Siege of Kenilworth

Kenilworth Castle is a castle in the town of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England managed by English Heritage; much of it is still in ruins. The castle was founded during the Norman conquest of England; with development through to the Tudor period. It has been described by the architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant for its scale, form and quality of workmanship".Kenilworth played an important historical role: it was the subject of the six-month-long siege of Kenilworth in 1266, thought to be the longest siege in Medieval English history, and formed a base for Lancastrian operations in the Wars of the Roses. Kenilworth was the scene of the removal of Edward II from the English throne, the perceived French insult to Henry V in 1414 of a gift of tennis balls (said by John Strecche to have prompted the campaign that led to the Battle of Agincourt), and the Earl of Leicester's lavish reception of Elizabeth I in 1575. It has been described as "one of two major castles in Britain which may be classified as water-castles or lake-fortresses...".The castle was built over several centuries. Founded in the 1120s around a powerful Norman great tower, the castle was significantly enlarged by King John at the beginning of the 13th century. Huge water defences were created by damming the local streams, and the resulting fortifications proved able to withstand assaults by land and water in 1266. John of Gaunt spent lavishly in the late 14th century, turning the medieval castle into a palace fortress designed in the latest perpendicular style. The Earl of Leicester then expanded the castle during his tenure in the 16th century, constructing new Tudor buildings and exploiting the medieval heritage of Kenilworth to produce a fashionable Renaissance palace.

The remains of St Mary's Abbey, of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England are situated in the grounds of St Nicholas' Church and in an adjacent area of Abbey Fields. Some of its ruins are above ground and some are below ground.

Abbey Fields is a 68-acre (28 ha) park that is found in the centre of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. The park was once farmland belonging to St Mary's Abbey, which was dissolved in the middle of the sixteenth century and is now ruined. St Nicholas Church, with origins from the twelfth century, remains in the park. The park is now maintained by Warwick District Council and has a leisure-centre complex which includes indoor and outdoor swimming pools, five tennis courts and a large play area for children. Other features of the park include a cafe, the town's war memorial, and a museum charting the history of the abbey, located in the old barn. As well as these manmade attractions, there is to be found a natural lake and Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe. The volunteer-run organisation Friends of Abbey Fields works with the district council to maintain the park. As the largest park in the town, it hosts a number of well-known events each year, such as the Lions Club show, the town carnival, bonfire night events and the Boxing Day charity duck race. It is also an orienteering venue used by the Midlands club Octavian Droobers.

St Nicholas Church is a Church of England parish church in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. The church is built of local red sandstones. The main phases of building are Decorated Gothic, Perpendicular Gothic and a Gothic Revival Victorian restoration of 1864. It is a Grade I listed building.The church is a short distance south of the High Street, next to the Norman and Gothic ruins of St Mary's Abbey, over which much of the churchyard of St Nicholas now extends.

The Talisman Theatre and Arts Centre is a community theatre and company located in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. The building has a foyer/meeting space, a theatre with 156 seats plus 2 wheelchair spaces and a rehearsal space.

The Priory Theatre is an amateur theatre building and company located in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. There are 120 seats in a circle and stall layout. The original company were named the Kenilworth Players and formed in 1932. Based in a local hotel they however only lasted until 1939 and the outbreak of World War II. In 1945 the players purchased a former Christadelphian/Unitarian chapel on Rosemary Hill near Abbey Fields and the ruined St Mary's Abbey. This building, in the Perpendicular Gothic Revival style, dates from 1816. The 'new' theatre, still their current location, was opened on 8 April 1946. Improvements to the building since then include the installation of the circle in 1947, additional changing rooms and a kitchen in 1952 and the current foyer was built in 1965. In 1968 the company changed their name to the Priory Theatre Company and four years later were admitted to the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain. A devastating fire partially gutted the building in 1976 but productions started again just two years earlier. In 1979 the group purchased the former National School building 100 yards away for rehearsals and wardrobe room. The foyer was most recently re-development in 1999 and the dressing rooms in 2006.

