Clifton-upon-Dunsmore is a village and

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 ...

in the

Rugby borough The Borough of Rugby is a local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, England. The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town. At the 2021 census the bor ...

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 England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on the north-eastern outskirts of

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

, approximately from Rugby town centre. The population of the parish taken at the 2011 census was 1,304, increasing to 2,991 at the 2021 census. Clifton is counted as being part of the Rugby built-up area, but is considered separate from the town. The parish also includes the new development of Houlton to the south of the old village, which may account for the large population increase since 2011.

Location

Clifton bears the distinction of being the most easterly village in

(and of the entire

West Midlands region The West Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, first level of International Territorial Level for Statistics, statistical purposes. It covers the western half of the area known tradit ...

). The village is located on a fairly steep hill, which at its highest point elevates to above sea level. The

Oxford Canal The Oxford Canal is a narrowboat canal in southern central England linking the City of Oxford with the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury (just north of Coventry and south of Bedworth) via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to th ...

runs past at the foot of the hill to the south-west. To the north of the village is the River Avon. Around north-east of Clifton is

Dow Bridge Dow Bridge is a location in the English Midlands where the A5 road (Great Britain), A5 road (the former Roman road, Roman Watling Street) crosses the River Avon (Warwickshire), River Avon. It is the point where the three counties of Warwickshir ...

, where the

A5 road A5 Road may refer to: ;Africa * A5 highway (Nigeria), a road connecting Lagos and Ibadan * A5 road (Zimbabwe), a road connecting Harare and Bulawayo ;Americas * Quebec Autoroute 5, a road in Quebec, Canada * County Route A5 (California) or Bowm ...

(

Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England, running from Dover and London in the southeast, via St Albans to Wroxeter. The road crosses the River Thames at London and was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the M ...

) crosses the River Avon, and the counties of Warwickshire,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

and

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

meet, forming a

tripoint A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...

History

The area around Clifton was settled during

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

times; around one and a half miles north of Clifton is the former Roman town of

Tripontium Tripontium (Latin for "Place of three bridges") was a town in Roman Britain. It lay on the Roman road later called Watling Street (and known today as the A5) at a site now chiefly within the civil parish of Churchover in the English county of ...

. The area around Clifton has been suggested as a possible location of the

Defeat of Boudica The Boudican revolt was an armed uprising by native Celtic Britons against the Roman Empire during the Roman conquest of Britain. It took place circa AD 60–61 in the Roman province of Britain, and it was led by Boudica, the Queen of the Icen ...

. The name of the village likely derives from 'Cliffe' in

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

signifying rocky ground, and 'Dunsmore' on top of a hill. During the time of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

Clifton was in the hands of

Alwyn Alwyn is a name, primarily used as a given name. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Alwyn Bramley-Moore (1878–1916), Canadian politician and soldier from Alberta * Alwyn Cashe (1970–2005), Medal of Honor recipient * Alwyn Dav ...

, the

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

who gave his land at Clifton to Coventry Priory; monks from which were likely responsible for building a church here dedicated to

St. 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 ...

, which at the time of 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 ...

was the mother church to the then smaller settlement of

. That church no longer exists, though the present one (of the same name) dates back to the 13th century, with later additions, including the current

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 ...

which was added in the 16th century replacing a

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

which had collapsed in a storm. The church is now

grade II* listed 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, H ...

. The ancient

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 ...

of Clifton included the nearby settlements of

Brownsover Brownsover is a residential and commercial area of Rugby, Warwickshire in England, about miles north of the town centre. The area is named after the original hamlet of Brownsover. Since 1960, the area has been subsumed by the expansion of Rugb ...

and

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

; the former is now part of

, and the latter is now a separate

. To the south-east of the village and within the parish was the former

Rugby Radio Station __NOTOC__ Rugby Radio Station was a large British government radio transmission facility just east of the Hillmorton area of the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. The site straddled the A5 trunk road, with most of it in Warwickshire, and ...

