincolnshire
  Coordinates: 53°4′N 0°11′W / 53.067°N 0.183°W / 53.067; -0.183
  Lincolnshire ( /ˈlɪŋkənʃə/ or /ˈlɪŋkənʃɪə/; abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the northwest, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders Northamptonshire in the south for just 20 yards (18 m), England's shortest county boundary. The county town is Lincoln, where the county council has its headquarters.
  The ceremonial county of Lincolnshire is composed of the non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire and the area covered by the unitary authorities of North Lincolnshire and North-East Lincolnshire. Therefore, part of the ceremonial county is in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, and part is in the East Midlands region. The county is the second largest of the English counties and one that is predominantly agricultural in land use. The county can be broken down into a number of geographical sub-regions including: the Lincolnshire Fens (south Lincolnshire), the Carrs (similar to the Fens but in north Lincolnshire), the Lincolnshire Wolds, and the industrial Humber Estuary and North Sea coast around Grimsby and Scunthorpe.
  
  wn.com/Lincolnshire
• 
  London
  London ⁱ/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
  London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It was the world's most visited city during 2011 and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.
  
  wn.com/London
• 
  Lowsonford
  Lowsonford is a small village in Warwickshire, England which lies 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Henley-in-Arden.
  The most famous of Lowsonford's buildings is the "Fleur de Lys" pub which is known for its meat pies. Every two years there is a Flower Show which is run jointly with the neighbouring settlement of Rowington which holds it in the other years.
  The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal runs through Lowsonford, and there are several locks.
  The village hall was built in 1936 and its main room can seat 75 people. The village church is dedicated to St Luke.
  Coordinates: 52°18′32″N 1°43′38″W / 52.30890°N 1.72714°W / 52.30890; -1.72714
  
  
  
  wn.com/Lowsonford
• 
  M69 motorway
  The M69 is a lightly used 15.7-mile (25.3 km) dual three lane dual carriageway motorway in Leicestershire and Warwickshire, England connecting Leicester and Coventry. It opened in 1977.
  The motorway, also known at the time as the 'Coventry – Leicester Motorway' was completed in 1977 following a public inquiry in 1972. It replaced the A46 road, which was subsequently downgraded.
  Starting at the northeastern suburbs of Coventry at junction 2 of the M6, the motorway crosses the Coventry Canal and then continues northeast past Bulkington and west of Wolvey before turning more easterly to run south of Hinckley. It then crosses the Birmingham to Peterborough railway line before ending on the southwestern edge of Leicester.
  The motorway has no services.
  There is an aspiration to construct a new slip road and road bridge for traffic travelling southbound on the M1 south to join the M69. The M1 would also be widened to dual 4 lane or dual 5 lane between junctions 21 and 21a.
  Since the completion of the M69 motorway linking Coventry and Leicester, the motorway's number has given its name to the derby between the two football clubs playing in each city - Coventry City and Leicester City. These two clubs are rivals in the M69 derby.
  
  wn.com/M69_motorway
• 
  Mary Arden's House
  Mary Arden's Farm, also known as Mary Arden's House, is the farmhouse owned by Mary Shakespeare, the mother of Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare. Located in the village of Wilmcote, about three miles from Stratford-upon-Avon, the house has been maintained in good condition because it had been a working farmhouse over the centuries. It was bought by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1930 and refurnished in the Tudor style.
  In 2000 it was discovered that the building preserved as Mary Arden's house had belonged to a friend and neighbour Adam Palmer and the house was renamed Palmer's Farm. The house that had belonged to the Arden family which was near to Palmer's Farm had been acquired by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1968 for preservation as part of a farmyard without knowing its true provenance.
  The house and farm reflect life in the 16th century, specifically 1573. The farm contains many rare breeds of animals including Mangalitza and Tamworth Pigs, Cotswold Sheep, Long Horn Cattle, Baggot and Golden Guernsey Goats, Geese and Birds of Prey including a Hooded Vulture.
  
  wn.com/Mary_Arden's_House
• 
  Mercia
  Mercia ( /ˈmɜrsiə/, /ˈmɜrʃə/) was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands. The name is a Latinisation of the Old English Mierce or Myrce, meaning "border people".
  Mercia's neighbours included Northumbria, Powys and the kingdoms of southern Wales, Wessex, Sussex, Essex and East Anglia.
  The name Mercia is still in use today by a wide range of organisations, including military units, public, commercial and voluntary bodies; and occurs as a female given name.
  Mercia's exact evolution from the Anglo-Saxon invasions is more obscure than that of Northumbria, Kent, or even Wessex. Also, Mercia developed an effective political structure and adopted Christianity later than the other kingdoms. Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by the 6th century. The name Mercia is Old English for "boundary folk" (see Welsh Marches), and the traditional interpretation is that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the native Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders. However, P. Hunter Blair argued an alternative interpretation: that they emerged along the frontier of Northumbria and the inhabitants of the Trent river valley.
  
  wn.com/Mercia
• 
  Merseyside
  Merseyside ( /ˈmɜrzisaɪd/) is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool. Merseyside, which was created on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, takes its name from the River Mersey.
  Merseyside spans 249 square miles (645 km²) of land which border Lancashire (to the north-east), Greater Manchester (to the east), and Cheshire (to the south and south-west); the Irish Sea is to the west. North Wales is across the Dee Estuary. There is a mix of high density urban areas, suburbs, semi-rural and rural locations in Merseyside, but overwhelmingly the land use is urban. It has a focused central business district, formed by Liverpool City Centre, but Merseyside is also a polycentric county with five metropolitan districts, each of which has at least one major town centre and outlying suburbs. The Liverpool Urban Area is the seventh most populous conurbation in the UK, and dominates the geographic centre of the county, while the smaller Birkenhead Urban Area dominates the Wirral Peninsula in the south.
  
  wn.com/Merseyside
• 
  Midland Air Museum
  The Midland Air Museum (MAM) is situated just outside the village of Baginton in Warwickshire, England, and is adjacent to Coventry Airport. The museum includes the Sir Frank Whittle Jet Heritage Centre (named after the local aviation pioneer and inventor of the jet engine), where many exhibits are on display in a large hangar. It also has a small hangar, and a fenced-off green area where many aircraft are on display in the open.
  The museum's two largest aircraft are an Avro Vulcan B.2 and an Armstrong Whitworth Argosy AW.650 (series 101). The restored Avro Vulcan is a delta-winged aircraft that was originally part of the V bomber force and could be equipped with nuclear missiles as part of Britain's role in NATO's nuclear deterrent force during the Cold War. It is on display near the museum's car park, together with an Avro Blue Steel missile, an early design format of such a nuclear missile, and a Boulton Paul BP.111A, an experimental delta-winged aircraft of the 1950s.
  The museum also has an English Electric Canberra PR.3, two English Electric Lightnings (the RAF's fastest ever interceptor), two Gloster Meteors (one on loan from the Royal Air Force Museum), an Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk FGA.6, a Mil Mi-24 helicopter, and many others.
  
  wn.com/Midland_Air_Museum
• 
  North Warwickshire
  North Warwickshire is a local government district and borough in Warwickshire, England. The main town in the district is Atherstone where the council is based. Other significant places include Coleshill, Polesworth and Kingsbury.
  The North Warwickshire district was created on 1 April 1974 by a merger of the Atherstone Rural District and parts of the Meriden Rural District (the rest of which was merged into the West Midlands county).
  North Warwickshire is a mostly rural area with several small towns. The area historically had a large coal mining industry, but this has almost died out. The district is relatively remote from the rest of Warwickshire, as the county is almost split in two by the West Midlands.
  The boundaries of North Warwickshire are almost the same as the North Warwickshire parliamentary constituency. However the constituency also includes the town of Bedworth. The local MP is Dan Byles.
  In 2007 the Conservatives took overall control of the Borough Council for the first time since the creation of the council within its current boundaries. The Council was retaken by Labour in 2011.
  
  wn.com/North_Warwickshire
• 
  North Yorkshire
  North Yorkshire is a county in England. It is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of 8,654 square kilometres (3,341 sq mi), making it the largest ceremonial county in England. The majority of the Yorkshire Dales and all of the North York Moors lie within North Yorkshire's boundaries, and around 40% of the county is covered by National Parks. The county town is Northallerton.
  The area under the control of the county council, or shire county, is divided into a number of local government districts; they are Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.
  The Department for Communities and Local Government did consider reorganising North Yorkshire County Council's administrative structure by abolishing the seven district councils and the county council to create a North Yorkshire unitary authority. The changes were planned to be implemented no later than 1 April 2009. This was rejected on 25 July 2007 so the County Council and District Council structure will remain.
  
