Exhall
Encyclopedia
Exhall is a suburb
an settlement in the Nuneaton and Bedworth
district of Warwickshire
, England
.
located 4.3 miles (7 km) north-north-east of Coventry and 3.8 miles (6.1 km) south of Nuneaton. It is bounded (approximately) by a disused mineral railway (that used to serve Newdigate Colliery) to the north, the Coventry–Nuneaton railway line to the east, Pickards Way (B4113 spur) and the M6 to the south, and Church Lane/Bowling Green Lane and the River Sowe to the west. The area makes up the eastern part of the ecclesiastical parish of Exhall St Giles. However, the parish church of St Giles is located on the north-eastern edge of nearby Ash Green
(which forms the western part of the parish).
The River Sowe
and the Coventry Canal
are the principal waterways in the area.
Although Exhall is not mentioned specifically in the Domesday Book
, it would have probably formed part of lands owned by Lady Godiva
in Ansty
and Foleshill
. In any case, the parish was probably inhabited from at least the 13th century, as the nave and chancel of St Giles's church appear to date from this period, with the tower added in the 14th century.
Although the area remained largely rural until recent times, coal mines were attested from the early 17th century onwards. During the Industrial Revolution
, activities such as coal-mining and brick-making were further developed, leading to an increase in the population of the parish, and consequently the construction of many small houses for workers. These were mainly located along what is now Black Bank/Coventry 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-making. Saunders Manor was located on the outskirts of Exhall (on the site near Springfield Cresent) before being demolished.
From the 1930s onwards, Exhall became more residential in character, with the construction of numerous housing estates, both social (e.g. the Armson Road/Grant Road estate at Hayes Green) and private (e.g. the Cedars Estate).
In the 1960s, a large industrial estate was created in the east of exhall, bordering the Coventry–Nuneaton rail 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 Bedworth (centred on Black Bank and Coventry 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
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).
Both Exhall and Ash Green form part of the Coventry/Bedworth Urban Area, the conurbation
that includes Coventry and Bedworth
, and as such are in many respects suburbs of Coventry, as reflected by their inclusion in the Coventry post town.
, which was geographically in the hundred of Knightlow in the county of Warwickshire, but administratively separate.
Following the abolition of the Liberty of Coventry, the city boundary was revised, with Exhall excluded.
With the passing of the Local Government Act 1894
, which established urban and rural districts in England and Wales, Exhall formed part of the Foleshill
rural district
, up until the creation of the Bedworth urban district
in 1928, to which it was transferred. Following local government reorganisation in 1974, Bedworth urban district was merged with Nuneaton municipal borough to form the new borough of Nuneaton (renamed Nuneaton & Bedworth in 1980).
For electoral purposes, Exhall is split (at both borough
and county
level) along Black Bank/Coventry Road Exhall/Longford Road.
At borough
level, western Exhall is covered by Exhall ward (together with Ash Green and Keresley End
), 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 councillors, 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 Bedworth West division, along with part of Bedworth Heath and Goodyers End. Each division elects one county councillor for a four-year term.
Bedworth Rugby Football Club has its ground at Rectory Fields (between Rectory Drive and Smarts Road), and there is a large playing field at Heckley Fields (between Heckley Road and Windmill Road).
Before the reorganisation of schools in northern Warwickshire in 1996, there was a fourth school in the area, Exhall First School (on the corner of School Lane and Exhall Green). This school merged with Cedars First School to form Exhall Cedars Infant School (on the Cedars site), and the old Exhall First School building is now a community centre.
Other educational establishments, including the secondary school for the area (Ash Green School
), can be found in Ash Green, although sixth-formers must transfer either to Bedworth (Nicholas Chamberlaine School) or Nuneaton (King Edward VI College or North Warwickshire & Hinckley College) at age 16.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an settlement in the Nuneaton and Bedworth
Nuneaton and Bedworth
Nuneaton and Bedworth is a local government district with borough status, in northern Warwickshire, England, consisting of the densely populated towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth, the village of Bulkington and the green belt land in between. It has a population of just over 120,000.It borders the...
district 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...
, 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...
.
Geography
Exhall is an area south of BedworthBedworth
Bedworth is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. It lies northwest of London, east of Birmingham, and north northeast of the county town of Warwick. It is situated between Coventry, to the south, and Nuneaton, to the north.In the 2001 census the town...
located 4.3 miles (7 km) north-north-east of Coventry and 3.8 miles (6.1 km) south of Nuneaton. It is bounded (approximately) by a disused mineral railway (that used to serve Newdigate Colliery) to the north, the Coventry–Nuneaton railway line to the east, Pickards Way (B4113 spur) and the M6 to the south, and Church Lane/Bowling Green Lane and the River Sowe to the west. The area makes up the eastern part of the ecclesiastical parish of Exhall St Giles. However, the parish church of St Giles is located on the north-eastern edge of nearby Ash Green
Ash Green, Warwickshire
Ash Green is a suburban village in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England.- Geography :Ash Green is located 3.5 miles north of Coventry and 4.75 miles south-south-east of Nuneaton...
(which forms the western part of the parish).
The River Sowe
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....
and the Coventry Canal
Coventry Canal
The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England.It starts in Coventry and ends 38 miles north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal...
are the principal waterways in the area.
History
Historically, the parish of Exhall (which extends from Black Bank in Bedworth to the north of Holbrooks in Coventry) 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
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...
