Eathorpe
Eathorpe is a small village five miles east of Leamington Spa, in Warwickshire. It is bounded by the B4455, which follows the line of the Roman Fosse Way, and the River Leam. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 113, increasing to 190 at the 2011 census.
The village has a village hall, with the original being built in the 1950s. In the early 2000s, after a considerable fund-raising campaign by villagers, a brand new Hall was built, which has been home to a wide variety of events, ranging from Beer Festivals, to classical piano, and a successful folk roots season featuring artists of the calibre of Ashley Hutchings and Simon Mayo. It is also the venue for regular meetings of Eathorpe Table Tennis club, a Botanical Art group, Dog Training sessions and, of course, innumerable parties and wedding receptions.
Next to the village hall is the Eathorpe Orchard and Allotments. Several villagers have plots here and we suspect that Eathorpe is just about self-sufficient in potatoes and beans!
The public house in Eathorpe is The Plough, an 18th-century former coaching inn situated beside the Fosse Way, and now trading as Hillbilly's Grill Shack, specialising in Tex-Mex food. The first mention of a post office in Eathorpe was in 1875, but the village post office closed in March 1999.
Eathorpe Hall is the former home of Samuel Shepheard, who built the original Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, and several cottages in the village. An inscription on the bridge, over the River Leam, which links Eathorpe with the nearby village of Wappenbury reads: "This bridge was erected by Samuel Shepheard of Eathorpe Hall, AD 1862".
More information about Eathorpe, its history and the events it hosts can be found on the Eathorpe web site at www.eathorpe.org.uk.