  wn.com/North_Yorkshire
• 
  Northamptonshire
  Coordinates: 52°17′N 0°50′W / 52.283°N 0.833°W / 52.283; -0.833
  Northamptonshire ( /nɔrˈθæmptənʃər/ or /nɔrθˈhæmptənʃɪər/; archaically, the County of Northampton; abbreviated Northants. or N/hants) is a landlocked ceremonial county in the East Midlands region of England. Its population is 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with eight other ceremonial counties: Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east, Buckinghamshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the south-west and Lincolnshire to the north-east – England's shortest county boundary at 19 metres (21 yd). The county seat is Northampton. Other large population centres include Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Rushden and Daventry.
  Northamptonshire's county flower is the cowslip^{[citation needed]}.
  Much of Northamptonshire’s countryside appears to have remained somewhat intractable with regards to early human occupation, resulting in an apparently sparse population and relatively few finds from the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. In about 500 BC the Iron Age was introduced into the area by a continental people in the form of the Hallstatt culture, and over the next century a series of hill-forts were constructed at Arbury Camp, Rainsborough camp, Borough Hill, Castle Dykes, Guilsborough, Irthlingborough, and most notably of all, Hunsbury Hill. There are two more possible hill-forts at Arbury Hill (Badby) and Thenford.
  
  wn.com/Northamptonshire
• 
  Northumberland
  Northumberland ( /nɔrˈθʌmbərlənd/; abbreviated Northumb. or Northd, the latter being preferred by the Royal Mail) is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. It borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east and the Scottish Borders council area to the north. Its North Sea coastline is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with a 64 mile (103 km) long distance path. Since 1981, the county council has been located in Morpeth, situated in the east of the county.
  The historical boundaries of the county of Northumberland included Newcastle upon Tyne, the traditional county town, as well as Tynemouth and other settlements in North Tyneside, all areas transferred to Tyne and Wear in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The historical county boundaries are sometimes taken to exclude Islandshire, Bedlingtonshire and Norhamshire (collectively North Durham), exclaves of County Durham which were incorporated into Northumberland in 1844. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region (code UKC21) and is one of three local authority areas that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region.
  
  wn.com/Northumberland
• 
  Nottinghamshire
  Nottinghamshire ( /ˈnɒtɪŋəmʃər/ or /ˈnɒtɪŋəmʃɪər/; abbreviated Notts) is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditional county town is Nottingham, though the county council is based in West Bridgford in the borough of Rushcliffe, at a site facing Nottingham over the River Trent.
  The districts of Nottinghamshire are Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood, and Rushcliffe. The City of Nottingham was administratively part of Nottinghamshire between 1974 and 1998 but is now a unitary authority, remaining part of Nottinghamshire for ceremonial purposes.
  As of 2006 the county is estimated to have a population of just over one million. Over half of the population of the county live in the Greater Nottingham conurbation (which continues into Derbyshire). The conurbation has a population of about 650,000, though less than half live within the city boundaries.
  
  wn.com/Nottinghamshire
• 
  Nuneaton
  Coordinates: 52°31′23″N 1°28′06″W / 52.523°N 1.4683°W / 52.523; -1.4683
  Nuneaton (/nəˈniːtən/) is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.
  Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for much of her early life. In her novel Scenes of Clerical Life (1858), "Milby" is the thinly disguised market town of Nuneaton.
  The Nuneaton Urban Area is a conurbation based around Nuneaton and several surrounding towns and villages.
  The town is located 9 miles (14 km) north of Coventry, 20 miles (32 km) east of Birmingham and 103 miles (166 km) northwest of London. The River Anker runs through the town. Nuneaton (as defined by the Office for National Statistics) had a population of 70,721 according to the 2001 census, though the 2008 estimate is closer to 73,000 inhabitants. However, both of these figures exclude the Camp Hill area of the town, which is deemed to be in the Hartshill subdivision of the Nuneaton urban area by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as can be seen from the map included in its report on Key Statistics for urban areas and the dataset of this report, which cites a population of 12,207 for the Hartshill subdivision [1] (by comparison, the population of the civil parish of Hartshill in 2001 was just 3,611 [2]). A more representative figure is given by the combined population of Nuneaton's 11 wards, which was 78,403 in 2001 according to the ONS (see table below).
  
  wn.com/Nuneaton
• 
  Oxford
  Oxford ⁱ/ˈɒksfəd/ is a city in central southern England, the home of the University of Oxford. The city is the county town of Oxfordshire, and forms a district within the county. It has a population of just under 165,000, of whom 153,900 live within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames (also sometimes known as the Isis locally) run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre.
  Oxford has a diverse economic base. Its industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing and a large number of information technology and science-based businesses.
  Buildings in Oxford demonstrate an example of every English architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons, including the iconic, mid-18th century Radcliffe Camera. Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of Oxford's university buildings. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
  
  wn.com/Oxford
• 
  Oxfordshire
  Oxfordshire ( /ˈɒksfərdʃər/ or /ˈɒksfərdʃɪər/; archaically the County of Oxford; abbreviated Oxon from the Latinised form of "Oxford", Oxonia) is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire (to the north/northeast), Buckinghamshire (to the east), Berkshire (to the south), Wiltshire (to the southwest) and Gloucestershire (to the west).
  The county has major education and tourist industries. The area is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities. Oxford University Press is the largest firm among a concentration of print and publishing firms; the University of Oxford is also linked to the concentration of local biotechnology companies.
  The main centre of population is the city of Oxford. Other significant settlements are Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington, and Chipping Norton to the north of Oxford; Witney to the west; Thame and Chinnor to the east; and Abingdon, Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames to the south. Future population growth in the county is hoped^{[clarification needed]} to be concentrated around Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, near the South Midlands growth area.
  
  wn.com/Oxfordshire
• 
  Peterborough
  Peterborough ( /ˈpiːtərbrə/ or ⁱ/ˈpiːtərbərə/) is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of 173,400 in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated 75 miles (121 km) north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the north-east. The railway station is an important stop on the East Coast Main Line.
  The local topography is flat and low-lying, and in some places lies below sea level. The area known as the Fens is to the east of Peterborough. The City of Peterborough includes the outlying military installation of RAF Wittering, and as a unitary authority it borders Northamptonshire and Rutland to the west, Lincolnshire to the north, and Cambridgeshire to the south and east.
  Human settlement in the area dates back to before the Bronze Age, as can be seen at the Flag Fen archaeological site to the east of the current city centre. This site also shows evidence of Roman occupation. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the establishment of a monastery, then known as Medeshamstede, which later became Peterborough Cathedral. The population grew rapidly following the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, and Peterborough became an industrial centre, particularly noted for its brick manufacture.
  
  wn.com/Peterborough
• 
  Polesworth
  Coordinates: 52°36′55″N 1°37′03″W / 52.61516°N 1.61743°W / 52.61516; -1.61743
  Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages (often regarded as suburbs) of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south. This population technically allows Polesworth market town status.
  Polesworth is located near the northern tip of Warwickshire only 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Atherstone and adjacent to the border with Staffordshire, and is only 4 miles (6 km) from Tamworth. The border with Derbyshire is 6 miles (10 km) to the north.
  The River Anker and the Coventry Canal run through Polesworth, and the A5 road runs nearby. Polesworth railway station is on the West Coast Main Line. In 2005, Polesworth received no train services due to the modernisation of the West Coast Mainline. Train services were replaced by a replacement bus service. The footbridge to the up platform was removed and has not been replaced. The station in 2011 only receives one northbound service each day (towards Tamworth).
  
  wn.com/Polesworth
• 
  Quinton, Birmingham
  Coordinates: 52°28′N 2°00′W / 52.46°N 2.00°W / 52.46; -2.00
  Quinton is a suburb on the western edge of Birmingham, England. It is a Birmingham City Council ward within the Edgbaston formal district, and forms a part of the Birmingham Edgbaston parliamentary constituency.
  Quinton borders the Birmingham suburbs of Harborne and Bartley Green and the Black Country area of Warley, and is separated by the M5 motorway from the Black Country town of Halesowen. It covers an area of 4.8 square kilometres (2 sq mi); its population was recorded in the 2001 UK census as 23,084, though its boundaries have since expanded slightly. The eastern parts of it were formerly known as "Ridgacre", with Quinton or "The Quinton" being the area now around the church.
  The Old Quinton area, in the west of Quinton, contains the highest point in Birmingham, and the top of the spire of the (Church of England) Christ Church is the highest point of any building in Birmingham. The escarpment a little to the west also forms part of the national watershed.
  
