Ufton
Encyclopedia
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...
. It is 5 miles (8 km) south east of Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
and 2 miles (3 km) west of Southam
Southam
Southam is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town.The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles to the west...
on the A425 road
A425 road
The A425 road is an A road in England, which runs between Daventry in Northamptonshire and Warwick in Warwickshire via Staverton, Lower Shuckburgh and Southam.At Southam it links with the A426 as well as the A423....
. It sits on top of a glacial 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:...
121 metres above sea level which was formed during the last ice age. Ufton Fields
Ufton Fields
Ufton Fields is an SSSI and nature reserve in Warwickshire, England. It is situated on the A425 close to the village of Ufton, between Southam and Leamington Spa. The reserve is owned by Warwickshire County Council and is administered and run by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust...
, a 77 acres (311,608.2 m²) Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
, is to the south east of the village and The parish church, which is dedicated to St. Michael, dates back at least to the start of the 13th century. The Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
is within walking distance of the village to the north.
The origin of the name Ufton is uncertain. In the Long Itchington
Long Itchington
Long Itchington is a large village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 2,161. The village is named after the River Itchen which flows to the south and west of the village....
Charter is called "Wulluht Graf" which is, in modern English, Ufton Wood. 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 is called "Ulchtune". One theory is the name comes from the Danish chief Ulla who lived in the area. The village has historic links to Balliol College of Oxford University which owned much of the parish land in the 19th century.
In September 2007 there was a large fire at the landfill site just outside the village during which 100 tonnes of rubber burnt for two days. The story made the national press. However just over a year later the village won the "Best Village in Warwickshire" award as voted for by the Warwickshire Rural Community Council and also the "Best Communications" section in a similar competition sponsored by Calor
Calor
Calor Gas is a brand of bottled butane and propane which is available in Britain and Ireland. It comes in cylinders, which have a special gas regulator.Calor was formed in 1935. Calor is the UK's leading supplier of Liquefied petroleum gas...
.