Shipston-on-Stour facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shipston-on-Stour |
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 High Street, Shipston-on-Stour. |
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 Shipston-on-Stour
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| Area | 4.92 km2 (1.90 sq mi) |
| Population | 5,038 (2011 Census) |
| • Density | 1,024/km2 (2,650/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SP2540 |
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| District |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Shipston-on-Stour |
| Postcode district | CV36 |
| Dialling code | 01608 |
| Police | Warwickshire |
| Fire | Warwickshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | Shipston-on-Stour Town Council |
Shipston-on-Stour is a town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England. It is located on the banks of the River Stour, 9 miles (15 km) south-south-east of Stratford-upon-Avon and 14 miles (22 km) south of Warwick. In the 2011 census, Shipston-on-Stour had a population of 5,038.
This area is sometimes termed the Vale of Red Horse, close to the Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire borders.
History
In the 8th century the Toponym was Scepwaeisctune, Old English for Sheep-wash-Town, as it was once an important sheep market. The name evolved through Scepwestun in the 11th century, Sipestone, Sepwestun and Schipton in the 13th century and Sepestonon-Sture in the 14th century.
The Church of England parish church of Saint Edmund has a 15th-century tower. The Gothic Revival architect G.E. Street rebuilt the rest of the church in 1855. The tower had a ring of five bells until 1695 when they were recast and rehung as a ring of six. Since then all the bells have been recast and rehung from time to time, notably in 1754 and by John Taylor & Co. in 1979.
Shipston is on the A3400 road (formerly the A34) between Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford and was once an important staging place for stagecoaches. Many former coaching inns, such as the Coach and Horses, remain in the area of the High Street.
Following a fall in the demand for local wool, the local economy was in part sustained by the opening in 1836 of a branch line running from the horse-drawn Stratford and Moreton Tramway, built ten years before and linking Moreton-in-Marsh with Stratford. In 1889 the line was upgraded to allow the operation of steam trains from Moreton to Shipston. Passenger services to the town were withdrawn in 1929 and the line closed completely in 1960.
Shipston was in an exclave of the Oswaldslow Hundred of Worcestershire until 1931, when it was transferred to Warwickshire. Until the 1974 local government reorganisation it was the seat of the Shipston-on-Stour Rural District.
Amenities
The Sports Club has football, cricket, bowls, tennis and angling clubs. Shipston First Scout Group has Beaver (ages 6–8), Cub (ages 8–10½) and Scout (ages 10½–14) sections. Shipston on Stour Rugby Football Club currently plays in the Midlands 3 West (South) league. Shipston has a brass band.
Shipston has a small museum located off Telegraph street. The museum was set up, and is run by local people. It is stocked with artifacts and memorabilia relating to the town and the surrounding villages.
Transport
The A3400 road runs through Shipston, and links it with Stratford-upon-Avon to the north-west, and to Chipping Norton and Oxford to the south-east. The A429 road passes to the west, using part of the historic Fosse Way, which connect Shipston with Warwick to the north, and Tewkesbury to the south-west.
The nearest railway station to Shipston today is Moreton-in-Marsh around 6 miles (9.7 km) to the south. Shipston's own railway station at the end of a branch line, having had its passenger services withdrawn in 1929.
Notable people
Notable people connected with Shipston include:
- Cy Endfield, American-born director of such notable films as Hell Drivers and Zulu; he had emigrated to England and lived and died in Shipston after being blacklisted as a Communist during the McCarthy era.
- Francis J. Haverfield - 19th-century archaeologist, born in Shipston.
- Tessa Jowell - former Labour politician and government minister, lived at Shipston-on-Stour at the time of her death in 2018.
- Richard Morant - film and TV actor, born in Shipston.
Images for kids
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The George Hotel, a Georgian former coaching inn on High Street
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Shipston Bridge, over the River Stour
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St Edmunds Church, Shipston
See also
In Spanish: Shipston-on-Stour para niños