  wn.com/Quinton,_Birmingham
• 
  Ragley Hall
  Ragley Hall (grid reference SP073555) is located south of Alcester, Warwickshire, eight miles (13 km) west of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is the ancestral seat of the Marquess of Hertford and is one of the stately homes of England.
  The House and the 400-acre (1.6 km²) grounds are seasonally open to the public. The Hall is filled with fine paintings, ceramics and antique furniture. The Great Hall is adorned with stunning Baroque plasterwork by James Gibbs and the Red Saloon remains exactly as it was decorated and furnished by James Wyatt in 1780.
  The Gardens provide colour and interest throughout the year with a Winter Garden, Spring Bulb Bank and contemporary Rose Garden among the highlights. The Woodland Walk takes you around the park and provides stunning views of the Countryside and there is also an adventure playground for children which is beautifully blended into its current surroundings.
  Ragley is the site of the Jerwood Sculpture Park, opened in July 2004. The Park includes works that won the Jerwood Sculpture Prizes, and the work of Dame Elizabeth Frink, among others. In 1969 the 8th Marques of Hertford commissioned the artist Graham Rust to decorate the South Staircase Hall with murals, showing "The Temptation of Christ" and members of the family on an illusionary gallery.
  
  wn.com/Ragley_Hall
• 
  Redditch
  Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry. At one point 90% of the world's needles were manufactured in the town and its neighbourhoods. In the 1960s it became a model for modern new town planning.
  Redditch lies just south of the West Midlands urban area but is not part of it (being in Worcestershire), northwest of Studley on the A435, which skirts it to the east. The main route of access is the A441, a trunk road from Birmingham to Cookhill, via junction 2 of the M42 Motorway. The Roman Road known as Icknield Street is prominent, running north to south through the eastern side of the town.
  Redditch experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.
  The first recorded mention of Redditch ("Red-Dych", thought to be a reference to the red clay of the nearby River Arrow) is in 1348, the year of the outbreak of the Black Death. During the Middle Ages it became a centre of needle-making and later prominent industries were fish-hooks, fishing tackle, motorcycles and springs, the latter notably by Herbert Terry and Sons. It was designated a new town in 1964 and the population increased dramatically from 32,000 to around 77,000. Housing developments such as Church Hill, Matchborough, Winyates, Lodge Park and Woodrow were created to accommodate the large overspill from an industrially expanding Birmingham. Redditch was built as a 'flagship' town using new methods and new town planning; all the main roads (mostly new dual carriageways as well as a ring road for the town centre) in Redditch were banked to reduce noise to the new housing estates and the whole of Redditch was landscaped.
  
  wn.com/Redditch
• 
  River Anker
  The River Anker is a river in England. The river flows through the centre of Nuneaton towards Tamworth in Staffordshire. The river continues on before merging with the River Tame in Tamworth. The Anker is popular with anglers and is known to contain some large pike and chub.
  The River Anker has flooded Nuneaton several times in the past until a storm burst flood relief in Weddington made sure that the river would not flood Nuneaton Town Centre.
  In 2007 the river flooded Liberty Way, forcing Nuneaton Borough and Nuneaton RFC to cancel matches while the river water was cleared up.
  The river's name is used for Anker Radio, a radio station in Nuneaton which broadcasts within George Eliot Hospital in the town.
  Coordinates: 52°37′N 1°41′W / 52.617°N 1.683°W / 52.617; -1.683
  
  wn.com/River_Anker
• 
  River Leam
  The River Leam ( /ˈlɛm/ LEM) is a river which flows through eastern and southern Warwickshire. It is a small river about 30 kilometres long. The town of Leamington Spa lies on, and is named after, the River Leam.
  Its name came via Anglo-Saxon from Celtic leman or lemin = "having elm trees" or "marshy river". River Leame is given as an alternative spelling in Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary.
  The River Leam starts in the village of Woolscott and flows for around 30km in a broadly easterly direction.
  Two miles from its source, the River Leam passes under the A425 main road from Daventry to Southam. From here to the village of Braunston it marks the boundary between Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. At Braunston, the river is crossed by a substantial embankment carrying the Grand Union Canal over the river on an aqueduct.
  West of Braunston, the River Leam opens into a broad flat valley and flows through open farmland passing the small village of Grandborough where there was once a water mill.
  
  wn.com/River_Leam
• 
  Rollright Stones
  The Rollright Stones are a complex of three Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monuments located near to the village of Long Compton on the borders of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire in the English Midlands. Constructed from local oolitic limestone, the three separate monuments, now known as The King's Men, The King Stone and The Whispering Knights, are each distinct in their design and purpose, and were each built at different periods in late prehistory. The stretch of time during which the three monuments were erected here bears witness to a continuous tradition of ritual behaviour on sacred ground, from the 4th to the 2nd millennium BCE.
  The first to be constructed was the Whispering Knights, a dolmen that dates to the Early or Middle Neolithic period and which was likely to have been used as a place of burial. This was followed by the King's Men, a stone circle which was constructed in the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age; unusually, it has parallels to other circles located further north, in the Lake District, implying a trade-based or ritual connection. The third monument, the King Stone, is a single monolith, and although it is not known when it was constructed, the dominant theory amongst archaeologists is that it was a Bronze Age grave marker.
  
  wn.com/Rollright_Stones
• 
  Royal Pump Rooms
  The Royal Pump Rooms is a building in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England. It was the most famous of several spa baths opened in Leamington between the late-18th and mid-19th centuries. People would travel from throughout the country, and indeed Europe, to benefit from treatments using the town's healing waters. When 'taking the waters' became less fashionable after the mid-19th century the Pump Rooms became Leamington's only surviving spa facility, later also being extended to include the town's public swimming pool. After a major redevelopment in 1997 - 99 the building now houses Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, a public Library, Tourist Information Centre, cafe and assembly rooms.
  
  wn.com/Royal_Pump_Rooms
• 
  Rugby (borough)
  The Borough of Rugby is a local government district with borough status in eastern Warwickshire, England.
  The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town.
  The borough has a population of just over 91,000. Of these, over 60,000 live in the town of Rugby, with the remainder living in the rural areas surrounding the town.
  The borough stretches from Coventry to the west, to the borders with Northamptonshire and Leicestershire to the east. It borders the Warwickshire districts of Warwick to the south-west, Stratford to the south, and Nuneaton and Bedworth to the north-west.
  The present borough was created on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972. It was created by a merger of the municipal borough of Rugby (which covered the town of Rugby) and the Rugby Rural District.
  The town of Rugby had gained the status of an urban district in 1894 [1]. At the same time the Rugby Rural District was created covering the surrounding countryside. The town and rural district had separate councils, both based in Rugby.
  
  wn.com/Rugby_(borough)
• 
  Rutland
  Coordinates: 52°39′20.00″N 0°39′30.00″W / 52.65556°N 0.65833°W / 52.65556; -0.65833
  Rutland ( /ˈrʌtlənd/) is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough (a unitary authority ceremonially in Cambridgeshire) and Northamptonshire.
  Its greatest length north to south is only 18 miles (29.0 km), greatest breadth east to west, 17 miles (27.4 km). It is the smallest (in terms of population) normal unitary authority in mainland England (only the City of London is smaller in terms of area), and is 348th of the 354 districts in terms of population. It is the smallest historic English county, leading to the adoption of the Latin motto Multum In Parvo or "much in little" by the county council in 1950. Among modern ceremonial counties the Isle of Wight, City of London and City of Bristol are all smaller. The former County of London, in existence 1889 to 1965, also had a smaller area.
  The only towns in Rutland are Oakham, the county town, and Uppingham. At the centre of the county is the large artificial reservoir, Rutland Water, with a similar surface area to Windermere. It is an important nature reserve serving as an overwintering site for wildfowl and a breeding site for ospreys. The town of Stamford is just over the border in a protruding part of Lincolnshire.
  
