Useful Links

Kenilworth History

The links to the following resources may prove useful to individuals researching local Kenilworth history on-line:

  • English Heritage – Sources for Kenilworth Castle – A summary of the material, visual and written sources for our knowledge and understanding of Kenilworth Castle.
  • Listed Buildings in Kenilworth – All Grade I and Grade II listed buildings in Kenilworth, including a handy map view.
  • The Simon de Montfort Society – We seek to protect and preserve the site of the Battle of Evesham and of other places connected with Simon de Montfort. We make educational resources available to students of all ages and encourage further research into the history of the thirteenth century, a pivotal but neglected period of history.
  • The Kenilworth Society – The Kenilworth Society aims to to promote the study of civic design, to stimulate public consciousness and appreciation of the beauty, history and character of the neighbourhood and its surroundings, to encourage the preservation, development and improvement of the features which go to make pleasing and convenient conditions in which to live and work. The Society aims to pursue these ends by such means as meetings, lectures, study groups, exhibitions and publications.
  • Kenilworth in Camera – Graham Gould’s excellent website including numerous old photos of the town, details on local industries.
  • Victorian Kenilworth – Robin Leach’s excellent Rookfield Publications website with details of all his books, numerous Kenilworth history articles, and links to websites useful for the Kenilworth historian.
  • World War 2 in Kenilworth – a second Robin Leach website covering a variety of aspects of wartime Kenilworth; contributions are invited to both sites by sending an email to: [wpml_mailto email=”robin.dleach@googlemail.com”]robin.dleach@googlemail.com[/wpml_mailto].
  • Kenilworth War Memorial – containing details (and photos where possible) of all those on Kenilworth War Memorial – WW1, WW2 and Korean War. It also has links relating to the book Kenilworth & The Great War by Sue Tall and Betty Sunley.
  • History of Kenilworth – on the Kenilworth Town Council webpage
  • History of the Parish of Kenilworth – on the British History Online website, originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1951.
  • History of St Nicholas & St Barnabas Churches, Kenilworth – including history sections on:
  • History of St Johns Church going back to 1851.
  • History of St Augustine’s and St Francis of Assisi – from the dissolution of the monasteries to modern day.
  • History of the Priory Theatre including a picture of the original 1816 chapel building and the company’s foundation in 1932 as The Kenilworth Players.
  • BBC Domesday Reloaded In 1986, 900 years after William the Conqueror’s original Domesday Book, the BBC published the Domesday Project. This link takes you to the Kenilworth section of the Domesday Project pages.
  • The Battlefield Trust KHAS is now a ‘Partner’ Member of the Battlefields Trust because of Kenilworth’s involvement with the 2nd Barons’ War in connection with the Great Siege of 1266.
  • Literature and the transformation of topography: the case of Kenilworth Castle, 1700–1850 Dale Townshend examines the cultural transformation of the ruined Tudor palace at Kenilworth following the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s tragic romance in 1821.

Warwickshire History

The following links may be useful for research into the history of Warwickshire in general:

  • Warwickshire County Records Office – Warwickshire County Record Office collects, preserves and provides access to documents recording the history of the county, its people and places.
  • Warwickshire Heritage – What to visit, exhibitions & collections, events and activities etc.
  • Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record – Here you can access information about your heritage. Search through our database of known archaeological sites and finds to learn what has been discovered in your neighbourhood.
  • Our Warwickshire – This website celebrates and shares Warwickshire’s heritage.  It is being created by Warwickshire’s museums, archives, local history groups and communities.

