Hockley Heath

**Hockley Heath** is a village an ceevil pairish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, Wast Midlands, Ingland. The parish is tae the sooth o the Wast Midlands conurbation, 12 mile (19&nbsp;km) frae Birmingham 5.5 mile (8.9&nbsp;km) frae Solihull an 12.5 mile (20.1&nbsp;km) frae Stratford-upon-Avon. Till recently, as well as Hockley Heath village (which is at the extreme sooth-eastren corner o the parish), it includit Cheswick Green, Dickens Heath, Tidbury Green, Salter Street, an Whitlock's End. Housomeivver follaein a community govrenance review, on 31 Mairch 2009 the umwhile Hockley Heath Parish Cooncil wis abolished an on 1 Aprile 2009 fower new parish cooncils wur creatit. The new parishes follae the auld ward bundaries for the Hockley Heath Parish an each parish nou haes a parish cooncil. http://www.hockleyheath-pc.gov.uk/  Accordin tae the 2001 census, the parish haed a population o 6,771.

## History

Historically pairt o the parish o Hampton-in-Arden, the earliest reference here is tae Nuthurst, situatit sooth o the present day village. Dugdale foond nae mention o it afore the reign o Henry III (1216–72) but it haes been identifeed wi the woodland 'aet Hnuthyrste' gien wi Shottery tae Worcester Cathedral bi Offa c. 705. Werfryd, Bishop o Worcester, in 872 grantit tae Eanwulf, the Kings thane, land at Hnuthyrst for fower lives, wi reversion tae the monastery o Stratford. Efter the Norman Conquest the name uisually appeared as Notehurst, but gradually revertit tae its present an oreeginal spellin. Hockley Heath first appeared in the 13t century. It wis pairt o Hampton-in-Arden, an 1/5 knight's fee in Nuthurst wis held o Niel de Mowbray c. 1230 an o Roger de Mowbray in 1242. The owerlairdship descendit in this family, being held bi Roger de Mowbray at his daith in 1297, an bi John Mowbray, Duke o Norfolk, in 1432. Efter the Mowbrays it passed tae the Montforts, Hastings an then tae the Trussells an it was Sir William Trussell o Nuthurst who informed Edward II o his disposition in favour o his son. Bi the 18t century it haed passed tae the Airchers o Umberslade Hall an Laird Archer raised an obelisk on the estate, the reason for which is unclear, possilbly tae celebrate his elevation tae the peerage or juist, as wis the fashion durin that period, as a folly.

## Govrenance

Follaein then creation o the new parish an bi an uncontestit election on 4 Juin 2009 the follaein 5 cooncilors wur electit tae the Parish Cooncil, Paul Edward Afford, Stu Barbour, Christopher John Lang, Peter Trengrove Rayson, Assunta Maria Vernon an the Chairman, Peter Rayson. Hockley Heath is pairt o the Dorridge an Hockley Heath ward o Solihull Metropolitan Borough Cooncil an is representit bi Mayor Ian Courts an Cooncillors Andrew Mackiewicz an Ken Meeson aw o the Conservative pairty.
Naitionally, it is pairt o the constituency o Meriden whose Member o Parliament is, an haes been syne 1997, Caroline Spelman o the Conservative pairty. It is includit in the Wast Midlands electoral region o the European Parliament an the sax members are; Mike Nattrass (UK Independence), Liz Lynne (Liberal Democrat), Malcolm Harbour (Conservative), Michael Cashman (Labour), Philip Bradbourn OBE (Conservative) an Nicole Sinclaire (UK Independence).

## Notable landmarks

The ecclesiastical parish o Nuthurst cum Hockley Heath wis formed in 1878 wi the addition o the modren village o Hockley Heath frae Tanworth. It lees for the maist pairt atween twa roads frae Henley-in-Arden tae Birmingham which meet in the extreme north o the ceevil parish, whaur the kirk o St. Thomas, designed bi John Cotton, a red-brick structur in the Early Inglis style, wis built in 1879  an consecratit on Juin 30, 1880, haein cost £2,500. It wis dedicatit tae St Thomas, as a compliment tae Thomas Burman, o Warings Green, who, as the chief subscriber, laid the foondation stane in 1879.

Situatit at the junction o the A3400 Stratford on Avon tae Birmingham Road an the B4439, kent as the Old Warwick Road is the War Memorial tae those killed durin the twa Warld Wars.

## Transport links

The village is situatit on the main A3400 Birmingham to Stratford Road, 2.5 mile (4.0&nbsp;km) sooth o junction 4 o the M42 motorwaa affordin links tae Lunnon an ither major ceities, whilst 2 mile (3.2&nbsp;km) sooth o the village there is a junction aff the soothbund carriagewa o the M40 motorwa.

The nearest railway station is at Dorridge 2 mile (3.2&nbsp;km) away wi local connections tae Solihull, Birmingham an Warwick an main line connections tae London Marylebone on Chiltern Railways.

The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal runs through the village an Hockley Heath Wharf, situatit tae the rear o The Wharf Public house,
meant it became ane the Arden villages which later became a conveniant stoppin aff point for uisers o the canal.

The village wis formed as a horse chyngin point on the 25 mile journey atween Birmingham an Stratford-upon-Avon. A public hoose cried "The Nag's Head" staunds in the place whaur the stables are thocht tae hae ance stuid.

## Education

Hockley Heath Primary Schuil is situatit on School Road, Hockley Heath, Solihull, Wast Midlands, B94 6RA

## References

## Freemit airtins