  wn.com/Rutland
• 
  Sandwell
  Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of 33 square miles (85 km²). The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath, Cradley Heath, Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Tividale, Wednesbury, and West Bromwich. West Bromwich is the most populous town in Sandwell, but Sandwell Council House (the headquarters of Sandwell's local government) is located at Oldbury.
  The Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell was formed in 1974 as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of the former County Borough of Warley and County Borough of West Bromwich. For its first 12 years Sandwell had a two-tier system of local government; Sandwell Council shared power with the West Midlands County Council. Since the Local Government Act 1985 Sandwell Council has effectively been a unitary authority, serving as the sole executive, deliberative and legislative body responsible for local policy, setting council tax, and allocating budget in the district.
  
  wn.com/Sandwell
• 
  Shipston-on-Stour
  Coordinates: 52°03′36″N 1°37′23″W / 52.060°N 1.623°W / 52.060; -1.623
  Shipston-on-Stour is a town and civil parish on the River Stour about 10 miles (16 km) south of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. It is in the northern part of the Cotswolds, close to the boundaries with Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
  In the 8th century the Toponym was Scepwaeisctune,Old English for Sheep-wash-Town, as it was once an important sheep market.^{[citation needed]} The name evolved through Scepwestun in the 11th century, Sipestone, Sepwestun and Schipton in the 13th century and Sepestonon-Sture in the 14th century.
  The Church of England parish church of Saint Edmund has a 15th century tower. The Gothic Revival architect G.E. Street rebuilt the rest of the church in 1855. The tower had a ring of five bells until 1695 when they were recast and rehung as a ring of six. Since then all the bells have been recast and rehung from time to time, notably in 1754 and by John Taylor & Co. in 1979.
  Shipston is on the A3400 road (formerly the A34) between Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford and was once an important staging place for stagecoaches. Many former coaching inns, such as the Coach and Horses, remain in the area of the High Street.
  
  wn.com/Shipston-on-Stour
• 
  Shropshire
  Shropshire ( /ˈʃrɒpʃər/ or /ˈʃrɒpʃɪər/; alternatively Salop; abbreviated, in print only, Shrops) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west, Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Worcestershire to the south-east and Herefordshire to the south. A unitary authority (Shropshire Council) was created on 1 April 2009, taking over from the previous county council and 5 district councils, and covers most of the county. The borough of Telford and Wrekin, included in Shropshire for ceremonial purposes, has been a separate unitary authority since 1998.
  The county's population and economy is centred on five towns: the county town of Shrewsbury, which is culturally and historically important and is located in the centre of the county;Telford, a new town in the east which was constructed around a number of older towns, most notably Wellington, Dawley and Madeley, which is today the most populous; and Oswestry in the north-west, Bridgnorth just to the south of Telford, and Ludlow in the south. The county has many further smaller towns, including Whitchurch in the north, Newport just to the north-east of Telford, and Market Drayton in the north-east of the county.
  
  wn.com/Shropshire
• 
  Solihull
  Coordinates: 52°24′46″N 1°46′20″W / 52.412903°N 1.772094°W / 52.412903; -1.772094
  Solihull ( /ˈsɒlɨhʌl/ or /ˈsoʊliːhʌl/ or /soʊliˈhʌl/) is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles (14.5 km) southeast of Birmingham city centre. It is the largest town in, and administrative centre of, the larger Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which itself has a population of 200,400.
  Historically part of Warwickshire, Solihull is one of the most prosperous towns in the English Midlands. Residents of Solihull and those born in the town are referred to as Silhillians The motto of Solihull is Urbs in Rure (Town in Country)
  Solihull is "commonly thought" to have derived its name from the position of St Alphege parish church – on a “soily” hill. The church was built on a hill of stiff red marl, which turned to sticky mud in wet weather.
  
  wn.com/Solihull
• 
  Somerset
  The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset (ⁱ/ˈsʌmərsɛt/ or /ˈsʌmərsɨt/) in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the River Severn. Its traditional northern border is the River Avon, but the administrative boundary has crept southwards with the creation and expansion of the City of Bristol, and latterly the county of Avon and its successor unitary authorities to the north. Somerset's county town, Taunton, is in the south.
  Somerset is a rural county of rolling hills such as the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park, and large flat expanses of land including the Somerset Levels. There is evidence of human occupation from Palaeolithic times, and of subsequent settlement in the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The county played a significant part in the consolidation of power and rise of King Alfred the Great, and later in the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion.
  
  wn.com/Somerset
• 
  South Staffordshire
  South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district lies to the north and west of Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, bordering Shropshire to the west and Worcestershire to the south. It contains no towns of major size and many of the settlements within the district are dormitory villages for Stafford, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Telford.
  The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of Cannock Rural District (in the north) and Seisdon Rural District (in the south).
  Its council is based in Codsall, one of the larger settlements in the district, along with Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Kinver, Landywood, Penkridge, Perton and Wombourne. Other villages in the district include Coven, Essington, Featherstone, Gospel End, Huntington, Lower Penn, Pattingham, Seisdon and Trysull.
  The district covers a similar geographic area to South Staffordshire parliamentary constituency, although the north of the district is covered by the Stafford (UK Parliament constituency). Sir Patrick Cormack of the Conservative Party held the South Staffordshire seat, and its predecessors, between 1970–2010, when he retired and the seat was won by Gavin Williamson for the Conservative Party.
  
  wn.com/South_Staffordshire
• 
  South Yorkshire
  South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield. South Yorkshire was created on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972.
  Lying on the east side of the Pennines, South Yorkshire is landlocked, and borders Derbyshire (to the south-west), West Yorkshire (to the northwest), North Yorkshire (to the north), the East Riding of Yorkshire (to the northeast), Lincolnshire (to the east) and Nottinghamshire (to the southeast). The Sheffield Urban Area is the ninth most populous conurbation in the UK, and dominates the western half of South Yorkshire with over half of the county's population living within it.
  South Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986, and so its districts (the metropolitan boroughs) are now effectively unitary authority areas; however, the metropolitan county, which is some 1,552 square kilometres (599 sq mi), continues to exist in law and as a geographic frame of reference. As a ceremonial county, South Yorkshire has a Lord Lieutenant and a High Sheriff.
  
  wn.com/South_Yorkshire
• 
  Southam
  Coordinates: 52°15′07″N 1°23′24″W / 52.252°N 1.39°W / 52.252; -1.39
  Southam is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town.
  The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles (11 km) to the west. The towns of Rugby and Daventry are also within 10 miles (16 km) of Southam, with Banbury 14 miles (22.5 km) to the south and the major city of Coventry some 13 miles (21 km) to the north.
  Southam is located on the River Stowe (known by many of the locals as "the Brook"), which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's River Itchen just outside of the town, which in turn flows into the River Leam.
  Southam can trace its history back to Anglo-Saxon times; a charter exists from 998 granted by King Ethelred the Unready. Southam was mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Sucham". A market was established in 1227.
  In the 1540s the town was visited by John Leland, who described it as 'a modest market town of a single street'. Southam is also mentioned in Henry VI, part 3 by William Shakespeare in Act V, Scene I (Lines 10–16).
  
  wn.com/Southam
• 
  Stafford
  Coordinates: 52°48′24″N 2°07′02″W / 52.8066°N 2.1171°W / 52.8066; -2.1171
  Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of Wolverhampton and 18 miles (29 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14. The population of Stafford was given in the 2001 census as 63,681, with that of the wider borough of Stafford as 122,000, making Stafford the fourth largest settlement in the Ceremonial county, after Stoke on Trent, Tamworth and Newcastle under Lyme.
  Stafford means 'ford' by a 'staithe' (landing place). The original settlement was on dry sand and gravel peninsula that provided a strategic crossing point in the marshy valley of the River Sow, a tributary of the River Trent. There is still a large area of marshland northwest of the town, which has always been subject to flooding, such as in 1947, 2000 and 2007.
  It's thought Stafford was founded in about 700 AD by Mercian prince called Bertelin who, according to legend, established a hermitage on the peninsular named Betheney or Bethnei. Until recently it was thought that the remains of a wooden preaching cross from this time had been found under the remains of St Bertelin's chapel, next to the later collegiate Church of St Mary in the centre of the town. Recent re-examination of the evidence shows this was a misinterpretation – it was a tree trunk coffin placed centrally in the first, timber, chapel at around the time Æthelflæd founded the burh, in 913 AD. The tree trunk coffin may have been placed there as an object of commemoration or veneration of St Bertelin.
  
