Author: Antony Farmer
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The Village Bakehouse
The Church Lawford Bakehouse was in School Street There was a similar facility in King’s Newnham – pictured below Read more
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From County to Village
Over the centuries there have been a number of reorganisations of the various subdivisions of the country, and of each of those subdivisions themselves. This page attempts to explore how and when the boundaries of the two villages were defined, and how they fit into the district and county structure. The starting point for such… Read more
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The Church Lawford and Kings Newnham Village Hall
The following details are from the Village Hall website – https://www.churchlawfordvillagehall.co.uk/about-us/ Church Lawford Reading Room was built in 1912 on land given for the purpose by the Duke of Buccleuch. It was managed by Trustees. A second plot of land adjacent to the first was given to the Trustees in 1926. Although called a Reading Room the building… Read more
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Triangle Garage
The Triangle area at the top of Church Lawford village was synonymous for many years with the Carpentry and Wheelwright Business of the Cooke Family. For details of the Cooke Family history in Church Lawford see here. With the advent of the Motor Car the Triangle Garage became a landmark on the Rugby / Coventry… Read more
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The Village Blacksmith
For several centuries the Village Blacksmith would have been a key tradesperson in either of the villages. As well as working with metal to forge and repair tools and machinery, the village Blacksmith would produce the vital horseshoes for the working animals – and in many cases they would also perform the work of a… Read more
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Eastlands Farm / Wheatfield
The smallholding at the bottom of Smithy Lane known as Eastlands came to prominence after the 1918 sale of the various village properties. It was at the northern edge of what was then the built-up part of the village, wrapping around to the Newham Lane area (which was largely farmland right from the Rectory to… Read more
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Stude Chapel on Dunsmore Heath
In the original Ordnance Survey map of the area from the 1830s there is a reference to a chapel on Dunsmore / Wolston Heath, towards the southwest corner of Church Lawford Parish, not far from Rookery Hall Farm. There is a reference to this chapel in the ancient historic writings of William Dugdale titled “Antiquities… Read more
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Post-War Housing Provisions
Following the Second World War there was an immediate need to provide additional housing. House building had largely ceased during the period of the conflict, so various initiatives were quickly pursued. In the two villages there were six new council owned properties built in Middle Lane – the Pleasant View houses discussed here. Further down… Read more
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Power Shortages in the 1970s
A number of winters during the 1970s were affected by significant spells of Power Cuts, often pre-planned and for several hours. Although the most well known tend to be associated with the “Winter of Discontent” in 1978/79, arguably the problems were greater earlier in the decade. in late 1970 there was a series of strikes… Read more
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Nationwide Events With Agricultural Impact
There have been a number of nationwide events which have significantly impacted on the agricultural community. Foot and Mouth Disease In several years, including 1924, 1951, 1967 and 2001 there was an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease that affected the farming community in many ways. As well as the impact on farming there was… Read more