Clifton-upon-Dunsmore
Encyclopedia
Clifton-upon-Dunsmore is a village
and civil parish
in the Rugby borough
of Warwickshire
in England
.
). It is located roughly a mile east of Rugby
, and is effectively a suburb of the town, although separated by a narrow gap. Clifton once had a railway station on the former Rugby to Market Harborough
railway line, which opened in 1864. The station was closed in 1953, and the line in 1966.
The village is located upon a hill, and the Oxford Canal
runs past at the foot of the hill. To the north of the village is the River Avon
. One mile east of Clifton is Dow Bridge - the point at which the A5 road (Watling Street
) crosses over the River Avon, and the counties of Warwickshire, Northamptonshire
and Leicestershire
meet.
. Clifton is recorded in the Domesday Book
as possessing a church dedicated to St. Mary. That church no longer exists, though the present one (of the same name) dates back to the 13th century.
The village was once home to Rugby Racecourse, which is still used annually for point-to-point
races. The National Hunt Cup, now part of the Cheltenham Festival
, was held nearby in 1862
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Rugby borough
Rugby (borough)
Rugby is a local government district with borough status in eastern Warwickshire, England.The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town....
of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Location
Clifton bears the distinction of being the most easterly village in Warwickshire (and of the entire West Midlands regionWest Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
). It is located roughly a mile east of Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
, and is effectively a suburb of the town, although separated by a narrow gap. Clifton once had a railway station on the former Rugby to Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
railway line, which opened in 1864. The station was closed in 1953, and the line in 1966.
The village is located upon a hill, and the Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
runs past at the foot of the hill. To the north of the village is the River Avon
River Avon, Warwickshire
The River Avon or Avon is a river in or adjoining the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire in the Midlands of England...
. One mile east of Clifton is Dow Bridge - the point at which the A5 road (Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
) crosses over the River Avon, and the counties of Warwickshire, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
meet.
History
The village has its origins in pre-Roman times as an agricultural settlement. Roman remains have been found in the parish, unsurprising given its proximity to TripontiumTripontium
Tripontium was a town in Roman Britain. It lay on the Roman road later called Watling Street at a site now chiefly within the civil parish of Newton and Biggin in the English county of Warwickshire and partly in Leicestershire, some 3.4 miles north-east of Rugby and 3.1 miles south of...
. Clifton is recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as possessing a church dedicated to St. Mary. That church no longer exists, though the present one (of the same name) dates back to the 13th century.
The village was once home to Rugby Racecourse, which is still used annually for point-to-point
Point-to-point
Point-to-point or point to point may refer to:Computing* Point-to-point construction, an electronics assembly technique* Point-to-point * Point-to-Point Protocol , part of the Internet protocol suite...
races. The National Hunt Cup, now part of the Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
, was held nearby in 1862
Commerce
In the centre of the village are a number of small shops, a post office, St Mary's Church, the registers for which date back to 1594, and the Bull Inn public house. The latter building 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 in the late 19th century.Education
The village also supports a primary school, Clifton-upon-Dunsmore Church Of England Primary School. Secondary-age pupils attend schools in Rugby.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