This photo shows the approach to Burton Green along Hodgetts Lane.
Burton Green School
Burton Green Church of England primary school, is in Hob Lane, and was built in 1875. Some modern classrooms have been added in recent times. The school celebrated its 125th anniversary a few years ago.
The Village Hall
A village hall in Hodgetts Lane was built in 1923. It was used for village activities until 1982 when a new hall (shown) was built to replace it. The new hall recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
The church is built in a gothic style, although it is in fact Victorian. The church was built in 1842-4, and was designed by the Victorian church architect George Scott. It was built on land donated by Lord Leigh, and was built using stone provided by Lord Leigh from his quarry in Gibbet Hill Road.
The first vicar of Westwood, Edmund Roy, lived in Kenilworth, and commuted to his Church by pony. There is a tablet to his memory on the North Wall.
There was a close relationship between the early Westwood Church and the agricultural community. The Church was partly funded by a tithe rate on the local farms, and the pews at the front of the Church were allocated to these farms.
Amenities
In the 1930's there used to be two general stores in the village, one opposite the Peeping Tom, run by Mrs Whitehead, and another at the corner of Red Lane and Cromwell Lane, run by Mrs Seaton. Today villagers do their shopping at Supermarkets on the outskirts of Coventry, or in Kenilworth. Several households have their groceries delivered by the Supermarket chains.
The Peeping Tom
Until 2016, the village pub was The Peeping Tom.Peeping Tom is a character in the story of Lady Godiva. The legend was formerly a pagan ritual and Tom was the consort of a pagan goddess. When Coventry was Christianised,the story was revised, to the effect that anyone who participated in the ritual would go blind.
More about the story: British History Online Lady Godiva
See also: History of The Peeping Tom
Our Landmark - The Water Tower
Two water towers are situated in the village, which are distinctive landmarks, visible for several miles around. These enable water to be supplied to the surrounding area at a good pressure. The larger tower, in Cromwell Lane, is named Tile Hill tower, and is used to supply water to the Coventry area. It was built in 1932. Access to the tank and roof is via a spiral staircase which passes in a tube through the centre of the tank.
A second water tower is situated in Hob Lane, and was used to supply the Kenilworth area. This water tower is no longer in operational use. Instead, water is now stored in a large underground reservoir nearby. This underground reservoir is capable of supplying Kenilworth and Warwick.
Railways
The village has had a long and complicated relationship with railways.
A second railway, the Berkswell to Leamington line, completed in 1884, used to run through the village.
There used also to be a private railway in a back garden, including a large steam locomotive. There is more about that here: Burton Green Light Railway
Footpaths
There is rich network of public footpaths around the village, providing a variety of countryside walks of between 1 and 4 miles.
This image, which shows the footpaths in detail, is taken from the Interactive Map of Burton Green.
History and Development
Burton Green has a long and complex history, covering some 2000 years. There is much more about the history of Burton Green here: Burton Green Local History
The dark red squares show development during the 19th Century, which was along Cromwell Lane and Hob Lane. The green squares show early 20th Century development, along the Northern part of Cromwell Lane. The blues square show late 20th Century development - infill along Cromwell Lane, and new developments along Red Lane.
See Also
Article about Burton Green in The West Midlands Village Book
