Over Whitacre is a small Parish in North Warwickshire, bounded on the South and West by the Bourne River and on the East mainly by two small streams which run respectively North and South from the Hamlet of Monwode Lea
Picture top right: Over Whitacre Village Hall - formerly a School house, built in Tudor Gothic style. c.1840 Grade 11 Listed. Parish Council Meetings are held there each month. Residents of the Parish are always welcome to attend the Meetings
Picture right: A view of Furnace End approaching on the B4114 from the direction of Coleshill. Furnace End probably derives its name from iron smelting furnaces owned by the Jennens of Nether Whitacre.
The Parish of Over Whitacre is in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. It is one of 'The Whitacres' – Over Whitacre, Nether Whitacre and Whitacre Heath, although Whitacre heath is actually the heath of Nether Whitacre and not a separate parish. The hamlet of Furnace End appears in the Domesday Book so it was already established in the Saxon period. However, objects belonging to much earlier Neolithic and Bronze Age times have been found in the soil. Whitacre was spelt then as 'Witecore' which means white field. The area has many stone-built buildings of the 17th and 18th centuries. The 18th century parish church of St Leonards is of classical Italian style, built in 1766 on the site of an earlier foundation. Two of the oldest buildings in the parish are Barbers Farm, dating to 1586 and The Bothie at Botts Green. Furnace End is now mainly residential, with most working residents commuting to work in nearby towns and cities
In area, the Parish of Over Whitacre consists mainly of agricultural production land Picture below: A view across open farmland at Monwode Lea, Over Whitacre
Picture above : Tollgate Cottage (Turnpike Cottage) Monwode Lea, Over Whitacre is a Grade 11 Listed building (Strawberry Hill Gothic Style) c.1769
Picture below: 'The Bothie' Over Whitacre, is a fine example of a late 15th century Grade II listed detached country property with barn and bothie ( 'bothie' was a term originally used many years ago for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate)
This website is built and maintained by Richard Hancocks a local resident
Picture below : St Leonard's Church, Over Whitacre
Picture above : Grade 11 Listed Chimney Remains 200 Metres South of Monwode Lea Farmhouse, Over Whitacre. All that remains of a former farmhouse
Picture below : Monwode Lea Farmouse Grade 11 Listed
Pictures above & below : Agricultural craftsman showing their skills at a local ploughing competition
