Editing Dunchurch

{{Short description|Village in Warwickshire, England}}
{{about|the village in England|the community in Ontario|Dunchurch, Ontario}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place 
| official_name            = Dunchurch
| country                  = England
| region                   = West Midlands      
| static_image_name        = Dunchurch centre 3.24.jpg
| static_image_caption     = Daventry Road and the Square viewed from Rugby Road in the village centre
| static_image_width       = 300px
| population               = 4,123
| population_ref           = ([[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 census]])<ref name="CitPop"/>
| os_grid_reference        = SP485712 
| coordinates              = {{Wikidatacoord|Q3041276|display=inline,title}}
| post_town                = RUGBY
| postcode_area            = CV
| postcode_district        = CV22
| dial_code                = 01788
| constituency_westminster = [[Kenilworth and Southam (UK Parliament constituency)|Kenilworth and Southam]]     
| civil_parish             = Dunchurch
| shire_district           = [[Rugby (borough)|Rugby]]
| shire_county             = [[Warwickshire]]
}}

'''Dunchurch''' is a village and [[civil parish]] in the [[Borough of Rugby]], approximately {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} south-west of central [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]] in [[Warwickshire]], England. The civil parish, which also includes the nearby hamlet of [[Toft, Warwickshire|Toft]], had a population of 4,123 at the [[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 Census]], a significant increase from 2,938 at the 2011 Census.<ref name="CitPop">{{cite web |title=Dunchurch Parish in West Midlands |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/westmidlands/admin/rugby/E04012404__dunchurch/ |publisher=City Population |access-date=24 November 2022 }}</ref>

==History==
The earliest historical reference to Dunchurch was in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, which mentioned a settlement called ''Don Cerce''.<ref name="warvbook">{{cite book |title=The Warwickshire Village Book |date=2000 |publisher=Countryside Books |isbn=1-85306-652-4 |pages=57–58 }}</ref>

The core of the village has been declared a [[conservation area]] because it has many buildings of historical interest. Some of the buildings date to the 15th century<ref>{{cite book |title=The Geography of Great Britain: England and Wales |first1=George |last1=Long |first2=George R. |last2=Porter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r7mW_IA0oyUC |date=1850 |publisher=Baldwin |page=320 }}</ref> are [[timber framing|timber-framed]] and still have traditional [[thatching|thatch]] roofs.<ref name="Allen">{{cite book |last1=Geoff |first1=Allen |title=Warwickshire Towns & Villages |date=2000 |publisher=Sigma Press |isbn=1-85058-642-X |pages=49–50 }}</ref>

As Dunchurch was located at the crossroads of the [[stagecoach|coaching]] roads between London and [[Birmingham]] (now the [[A45 road]]) (classified as B4429 through the village) and [[Oxford]] and [[Leicester]] (now the [[A426 road]]), it was for centuries an important [[staging post]]. At one point, there were 27 [[coaching inn]]s in Dunchurch to cater for travellers. Two of these still remain; the 'Dun Cow' and 'The Green Man'<ref name="Allen"/><ref name="warvbook"/>
[[File:Guy Fawkes House -Dunchurch-20May2005.jpg|thumb|left|[[Guy Fawkes]] House, now a private residence, formerly the 'Lion Inn']]
Many notable people have stayed at Dunchurch. Most notably, in 1605 the [[Gunpowder Plot]]ters stayed at the 'Lion Inn' (now a private residence called 'Guy Fawkes House') in Dunchurch, convened by Sir [[Everard Digby]], awaiting news of [[Guy Fawkes]]'s attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |title=Parishes: Dunchurch and Thurlaston Pages 78-86 A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 6, Knightlow Hundred. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp78-86 |website=British History Online |publisher=Victoria County History, 1951 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=27 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127234831/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp78-86 |url-status=live }}</ref> If he had been successful they planned to kidnap the King's daughter [[Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia|Princess Elizabeth]] from nearby [[Coombe Abbey]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Guy Fawkes' House, Dunchurch |url=https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/rugby-school-science-teaching-around-1900-2 |publisher=Our Warwickshire |access-date=24 June 2018 |archive-date=24 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624212506/https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/rugby-school-science-teaching-around-1900-2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Allen"/>

Other well known people who have stayed in the village include the young [[Queen Victoria]] (before she became Queen) and the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]]. [[Robert Stephenson]] stayed in Dunchurch when supervising the construction of the [[Kilsby Tunnel]] during the building of the [[London and Birmingham Railway]].

Dunchurch was for many centuries a more important settlement than nearby [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]], that changed however with the coming of the railways in the 19th century; Rugby became a major railway centre and grew into a large town, this led to a dramatic decline in the coaching trade, and a decline in the importance of Dunchurch. However, from 1871 until 1964 the village was served by its [[Dunchurch railway station|own railway station]] about two miles from the village on the [[Rugby to Leamington Spa line]].<ref name="BHOLdun">{{cite web |title=Parishes: Dunchurch and Thurlaston |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp78-86 |publisher=British History Online |access-date=21 June 2018 |archive-date=22 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622032415/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp78-86 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ancient parish of Dunchurch included the village itself, plus the nearby settlements of [[Cawston, Warwickshire|Cawston]], [[Thurlaston, Warwickshire|Thurlaston]], and [[Toft, Warwickshire|Toft]]; The former two have become separate [[civil parish]]es. In the early 1930s part of the civil parish of Dunchurch was transferred to Rugby, and the part of the parish of [[Bilton, Warwickshire|Bilton]] which was not merged with Rugby was transferred to Dunchurch.<ref name="BHOLdun"/>

==Education==
There are three schools in the area: Dunchurch Infant and Nursery School (School Street), Dunchurch Boughton C of E Junior School (Dew Close) and [[Bilton Grange]] Preparatory School (Rugby Road).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biltongrange.co.uk/ |title=Bilton Grange |access-date=17 September 2014 |archive-date=20 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920234014/http://www.biltongrange.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Religion==
[[File:Dunchurch - geograph.org.uk - 103826.jpg|thumb|St Peter's church]]
There are three churches in the village: St Peter's ([[Church of England]]) in the centre, a [[Methodist]] chapel in Cawston Lane and a [[Baptist]] church on the outskirts of the village on the Coventry road.

