Fillongley-History

Fillongley St Mary & All Saints Church.

Fillongley Castle was built by the De Hasting's family and they built the church. The quarry for the sandstone is likely to be in the Castle Farm / Castle Close area. The building of the castle and church would have taken years and some of the craftsmen would have settled, making 'New Fillongley'. Old Fillongley is in the Chapel Green area where there was once a wooden chapel. Photo by Sidwell, Meriden. He cycled all around this area and photographed the villages and people.

Fillongley Church Bell Ringers 1) ? // Mr Keatley. 2) ?// Charles Goode. Percy Batchelor. Joey Martin.

BELOW: Mr Barker, The Bell Inn. There was a bowling green behind the pub and it also had the first bank and post office.

Fillongley, prior to the 1960s, had almost everything. There were village stores, a bakers, several pubs, a sadler/shoe maker, tailor, post office and bank, drapers store, milk direct from the farm, plus mobile shops that travelled around the district. Villagers need not travel, and some rarely did. The advent of the motorcar was to bring change and the village gradually lost its amenities. The Bell Inn had a bowling green and had the first bank and post office. The cottages next door were to become a sadlers/shoe maker. On the right was a butcher's shop.

Fillongley and Corley History www.fillongley-history.co.uk

This website is provided on a 'voluntary' basis by Mrs Susan Moore, past Chairman and President of the Fillongley and Corley Local History group. (The group no longer meet.)

With the Covid-19 crisis, while some of us have time to spend at home, I hope you enjoy browsing this website. Please email me if you do on fillongleypub @ btinternet.com. If you are interested in the village and you enjoy a good read, local history books are still available and can be collected in the village by arrangement. 1) I Remember Strawberries & Sewage. £4.50 // 2) I Remember Bare Bottoms & Stinging Nettles. £10. An award winning book of memories and histories of local village schools. // 3) Millennium Snapshots. £5 to charity. //

If you have any information or old photographs we can borrow/copy and share, please contact Susan Moore.

The latest addition to the collection (Jan 2020) is the page/s of CORLEY - memories Evrall - Mayou

The history group was in existence for more than 20 years and we hope to preserve some of the work and research done by the members. The information and copies of 'old' photographs are freely available for anyone to use or to copy (not for profit or for commercial purposes).

LOCAL HISTORY BOOKS

Available to collect locally in Fillongley or may be in stock at Astley Book Farm.

You can also order by email: fillongleypub @ btinternet.com

'I Remember Strawberries & Sewage'

Memories and photographs of Fillongley. £4.50 + £2.00 p&p = £6.50

'I Remember Bare Bottoms & Stinging Nettles'

Village Schools

Award winning history of 'village' childhood, memories of children and teachers and a history of eleven old Warwickshire Village Schools, most of them no longer in existence. Approx 100 photographs.

Villages: Astley, Corley, Corley Open Air School, Fillongley, Arley Church of england School, Arley Gun Hill School, Arley Herbert Fowler School, Maxstoke, Meriden, Little Packington, Shawbury Industrial School etc.

(£11. to collect in Fillongley)

£13.50 to include UK post.

Order by email to: fillongleypub @ btinternet.com

'Corley School Log Books' Edited Extracts. Free email copy to print out yourself when you order the village school's book 'I Remember Bare Bottoms & Stinging Nettles). Email: fillongleypub @ btinternet.com for your copy.

'Fillongley Field Names' from 1843 Tithe Map. Available to print out free from the page on this website.

Visit website and more information about other books and paintings by Susan Moore (Artist and Author) www.susan-moore.co.uk

1900c Fillongley Village. Man with stick, J.P. Blackham, lived at the Mount. He did a lot of good work in the community and sorted out the local charities.

Fillgongley Village, c1910. Mr Coton with his horse. He was the last 'carrier' in Fillongley, before public transport and there were few cars. He carried people and goods and provided a regular service. It took about 2 hours to reach Coventry as he had to make deliveries on his way. Photo by Sidwell, Meriden.

