2nd January 2015
I am writing in regards to the naming of the four key roads on the new estate being built on Church Fields, Weddington. I note that the proposed names on the recent planning application for flags and signage are as follows:
The Oaks, Lime Avenue, Blossom Lane, Lilac Lane.
I would like to propose a less generic naming set that better reflects the heritage of the area; a move which would have historical benefits for the local community and commercial benefits for Davidsons in marketing the properties, as I shall outline below.
As you may be aware, Weddington, and specifically the fields in question, have a long historical lineage. The village is based on a Roman settlement and was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 (as ‘Watitune’). The Church Fields are the site of the original medieval village and a mansion house – Weddington Castle – stood until 1928. The Castle was at one time owned by the Queen, Lady Jane Grey. Remnants still exist around the Shawe Avenue area. I don’t propose to give a full history lesson here, but you can see more at: www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk.
I strongly believe that there is a case for building this unique heritage into the new estate on two counts.
Firstly, for historic purposes. To provide a link with the old and the new. To recognise the heritage of the area and to continue a tradition of local street naming that recognises this – for instance Castle Road which is adjacent to Church Lane is, of course, named after the Castle. And the connecting Shawe Avenue is named after Henry Cunliffe Shawe who lived in the Castle in the Victorian era.
Secondly, for commercial purposes. In the Weddington area, you have bought into not only prime fields for development, but a unique selling point for builders and buyers. History sells in terms of house buyers and you have a virtual gold mine of heritage to use in your marketing strategy. The adjacent St James Church dates back to the 1200s and the former owners of the Castle are buried in the picturesque churchyard. By naming the roads on the estate to link in with this heritage, you are giving buyers a chance to buy into an historically prestigious area, not just a housing estate. I believe this fits well with your goal of building a premium housing area on the fields.
This could be used as a major hook for marketing purposes, and the commercial benefits of this have been recognised by other developers in the area – from Percy Howe, who named Shawe Avenue and Castle Road in the 1930s, to the naming of ‘Swinnerton’s Heritage’ off Church Lane after a local farmer in the 2000s, to the recent naming of ‘Lionel Close’ just across Weddington Road on the recent Grove Park development (Lionel Place was a former Castle owner, and the centrepiece of this development, the Grove building, was a former Castle estate building). Also, the nearby Caldecote development was marketing largely on the historic aspect of the building (see www.caldecotehall.co.uk).
Put bluntly, history sells. It gives builders and buyers a reason to choose the Weddington estate over the many other estates being built in the area. Weddington has a strong identity and you have an opportunity to tap into this to your advantage in your marketing plan.
So what am I proposing? I am offering to give you the opportunity to build this heritage into your development as a marketing tool.
What do I get out of it? To be honest, I was saddened to hear the fields were to be built upon. I opposed the development. But I am also pragmatic, and if the development is to be built then I just want to see the history of the site maintained in the future development.
What do you get out of it? A unique selling point that few sites in the area have. A chance to offer buyers the opportunity to buy into and be part of history. An added layer of prestige to their purchase.
I can think of no better way to express this than to build the history into the very address they are purchasing – by naming the roads on the estate after historic figures of the land the homes are built upon.
That is why I am proposing the following alternative names to those listed on the aforementioned document.
The Oaks = Watitune Avenue (Watitune was the original name of Weddington at the time of the Domesday Book)
Lilac Lane = Adderley Lane (Humphrey Adderley was groom to Queen Elizabeth I and was granted Weddington in return for his services)
Lime Avenue = Hereward Way (Hereward was a Saxon who owned Weddington when the Normans invaded – he is a major folk hero in English history – see: http://www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk/hereward-the-wake.html )
Blossom Lane = suggest Kay Lane (Henry Kay was a Castle owner and is buried in St James churchyard – his coat of arms are embedded in frontage of 1 & 3 Shawe Avenue) or Grey Lane (Queen Lady Jane Grey owned the castle) or Astley Lane (another owner of the estate, who was granted the lands by Henry I)
I am a marketing manager myself and I truly believe the above set of names form a fantastic opportunity for you. With my marketing hat on, I should also mention that my local history site: www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk has received significant local media coverage in Nuneaton News, Coventry Telegraph and BBC Midlands TV slots. The website generates around 5000 hits per month. It also has the ear of existing local Weddington residents who are overwhelmingly opposed to the development at present.
If you were prepared to consider the above naming structure I would, in return, be prepared to put out a press release lauding the decision to recognise the area’s history in the street names – with a quote from Davidsons. I would also include a website link to Davidsons on the website / social media posts and would allow the use of the Weddington Castle link and content for your marketing purposes (subject to prior approval).
Given the current situation, I truly believe that the above proposal represents a fantastic opportunity for yourself and the best outcome available for myself and the current & future Weddington community.
I look forward to hearing from you on this.
Yours sincerely
John Brookes (BA Hon, MA, MCIM, Chartered Marketer)
Cc: Katherine Moreton and Andrew Collinson, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council Planning Dept.
NB: This letter has also been endorsed by the Nuneaton Local History Society.
