Finham
Encyclopedia
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, 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...
, and is the city's southernmost suburb, approximately 3 miles (5 km) from Coventry city centre. Finham shares its northern boundary along the A45
A45 road
The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
with the suburb of Styvechale
Styvechale
Stivichall or Styvechale is a mainly residential area of south Coventry. It includes Fenside which forms part of southeast Stivichall. To the north and northwest Stivichall has a shared border with the War Memorial Park, along Coat of Arms Bridge Road. The district of Cheylesmore is to the...
/Stivichall to the north, and part of its southeastern boundary is shared with the village of Baginton
Baginton
Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry of the West Midlands county. With a population of 801 , Baginton village is four miles south of Coventry city centre and seven miles north of...
in 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...
. The suburb of Green Lane lies directly to the west and the hamlet of King's Hill lies within a mile of Finham at Coventry's southernmost point.
Finham is roughly triangular in shape; its northern boundary is along the Kenpas Highway (A45
A45 road
The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
); its southeastern boundary is along the A46
A46 road
The A46 is an A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway development...
, and its southwestern boundary is, for the most part, along Green Lane. Finham Park School
Finham Park School
Finham Park School is situated on Green Lane in Finham, Coventry, England.In September 2003, it became the first Mathematics and Computing College in Coventry. The head teacher is Mr. Mark Bailie, with Deputy Head teachers Mr. R. Plester and Mrs. Maginnis. The previous headteacher had been Mr...
and Finham Primary School, are the two schools in Finham.
Education
A large comprehensive school Finham Park SchoolFinham Park School
Finham Park School is situated on Green Lane in Finham, Coventry, England.In September 2003, it became the first Mathematics and Computing College in Coventry. The head teacher is Mr. Mark Bailie, with Deputy Head teachers Mr. R. Plester and Mrs. Maginnis. The previous headteacher had been Mr...
, a Mathematics and Computer college and also a teacher training school, is situated on Green Lane. It was completed in 1970 on former farmland on the west side of Green Lane. Also located along Green Lane, is Finham Primary School, a which was moved to Green Lane from its previous location on Brentwood Avenue, also in Finham. The school was almost entirely rebuilt in the mid-1980s.
There is a library that is open from Monday to Saturday.
King's Hill proposed developments
In March 2009, a meeting was held at Finham Primary School to discuss the proposed housing developments in Finham, whereby a new housing estate would be built from Green Lane South adjacent to King's Hill hamlet, running parallel alongside the A46 up to the Stoneleigh Road. This development would fall under WarwickshireWarwickshire
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...
County, as it is just past the border of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
. The meeting raised important issues on the matter, from the increased volume of traffic which would cause major problems due to the surrounding roads not being able to accommodate this amount of vehicles, to the lack of public transport networks available in the surrounding areas. It has caused major uproar with local residents, and a petition has begun in an attempt to stop the proposed plans, along with a new Finham Residents Association website.
On 26 March 2009, it became clear that the known demands from Warwick District Council could be dwarfed by an additional inability of Coventry Council to allocate 7,000 housing units within its boundary. Coventry has been given permission to place these 7,000 outside, but adjacent to its boundaries in the south and /or in the north.
It also became known that the proposed developments to expand Finham Park secondary school, and move the school further back to accommodate more pupils and car parking space, went on hold whilst the current King's Hill development planning is under review.
St Martins-in-the-Fields Church
Places and geography in proximity
Despite Finham being in the West Midlands county (and part of Coventry), Finham Sewage Works are actually south of Finham, in Warwickshire. The works were used in the 1969 film The Italian JobThe Italian Job
The Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom....
starring Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
. The underground concrete piping, then the widest of its kind in the UK, was used for the iconic scenes where several Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
s raced through the tunnels of Turin. Adjacent to the sewerage works is Finham Golf Course, 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 Finham Brook.