  wn.com/Stafford
• 
  Staffordshire
  Staffordshire (/ˈstæfərdʃɪər/ or  /ˈstæfərdʃaɪər/; abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders. It adjoins the ceremonial counties of Cheshire (to the north west), Derbyshire (to the east), Leicestershire (to the east), Warwickshire (to the south east), West Midlands (to the south), Worcestershire (to the south), and Shropshire (to the west).
  The largest city in Staffordshire is Stoke-on-Trent, which is administered separately from the rest of the county as an independent unitary authority. Lichfield also has city status, although this is a considerably smaller cathedral city. Major towns include Stafford (the county town), Burton upon Trent, Cannock, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Leek and Tamworth.
  Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich and Smethwick were also in Staffordshire until local government reorganisation in 1974, but are now within the West Midlands County in the West Midlands Conurbation.
  With the exception of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire is divided into the districts of Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, and Tamworth.
  
  wn.com/Staffordshire
• 
  Stratford-upon-Avon
  Coordinates: 52°11′24″N 1°42′36″W / 52.19°N 1.710°W / 52.19; -1.710
  Stratford-upon-Avon ( /ˌstrætfəd əpɒn ˈeɪvən/) is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, 22 miles (35 km) south east of Birmingham and 8 miles (13 km) south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers a much larger area than the town itself. Four electoral wards make up the urban town of Stratford; Alveston, Avenue and New Town, Mount Pleasant and Guild and Hathaway. The estimated total population for those wards in 2007 was 25,505.
  The town is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare, receiving about three million visitors a year from all over the world. The Royal Shakespeare Company resides in Stratford's Royal Shakespeare Theatre, one of Britain's most important cultural venues.
  Stratford has Anglo-Saxon origins, and grew up as a market town in medieval times. The original charters of the town were granted in 1196, making Stratford officially over 800 years old. The name is a fusion of the Old English strǣt, meaning "street", and ford, meaning that a Roman road forded the River Avon at the site of the town.
  
  wn.com/Stratford-upon-Avon
• 
  Studley
  Coordinates: 52°16′11″N 1°53′29″W / 52.26961°N 1.89151°W / 52.26961; -1.89151
  Studley is a large village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Situated on the western edge of Warwickshire near the border with Worcestershire it is 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Redditch and 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Stratford. The Roman road of Ryknild Street, now the A435, passes through the village on its eastern edge, parallel to the River Arrow. The name derives from the Old English leah, being a meadow or pasture, where horses, stod, are kept.
  Studley is sometimes claimed to be the largest village in England, however, this is incorrect as it is not even the largest village in Warwickshire, both Polesworth and Bulkington are larger. The United Kingdom Census 2001 reported Studley's population as being 6,624.
  The manor of Studley is recorded twice in the Domesday Book mostly as part of the lands of William son of Courbucion; who was appointed Sherrif of Warwick soon after 1086; where it reads, "In Ferncombe Hundred in Stodlei (Studley) 4 hides. Land for 11 ploughs. In lordship 2; 3 slaves. 19 villagers with a priest and 12 smallholders have 9 ploughs. A mill at 5s; meadow, 24 acres; a salt house which pays 19 packloads of salt; woodland 1 league long and 1/2 league wide. The value was and is 100s. Swein held it freely." A further holding is listed as part of the land of William Bonavallet "William holds 1 hide in Stodlei from William. Land for 2 ploughs. In lordship 1 plough. Meadow 4 acres; woodland 3 furlongs long and 2 furlongs wide. Value 10s. Godric held it freely."
  
  wn.com/Studley
• 
  Surrey
  Surrey /ˈsʌri/ is a county in the South East of England, and one of the home counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford.Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of Greater London since 1965. The London boroughs of Lambeth, Wandsworth and Southwark were considered part of Surrey until 1889; and Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Sutton, Barnes and Richmond - all now reclassified as part of Greater London - were part of Surrey until 1965.
  Surrey is divided into 11 boroughs and districts: Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Waverley, Woking. After the elections of 1 May 2008, the Conservatives are in control of 10 out of 11 councils in Surrey, with Epsom and Ewell in Residents Association control. The Conservatives hold all 11 Parliamentary constituencies within the county borders.
  
  wn.com/Surrey
• 
  Sutton Coldfield
  Coordinates: 52°33′47″N 1°49′19″W / 52.563°N 1.822°W / 52.563; -1.822
  Sutton Coldfield ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a town within the city of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton (as it is often abbreviated) is located about 8 miles (13 km) from central Birmingham; it has borders with North Warwickshire, Lichfield, Erdington, Kingstanding and Castle Vale. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census. It forms part of the West Midlands conurbation.
  Historically within Warwickshire, the town has a historical connection to the Royal Family, resulting in it receiving the title of Royal Town when it was a municipal borough in its own right and part of Warwickshire. When the Local Government Act 1972 came into force in 1974, Sutton Coldfield became part of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands County.
  The Etymology of the name Sutton appears to be from South Town.
  The name "Sutton Coldfield" appears to come from this time, being the "south town" (i.e. south of Tamworth and/or Lichfield) on the edge of the "col field". "Col" is usually derived from "charcoal", charcoal burners presumably being active in the area.
  
  wn.com/Sutton_Coldfield
• 
  Tamworth
  Coordinates: 52°37′59″N 1°41′42″W / 52.633°N 1.695°W / 52.633; -1.695
  
  Tamworth is a town and larger local government district in Staffordshire, England, located 14 miles (23 km) north-east of Birmingham city centre and 103 miles (166 km) north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker. At the 2001 census the town had a population of 74,531. Tamworth is the second largest settlement after Stoke-on-Trent and the largest town in Staffordshire.
  Tamworth is the home of the historic Tamworth Castle and Moat House, and has a non-league football team, Tamworth FC. The Snowdome, the UK's first full-sized real-snow indoor ski slope is located in Tamworth, and only a short distance away is Drayton Manor Theme Park.
  The town's main industries include logistics, engineering, clothing, brick, tile and paper manufacture. It was also home to the Reliant car company, which produced the famous three-wheeled Robin model and the Scimitar sports car for several decades.
  
  wn.com/Tamworth
• 
  Tamworth (borough)
  Tamworth is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire in England. It is named after its main town also called Tamworth.
  Areas of Tamworth include Amington, Belgrave, Bolehall, Coton Green, Dosthill, Glascote, Stonydelph and Wilnecote. The town of Fazeley despite bordering Tamworth is within the Lichfield District.
  The borough is completely unparished.
  At the last election the Conservative Party held the borough with 23 councilors and Labour held 6 and there was 1 Independent.
  One third of Tamworth Council is elected each year, followed by one year where there is an election to Staffordshire County Council instead. Since the last boundary changes in 2002, 30 councillors have been elected from 10 wards.
  Since the foundation of the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:
  Tamworth Council election, 1998
  Tamworth Council election, 1999
  Tamworth Council election, 2000
  Tamworth Council election, 2002 (whole council elected after boundary changes)
  
  wn.com/Tamworth_(borough)
• 
  Tanworth-in-Arden
  Tanworth-in-Arden ( /ˈtænwərθ ɪn ˈɑrdən/; often abbreviated to Tanworth and not to be confused with Tamworth in Staffordshire) is a small village located in the county of Warwickshire, England. It is located south-east of Birmingham in the Tanworth-in-Arden parish and is administered by Stratford-on-Avon District Council. The population of the parish was 3,017 at the 2001 UK census; this figure includes the small village of Wood End, about one mile north of Tanworth-in-Arden but located within the parish.
  The suffix to the name Tanworth refers to the Forest of Arden in which the village lay. Notable historical buildings still standing in the village include The Bell Inn public house and the 14th-century Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
  Tanworth was the childhood home of folk musician Nick Drake and his sister the actress Gabrielle Drake. The song "Life in a Northern Town" by The Dream Academy is a reference to Tanworth - despite its midlands, and not northern situation - and a tribute to Drake.
  
  wn.com/Tanworth-in-Arden
• The Belfry
  The Belfry is a golf resort in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England, very near Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, and owned since 2005 by Irish businessman Sean Quinn.
  The resort has three golf courses. The Brabazon Course is the main tournament course, and the others are The PGA National and The Derby. The headquarters of The Professional Golfers' Association are also located there, as are a hotel, tennis courts and a leisure spa.
  The Belfry has hosted the Ryder Cup on four occasions, and has also staged numerous European Tour events.
  Coordinates: 52°33′16″N 1°44′04″W / 52.55434°N 1.73447°W / 52.55434; -1.73447
  