The Water Tower is a building in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. It is understood that the building was constructed as a windmill in the mid 18th Century by Joseph Lee of Warwick, described as Gentlemen and John Lamb of Warwick, Haberdasher. There is evidence of a sale in 1778 of the Mill as a going concern. The building continued to be used as a working windmill until 1854 when steam power was introduced. In 1885 the mill machinery was removed and the building converted into a water tower. This involved the doubling of the height of the brickwork and surmounting it with a 26,000-gallon iron tank. This became the town's first Waterworks and provided most of Kenilworth's water supply until 1939. The supply from this tank was in fact in use for auxiliary purposes until approximately 1964. In 1970 Kenilworth Urban District Council, anxious to ensure the preservation of such an important and historic landmark, offered it for sale by tender on condition that it should be sympathetically restored and converted for use as a private dwelling house. Plans submitted by the Architect, Mr Edward Byron of Leamington Spa, on behalf of Lt Col Michael Wheat, were accepted and a conversion was commenced in late 1972 and completed in 1974. This imaginative conversion incorporates a new ground floor extension cleverly designed to harmonise with the character. The tower and the whole now forms a unique and comfortable home successfully linking the past with the present. From the upper floors there are magnificent views over the ancient town of Kenilworth with its famous castle and the tower stands within a few hundred yards of the field known as Parliament Piece where it is reputed Simon De Montfort held the first English Parliament in 1264. In 1975 the property won an Architectural Heritage Award from the United Kingdom Council for European Architectural Heritage. The award was signed by Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. A notable tale involving the windmill from the early 19th century is of a brave local, one Jerry O'Hea who showed his fortitude by grabbing a hold of one of the windmill sails. His arm got caught and he was carried round and round until the miller applied the brake. Previous residents include businessman Stephen Drucker known chiefly for his role in running the Druckers Vienna Patisserie chain, and Gordon Cain a historic buildings surveyor who worked as project manager for the St George's Bloomsbury's restoration.

Kenilworth railway station is a railway station in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England on the Coventry to Leamington Line. The original Kenilworth station opened in 1844 before being rebuilt in 1884 and closed in 1965. In 2013 it was announced that the station would reopen in 2016. That was revised several times, but the station finally reopened on 30 April 2018.

Kenilworth ( KEN-il-wərth) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Coventry, 5 miles (8 km) north of Warwick and 90 miles (140 km) north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the River Avon 2 miles (3 km) north-east of the town. At the 2021 Census, the population was 22,538. The town is home to the ruins of Kenilworth Castle and Kenilworth Abbey.

Kenilworth School and Sixth Form, also known as Kenilworth School and Sports College, is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form based in both Leyes Lane (Secondary School) & Rouncil Lane (Sixth Form), Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England.

Leek Wootton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe, in the Warwick district, in the county of Warwickshire, England, approximately 2 miles south of Kenilworth and 2.5 miles north of Warwick. It lies in the triangle created by Kenilworth, Warwick and Leamington Spa. In 1961 the parish had a population of 671.

Leek Wootton & Guy's Cliffe is a civil parish in the Warwick District of Warwickshire, England. It was created when the smallest parish in England, Guy's Cliffe, was merged with Leek Wootton on 1 April 1986, and includes the hamlets of Hill Wootton, Chesford, Goodrest and North and Middle Woodloes, located between the towns of Kenilworth and Warwick. It is part of the constituency of Kenilworth and Southam. The parish covers 1,391 hectares and has a population of approximately 1,100., being measured as 1,017 at the 2011 census.Warwick District Council "made" (adopted) Leek Wootton & Guy's Cliffe Parish Council's Neighbourhood Development Plan on 4 May 2018, following the plan being endorsed by more than the required threshold in a referendum held on 3 May 2018.