TIMELINE 6 - The 21st Century

2000 AD

 

2000 21st June. Foundation excavations at the rear of St. James church for a new extension. Large blocks of Attleborough Sandstone rubble which may have been parts of the original Church were found as well as an unknown skeleton. The official “dig” had revealed nothing.

30th Oct. 6th Nov. 8th Dec. River Anker flooded the parish fields
December Cable television excavations in the parish 
 

2001 AD

 

January. River Anker flooded the local fields
February. Foot and Mouth breaks out in local farms
It was not officially over until October in the area
INCUMBENT Rev. Dr Alan Munden (81, 113)
 

2002 AD

 

May. The housing market was lively, many semi-detached houses
in the parish are on sale for £120,000 (they had been £23,000 in 1983)
June. Plans were revealed to develop the Church Hall site. Millennium money had been available for the restoration of these aging community facilities (18, 81)
Revised publication of “A geology, geography and history of WEDDINGTON, in the County of Warwick" by Alan F Cook
 

2004 AD

 

2004 Building commenced on the new Church Hall with houses to be built on the former allotment land at the rear.

 

A piece of enabling work was done by the council to downgrade Weddington's open green field land from the status as “Area of Restraint”. This would allow any developer wishing to build on it to do so, given planning permission. Local opposition voiced.

 

2005 AD

 

Launch of the ‘Weddington Castle – An Online History’ website (www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk) by John Brookes.

 

'Weddington Castle - A History' released on CD-Rom (featuring the above website).

 

2006 AD

 

Several new houses built behind the new Church Hall off Church Lane. The access road named ‘Swinnerton’s Heritage’. The Swinnerton family were major farmers in the area. Robert Swinnertonlived at The Grove in the C19th and there is an impressive memorial for the Swinnertons in St. James Churchyard.

 

2007 AD

 

The Fox & Crane restaurant (formerly "The Grove"), is purchased by AR Cartwright Ltd builders. The restaurant scheduled to close on 17th January 2008, and it was rumoured that the building is to be either converted to flats or turned into a retirement home.

 

2008 AD

The Fox & Crane restaurant (formerly "The Grove") finally closes to the public on Tuesday 15th January. Planning permission granted to convert it into 6 flats, with 18 houses in the grounds, on 15th December 2008.

2009 AD

A sign depicting Weddington's history and its Castle is erected on Weddington Road, near the Cricket Ground.

 

A piece of glass, depicting the crest of the Adderley family, is found by a local resident in the former Castle grounds.

 

The Grove remains derelict.

 

The borough council is told by the government that it has to build 10,800 more homes by 2026 and could also have to accommodate a 3,500 overspill from Coventry. Proposals are drafted to build thousands of new homes on Green Belt land in Nuneaton and Bedworth. Weddington, Bedworth Woodlands and Keresley on the fringes of Coventry are three of the areas most affected.

 

2010 AD

Development works begin on "The Grove" site: now named "Grove Park". The grounds (including the former bowling green) are dug up to make way for foundations for the new houses. The outbuildings and side buildings of The Grove are demolished in March 2010.

 

August: most of the housing has been constructed. The Grove itself is to be converted into six 2-bedroom apartments. The main access road to Grove Park, off Weddington Road, is named "Lionel Close", after the former owner of Weddington Castle & The Grove: Lionel Place.

 

November: Weddington Village is once again under threat from developers. Hallam Land Managementannounce plans to build 333 new houses on Church fields next to St James' historic Church in the village. A local campaign is been set up to oppose these plans called S.W.O.R.D - Save Weddington: Oppose the Residential Development - www.saveweddington.org.uk

 

2011 AD

The so-called "transformation" of the Grove has yet to happen. It remains a sad shell: exposed to the elements, daubed with graffiti and with no obvious work going on with it, surrounded by largely empty new houses which have failed to sell. Apparently at least one new house will need to be demolished as it contravenes planning regulations.

 

March: formal planning application for 326 houses on Church Fields is lodged by Hallam Land Management. SWORD Campaign to oppose this grows, and local residents battle to defeat plans during a 21 day consultation period (this period is subsequently extended as not all consultation docuemnts are uploaded onto NBBC website in time). 

15th May: Over 120 local residents gather in Weddington's Church Fields to protest against ongoing plans to build a housing estate there. Nuneaton MP Marcus Jones also attends and a petition opposing the plans with over 3470 signatures is presented. 

17th August: Plans to build 326 houses on Weddington's Church Fields are narrowly REFUSED by the Council Planning Committee. Read a newspaper report here.

 However the developers plan to Appeal the decision.

Sometime between 4th and 6th September: Weddington St James' Church is vandalised. Burglars cause thousands of pounds worth of damage, smashing glass and ransacking the church - making off with just £5 and a camcorder. 

26th September: Nuneaton and Bedworth Volunteer Centre launches a `History of Volunteering Project'. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, its aim is to research and record the volunteering history within the borough from 1900 to the present day.

Part of this will delve into the time when Weddington Hall was given over to the military to become a hospital for the wounded of World War I. 

1st November: Cartwrights Homes apply to DEMOLISH The Grove. Nuneaton & Bedworth Council state that: "the proposal is to demolish the existing building and replace it with a new building in a very similar design to the existing containing 6 apartments that the original . Reading the design and access statement submitted with the application, it appears that it is going to be economically unviable to convert the existing building."

21st December: Council Planning Committee vote unanimously to REFUSE permission to demolish The Grove - mainly due to its historical value.

 

2012 AD

5th January: Weddington Castle's website is selected for inclusion in the British Library's 'UK Web Archive' Programme. Ensuring that it will be preserved for future generations. 

 

20th February: following a public inquiry, the Planning Inspectorate APPROVE plans to build 326 houses on Weddington's Church Fields. In response, the SWORD (Save Weddington: Oppose the Residential Development) campaign announces plans to register the fields as a Village Green. This application is later rejected

2013 AD

The green fields of Weddington continue to be threatened with the Council seeking to build 4000 in the area. The Council’s failure to produce a Local Plan for development is raised in thre House of Commons by Marcus Clarke MP for Nuneaton.

 

SWORD continue to fight planning applications on Church Fields next to St James Church as well as across Weddington Road on Lower Farm land. Part of Church Fields is successfully registered as a Community Asset by the group.

 

The Grove / Fox & Crane remains derelict.

 

September: A new and redesigned version of the Weddington Castle website is launched. The web address remains www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk

 

December: A grant of £150 is received from Warwickshire County Council to allow the promotion of the Weddington Castle website and Weddington history to local schools and community groups.

 

(c) Alan F Cook and John Brookes