Fillongley Village c1915. Wills Stores and the Bakehouse were demolished in the 1960's.// Left turning to Mill Lane, re-named Ousterne Lane so as not to confuse it with the other Mill Lane in Fillongley. There would probably have been a windmill at the top of the lane in Medieval times. // The Old Working Men's Club remains and is now called Alpha House. At the bottom you can see the arched garage doorway, and this was formerly a blacksmiths. Before becoming a Working Men's Club, it was the Cock Inn. You can imagine with a name like that, they may have organised Cock Fighting in an earlier time. The adjoining building was the old Post Office and Bank, run by Mrs White, was demolished about 1938 (Rene Watson's grandmother - her story in the book 'I Remember Strawberries & Sewage'. (Set back, but you can see the sign of the Butcher's Arms, now a house).

This web site is provided by Susan Moore, former Chairman and President of the Fillongley and Corley Local History Group. Sadly, the group no longer meets, but local history and photographs are constantly added to this web site. It takes hours of work - so I hope you enjoy browsing through.

If you have history / information about the village or 'old' photographs we can borrow to copy and include on this site, please let me know. Tel. 07745 144 922.

An award winning book. Fascinating history of village schools in North Warwickshire, within approx a four mile radius of Fillongley.

Includes: Shawbury Industrial School and Corley Open Air School. Arley Church School, Arley Herbert Fowler, Arley Gun Hill School, Astley Village School, Corley National School, Corley Open Air School, Fillongley Village School (now Bournebrook), Little Packington School, on the Packington Estate, Maxstoke Village School, Meriden Village School, Shustoke Village School, Shawbury Industrial School. r

I Remember Bare Bottoms & Stinging Nettles is a fascinating history of childhood, compiled from oral recordings, memories, historical records, log books etc. Includes approx 100 photographs. £13.50. Order by email: fillongleypub @ btinternet.com or from: www.fillongley-publications.com or from Astley Book Farm. Also available to order from Amazon Books www.amazon.co.uk but beware. Have noticed it for sale between £11.48 and £700 !! Jan 2016.

Above and Below: Ousterne Lane, Fillongley. (Originally called Mill Lane as there would probably have been a medieval windmill at the top of the hill). Bottom of Lane is the Bakehouse. Mary Ann Anderton standing outside her cottage, (mother of Edie Stone who's memories are in 'I Remember Strawberries & Sewage'.) She was a post lady and ran a tea room from here for the hundred's of cyclists that came through the village to Meriden. The Bakehouse and cottage were demolished to make way for Bournebrook Close in the 1960's.

Above: Ousterne Lane. Mr and Mrs Chambers.

I Remember Strawberries & Sewage

Order from: Fillongley Publications

www.fillongley-publications.com

There are just a few copies of this book remaining @ £4.50 to collect in Fillongley. A wonderful collection of memories and anecdotes of life as it was in Fillongley during the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Compiled from oral recordings.

Many photographs.

FILLONGLEY is located in the old Forest of Arden, Warwickshire. In ancient times the inhabitants would clear the forest and make a settlement. Area names indicate this, such as Green End and Wood End. The de Fillongley family had a wooden fortified 'castle' in Berry Fields (deriving from 'bury' meaning a mound). After the conquest of England in 1066, land was divided up by William the Conquerer and awarded to his mercenaries.

Fillongley Castle was built by the de Hastings family who also built the church. Constructing the Church would have taken many years and a new settlement grown around it, making 'New Fillongley'.

'Old' Fillongley was located in the Chapel Green area, around the 'old' Hall. There was a wooden chapel and Fillongley Common in this area.

Above: The Butchers Arms - Landlords - the Meek family. c1911

Below are various (old) views of Fillongley Village, shops, pubs and people.

If you have photographs we can copy / add to this site - we would be pleased to hear from you. We can copy them while you wait if you are unable to scan/email them to us.

