Hampton-in-Arden
From Free net encyclopedia
←Older revision | Newer revision→
Hampton-in-Arden is a village located within the borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. The village was previously located within the county of Warwickshire, until the 1974 county boundary changes. It lies in the countryside between Birmingham and Coventry. Its population in the 2001 census was 1,655.
Hampton was mentioned in Domesday, when it was under a Norman overlord. A priest was recorded, implying that the Parish Church existed. This is confirmed by the Norman Chancel and other traces of this style in the South Arcade. The church dates from about 1130. The spire was a local landmark, until it was destroyed by lightning in November 1643. Only a battlemented tower remains. The church was heavily restored in 1878.
There are some well preserved 17th century and timber framed houses, some of which are listed. A 15th century five bay Pack Horse Bridge that crosses the River Blythe is nearby. Hampton-in-Arden is regarded as one of the first "Railway Villages".
It has been claimed that the village was the setting for the Shakespeare play As You Like It.
Hampton in Arden is a typical Arden village, but is now very much a commuter development for nearby Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry. The M42 motorway and Birmingham International Airport are nearby.
Transport
The village was renamed in the 1840s, around the time of the arrival of the London and Birmingham Railway line, which runs through it. The re-naming was designed to eliminate confusion with other villages named Hampton; -in-Arden was added, because the village is located within the historic Forest of Arden.
Hampton was the southern end of the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway. The Stonebridge Railway opened on 12 August 1839, was downgraded to a branch line in 1840, losing its final passenger service in 1917 as a wartime economy measure. The line was closed in 1935 following a bridge failure in Packwood. The line enabled passengers from the Tamworth, Kingsbury, Whitacre, Shustoke and Coleshill areas to make connections at this station for other parts of the country. The Derby Junction Station building can still be seen some 500m north of the current, London and North Western Railway built, Hampton-in-Arden railway station. The track bed remains and a footpath for hikers and railway buffs runs alongside it until the Arden Brickworks.