, it would have probably formed part of lands owned by Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva
Godiva , often referred to as Lady Godiva , was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants...
in Ansty
Ansty, Warwickshire
Ansty is a village and civil parish just outside the outskirts of Coventry, about northeast of the city centre. Ansty was part of the County of the City of Coventry until that county was dissolved in 1842....
and Foleshill
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.- History :...
. In any case, the parish was probably inhabited from at least the 13th century, as the nave and chancel of St Giles's church appear to date from this period, with the tower added in the 14th century.
Although the area remained largely rural until recent times, coal mines were attested from the early 17th century onwards. During the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, activities such as coal-mining and brick-making were further developed, leading to an increase in the population of the parish, and consequently the construction of many small houses for workers. These were mainly located along what is now Black Bank/Coventry 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-making. Saunders Manor was located on the outskirts of Exhall (on the site near Springfield Cresent) before being demolished.
From the 1930s onwards, Exhall became more residential in character, with the construction of numerous housing estates, both social (e.g. the Armson Road/Grant Road estate at Hayes Green) and private (e.g. the Cedars Estate).
In the 1960s, a large industrial estate was created in the east of exhall, bordering the Coventry–Nuneaton rail 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 Bedworth (centred on Black Bank and Coventry Road Exhall), with Ash Green retaining a somewhat separate identity – a fact accentuated by the construction of the Bedworth Bypass (A444
A444 road
The A444 is a primary road running between Coventry and Burton on Trent in England, usually referred to as the "A treble four".-Route:Starting on the A4600 Sky Blue Way in Coventry, the road heads north on a dual carriageway road, crossing the M6 at junction 3. It bypasses Bedworth to the west and...
) in 1970 and the final section of the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
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).
Both Exhall and Ash Green form part of the Coventry/Bedworth Urban Area, the conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
that includes Coventry and Bedworth
Bedworth
Bedworth is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. It lies northwest of London, east of Birmingham, and north northeast of the county town of Warwick. It is situated between Coventry, to the south, and Nuneaton, to the north.In the 2001 census the town...
, and as such are in many respects suburbs of Coventry, as reflected by their inclusion in the Coventry post town.
Local government
From 1451 to 1842, Exhall was a parish in the Liberty of CoventryCounty of the City of Coventry
The County of the City of Coventry was a former English county, which existed between 1451 and 1842.The county covered an area of around and contained the city of Coventry and the surrounding villages of Ansty, Asthull, Biggin, Binley, Caludon, Exhall, Foleshill, Harnell, Horwell, Radford, Stoke,...
, which was geographically in the hundred of Knightlow in the county of Warwickshire, but administratively separate.
Following the abolition of the Liberty of Coventry, the city boundary was revised, with Exhall excluded.
With the passing of the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 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 under the Local Government Act 1888...
, which established urban and rural districts in England and Wales, Exhall formed part of the Foleshill
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.- History :...
rural district
Rural district
Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...
, up until the creation of the Bedworth urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
in 1928, to which it was transferred. Following local government reorganisation in 1974, Bedworth urban district was merged with Nuneaton municipal borough to form the new borough of Nuneaton (renamed Nuneaton & Bedworth in 1980).
For electoral purposes, Exhall is split (at both borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
and county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
level) along Black Bank/Coventry Road Exhall/Longford Road.
At borough
Nuneaton and Bedworth
Nuneaton and Bedworth is a local government district with borough status, in northern Warwickshire, England, consisting of the densely populated towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth, the village of Bulkington and the green belt land in between. It has a population of just over 120,000.It borders the...
level, western Exhall is covered by Exhall ward (together with Ash Green and Keresley End
Keresley End
Keresley End is a village in Warwickshire, England. It is about half a mile north of Keresley, a suburb of Coventry, and being near to the former Keresley colliery, it was where many coal miners lived.- History :...
), 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 councillors, who are elected for a four-year term by halves.
At county
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...
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 Bedworth West division, along with part of Bedworth Heath and Goodyers End. Each division elects one county councillor for a four-year term.
Amenities
Exhall has a post office and a number of small shops and pubs, mainly located on Black Bank/Coventry Road Exhall, with some local shops on Trelawney Road and Exhall Green/Windmill Road.Bedworth Rugby Football Club has its ground at Rectory Fields (between Rectory Drive and Smarts Road), and there is a large playing field at Heckley Fields (between Heckley Road and Windmill Road).
Education
There are three educational establishments in Exhall:- Exhall Cedars Infant School & Nursery, a state school for pupils aged 2 to 7, in Trenance Road;
- St Giles Junior School, a state school for pupils aged 7 to 11, in Hayes Lane;
- The Grove Nursery School, a private school for children aged from 2 months to 5 years.
Before the reorganisation of schools in northern Warwickshire in 1996, there was a fourth school in the area, Exhall First School (on the corner of School Lane and Exhall Green). This school merged with Cedars First School to form Exhall Cedars Infant School (on the Cedars site), and the old Exhall First School building is now a community centre.
Other educational establishments, including the secondary school for the area (Ash Green School
Ash Green School
Ash Green School is a comprehensive school situated in Ash Green in northern Warwickshire, England for pupils aged 11 to 16 years. Its catchment area includes Ash Green, those parts of Bedworth that lie south of the former mineral railway line , Keresley Newlands, Corley and Fillongley...
), can be found in Ash Green, although sixth-formers must transfer either to Bedworth (Nicholas Chamberlaine School) or Nuneaton (King Edward VI College or North Warwickshire & Hinckley College) at age 16.