Shipston-on-Stour
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The town is located on the River Stour in a rural part of southern Warwickshire, roughly 15 miles (24 km) south of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is in the northern part of the Cotswolds, and is a focal point for the surrounding rural area.
It is located on the A3400 road (the old A34) between Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford and was once an important stopping place for stagecoaches. Many former coaching inns remain in the town in the area of the High Street.
Etymologically, Shipston is derived from the Saxon "Scepwaeisctune" meaning "Sheep-wash-Town", and the town had for a long time a regionally important sheep market. Following a fall in the demand for local wool, the local economy was sustained thanks to the opening of a branch line in 1836, running from the horse-drawn Stratford and Moreton Tramway built ten years before linking Moreton-in-Marsh with Stratford. This line was upgraded to that of a modern railway in 1859. It lost its passenger services in 1929, and closed completely in 1960.
Notable people born in Shipston include the actor Richard Morant and the 19th century archaeologist Francis Haverfield.
Shipston lay within an outlying part of the traditional county of Worcestershire, where it formed part of the Oswaldslow Hundred. In 1931 it was merged with Warwickshire. Until 1974 it was the centre of the Shipston-on-Stour Rural District.
It lies within the Diocese of Worcester, and the town's church of St. Edmund's was largely rebuilt in 1855, although retaining its 15th century tower.
Reference
- Warwickshire Towns & Villages, by Geoff Allen (2000) ISBN 185058642x
External links
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