St Peter's, dating from the 12th century, is a grade II* listed building.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1185418 |desc=Church of St Peter |accessdate=17 September 2014 }}</ref>

==Culture==
The village has a sportsfield on Rugby Road donated to the village by [[Samuel Waring, 1st Baron Waring|Baron Waring]] in the 1920s. Currently Dunchurch & Bilton Cricket Club play in the summer months and Dunchurch Football Club play in the winter. [[Cricket]] has been played on the land since the 1800s. In 1999 Dunchurch Cricket Club merged with Bilton Cricket Club to form Dunchurch & Bilton Cricket Club. The changing rooms for the pitches are found adjacent to the village hall which was opened in 2003. There is a large main hall which can seat up to 160 people as well as a smaller sports room. Both have attached kitchens.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dunchurchsportsandvhall.co.uk/ |title=Village hall website |access-date=16 February 2007 |archive-date=5 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205044543/http://dunchurchsportsandvhall.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Other groups in the village include: Dunchurch Silver Band,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dunchurchband.co.uk/ |title=Dunchurch Silver Band |access-date=17 September 2014 }}</ref> District of Dunchurch Brass, Dunchurch Festival Group, Guides, Dunchurch Health Walks, Scouts, Mothers' Union, Photographic Club, St. Peter's Bell Ringers, Dunchurch Twinning Association, Dunchurch and Thurlaston Women's Institute, Working Men's Club.

==Statue==
In the centre of Dunchurch is a statue of [[Lord John Douglas-Montagu-Scott]] (1809–1860) a 19th-century landlord, Scottish M.P. and younger brother of the 5th [[Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch|Duke of Buccleuch]]. The statue is by the Victorian sculptor [[Joseph Durham]] A.R.A..

Since the 1970s an annual tradition has developed in the village for a group of pranksters to secretly dress up the statue as a cartoon or TV character overnight at the beginning of the Christmas holidays.<ref name="Allen"/> The statue was dressed up as Queen [[Elizabeth II]] during her diamond jubilee weekend celebrations. In 2012 the statue was dressed up as an Olympian for the final leg of the Olympic torch relay sporting a headband and runners jersey.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dunchurch statue secretly dressed up by locals |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-35775531/dunchurch-statue-secretly-dressed-up-by-locals |work=BBC News |access-date=24 June 2018 }}</ref> 2017 saw the statue become [[Paddington Bear]], and 2018 [[The Grinch]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Statue gets latest festive makeover - but no-one knows who does it |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-news-dunchurch-statue-rugby-15562409 |work=Coventry Evening Telegraph |access-date=16 April 2019 |archive-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416213215/https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-news-dunchurch-statue-rugby-15562409 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{multiple image
| direction = horizontal
| align = none
| image1 = Lord Scott statue -Dunchurch-29Oct09.JPG
| caption1 = Statue of [[Lord John Douglas-Montagu-Scott]] by [[Joseph Durham]]
| width1 = 175
| image2 = Dunchurch statue fancy dress 2009 - 10 - geograph.org.uk - 1640713.jpg
| caption2 = The statue dressed up as [[Homer Simpson]] at New Year 2009
| width2 = 175
| image3 = Lord Scott statue as Olaf 12.19 (1).jpg
| caption3 = The statue dressed up as [[Olaf (Frozen)|Olaf]] at New Year 2019
| width3 = 175
}}

== Notable residents==
* [[Ian Bell]], (born 1982) cricketer
* [[Laura Bettinson]] (born 1987) singer, songwriter and record producer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Laura enjoys fruits of Teen Idol appearance |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/laura-enjoys-fruits-teen-idol-3150464 |work=Coventry Telegraph |access-date=20 March 2023 |date=6 February 2004 |archive-date=20 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320181210/https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/laura-enjoys-fruits-teen-idol-3150464 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Alan Hodgkinson|Alan Hodgkinson MBE]], (1936–2015) footballer<ref>{{cite news |first=Andy |last=Turner |title=Alan Hodgkinson - ultimate pro and a lovely man |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/sport-opinion/alan-hodgkinson-ultimate-pro-lovely-10620210 |work=CoventryLive |publisher=Reach |date=18 December 2015 |access-date=7 February 2023 }}</ref>
* [[Katharine Merry]], (born 1974) retired athlete, sports commentator 
* [[William Tans'ur]], (1706–1783) 18th-century hymnwriter

==Twinning==
In 1987, Dunchurch was [[Sister city|twinned]] with the village of [[Ferrières-en-Brie]] in France.<ref name="warvbook"/>

==Legacy==
In 1877, the community of Newcombe in [[Ontario]] was renamed [[Dunchurch, Ontario]] by then postmaster George Kelcey after his birthplace in Warwickshire.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rayburn |first1=Alan |title=Place names of Ontario |date=1997 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |isbn=0-8020-7207-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TwF6AAAAMAAJ |page=98 |access-date=16 October 2017 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Dunchurch}}
* [http://dunchurchpc.org/ Dunchurch Parish Council]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070205083606/http://www.dunchurchsportsandvhall.co.uk/Index.htm Dunchurch Village Hall]
* [http://www.dunchurchbaptistchurch.org.uk/ Dunchurch Baptist Church]

{{Warwickshire}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Warwickshire]]