Coordinates: 52°24′32″N 1°38′31″W / 52.409°N 1.642°W / 52.409; -1.642

Berkswell
The approach to St John the Baptist parish church
Berkswell  Berkswell shown within the West Midlands
Population	2,843 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SP246790
Civil parish	Berkswell
Metropolitan borough	Solihull
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
List of places: UK • England • West Midlands

Berkswell (/ˈbɜrkzwəl/) is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England. Historically within Warwickshire, Berkswell is in the east of the borough, on the boundary with Coventry, and is about 7 miles (11 km) west of Coventry city centre.

The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded a parish population of 2,843.^[1]

History and places of interest[link]

The parish includes a number of hamlets as well as Berkswell village. Berkswell railway station serves the village, but is actually closer to Balsall Common than to Berkswell village.

The Church of England parish church of St. John the Baptist is a late-12th century Norman building, notable for its two-part crypt.^[2] The eastern part is a rectangular space of two bays under the chancel.^[2] The western part is an unusual octagonal space under the eastern part of the nave.^[2] Later features of the church include the Perpendicular Gothic windows of the north aisle and the two-storied wooden porch.^[3]

Berkswell's toponym is derived from the Berks Well, a 16 ft (5 m) square, stone-walled water well just outside the churchyard.^[4] It is said to have been used for baptisms by immersion^{[citation needed]} and can still be seen today.

There are several 16th and 17th century houses in the village. The Bear Inn dates from the 16th century. The local history society runs a small museum in a 17th century cottage near the church.

Ram Hall, about 0.5 miles (800 m) southeast of the village, was built about 1600.^[4] The Old Rectory, south of the church, is late 17th century.^[4] The almshouses were built in 1853.^[4]

There is a village green on which are the stocks^[4] that were used for punishing petty offenders. It is claimed that these were especially built for a one-legged ex-soldier and his two drinking companions as there are only five leg holes.^{[citation needed]}

On Windmill Lane is the protected and restored Berkswell Windmill, a fine example of a tower mill with its original machinery.

Other local features include Marsh Lane Nature Reserve. There is a small Church of England primary school near the church on Church Lane.

Notable residents[link]

Notable people from Berkswell include the actor Jeremy Brett, whose roles include Sherlock Holmes in a television drama series, tennis player Maud Watson – the first Ladies Singles Champion in 1884 at The Championships, Wimbledon and Bob Wyatt (R.E.S.), England Cricket Captain for a number of years from 1934. The Beastie Boys stayed in the village for two weeks in 1988, writing the B-side Jubbsy's Treasure. Former county cricketer Dominic Ostler, a key member of Warwickshire's historic treble winning side in 1994, who lives in neighbouring Balsall Common, went on to skipper Berkswell Cricket Club in the Birmingham League, winning the league's Twenty20 Cup competition in 2010.

See also[link]

• Berkswell Hall

References[link]

Sources and further reading[link]

• Pevsner, Nikolaus; Wedgwood, Alexandra (1966). Warwickshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 90–91. 
• Salzman, L.F., ed. (1947). A History of the County of Warwick, Volume 4: Hemlingford Hundred. Victoria County History. pp. 27–34. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42650. 

Gallery[link]

• 

  Berkswell village green

• 

  The well

• 

  St John the Baptist parish church, with its unusual wooden porch

• 

  The crypt of St John the Baptist parish church

• SP A0307.jpg

  War memorial in the grounds of St. John the Baptist parish church

• SP A0315.jpg

  Front view of Berkswell Church of England Primary School

• SP A0317.jpg

  The stocks on the village green

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Berkswell

• panoramic 360 view of Berkswell (Virtual Midlands)
• St John Baptist parish church website - includes information of the village
• local history group website
• Marsh Lane Nature Reserve
• Geograph photos of Berkswell and surrounding area