I am writing in regards to the naming of the four key roads on the new estate being built on Church Fields, Weddington. I note that the proposed names on the recent planning application for flags and signage are as follows:
The Oaks, Lime Avenue, Blossom Lane, Lilac Lane.
I would like to propose a less generic naming set that better reflects the heritage of the area; a move which would have historical benefits for the local community and commercial benefits for Davidsons in marketing the properties, as I shall outline below.
As you may be aware, Weddington, and specifically the fields in question, have a long historical lineage. The village is based on a Roman settlement and was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 (as ‘Watitune’). The Church Fields are the site of the original medieval village and a mansion house – Weddington Castle – stood until 1928. The Castle was at one time owned by the Queen, Lady Jane Grey. Remnants still exist around the Shawe Avenue area. I don’t propose to give a full history lesson here, but you can see more at: www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk.
I strongly believe that there is a case for building this unique heritage into the new estate on two counts.
Firstly, for historic purposes. To provide a link with the old and the new. To recognise the heritage of the area and to continue a tradition of local street naming that recognises this – for instance Castle Road which is adjacent to Church Lane is, of course, named after the Castle. And the connecting Shawe Avenue is named after Henry Cunliffe Shawe who lived in the Castle in the Victorian era.
Secondly, for commercial purposes. In the Weddington area, you have bought into not only prime fields for development, but a unique selling point for builders and buyers. History sells in terms of house buyers and you have a virtual gold mine of heritage to use in your marketing strategy. The adjacent St James Church dates back to the 1200s and the former owners of the Castle are buried in the picturesque churchyard. By naming the roads on the estate to link in with this heritage, you are giving buyers a chance to buy into an historically prestigious area, not just a housing estate. I believe this fits well with your goal of building a premium housing area on the fields.
This could be used as a major hook for marketing purposes, and the commercial benefits of this have been recognised by other developers in the area – from Percy Howe, who named Shawe Avenue and Castle Road in the 1930s, to the naming of ‘Swinnerton’s Heritage’ off Church Lane after a local farmer in the 2000s, to the recent naming of ‘Lionel Close’ just across Weddington Road on the recent Grove Park development (Lionel Place was a former Castle owner, and the centrepiece of this development, the Grove building, was a former Castle estate building). Also, the nearby Caldecote development was marketing largely on the historic aspect of the building (see www.caldecotehall.co.uk).
Put bluntly, history sells. It gives builders and buyers a reason to choose the Weddington estate over the many other estates being built in the area. Weddington has a strong identity and you have an opportunity to tap into this to your advantage in your marketing plan.
So what am I proposing? I am offering to give you the opportunity to build this heritage into your development as a marketing tool.
What do I get out of it? To be honest, I was saddened to hear the fields were to be built upon. I opposed the development. But I am also pragmatic, and if the development is to be built then I just want to see the history of the site maintained in the future development.
What do you get out of it? A unique selling point that few sites in the area have. A chance to offer buyers the opportunity to buy into and be part of history. An added layer of prestige to their purchase.
I can think of no better way to express this than to build the history into the very address they are purchasing – by naming the roads on the estate after historic figures of the land the homes are built upon.
That is why I am proposing the following alternative names to those listed on the aforementioned document.
The Oaks = Watitune Avenue (Watitune was the original name of Weddington at the time of the Domesday Book)
Lilac Lane = Adderley Lane (Humphrey Adderley was groom to Queen Elizabeth I and was granted Weddington in return for his services)
Lime Avenue = Hereward Way (Hereward was a Saxon who owned Weddington when the Normans invaded – he is a major folk hero in English history – see: http://www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk/hereward-the-wake.html )
Blossom Lane = suggest Kay Lane (Henry Kay was a Castle owner and is buried in St James churchyard – his coat of arms are embedded in frontage of 1 & 3 Shawe Avenue) or Grey Lane (Queen Lady Jane Grey owned the castle) or Astley Lane (another owner of the estate, who was granted the lands by Henry I)
I am a marketing manager myself and I truly believe the above set of names form a fantastic opportunity for you. With my marketing hat on, I should also mention that my local history site: www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk has received significant local media coverage in Nuneaton News, Coventry Telegraph and BBC Midlands TV slots. The website generates around 5000 hits per month. It also has the ear of existing local Weddington residents who are overwhelmingly opposed to the development at present.
If you were prepared to consider the above naming structure I would, in return, be prepared to put out a press release lauding the decision to recognise the area’s history in the street names – with a quote from Davidsons. I would also include a website link to Davidsons on the website / social media posts and would allow the use of the Weddington Castle link and content for your marketing purposes (subject to prior approval).
Given the current situation, I truly believe that the above proposal represents a fantastic opportunity for yourself and the best outcome available for myself and the current & future Weddington community.
I look forward to hearing from you on this.
Yours sincerely
John Brookes (BA Hon, MA, MCIM, Chartered Marketer)
Cc: Katherine Moreton and Andrew Collinson, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council Planning Dept.
NB: This letter has also been endorsed by the Nuneaton Local History Society.