Bulkington is a large village and former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

near

Bedworth Bedworth ( or locally ) is a market town in the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwickshire, England.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : It is situated between Coventry, 6 miles (9.5 km) to the south, and Nuneaton, to th ...

, in the

Nuneaton and Bedworth Nuneaton and Bedworth is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Warwickshire, England. It includes the towns of Nuneaton (where the council is based) and Bedworth, as we ...

district of

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, England.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : In the 2011 census the

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

had a population of 6,146 decreasing slightly to 6,080 at the 2021 census. It is located around northeast of

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, just south of the town of

Nuneaton Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire to the north-east.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...

, east of

and southwest of

Hinckley Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England, administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughborough, and is about halfway between L ...

. Despite historically having stronger links with Bedworth, Bulkington forms part of the Nuneaton Urban Area. Bulkington was mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

as ''Bochintone'', meaning "estate associated with a man called Bulca".Mills, A. D. (2004) "A Dictionary of British Place-Names", Oxford: OUP The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

originally contained seven

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

, two of which were subsumed by Bulkington village following residential building expansion which began in the 1930s.Bulkington Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Proposals November 2008 (2008) pp. 4,
Bulkington Conservation Area
Historically the main industry in Bulkington was

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mate ...

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

.Salzman, L. F. (ed) (1951) 'Parishes: Bulkington', A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 6: Knightlow hundred, pp. 48–57
Available Here
/ref> Today Bulkington is largely a

commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...

village for larger nearby urban centres such as

and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. Bulkington has connections with the locally born author

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...

(Mary Ann Evans), who knew the village well. She is thought to have referred to it as ''Raveloe'' in her book ''

Silas Marner ''Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe'' is the third novel by English author George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It was published on 2 April 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, the novel is notable for its strong realism a ...

'' (1861). The church of St James is where George Eliot's uncle and aunt are buried.

History

Medieval

The early history of Bulkington can be traced in the

of 1086, where it is mentioned as among the estates of the Count of Meulan, overseen by his sub-tenant Salo. Originally the

of Bulkington consisted of two five- hide

vill Vill is a term used in English, Welsh and Irish history to describe a basic rural land unit, roughly comparable to that of a parish, manor, village or tithing. Medieval developments The vill was the smallest territorial and administrative unit� ...

s - in the south Bulkington and

Barnacle Barnacles are arthropods of the subclass (taxonomy), subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacean, Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar Nauplius (larva), nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebra ...

, and in the North Marston, Weston and

Bramcote Bramcote (, ) is a suburban village and former civil parish in the Borough of Broxtowe, Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England, between Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, Stapleford and Beeston, Nottinghamshire, Beeston. It is in the parliame ...

. The first four of these were all held by the Count of Meulan. Bulkington was the largest of these sub-divisions (at 4 hides and 1

virgate The virgate, yardland, or yard of land ( was an English unit of land. Primarily a measure of tax assessment rather than area, the virgate was usually (but not always) reckoned as hide and notionally (but seldom exactly) equal to 30 acr ...

) and functioned as the centre of the manor; however, by the late 13th century the centre of the manor had moved to Weston-in-Arden. By 1285 the manor of Weston contained Bulkington, Bramcote, Barnacle, Ryton, Clifton, and Wibtoft. The

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

Weston Hall, which dates to the 16th century, still stands in Weston-in Arden. It was substantially renovated in 1892, and after serving for a time as a

night club A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

in the 1970s and 1980s, it now functions as a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

Early modern

Throughout the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

period and until the late 18th century, the principal employment in Bulkington had been agriculture:Bulkington Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Proposals November 2008 (2008) p.
Bulkington Conservation Area
of meadow land were recorded in 1086; further,

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

s are recorded for Weston and Marston Jabbett, and a

water mill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production ...

. However, in 1766 of

common land Common land is collective land (sometimes only open to those whose nation governs the land) in which all persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...

were enclosed at Ryton, and 4 years later

enclosure Enclosure or inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land", enclosing it, and by doing so depriving commoners of their traditional rights of access and usage. Agreements to enc ...

was applied to the remainder of land in Bulkington, totalling . Because of this, ribbon weaving supplemented or replaced agriculture as the main source of income for the majority of Bulkington's population. This

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...

had spread to Bulkington from the major centres of

and

, where it had been introduced by the

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

in the 18th century.Bedworth Society Webpage: About Bedworth
The late 18th century and early 19th century was a period of significant growth for the village, with its population almost tripling in size. The 1830s saw a slump in the industry, due in part to the introduction of factory production at

, and competition from cheap imports. However, the 1840s brought another period of growth when many buildings were re-fronted or rebuilt in chequered brick work (characteristic of North Warwickshire buildings of the period). The industry collapsed in the 1860s "when the Cobden treaty with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

removed the duty on French silks entering England". This was accompanied by a depression in agriculture and led to a fall in the population by almost a third by 1891.Bulkington Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Proposals November 2008 (2008) p.
Bulkington Conservation Area
The Bulkington Baptismal register, 1841–1861, records that: 'On Thursday, 15 August 1861, six families comprising 27 members left for

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, in consequence of the continued depression of the

Ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mate ...

trade… . At the same time 83 houses were vacant in the

. Robert Potter,

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

'. Nonetheless, ribbon production continued in Bulkington into the middle of the 20th century, through small factory production rather than as a

. The last factory, in Arden Road, closed in the early 1950s. In 1847 the Trent Valley Line was built near the village, and Bulkington railway station was opened. The station was closed in 1931.

