Wellesbourne is a large village in the civil parish of Wellesbourne and Walton, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. In the 2021 census the parish had a population of 7,283, a significant increase from 5,849 In the 2011 census.^[1] The civil parish was renamed from Wellesbourne to Wellesbourne and Walton on 1 April 2014.^[2]

Quick Facts Population, OS grid reference ...

Wellesbourne
Chestnut Square, Wellesbourne
Wellesbourne Location within Warwickshire
Population	7,283 (2021)
OS grid reference	SP278552
Civil parish	Wellesbourne and Walton
District	Stratford-on-Avon
Shire county	Warwickshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WARWICK
Postcode district	CV35
Dialling code	01789
Police	Warwickshire
Fire	Warwickshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Kenilworth and Southam Stratford-on-Avon
List of places UK England Warwickshire 52.19434°N 1.59472°W / 52.19434; -1.59472

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Wellesbourne sits on the A429 road, and is located around seven miles south of Warwick and five miles east of Stratford-upon-Avon. Nearby villages include Loxley, Hampton Lucy, Charlecote, Walton and Kineton.

The name was first recorded in 862 as Wallesburam. It was later referred to as Waleborne in the Domesday Book.^[3]

In May 1140 Wellesbourne was hit by a tornado – one of the earliest recorded in the British Isles. It damaged several buildings and killed a woman.^[4]

Wellesbourne was once two villages – Wellesbourne Mountford and Wellesbourne Hastings, the two villages being divided by the River Dene; the former lying to the south of the river, and the latter to the north. In 1947 the two parishes were merged, and are now considered to be a single village. For these historical reasons Wellesbourne has two village centres, Chestnut Square and the Precinct respectively.^[5] The Chestnut Square area no longer contains commercial premises but the old shop fronts are visible in what are now houses.^[6]

Wellesbourne Hall in the village, dates from about 1700 and is grade II* listed,^[7]

Perhaps the most significant event in Wellesbourne's history was the founding in 1872 of the National Agricultural Labourers Union by Joseph Arch – an event once celebrated by an annual parade,^[5] which it was hoped to be revived in 2010. There was little interest from the Trade Unions which once featured quite prominently, but the Wellesbourne Action Group still organises a walk from Barford to Wellesbourne around 9 June each year along the Joseph Arch Way. There is a somewhat unusual memorial in the form of a plaque in the village bus shelter dating from 1952.^[3] The initial meetings were held in the historic Stag's Head pub, which the bus shelter is located opposite. The thatched building was built in 1640 and became a pub in 1830. It was devastated by fire in 2021, but following extensive restoration was reopened a year later. The King's Head on Warwick Road is the village's only other pub.^[8]

During the Second World War the Royal Air Force opened an airfield; RAF Wellesbourne Mountford immediately south of the village, from 1965 this was converted into a civilian airfield.^[5]

Since the 1960s new housing developments have meant that Wellesbourne has grown significantly. In the 1980s 800 houses were built on the Dovehouse estate, this was built on part of the site of the airfield and the streets are named after the aircraft which once flew from there.^[5]

Outside the village is Warwick Crop Centre which is part of the University of Warwick. It was originally established in 1949 as the National Vegetable Research Centre. It became Horticulture Research International in 1990, which was bought by the university in 2004. The establishment, which covers 472 acres (191 ha) is recognised internationally for its research in sustainable agriculture, horticulture and food security.^[9]

Chedham's Yard, a historic agricultural building with blacksmith's and wheelwright's workshops, won BBC TV's Restoration Village competition in 2006.^[10]

Following a boundary change most of Wellesbourne is now in the Parliamentary Constituency of Kenilworth and Southam. Two roads, Hammond Green and Ramsay Green built west of the old parish boundary are still attached to Stratford.