Exhall is a

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separa ...

settlement and former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

, now in the

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 ...

Bedworth Bedworth ( or locally ) is a market town and unparished area 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, a ...

, in the

Nuneaton and Bedworth Nuneaton and Bedworth is a local government district with borough status, in northern Warwickshire, England, consisting of the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth, the large village of Bulkington and the green belt land inbetween. It had a populat ...

district of

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

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

History

Historically, the parish of Exhall (which extends from Black Bank in Bedworth to the north of

Holbrooks Holbrooks is a residential area of Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Most of the length of the four brooks which pass through the area are covered or culverted, one culvert is adjacent to the recently built housing on Wa ...

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed ...

) had no clear centre, instead being composed of a number of hamlets, such as Black Bank, Hayes Green, Exhall Hall Green, Wagon Overthrow, Little Bayton, Ash Green, Neal's Green and Newland. Although Exhall is not mentioned specifically 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 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

, it would have probably formed part of lands owned by

Lady Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly re ...

in Ansty and

Foleshill Foleshill is a suburb in the north of Coventry in the West Midlands of England. Longford, Courthouse Green and Rowley Green are to its north and Keresley is to its west. The population of the Ward at the 2011 census was 19,943. History Fo ...

. In any case, the parish was probably inhabited from at least the 13th century, as the

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-typ ...

and

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

St Giles Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...

's church appear to date from this period, with the

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

added in the 14th century. Although the area remained largely rural until recent times,

coal mines Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

were attested from the early 17th century onwards. During the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, activities such as coal-mining and brick-making were further developed, leading to an increase in the population of the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

, and consequently the construction of many small houses for workers. These were mainly located along what is now Black Bank/

Road Exhall, in Ash Green and in Goodyers End in Bedworth (part of which is included in the parish of Exhall). In 1868, the main industry in the parish – in common with towns such as Nuneaton and Coventry – 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 mater ...

-making. Saunders Manor was located on the outskirts of Exhall (on the site near Springfield Crescent) before being demolished. From the 1930s onwards, Exhall became more residential in character, with the construction of numerous

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States a ...

s, both social (e.g. the Armson Road/Grant Road estate at Hayes Green) and private (e.g. the Cedars Estate). Today the eastern area of Exhall is dominated by the large Bayton Road Industrial Estate which harbours around 200 businesses. On 19 February 1949 two aircraft collided at 4,500 ft near Exhall. The wreckage fell near an old people's home, the Exhall Lodge Hospital. There were no survivors. In the 1960s, a large

industrial estate An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...

was created in the east of Exhall, bordering the Coventry-Nuneaton line, at Bayton Road. Other industrial areas were subsequently developed at Black Horse Road and Grovelands (off Longford Road). Today, the name Exhall applies principally to the area immediately south of

(centred on Black Bank and

Road Exhall), with Ash Green retaining a somewhat separate identity – a fact accentuated by the construction of the Bedworth Bypass ( A444) in 1970 and the final section of the

M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...

in 1971. Even today, Ash Green remains more rural than Exhall, with a number of farms still in operation (e.g. Exhall House Farm, Grange Farm, Newland Hall Farm, Barker's Farm).

Governance

From 1451 to 1842, Exhall was a

in the Liberty of Coventry, which was geographically in the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

of Knightlow in the county of

, but administratively separate. Following the abolition of the Liberty of

, the city boundary was revised, with Exhall excluded. With the passing of the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level u ...

, which established urban and rural districts in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, Exhall formed part of the

Foleshill Rural District The Foleshill Rural District was a former rural district in Warwickshire, England. The district covered the rural areas surrounding the village of Foleshill, which is now a suburb of Coventry. The district was created in 1894 under the Local Go ...

, up until the creation of the

urban district in 1928, to which it was transferred. In 1931 the parish had a population of 4,426. On 1 April 1932 the parish was abolished and merged with Bedworth and Coventry. Following

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-lo ...

reorganisation in 1974, Bedworth urban district was merged with Nuneaton municipal

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle ...

to form the new borough of Nuneaton (renamed

Nuneaton & Bedworth Nuneaton and Bedworth is a local government district with borough status, in northern Warwickshire, England, consisting of the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth, the large village of Bulkington and the green belt land inbetween. It had a populatio ...

in 1980). For electoral purposes, Exhall is split (at both borough and county level) along Black Bank/Coventry Road Exhall/Longford Road. At

level, western Exhall is covered by Exhall

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 priso ...

(together with Ash Green and

Keresley End Keresley End is a village in the Nuneaton & Bedworth District of Warwickshire, England, also known as Keresley Village or Keresley Newlands. Population details can be found under Exhall. It is situated approximately 1.5 km north of Keresley, a su ...