Recent developments

Speculative private housing development began in the 1930s and by the 1960s surrounded the village with expansive suburban areas. In addition to the greenfield development of the 1960s, much of the village itself was redeveloped. This involved the creation of a shopping precinct in Leicester Street, which was the traditional heart of the village. Additionally, many of the chequered-pattern brick buildings were replaced by typical 1960s suburban houses.Bulkington Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Proposals November 2008 (2008) p.
Bulkington Conservation Area
In 1968 a new east-west distributor road linking School Road and Bedworth Road replaced an ancient footpath. This development divorced the Church from Church Street; further road developments led to the demolition of many of the buildings in the historic precinct, and by the 1980s only Church Street retained any historic continuity. The remaining historic buildings were threatened with demolition which led directly to the creation of the Bulkington

Conservation Area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

in 1985, which covers Church Street and the area surrounding St James' Parish Church. In November 2008 the Barbridge Close area, north of St James' Church, was excluded from the conservation area. St. James' is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

listed building, along with two 19th-century chest tombs in the grounds. Numbers 3 and 4 Church Street, and the wrought iron railings on St James' are also afforded listed status.

Governance

Political representation

Bulkington is a

of the

local government district Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

which, like the other wards in the district, is represented by 2 councillors. Bulkington is represented by Richard Smith ( Conservative Party) & Lubs Cvetkovic ( Conservative Party). The Nuneaton and Bedworth district is a subdivision of the Warwickshire County Council, which is currently Conservative controlled. Bulkington elects a councillor to the county council along with part of Whitestone ward. They are currently represented by Jeff Morgan (Conservative). Bulkington was part of the Nuneaton constituency in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. However, following the changes to the Warwickshire parliamentary constituency boundaries which came into effect on 13 June 2007, and used for the first time at the 2010 general election, Bulkington was transferred into the Rugby constituency.

Civic history

In July 1850, Bulkington

Local Board of Health A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulat ...

was formed under the Public Health Act 1848, and in 1894 this was converted into an urban district council. From 1894 to 1932 Bulkington functioned as an independent urban district; however, the village lost its independence in 1932 under the Warwickshire Review Order, when it became part of the Rugby Rural District. Six years later, in 1938, it became part of Bedworth Urban District, which had been established in 1928.Bedworth Society Webpage: Timeline
From 1938 Bulkington was therefore treated as part of Bedworth for administrative purposes. An administrative oversight at the time of the 1938 order merging Bulkington into Bedworth Urban District meant that the

of Bulkington nominally continued to exist as an urban parish until 1954, but did not have a parish council of its own, being administered by Bedworth Urban District Council. The two civil parishes of Bedworth and Bulkington merged in 1954 to create a single parish called Bedworth covering the whole area of Bedworth Urban District. In 1951 the parish had a population of 3240. In 1974 the Bedworth Urban District became part of the

district, which was created by the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

. No

successor parish Successor parishes are Civil parishes in England, civil parishes with a parish councils in England, parish council, created in England in 1974. They replaced, with the same boundaries, a selected group of Urban district (England and Wales), urban d ...

was created for Bedworth, and so it became an

unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...

Religion and church history

The 2001 Census records Bulkington's population as being predominantly

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, with 84.7% of residents naming Christianity as their religion. 8.4% stated No Religion, 0.8% Other and 6.0% did not disclose. The village is served by four churches: the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

St James' Parish Church, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Church, Ryton

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Church, and Bulkington

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

Church.

Parish Church of St James

St James' is the oldest church in Bulkington, dating to the 12th century. The church was given to the Abbey of Leicester after its foundation in 1143. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries the church came into the Crown's hands until 1554, when it was passed on and sold numerous times before returning to the Crown's possession by 1662. It has remained in the possession of the Crown since. Records for baptisms and

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

s begin in 1606 and for marriages in 1683. The church had chapels in Weston, Ryton, Marston,

Shilton Shilton may refer to: Places *Shilton, Oxfordshire, England *Shilton, Warwickshire, England **Shilton railway station, a former station Other

*Shilton (surname) *Earl Shilton, a town in Leicestershire, England *Chilton (disambiguation) *Shelt ...

and Ansty; the latter two were transferred from the Abbey of Leicester to Coventry Priory, and subsequently became independent

es. The

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

, "was acquired in 1587 by

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

, as part of the endowment of the

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

s which he founded at

Oakham Oakham is a market town and civil parish in Rutland (of which it is the county town) in the East Midlands of England. The town is located east of Leicester, southeast of Nottingham and northwest of Peterborough. It had a population of 12,14 ...

and

Uppingham Uppingham is a market town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, south of Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. ...

