Shipston-on-Stour
Shipston-on-Stour is a town in the
Stratford-on-Avon district of the southern part of
Warwickshire,
England. It is close to the borders with
Oxfordshire and
Gloucestershire. The 2001
census recorded a population of 4,456 in the town.
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.
Warwickshire Towns & Villages, by Geoff Allen (2000) ISBN 185058642x
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Shipston-on-Stour Town Council*
A few old postcards of Shipston
