Southam, a Civil Parish and a Small Market Town in the Stratford-on-Avon District in the English County of Warwickshire
The civil parish of Southam is a small town in the Stratford-on-Avon district in Warwickshire county in England. The town lies along the River Stowe, also locally known as “The Brook,” which runs from Napton-on-the-Hill and merges with River Itchen of Warwickshire at Stoneythorpe at the outskirt of town. It is approximately 7.5 miles east of Royal Leamington Spa, 10 miles from Daventry and Rugby, 14 miles north of Banbury and 13 miles south of Coventry.
A Brief History of Southam
Southam used to be a Royal manor before Ethelred the Unready bestowed it to Earl Leofwine in AD 998. In 1043, Leofric, Earl of Mercia, son of Leofwine granted it to Coventry Prior when the priory was founded in 1043. In the 1086 Domesday Book, the manor was referred to as “Sucham.”In the 12th Century, the priory which became the first Coventry Cathedral, held on to the manor until it gave up all its estates to the Crown in the 16th Century as a result of the Dissolution of Monasteries. The existing manor house was built from the early 17th Century while the current parish church of St James was constructed in the 14th Century.
Things to See and Do in Southam
Southam’s Holy Well, possibly the oldest Holy Well in England and also one of the most delightful places of interest in this town is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade II listed building. The well, which is in the scenic Stowe River valley, was used by the local monks in the medieval times and was the town’s main water supply for hundreds of years. The paths leading to the Well and the Holy Well itself were renovated in 2007 with funds coming from a National Lottery grant. The Burton Dassett Hills Country Park is also a favourite destination for visitors of the town especially for those who love the outdoors.