  
  
  wn.com/The_Belfry
• 
  Warwick
  Coordinates: 52°17′N 1°35′W / 52.28°N 1.59°W / 52.28; -1.59
  Warwick (ⁱ/ˈwɒrɨk/ WORR-ik) is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, 11 miles (18 km) south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350.
  There has been human activity at Warwick as early as the Neolithic, and constant habitation since the 6th century. A Saxon burh was created at Warwick in the 9th century and Warwick Castle was established on the site in 1068 as part of the Norman conquest of England. Warwick School claims to be the oldest boys' school in the country. The earldom of Warwick was created in 1088 and the earls controlled the town in the medieval period. During this time Warwick was given town walls; Eastgate and Westgate survive. The castle developed into a stone fortress and then a country house and is today a popular tourist attraction.
  The Great Fire of Warwick in 1694 destroyed much of the medieval town and as a result most of the buildings post-date this period. Though Warwick did not become industrialised in the 19th century, it has experienced growth since 1801 when the population was 5,592. Racing Club Warwick F.C., founded in 1919, are based in the town. The town is administered by Warwick District Counil and Warwickshire County Council has its headquarters in Warwick.
  
  wn.com/Warwick
• 
  Warwick (district)
  Warwick is a local government district of central Warwickshire in England. The current leader of the district council is Conservative Party member Michael Doody. The council is currently controlled by the Conservative group, who hold 23 of the 46 council seats. Labour and the Liberal Democrats each have 9 councillors, the remaining 5 councillors sitting as independents.
  The district comprises the towns of Warwick itself, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and Whitnash, and also includes the surrounding rural areas. The district is bordered to the south and west by Stratford-on-Avon district to the north-east by Rugby borough and to the north by the metropolitan borough of Coventry.
  The district council headquarters are in Leamington Spa. It employs more than 500 people in a four storey building near to the River Leam. The district council deal with issues such as waste management, the collection of council tax, planning/building regulations, council housing and council house repairs.
  The district was created on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the former Leamington Spa and Warwick municipal boroughs, the Kenilworth urban district and the Warwick Rural District. The council claimed to have the 33rd cheapest council tax out of the 238 shire districts in the country.
  
  wn.com/Warwick_(district)
• 
  Warwick Parkway
  Warwick Parkway railway station is situated north of Warwick in Warwickshire, England. It is owned by Chiltern Railways, making it one of the few stations on the National Rail system not owned by Network Rail. It opened in 2000. It also serves Budbrooke.
  Most trains calling here are those provided by Chiltern on its London Marylebone/Leamington Spa/Birmingham Snow Hill/Kidderminster and London Marylebone/Leamington Spa/Stratford routes, augmented by a few London Midland services.
  Each platform at the station is equipped with a real-time electronic information departure screen.
  The station is staffed for much of the day and there are self-service ticket machines as well as a 'Permit-to-Travel' machine located just inside the entrance to the station. A subway links northbound and southbound platforms. Also there is a small cafe selling drinks and snacks.
  Local Stagecoach in Warwickshire bus services 68 and X17 also link the station with Warwick, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and Coventry. There is also a National Express coach stop outside the station with regular links to Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The nearest village to the station is Hampton Magna, about a mile from the station.
  
  wn.com/Warwick_Parkway
• 
  Warwickshire
  Warwickshire (ⁱ/ˈwɒrɨkʃər/ or /ˈwɒrɨkʃɪər/) is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare and George Elliot. Commonly used abbreviations for the county are Warks or Warwicks.
  The five districts of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Rugby, Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon together form the Warwickshire County Council area, and are within the 1974 boundaries. The shape of the administrative area of Warwickshire differs considerably from that of the historic county, which also includes the now autonomous unitary authorities of Coventry and Solihull, as well as a small area around central and northeast Birmingham.
  For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG13) and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region.
  Warwickshire is bounded to the north-west by the West Midlands metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the east, Worcestershire to the west, Oxfordshire to the south and Gloucestershire to the south-west. The northern tip of the county is only 3 miles (5 km) from the Derbyshire border. An average-sized English county covering an area of almost 2,000 km², it runs some 60 miles (97 km) north to south.
  
  wn.com/Warwickshire
• 
  Welford-on-Avon
  Welford-on-Avon is a village of around 1,800 inhabitants situated some 4 miles (6 km) west-south-west of the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in the county of Warwickshire, England.
  Until 1931, Welford-on-Avon was in Gloucestershire (as part of the Rural District of Marston Sicca), when it was transferred to Stratford-on-Avon Rural District. Since 1974 it has been part of the District of Stratford-on-Avon.
  The village sits within a bend of the River Avon, on the south bank. Its maypole is one of the tallest in England (at 65 feet / 20 metres). It used to be wooden but was replaced by an aluminium pole after a lightning strike. There are three pubs and many Tudor half-timbered and thatched cottages, mostly close to the village church, which is the older part of Welford.
  A Primary school was constructed on Headland Road. It now has all the facilities it needs and has one trophy in sports. In 2007, the headteacher left the school to become a schools inspector. The school is in construction again, 2008, for a spacious entrance and bigger staff room, office and hall. It is a very successful school and was rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted.
  
  wn.com/Welford-on-Avon
• 
  Wellesbourne
  Coordinates: 52°11′40″N 1°35′41″W / 52.19434°N 1.59472°W / 52.19434; -1.59472
  Wellesbourne is a large village and civil parish in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of the UK. In the 2001 census the parish, which also includes the village of Walton, had a population of 5,691 (2008 est. 6,400).
  With the rapid increase in new housing and industrial developments since the 1990s, Wellesbourne is increasingly referred to as a small commuter town servicing its larger neighbours such as Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Leamington Spa and Banbury, and a little further afield, the cities of Coventry and Birmingham.
  Wellesbourne sits on the A429 road, and is located around seven miles south of Warwick and five miles east of Stratford-upon-Avon. Nearby are the villages of Walton and Kineton.
  The name was first recorded in 862 as Wallesburam. It was later referred to as Walesborne in the Domesday Book.
  In May 1140 Wellesbourne was hit by a tornado - one of the earliest recorded in the British Isles. It damaged several buildings and killed a woman.
  
  wn.com/Wellesbourne
• 
  West Sussex
  West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove), Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming into force of the Local Government Act 1972. At the same time the Mid Sussex region (including Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and East Grinstead) was transferred from East Sussex.
  West Sussex has a wide range of scenery, including Wealden, Downland and coastal. It has a number of stately homes including Goodwood, Petworth House and Uppark and also castles such as Arundel Castle and Bramber Castle. Over half the county is protected countryside, offering walking, cycling and other recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike.
  Chichester is the county town of West Sussex, and the highest point of the county is Black Down, at 280 metres (919 ft, grid reference SU919296).
  
  wn.com/West_Sussex
• 
  West Yorkshire
  West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972.
  West Yorkshire, which is landlocked, consists of five metropolitan boroughs (City of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, City of Leeds and City of Wakefield) and shares borders with the counties of Derbyshire (to the south), Greater Manchester (to the south-west), Lancashire (to the north-west), North Yorkshire (to the north and east) and South Yorkshire (to the south-east).
  West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986, and so its districts (the metropolitan boroughs) are now effectively unitary authorities. However, the metropolitan county, which covers an area of 2,029 square kilometres (783 sq mi), continues to exist in law, and as a geographic frame of reference.
  West Yorkshire encompasses the West Yorkshire Urban Area, which is the most built-up and biggest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire.
  
  wn.com/West_Yorkshire
• 
  Whitnash
  Coordinates: 52°16′05″N 1°31′26″W / 52.268°N 1.524°W / 52.268; -1.524
  Whitnash is a small town contiguous with both Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick in Warwickshire, England. In 2001, it had a population of 7,798.
  Whitnash is a very ancient settlement. Its earliest origins can be traced back to pre-Roman occupation. Whitnash has several possible origins as a place name. It could variously mean "at the white ash", "place by the wood", "sacred ash", or even "meeting place of the wise". However, the first meaning is the considered most likely to be correct.
  By the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, Whitnash was part of the Stoneleigh Hundreds area, and referred to as Witenas. The population consisted of 11 villagers and 8 smallholders. It remained a small village for many centuries, not even being connected to local towns by anything more than country lanes until around 1850.
  Dramatic population growth began during the second half of the 20th century. In the space of a few decades, the population increased by over five times. Reflecting its much larger size, Whitnash became a town in 1972.
  
