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Tanworth-in-Arden (; often abbreviated to Tanworth) 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 county 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. It is south-southeast of
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, north-east of
Redditch Redditch is a town and non-metropolitan district with borough status in Worcestershire, England. It is located south of Birmingham, east of Bromsgrove, north-west of Alcester and north-east of Worcester. In 2021, the town had a population of ...
and 8 miles (13 km) south-southwest of
Solihull Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...
and is administered by Stratford-on-Avon District Council. Situated in the far west of the county and close to the
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
border, the civil parish is larger than the village, and includes Tanworth-in-Arden itself plus the nearby settlements of
Earlswood Earlswood is a suburb of Redhill, Surrey, Redhill in Surrey, England, which lies on the A23 road, A23 between Redhill (in the direction of London) and Horley (next to Gatwick Airport). Earlswood Common is a local nature reserve that separates ...
, Wood End, Forshaw Heath, Aspley Heath and Danzey Green. The population of the parish was 3,228 at the 2021 UK census.


History

The village is of
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
origin, with the name derived from ''Tanewotha''; meaning the
thane Thane (; previously known as Thana, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city located on the northwestern side of the list of Indian states, state of Maharashtra in India and on ...
's 'worth' or estate. In the 19th century, the suffix 'in-Arden' was added to the name, in order to avoid confusion with the town of Tamworth in
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
, it refers to the
Forest of Arden The Forest of Arden is a territory and cultural reference point in the English West Midlands, that in antiquity and into the Early Modern Period covered much of that district: 'This great forest once extended across a wide band of Middle Engl ...
in which the village lay. 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 ...
was at one time very extensive, covering land that now includes Hockley Heath,
Earlswood Earlswood is a suburb of Redhill, Surrey, Redhill in Surrey, England, which lies on the A23 road, A23 between Redhill (in the direction of London) and Horley (next to Gatwick Airport). Earlswood Common is a local nature reserve that separates ...
and beyond. In the 14th century, the important families of the area were the Archers of Umberslade Hall, the de Sydenhale family of Ernolds Place and Sydenhall Farm in Illshaw Heath, and the de Fulwoods of Clay Hall. Throughout most of its modern history Tanworth-in-Arden was part of the "union of
Solihull Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...
". In 1878 Tanworth-in-Arden lost a sizeable piece of its
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 ...
territory when Hockley Heath broke off to form a new parish with the
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
of Nuthurst (formerly of Hampton-in-Arden parish). In 1894 Tanworth-in-Arden was included in the Solihull Rural District, before eventually being redesignated under the
Stratford-on-Avon District Stratford-on-Avon is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Warwickshire, England. The district is named after its largest town of Stratford-upon-Avon, but with a change of preposition; the town uses "upon" and the district ...
later in the 20th century. Solihull remains the village's
post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...
. The village was a filming location for the fictional village of Kings Oak from the British television series '' Crossroads'' until 1988. On 29 November 1967 the parish was renamed from "Tanworth" to "Tanworth-in-Arden".


Notable landmarks

Notable historical buildings still standing in the village include The Bell Inn
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 ...
and the 14th-century Church of St Mary Magdalene. The boxer "Gentleman" Jack Hood was the licensee of The Bell for 36 years, displaying above the bar the Lonsdale belt that he won on 31 May 1926. (The belt was sold by his daughters in 2011.) Tanworth was the childhood home of folk musician
Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. An accomplished acoustic guitarist, Drake signed to Island Records at the age of twenty while still a student at the University of Cambridg ...
and his sister, the actress Gabrielle Drake. His grave lies in 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 ...
churchyard In Christian countries, a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church (building), church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster S ...
. Since his death in 1974, Nick Drake has achieved cult status, and the village churchyard has become a place of pilgrimage for his fans. In recent years, an annual gathering of his fans has been held in the village. The grave of nine-times world
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
champion
Mike Hailwood Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One between and . Nicknamed "the Bike", Hailwood was ...
MBE, GM, and his daughter Michelle, who were both killed in a car accident at Portway in 1981, are also to be found here. An annual memorial motorcycle run was held every March from the former Norton motorcycle factory to Tanworth, although this was stopped after the 2011 event. The parish includes Umberslade Hall, on the border with
Nuthurst Nuthurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham (district), Horsham district of West Sussex, England. The north of the parish borders Horsham town, with Nuthurst village south from the border. Within the parish is the estate and largely ...
, which dates from around 1695, and for six hundred years the home of the Archer family and later the industrialist George Frederic Muntz.


Transport links

The village lies close to the ex-
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
line from to but has never had a station of its own: rather it lies midway between two others - Wood End to the north and Danzey to the south, both about distant, though the latter was once known as ''Danzey for Tanworth''."Danzey (DZY)"
, National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 20 October 2019


Historic estates

Historic estates within the parish of Tanworth include: * Ladbrooke


References


External links


Tanworth-in-Arden Parish Council, Tanworth-in-Arden & EarlswoodTanworth-in-Arden archives
- Our Warwickshire
Annual Mike Hailwood Memorial Run to Tanworth1st Tanworth in Arden Scout Group
{{authority control Villages in Warwickshire Civil parishes in Warwickshire Stratford-on-Avon District