Fillongley is situated in the heart of England, North Warwickshire. It is a large spread-out parish and borders Maxstoke, Shustoke, Arley, Astley, Meriden and Corley. It was once a busy farming community but nowadays most inhabitants commute to Nuneaton, Coventry or Birmingham to find employment. The first settlement was believed to be in the Chapel Green area (where there was a wooden chapel) and Fillongley Old Hall is mentioned in domesday.

Above left: Pre 1950. Fillongley Post Office and Shop, Church Lane with Mrs Ingrams Cottage behind. Right hand side - wall to the Vicarage Gardens - now Holbeche Crescent.

Above right: Butcher's Arms.

Below:

THE BELL INN. (Below left) - in flood from the stream Bournebrook.

Mr Charlie Barker (1920's) ran the Bell Inn and brewed his own beer. He also had the first post office and bank in the pub. Behind was a bowling green. He had sheds along by the stream and stored his old carts - and there were rats!

(Above) Mr Jackie Rathbone with his 'cobblers' apron on. His Cobblers shop was next to the Bell Inn. (pre 1950).

(Left) Mr Charlie Barker, Landlord, The Bell Inn.

(Below)

THE BUTCHERS ARMS (Closed about 2005, and converted into a dwelling). It dates back to 1614. Landlords include the Meek family in the early 1900's. Nancy Wood. // Judith and Robert Nicolas until its closure.

To enlarge the car park - the old Post Office and Bank, demolished about 1938. Mrs White had run the post office and bank from here. (Her granddaughter, Rene Watson's memories are in 'I Remember Strawberries & Sewage'.

BUTCHERS ARMS

(Above) Fillongley pre 1938. From left to right: Wills Village Shop. The Bake House. (Mill Lane entrance now called Ousterne Lane) The Working Men's Club (now Alpha House). The Post Office and Bank demolished in 1938 to make a car park for the Butcher's Arms.

(Above) The Manor House Pub. It was a private house rented by the Ibbotson family from 1910. It was not kept in a good order and when they left, the brewery bought the house and converted it into a pub. The Bell Inn was closed and became a house.

Memories of Pat Ibbotson in 'I Remember Strawberries & Sewage : The Manor House had a magnificent staircase which was the first thing to go when it was converted. One part of the house was much older which contained the dining room, scullery, china closet and three bedrooms.

Above and right: VG FOODSTORE. Owned by Doug and Barbara Hayward for many years until their retirement (1990's) The shop was demolsihed to build new houses.

c1938 Demolishing the old Post Office and bank to make a larger car park for the Butchers Arms.

(Above) Fillongley Village. The village shop has had many 'lives'. Previously a blacksmith's. Then a pub called the Three Horse Shoes. A village store and newsagents run by Mr & Mrs Foster up to about 1960. It then became a hairdressers in the back room and Post Office in the front from approx 1980, run by Peter for about 20 years. Most recently 'Hewitts' Toy Shop and post office. Now empty.

ABOVE: SADDLERS AND COBBLERS SHOP (pre 1950) (until recently - Blounts Newsagents, then Caves Newsagents but closed 2016) : Mrs. Rodgers, Jackie Rathbone, Elsie Tedds, Ivy Killpack, Betty Gilbert. RIGHT: Jackie Rathbone, (child?)

FILLONGLEY GARAGE, c1960's.

FILLONGLEY GARAGE. c1960's. Owned by Mr Spencer (his wife was a Fillongley School Teacher.) It iis now owned by the Hammond family.

Fillongley is forever changing.

People come and go but the village remains even though it alters. Old houses demolished, new houses built and old houses extended, businesses opened and businesses closed. Fillongley once had many trades and services and was a complete community. It took all day to reach Leamington Spa and several hours to reach Coventry or Nuneaton. There was a train service from Arley Station to Birmingham. Most people did not travel far and were employed on the farms. There was a butcher, baker, several public houses, tailors, carpenters, blacksmiths, tea rooms, local stores, post office, bank, and many more facilities.

Fillongley & Corley History