Lapworth
Lapworth is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, with a population of 2,100 according to the 2001 census. It lies six miles (10 km) south of Solihull and ten miles (16 km) northwest of Warwick.
Lapworth boasts an historic church and two National Trust sites: Baddesley Clinton, a medieval moated manor house and garden; and Packwood House, a Tudor manor house and yew garden with over 100 trees.
The village is a popular area for cuisine, with three pubs "The Boot", "The Navigation" and "The Punch Bowl".
At Kingswood Junction, the Grand Union Canal joins the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, which has a major flight of locks.
Catesby Lane in Lapworth is named after William Catesby (the father of Robert Catesby of Gunpowder Plot fame), whose family had been settled at Bushwood Hall, in the neighbouring parish of Bushwood, since the 14th century. The manor house was probably at Lapworth Hall, today Ireland's Farm, and in the 17th and 18th centuries the house of the Mander family of Wolverhampton.
More recent Lapworth notables include Bob Davis aka Jasper Carrott, Andy Townsend ex-footballer and TV pundit and Tony Iommi, the guitarist and founding member of Black Sabbath, who currently resides near the village.
The furniture designer and maker Hugh Birkett worked from the late 1940s until 1966 in the garage at his parents' home in Lapworth. Examples of his work can be seen at Cheltenham Museum.
Transport
Lapworth railway station is on the Chiltern line from London to Birmingham. Originally called Kingswood, the station name was changed to Lapworth to avoid confusion with Kingswood station in Surrey.
Junction 16 of the M40 motorway has only northbound entry and southbound exit to prevent traffic diverting through Hockley Heath as a shortcut to and from nearby junction 4 of the M42.
The village is effectively a commuter village for professionals employed in Birmingham and Coventry, most of whom today drive to their places of work.[citation needed]
Notable persons
- Robert Catesby, Gunpowder Plot conspirator
- Jonathan Darlington, conductor and Music Director of the Duisburg Philharmonic and Vancouver Opera
- Bob Davis a.k.a. Jasper Carrott
- Tony Iommi, guitarist and founding member of Black Sabbath
- Baron Edmiston of Lapworth
External links
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Coordinates: 52°20′17″N 1°45′43″W / 52.338°N 1.762°W