". The Old

Vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or Minister (Christianity), ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of n ...

, a Victorian Tudor- Gothic building lies to the north-east of the church;Bulkington Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Proposals November 2008 (2008) p.13,1
Bulkington Conservation Area
a modern, suburban style vicarage lies closer to the church.Bulkington Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Proposals November 2008 (2008) p.10,1
Bulkington Conservation Area
The church today "consists of a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

with a

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

on the north; a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, with a clearstory to the south only; north and south

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s; south porch; and a western

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

". It displays a series of architectural developments from the 13th century through to the 20th, though the earliest material in the church dates from the 12th century, represented by a single

voussoir A voussoir ( UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.“Voussoir, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7553486115. Acces ...

and

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

capital found in 1907 and built into the south porch. The tower was built in the mid-15th century and restored in 1907. The church has eight bells, the earliest of which belongs to the 16th century; these can be heard on Sundays, and during the week when the bell ringers practice.

Bulkington Congregational Church

Little is known of the history of this church, as its records were recently destroyed in a fire. However, a plaque on the front

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

of the building records that it was built in 1811 and restored in 1883,Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Records
/ref> making it the second oldest church building in the village. Further, the records for births and

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

s from 1812 to 1836 are available in the

County archive.Warwickshire County Archive
/ref> The church is a rectangular, two-storey brick building with a

balcony A balcony (from , "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. They are commonly found on multi-level houses, apartme ...

. A later, single storey extension from the south of the building serves as the

church hall A church hall or parish hall is a room or building associated with a church, generally for community and charitable use. In smaller and village communities, it is often a separate building near the church, while on more restricted urban sites ...

. The church

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

is situated to the south of the church. It lay unoccupied for some time but has since been renovated and is now occupied by the new

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

and his wife who moved to the area in the summer of 2008.Hakesford, S. (5 June 2008) "New Pastor at Bulkington Congregational Church" ''Nuneaton Tribune'': Available at http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/

Ryton Methodist Church

There were originally two

churches in the parish of Bulkington: Bulkington Methodist and Ryton Methodist. Ryton Methodist Church was initially situated in Long Street but moved to Rugby Road in 1911. A gazetteer from 1848 reports that there was a place of worship for Wesleyans in the parish, making the Methodist church (though not church building) the third oldest church in the village. Bulkington Methodist closed after 110 years on 12 October 1960 when the building had become unsafe; its congregation joined Ryton Methodist Church.Old Bulkington Website: Churches
/ref>

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church

The presence of the (post-

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

)

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in Bulkington begins in 1842 when Richard Brome de Bary, owner of Weston Hall, converted to Catholicism. He established a mission at his home, dedicated to Our Lady of Bethlehem. As well as Bulkington, the church also serves the nearby village of Wolvey. The parish belongs to the

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

of Birmingham.Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church website
About our Parish The church is a brick building in Gothic style and was built in 1869; it holds 150 people. Recent architectural additions include the extension of the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

, the building of a parish hall, and the erection of a grotto to the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. The church has held a bi-annual flower festival since 1990.

Education

Bulkington has two schools: St James'

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

Academy and Arden, Warwickshire, Arden Forest Infant School, with a combined total of approximately 420 pupils. What is now St James' Church of England Junior School was built in 1959 as a 2-Form (education), form entry school. In 1973, following the North

primary school reorganisation plan, it became a Middle School and it was at this time that the school's name was changed to St James' Church of England Middle School. In 1996, the school was redesignated a junior school, returning it to its original status.St James' CE Junior School Website: School History
Arden Forest Infant School was founded in 1996 due to the Warwickshire reorganisation of schools and the subsequent amalgamation of Bulkington First School and Weston-in-Arden First School.Arden Forest Infant School Website: About our School

Demography

At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 census, the Bulkington

, which includes Bulkington, Weston-in-Arden, Ryton, Marston Jabbett,

(west), had a total population of 6,303. There were 3,214 females (51.0%) and 3,089 males (49.0%). The largest age groups in the ward were: 45–59 (1,526, 24.2%); 30–44 (1,104, 17.5%); and 65–74 (873, 13.9%). The vast majority of residents are white: 6,236 (98.9%). The largest ethnic minority was Asian: 38 (0.60%).

Notes

References

Sources

*Allen, G. (2000) Warwickshire Towns & Villages, Sigma Leisure *'Wyman, P. (1981) Bulkington Through the Ages

External links

Bulkington Congregational ChurchOur Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic ChurchSt James' Parish ChurchArden Forest Infant SchoolSt James' Junior School
{{authority control Villages in Warwickshire Former civil parishes in Warwickshire Bedworth