), while western Exhall is covered by Poplar ward (together with Coalpit Field and the southern part of Furnace Fields). Each ward is represented by two borough

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s, who are elected for a four-year term by halves. At county level, western Exhall is covered by the Bede division (which also includes the area covered by the borough ward called Bede), while eastern Exhall is covered by the Poplar division (which is identical to the borough ward of the same name). Ash Green and Keresley End, however, are included in the

West division, along with part of Bedworth Heath and Goodyers End. Each division elects one county councillor for a four-year term.

Geography

Exhall is an area 1.5 miles (2.5 km) south of

town centre, north-northeast of

and south of Nuneaton. Though contiguous with the Bedworth

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

(and effectively a southern suburb of the town), its post town remains Coventry, given the CV6 and CV7 postcodes. Road signage indicating Exhall is scarce and is only found in and around southern Bedworth. The population of the

taken at the 2011 census was 8,006. It is bounded by a disused mineral railway (that used to serve Newdigate

Colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron fro ...

) to the north, the Coventry-Nuneaton Line to the east, Pickards Way (B4113 spur) and the

to the south, and Church Lane/

Bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thoug ...

Green Lane and the

River Sowe The River Sowe is a river in Warwickshire and West Midlands, England. It is a tributary of the River Avon, and flows into it just south of Stoneleigh about 5 miles (8 km) south of Coventry. It is about long. The Sowe rises in Bedwort ...

to the west. The area makes up the eastern part of the ecclesiastical

of Exhall

.See the "Find Us" tab on th
parish page for Exhall St Giles
on the Church of England's "A Church Near You" website However, the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activitie ...

of St Giles is located on the northeastern edge of nearby Ash Green (which forms the western part of the parish). The River Sowe and the

Coventry Canal The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England. It starts in Coventry and ends to the north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It also has connections with th ...

are the principal waterways in the area.

Amenities

Exhall has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

and a number of small shops and

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, mainly on Black Bank/

Road Exhall, with some local shops on Trelawney Road and Exhall Green/

Windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in so ...

Road.

Rugby

Football Club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...

has its ground at

Rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically o ...

Fields (between Rectory Drive and Smarts Road), and there is a large

playing field Play is a range of Motivation#Incentive theories: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but m ...

at Heckley Fields (between Heckley Road and Windmill Road).

Education

Educational establishments at Exhall are: * Exhall Cedars

Infant School An infant school is a term used primarily in England and Wales, for the education of children between the ages of four and seven years. It is usually a small school serving a particular area. It is sometimes a department in a larger primary schoo ...

& Nursery, a state school for pupils aged 2 to 7, in Trenance Road *

Junior School A Junior school is a type of school which provides primary education to children, often in the age range from 8 and 13, following attendance at Infant school which covers the age range 5–7. (As both Infant and Junior schools are giving Primary ...

, a state school for pupils aged 7 to 11, in Hayes Lane * The Grove

Nursery School A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary schoo ...

, a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * Private (Ryōko Hirosue song), "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private ...

for children aged from 2 months to 5 years * Wheelwright Lane

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

, a state primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11, in Wheelwright Lane Before the reorganisation of schools in northern

in 1996, there was another school in the area, Exhall

First School Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types as they progress through the education system. Terminology In a three-tier local educa ...

(on the corner of School Lane and Exhall Green). This school merged with Cedars First School to form Exhall Cedars

(on the Cedars site), and the old Exhall First School building is now a

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

. The secondary school for the area is

Ash Green School Ash Green School is a coeducational secondary school and Sixth Form with an academy status located in the city of Coventry. It teaches approximately 1,100 boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18 and manages to be one of the largest school ...

, In July 2012, the school was formally recognised as a provider for Post 16 education. The

Sixth Form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

Centre opened in September, 2012 and accommodates students studying AS,

A Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

courses and

BTEC BTEC may refer to: * Begumgonj Textile Engineering College, a college in Bangladesh * Biomass Thermal Energy Council, a US advocacy organization * Business and Technology Education Council, a British body, now part of Edexcel, which awards vocationa ...

courses.

Exhall Grange School Exhall Grange School is a special school located in Ash Green just outside Coventry in Warwickshire, England. The school meets the needs of children and young people age from 2 to 19 years with physical disability, visual impairment, complex me ...

, a school for students who are

visually impaired Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

and have other disabilities, can be found in the area. The school achieved

Specialist Science College Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics. Schools that suc ...

status in 2003.

References

{{authority control Populated places in Warwickshire Former civil parishes in Warwickshire Bedworth