Ratley
Encyclopedia
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...
in the civil parish of Ratley and Upton
Upton, Warwickshire
Upton is a village in south-west Warwickshire, England. It is just off the A46, between Alcester and Stratford-upon-Avon, about a mile east of Alcester....
, South Warwickshire, 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...
. It lies on the north west side of the Edge Hill
Edge Hill, Warwickshire
Edge Hill is an escarpment and hamlet in the civil parish of Ratley and Upton, South Warwickshire, England.Edge Hill gave its name to the first battle of the English Civil War, in which it was a prominent feature....
escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
about 200m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. As well as a traditional village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
there is a reasonable sized sports pitch which can be used by the public with football goals and children's play equipment.
The remains of a 12th-century motte and bailey castle are just outside the village, and the 14th-century Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
is dedicated to St. Peter ad Vincula
Liberation of Saint Peter
The Liberation of Saint Peter is a story told in the Acts of the Apostles in which Saint Peter is rescued from prison by an angel. Although described in a short textual passage, the tale has given rise to theological discussions and has been the subject of a number of artworks.-Biblical...
. Inside is a book where people with the surname of Ratley can sign their names. One of the two village pubs, named The Rose & Crown is of interest as at 900 years old, parts of it are older than the church. It is also a Grade I listed building. The Battle of Edge Hill, the first battle of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, was fought very near the village. The old Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
school and local Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
buildings are still standing but have been converted into houses.
Upton House is less than 1 miles (1.6 km) from the village. It houses a fine art collection and is managed by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. In 1922 the Edge Hill Light Railway
Edge Hill Light Railway
The Edge Hill Light Railway, one of Colonel Stephens' railways, was in Warwickshire, England. It was designed to carry iron ore from Edge Hill Quarries to Burton Dassett where a junction was made with the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway. It was never officially opened, but began...
was built through the village to carry ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
from a local quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
. It became disused after a few years and was dismantled in 1946.