  wn.com/Whitnash
• 
  Wiltshire
  Wiltshire ( /ˈwɪltʃər/ or /ˈwɪltʃɪər/, formerly /ˈwɪlʃər/; or the County of Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers 3,485 km² (1,346 square miles). The ancient county town was Wilton, but since 1930 Wiltshire County Council and its successor Wiltshire Council (from 2009) have been based at Trowbridge.
  Wiltshire is characterised by its high downland and wide valleys. Salisbury Plain is famous as the location of the Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles and other ancient landmarks and as the main training area in the UK of the British Army. The city of Salisbury is notable for its mediaeval cathedral. Important country houses open to the public include Longleat, near Warminster, and the National Trust's Stourhead, near Mere.
  The county, in the 9th century written as Wiltunscir, later Wiltonshire, is named after the former county town of Wilton, itself named after the river Wylye, one of eight rivers which drain the county.
  
  wn.com/Wiltshire
• 
  Wolverhampton
  Wolverhampton ⁱ/ˌwʊlvərˈhæmptən/ is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG35) and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100. Wolverhampton is part of the West Midlands Urban Area which had a population of 2.3 million in the 2001 census which makes it part of the second largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
  Historically a part of Staffordshire, and forming part of the metropolitan county of the West Midlands from 1974, the city is commonly recognised as being named after King Wulfhere, who established an abbey in 659. The original name being from Wulfereēantūn = "Wulfhere's high or principal enclosure or farm" after the Mercian King. The name Wulfrun is used to denote a later nun who established a church in the city – for example, for the Wulfrun Centre or for Wulfrun Hall.
  
  wn.com/Wolverhampton
• 
  Worcester
  The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, (ⁱ/ˈwʊstər/ WUUS-tər), is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Birmingham and 29 miles (47 km) north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the middle of the city, overlooked by the twelfth-century Worcester Cathedral. The site of the final battle of the Civil War, Worcester was where Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army defeated King Charles II's Cavaliers, resulting in the English Interregnum, the ten-year period during which England and Wales became a republic. Worcester was the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain and the birthplace of the composer Sir Edward Elgar. It houses the Lea and Perrins factory where the traditional Worcestershire Sauce is made, and is home to one of the UK's fastest growing universities, the University of Worcester.
  Occupation of the site of Worcester can be dated back to Neolithic times, a village surrounded by defensive ramparts having been founded on the eastern bank of the River Severn in around 400 BC. The position, which commanded a ford on the river, was used in the first century by the Romans to establish what may at first have been a fort on the military route from Glevum (Gloucester) to Viroconium (Wroxeter) but which soon developed – as the frontier of the empire was pushed westwards – into an industrial town with its own pottery kilns and iron-smelting plants.
  
  wn.com/Worcester
• 
  Worcestershire
  Worcestershire (ⁱ/ˈwʊstərʃər/ WUUS-tər-shər or /ˈwʊstərʃɪər/ WUUS-tər-sheer ; abbreviated Worcs) is a non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands of England. In 1974, it merged with the neighbouring county of Herefordshire to form Hereford and Worcester. This was divided in 1998, re-establishing Worcestershire as a county. The Malvern Hills forms the east–west border between the two counties, with the exception of West Malvern in Worcestershire.
  The county borders Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. To the west, the county is bordered by the Malvern Hills and the spa town of Malvern. The southern part of the county is bordered by Gloucestershire and the northern edge of the Cotswolds; to the east is Warwickshire. There are two major rivers flowing through the county, the Severn and the Avon.
  The cathedral city of Worcester is the largest settlement and administrative seat of the county, which includes the principal settlements of Bromsgrove, Stourport-on-Severn, Droitwich, Evesham, Kidderminster, Malvern, and the largest town, Redditch, and a number of smaller towns such as Pershore, Tenbury Wells and Upton upon Severn. The north of the county includes part of the industrial West Midlands conurbation while the south of the county is largely rural. The average salary is £20,300.
  
  wn.com/Worcestershire
• 
  Wychavon
  Coordinates: 52°06′50″N 2°04′52″W / 52.114°N 2.081°W / 52.114; -2.081
  Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Pershore. Other towns in the district include Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Broadway. The district extends from the south-east corner of Worcestershire north and west. The districts to the west are Malvern Hills and Worcester and to the north Wyre Forest.
  The district was created under the Local Government Act 1972, on 1 April 1974. It was a merger of the boroughs of Droitwich and Evesham along with Evesham Rural District and most of Droitwich Rural District and most of Pershore Rural District.
  The district's name, which was invented in 1973, contains two elements. "Wych" recalls the Saxon Kingdom of Hwicca, and "Avon" is for the River Avon.
  Wychavon District Council is joint 'Council of the Year 2007', along with High Peak Borough Council. It was also featured as the 'Best Council to work for' by the Sunday Times.
  The Wychavon district includes the following Civil parishes
  
  wn.com/Wychavon

• 
  Bob Willis
  Robert George Dylan Willis MBE (born Robert George Willis on 30 May 1949), known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England. A right-handed and aggressive fast bowler with a notably long run-up, Willis spearheaded several England bowling attacks between 1971 and 1984, across 90 Test matches in which he took 325 wickets at 25.20 runs per wicket, at the time second only to Dennis Lillee. He is currently behind only Ian Botham as England's leading wicket taker. Willis took 899 first-class wickets overall, although from 1975 onwards he bowled with constant pain, having had surgery on both knees. He nevertheless continued to find success, taking a Test career best eight wickets for 43 runs in the 1981 Ashes series against Australia, one of the all-time best Test bowling performances, in the famous 1981 Ashes series against Australia. He was Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1978.
  In addition to the Test arena, Willis played 64 One Day International matches for his country, taking 80 wickets, and was a prolific List-A (one day) cricketer with 421 wickets overall at 20.18. With the bat, Willis made little impression as a tail-ender with a best Test score of 28 not-out (*); however, he managed two half-centuries at first-class level and for a time held a record number of Test not-outs. Willis captained the England team in 18 Tests and 28 ODI matches between June 1982 and March 1984. Under Willis' captaincy England won seven, lost five and drew six Tests, and won 16 of the ODIs. Botham recalled Willis as "a tremendous trier.. a great team-man and an inspiration", as well as the "only world-class fast bowler in my time as an England player." The editor of Wisden wrote of him in similar terms: "His indomitable service to England is handsomely reflected in his great collection of Test wickets. Although often beset with aches and pains, he never spared himself when bowling for his country."
  
  wn.com/Bob_Willis
• 
  Brian Lara
  Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM (born 2 May 1969, in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago) is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket, with 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994, which is the only quintuple hundred in first-class cricket history. The BBC radio commentary on the final day of the innings (6 June 1994), by Dave Roberts, was being broadcast around the world live via the BBC World Service network, and in the UK on BBC Radios 1, 2 & 4 as well as the majority of BBC Local radio stations. That evening, as Lara neared the all-time batting record, a huge surge of fans crowded to enter the grounds.
  Lara also holds the record for the highest individual score in a test innings after scoring 400 not out against England at Antigua in 2004. He is the only batsman to have ever scored a hundred, a double century, a triple century, a quadruple century and a quintuple century in first class games over the course of a senior career. Lara also holds the test record of scoring most number of runs in a single over in a Test match, when he scored 28 runs off an over by Robin Peterson of South Africa in 2003.
  
  wn.com/Brian_Lara
• 
  Elizabeth Gaskell
  Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson (29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of society, including the very poor, and as such are of interest to social historians as well as lovers of literature.
  Gaskell was born Elizabeth Cleghorn Stevenson on 29 September 1810, at 93 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, which was then on the outskirts of London. Gaskell was the eighth and last of her parents' children; only she and her brother John survived infancy. Her father, William Stevenson, was a Scottish Unitarian minister at Failsworth, Lancashire but resigned his orders on conscientious grounds, moving his family to London in 1806 with intention of going to India after he had been named private secretary to the Earl of Lauderdale, who was to become Governor-General of India. This position did not materialise, and Stevenson was instead nominated Keeper of the Treasury Records. Stevenson's wife, Elizabeth Holland, came from a family from the English Midlands that was well connected with other Unitarian and prominent families like the Wedgwoods, the Turners and the Darwins, and when she died thirteen months after giving birth to Gaskell she left a bewildered husband who saw no other alternative for young Elizabeth but to be sent away to live with her mother's sister Hannah Lumb, in Knutsford, Cheshire.
  