, which operated between 1926 and 2007, and is now a large housing development called Houlton. The village was once served by

Clifton Mill railway station Clifton Mill railway station was a railway station serving Clifton-upon-Dunsmore in the English county of Warwickshire. It was opened on the Rugby and Stamford Railway in 1864. History Parliamentary approval was gained in 1846 to the director ...

on the former

Rugby and Stamford Railway The Rugby and Stamford Railway was an early railway in England built in 1850. The London and Birmingham Railway had already built a branch from Blisworth to serve Northampton and extend to Peterborough. The success of this, the Northampton and P ...

. The station opened in 1864, and was closed in 1953, and the line in 1966. At the village was once Rugby

Racecourse A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

, which was used for

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

from 1862 until 1936. The

National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup The National Hunt Challenge Cup is a National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of abo ...

, now part of the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Race ...

, was held here in 1862.Stevens, Peter, History of the National Hunt Chase 1860-2010, pp. 15–16. Robert Graham Clifton Plaque

In 2000, for the

new millennium In contemporary history, the third millennium is the current millennium in the ''Anno Domini'' or Common Era, under the Gregorian calendar. It began on 1 January 2001 ( MMI) and will end on 31 December 3000 ( MMM), spanning the 21st to 30th ...

, a plaque was created to be placed in Clifton on the corner of North Road and Main Street. A teacher from the local school was tasked to design the plaque. It was crafted by an apprentice

sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Thicknesses can vary significantly; extremely thin sheets are considered foil (metal), foil or Metal leaf, leaf, and pieces thicker than 6 mm (0.25 ...

worker at PAB

, Robert Graham. The plaque was unveiled in mid 2000.

Commerce

In the centre of the village are small shops,

St Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. ...

's Church (whose registers for which date back to 1594), and the Bull

Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

, which was originally a farmhouse, and according to a plaque on the entrance it was built in 1598 and became a public house in 1825. There were rooms for travellers and stables for their horses, some evidence of which still survives. There was formerly a second public house, the Red Lion, which was converted to cottages and the Townsend

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

in the late 19th century. Part of the North

also travels within the boundaries of the village, the

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

opened in 1790 but during the 1800s they cut 14 miles off its length straightening it to what is now the most navigated part of the canal system in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Part of the old route subsequently fell into decay, until it was reopened in 2016/2017 by Clifton

Wharf A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

where there is a hire fleet based. Clifton Cruisers has been operating from the site at Clifton Wharf since the early 1970s and now has a

cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargil ...

& bar, The Canal Lounge at Bridge 66. In Houlton ''The Barn'' is a

community centre A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

village hall A village hall is a public building in a rural or suburban community which functions as a community centre without a religious affiliation. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is a building which is owned by a local gover ...

which holds communal classes and clubs and can be hired for parties or events. ''The Tuning Fork'' is a

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

which is open to the public.The Tuning Fork website
/ref>

Education

The village has a primary school, Clifton-upon-Dunsmore

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

which has been in continuous use since 1850. Houlton has a primary school named St Gabriel's. Secondary-age pupils attend schools in

Houlton School Houlton School is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in Houlton, Warwickshire, Houlton, Warwickshire, England. The school's buildings have been developed on the historic site of the Rugby Radio Station. Designed to serve ...

which opened in 2021.

Notable people

Thomas Carte Thomas or John Carte (1686–1754) was an English historian with Jacobite sympathies, who served as a Church of England clergyman. Life Carte was born in 1686 near Clifton upon Dunsmore (itself near Rugby), the eldest son of the antiquari ...

(1686–1754) English historian *

Richard Lindon Richard Lindon (30 June 1816 – 10 June 1887) was an English leatherworker who was instrumental in the development of the modern-day rugby ball by advancing the craft for ball, rubber bladder, and air pump. Life and career Lindon was born at ...

(1816–1887) Leatherworker, helped develop the modern-day rugby ball.

References

External links

Clifton upon Dunsmore Parish Website
a portal of information and events in the village
Clifton upon Dunsmore Local History Group
A more detailed history of the village
Our Warwickshire page about Clifton-upon-Dunsmore
includes articles and old photographs {{authority control Villages in Warwickshire Civil parishes in Warwickshire Borough of Rugby