Merevale

Merevale
The Gatehouse to Merevale Estate in Merevale Lane. The building and the Church of Our Lady behind it were originally part of the Cistercian Merevale Abbey complex.
Merevale  Merevale shown within Warwickshire
Population	181 (2011)
OS grid reference	SP2997
Civil parish	Merevale
District	North Warwickshire
Shire county	Warwickshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Atherstone
Postcode district	CV9
Dialling code	01827
Police	Warwickshire
Fire	Warwickshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	North Warwickshire
List of places UK England Warwickshire

Merevale is a village and Civil Parish in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. Located about one and a half miles west of Atherstone, it is the site of a medieval Cistercian Abbey (founded in 1148) and Merevale Hall, (built in 1840 and home to the Dugdale family).

History

Merevale Abbey

An abbey was built in Merevale in 1148 by Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby. It was a relatively small abbey with only around 10 monks. The abbey was dissolved in October 1538, during the reign of Henry VIII and fell into ruin, but traces of it remain to the present day. One of the most significant parts to have survived is the Gate Chapel, now used as the parish church. The church is significant for its Cistercian stained glass, including its Jesse window (one of the most important in the British Isles), and for being the only Cistercian gate chapel to be open for regular weekly services throughout the year.

Merevale Hall

Main article: Merevale Hall

Designed by Edward Blore, Merevale Hall was completed in 1840 and has been the home of the descendants of Sir William Dugdale since this time. Dugdale was a strong royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War, and was appointed as his 'Garter Principal King of Arms'. Many of his artefacts, including ceremonial clothes, can be seen at the hall.

Governance

The village has its own parish called Merevale civil parish although for some purposes it is merged to form Bentley and Merevale Civil Parish.

Merevale was part of the Atherstone Rural District. In 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 the Atherstone Rural District became part of the newly formed district of North Warwickshire. Inside North Warwickshire Merevale is part of the Baddesley and Grendon Ward and is represented by John Moore and Ray Sweet who are both Labour, Merevale is covered by the Baddesley Ensor Ward in Warwickshire County Council and is also represented by Ray Sweet.

It is part of the North Warwickshire constituency and the current MP is Conservative Dan Byles, it is also part of the West Midlands European Parliament constituency which is represented by 6 MEPs.

Public Services

Waste collection services are provided by North Warwickshire Borough Council. Water and sewage services are provided by Severn Trent Water. The Distribution Network Operator for electricity is Central Networks better known as E.ON UK.

Merevale has a Coventry (CV) Postcode, the Postal Town is Atherstone which is also the location of the nearest post office. The nearest Library is also in Atherstone. Merevale uses the Tamworth 01827 area code.

The nearest police and fire stations are in Atherstone,. Atherstone is part of Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Health

The village lies in the North Warwickshire NHS trust area. The village does not have its own doctor's surgery or pharmacy The nearest GP's surgeries can be found in Atherstone. The George Eliot Hospital at Nuneaton is the area's local hospital. It has an Accident and Emergency Department. Out of hours GP services are also based at George Eliot.

Transport

The A5 (Watling Street) at runs to the east of Merevale.

The village has 1 bus stop on the A5 and is served by routes 48 and 765, the nearest railway station is Atherstone.

The nearest airports are Birmingham and East Midlands

Media

The local newspapers covering the area are the Tamworth Herald, which has a separate edition for North Warwickshire and the Atherstone Recorder.

The local BBC radio station covering the area is BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. Local commercial stations in the area include Mercia and Touch FM.

The village is covered by the Central ITV and BBC West Midlands TV regions broadcast from the nearby Sutton Coldfield transmitting station.

See also

• List of English abbeys, priories and friaries serving as parish churches

External links

• Merevale and Blyth Estates
• History of Merevale Abbey at British History Online