Other Societies

The following links will connect you to webpages for neighbouring local history societies and other local history resources:

  • Warwickshire Local History Society – The Society exists to promote the advancement of public education in local history in Warwickshire.
  • Coventry and District Archaeological Society (CADAS) – promoting archaeology in the Coventry area since 1965
  • Historic Coventry Trust – registered charity that was launched in 2011 to acquire, restore and reuse Coventry’s heritage buildings, preserving them for future generations and contributing to Coventry’s economic, social and cultural enhancement.
  • HistoricCoventry.co.uk – not to be confused with the above, this excellent website allows the reader to take a nostalgic and educational tour of historic Coventry, read people’s memories, and learn about its history, cathedrals, ancient buildings and city wall with the aid of over a thousand photographs, images & maps.
  • Leamington History Group – your online resource for exploring the history of Royal Leamington Spa,
    one of England’s most attractive and historic Regency towns.
  • Stoneleigh History Society – formed in January 2011 with the principal aim of discovering and recording information about the village’s rich history.
  • Ashow Village History – in short there is LOADS of it! The village dates back as far or further than 1086 and is listed in the book. David Clark of the village has done a brilliant job of writing it all up for us all to enjoy.
  • Leek Wootton History Group – established in 1999 by a group of residents in order to write a history of the Parish of Leek Wootton & Guy’s Cliffe for the Millennium.
  • Lillington Local History Society – founded in 2009 to promote the study of local history by meeting socially for discussions, talks and visits.
  • Rugby Archaeological Society – founded in 1961 by a group of amateur archaeologists to excavate the site of the Roman town of Tripontium. Although only a few of the original members are still involved, the Society’s objectives remain unchanged.
  • Kineton Local History Society – founded to encourage an interest in Kineton and District.
  • Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry (BMSGH) – numerous local family history society branches, including the Kenilworth Family History Society which can be found on facebook here: Kenilworth Family History Society Facebook Page
  • Warwickshire Industrial Archaeology Society (WIAS) – formed in 1989 with the aim of promoting the study, recording and preservation of the industrial archaeology of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull.
  • Archaeology UK – Other Societies – Find an archaeological or historical society or group near you.

General Historical Research

The following links may be useful for general historical and archaeological research:

  • ArchiUK – Search the ARCHI UK database of 175,000 British archaeological sites with a Postcode.
  • Archaeology for All – The webpages for the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) which brings together members, supporters and partners to give archaeology a voice and safeguard it for future generations.
  • National Archives – tool for querying the catalogue, albeit not for viewing the resources themselves online, requiring a visit and / or purchase.
  • Library of Birmingham – tool for querying the catalogue, albeit not for viewing the resources themselves online, requiring a visit and / or purchase.
  • History of Parliament – this a great resource for researching biographies of parliamentarians with a Kenilworth connection.
  • British History Online – BHO pages relating to Kenilworth, including section taken from A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 6, Knightlow Hundred originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1951.
  • Hansard – record of parliamentary business mentioning Kenilworth in some way, which can be further honed by year of interest.
  • Archive.org – Numerous digitised works (e.g. Sir Walter Scott’s Kenilworth), which can be filtered by creator, topic and collection etc.
  • Oxford Dictionary of National Biography – which can be searched with a library card (in our case using your WARKS prefix ).
  • Portcullis Parliamentary Archives – to search the parliamentary archive catalogue, albeit not for viewing the resources themselves online, requiring a visit and / or purchase.
  • British Library – tool for querying the catalogue, albeit not for viewing the resources themselves online, requiring a visit and / or purchase.
  • Parish Register Online – register of clergymen
  • Other County Catalogues – Often, materials pertaining to Kenilworth can be found in other county archives, and hence it’s worth searching their records too. The example here being Gloucestershire.
  • National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP) – one of the largest collections of aerial imagery in the world, containing tens of millions of images featuring historic events and places around the world.
  • Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photography (CUCAP) – started in 1947 by the pioneering JK St Joseph. Since then the collection has grown to almost 500,000 images of obliques and verticals in black and white, colour and infra-red.

Education for Kids

Digitised Books

The following publications are available for free on-line, in whole or in part:

General Kenilworth Information

The following links may be of interest for general Kenilworth information:

  • KenilworthWeb – Local Kenilworth information provided by Warwick District Council.
  • Warwickshire News – Local Warwickshire information provided by Warwick District Council.
  • Friends of Abbey Fields – The Friends of Abbey Fields formed in 2002 with the aim of helping Warwick District Council to care for Abbey Fields.