  wn.com/Elizabeth_Gaskell
• Geoff Humpage
  Geoffrey William Humpage (born April 24, 1954, Sparkbrook, Warwickshire) is a former English cricketer who played in 3 ODIs in 1981.
  As of 2009, he still holds the Warwickshire batting record for the fourth wicket - a stand of 470 with Alvin Kallicharran against Lancashire at Southport in 1982, of which Humpage contributed 254. His going on the rebel tour to South Africa in 1981–82 effectively ended his international career after just three ODIs.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Geoff_Humpage
• 
  George Eliot
  Mary Anne (alternatively Mary Ann or Marian) Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880), better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She is the author of seven novels, including Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Middlemarch (1871–72), and Daniel Deronda (1876), most of them set in provincial England and well known for their realism and psychological insight.
  She used a male pen name, she said, to ensure her works would be taken seriously. Female authors were published under their own names during Eliot's life, but she wanted to escape the stereotype of women only writing lighthearted romances. An additional factor in her use of a pen name may have been a desire to shield her private life from public scrutiny and to prevent scandals attending her relationship with the married George Henry Lewes, with whom she lived for over 20 years.
  Her 1872 work, Middlemarch, has been described as the greatest novel in the English language by Martin Amis and by Julian Barnes.
  
  wn.com/George_Eliot
• Mark Pawsey
  Mark Julian Francis Pawsey (born 16 January 1957) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rugby since the 2010 general election.
  His father, Jim Pawsey, was Member of Parliament for Rugby from 1979 to 1983, then for Rugby and Kenilworth from 1983 until he lost the seat in the 1997 General Election to Labour's Andy King.
  Mark Pawsey grew up in Binley Woods and was educated at Lawrence Sheriff School. He later attended Reading University, where he earned a degree in Estate Management. In 1982 he founded a company with his brother supplying products to the catering trade. This company was later bought by a FTSE100 company.
  Mark Pawsey was elected Conservative Councillor for Dunchurch & Knightlow on the Rugby Borough Council in 2002. He served on Planning, Borough Development and Housing Panels and was Portfolio Holder & Cabinet Member for Housing.
  Mark retired from his position as a borough councillor upon selection in January 2007 for the new Rugby Constituency. He was a member of the A-List.
  
  wn.com/Mark_Pawsey
• 
  Mercia
  Mercia ( /ˈmɜrsiə/, /ˈmɜrʃə/) was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands. The name is a Latinisation of the Old English Mierce or Myrce, meaning "border people".
  Mercia's neighbours included Northumbria, Powys and the kingdoms of southern Wales, Wessex, Sussex, Essex and East Anglia.
  The name Mercia is still in use today by a wide range of organisations, including military units, public, commercial and voluntary bodies; and occurs as a female given name.
  Mercia's exact evolution from the Anglo-Saxon invasions is more obscure than that of Northumbria, Kent, or even Wessex. Also, Mercia developed an effective political structure and adopted Christianity later than the other kingdoms. Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by the 6th century. The name Mercia is Old English for "boundary folk" (see Welsh Marches), and the traditional interpretation is that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the native Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders. However, P. Hunter Blair argued an alternative interpretation: that they emerged along the frontier of Northumbria and the inhabitants of the Trent river valley.
  
  wn.com/Mercia
• 
  Michael Drayton
  Michael Drayton (1563 – 23 December 1631) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.
  Drayton was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothing is known about his early life, beyond the fact that in 1580 he was in the service of Thomas Goodere of Collingham, Nottinghamshire. Nineteenth- and twentieth-century scholars, on the basis of scattered allusions in his poems and dedications, suggested that Drayton might have studied at the University of Oxford, and been intimate with the Polesworth branch of the Goodere family. More recent work has cast doubt on those speculations.
  In 1591 he produced his first book, The Harmony of the Church, a volume of spiritual poems, dedicated to Lady Devereux. It is notable for a version of the Song of Solomon, executed with considerable richness of expression. However, with the exception of forty copies, seized by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the whole edition was destroyed by public order. Nevertheless, Drayton published a vast amount within the next few years.
  
  wn.com/Michael_Drayton
• Nadhim Zahawi
  Nadhim Zahawi (Arabic: ناظم الزهاوي‎, Nāḍim az-Zahāwī; born 2 June 1967) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010, after the retirement of previous MP John Maples.
  He is also the co-founder of the international internet-based market research firm YouGov of which he was Chief Executive until February 2010.
  Born in Baghdad, Iraq, to Kurdish parents, Zahawi's family fled Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rise to power.
  Zahawi was educated at Ibstock Place School and at King's College School, at the time a boys-only independent school in Wimbledon in West London, followed by University College London, where he studied Chemical Engineering, receiving a BSc.
  Following a career as European Marketing Director for Smith & Brooks Ltd, Nadhim Zahawi co-founded YouGov with Stephan Shakespeare, a former spokesperson for Jeffrey Archer. Zahawi became YouGov's CEO.
  Zahawi and fellow Kurd Broosk Saibwas were aides to Jeffrey Archer during Archer's "Simple Truth" campaign to help Kurdish victims of the Gulf War. Zahawi and Saibwas were nicknamed "Lemon kurd" and "Bean kurd" by Archer. In 1994 Archer helped campaign for Zahawi for a seat on Wandsworth council. Zahawi also ran Archer's unsuccessful campaign for Mayor of London in 1998.
  
  wn.com/Nadhim_Zahawi
• 
  Philip Larkin
  Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century. His first book of poetry, The North Ship, was published in 1945, followed by two novels, Jill (1946) and A Girl in Winter (1947), but he came to prominence in 1955 with the publication of his second collection of poems, The Less Deceived, followed by The Whitsun Weddings (1964) and High Windows (1974). He contributed to The Daily Telegraph as its jazz critic from 1961 to 1971, articles gathered together in All What Jazz: A Record Diary 1961–71 (1985), and he edited The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse (1973). He was the recipient of many honours, including the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. He was offered, but declined, the position of poet laureate in 1984, following the death of John Betjeman.
  After graduating from Oxford in 1943 with a first in English language and literature, Larkin became a librarian. It was during the thirty years he served as university librarian at the Brynmor Jones Library at the University of Hull that he produced the greater part of his published work. His poems are marked by what Andrew Motion calls a very English, glum accuracy about emotions, places, and relationships, and what Donald Davie described as lowered sights and diminished expectations. Eric Homberger called him "the saddest heart in the post-war supermarket"—Larkin himself said that deprivation for him was what daffodils were for Wordsworth. Influenced by W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, and Thomas Hardy, his poems are highly structured but flexible verse forms. They were described by Jean Hartley, the ex-wife of Larkin's publisher George Hartley (The Marvell Press), as a "piquant mixture of lyricism and discontent", though anthologist Keith Tuma writes that there is more to Larkin's work than its reputation for dour pessimism suggests.
  
  wn.com/Philip_Larkin
• 
  Rupert Brooke
  Rupert Chawner Brooke (middle name sometimes given as "Chaucer") (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915) was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially "The Soldier". He was also known for his boyish good looks, which were said to have prompted the Irish poet W. B. Yeats to describe him as "the handsomest young man in England".
  Brooke was born at 5 Hillmorton Road in Rugby, Warwickshire, the second of the three sons of William Parker Brooke, a Rugby schoolmaster, and Ruth Mary Brooke, née Cotterill. He was educated at two independent schools in the market town of Rugby, Warwickshire; Hillbrow School and Rugby School in England.
  While travelling in Europe he prepared a thesis entitled John Webster and the Elizabethan Drama, which won him a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge, where he became a member of the Cambridge Apostles, helped found the Marlowe Society drama club and acted in plays including the Cambridge Greek Play.
  Brooke made friends among the Bloomsbury group of writers, some of whom admired his talent while others were more impressed by his good looks. Virginia Woolf boasted to Vita Sackville-West of once going skinny-dipping with Brooke in a moonlit pool when they were at Cambridge together.
  
  wn.com/Rupert_Brooke
• W. W. Quatremain
  William Wells Quatremain (22 December 1857 – 3 March 1930) was an English artist who painted many oil and watercolour landscapes of Britain, many of which were also published as postcards.
  Quatremain produced a number of scenes from Warwickshire — like "The Ford, Kenilworth" and "Warwick Castle from the Avon" — and specifically from Stratford-upon-Avon, including "Shakespeare's Birthplace" and "Ann Hathaway's Cottage."
  
  
  
  wn.com/W._W._Quatremain
• 
  William Shakespeare
  William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564; died 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
  Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613 at age 49, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
  
  wn.com/William_Shakespeare