Meriden, West Midlands

The Cyclists War Memorial is a war memorial on the village green in Meriden, West Midlands. The village between Coventry and Birmingham was long reputed to be at the geographical centre of England. The national memorial was built in 1920 to commemorate cyclists killed in the First World War (it is now believed that the first British soldier killed in the war was Private John Parr, a reconnaissance cyclist with the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment). A bronze plaque was added in 1963 to commemorate cyclists killed in the Second World War. A committee to organise a national cyclists war memorial was established in November 1919, chaired by the Conservative politician W. G. Howard Gritten, known as the "cyclists' MP", with the Lord Chancellor, the 1st Earl of Birkenhead as president. Funding of around £1,100 was raised by public donations, including the proceeds from auctioning the Rudge-Whitworth bicycle of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, which was sold for £100 to Rev. Basil Graham Bourchier. The memorial comprises a 30 ft (9.1 m) high obelisk of Cornish grey granite with stepped top, weighing about 32 t (31 long tons; 35 short tons), standing a 7.5 ft (2.3 m) square plinth with inscription panel on front, on a square base. An inscription with gold lettering reads "TO THE / LASTING MEMORY / OF THOSE / CYCLISTS / WHO DIED IN THE / GREAT WAR 1914 - 1919". The memorial was deliberately kept simple in design eschewing cycling symbolism, and located at the heart of England to make it easier for people to visit from around the country. It was constructed in 1920 by stonemasons J White and Sons of Yardley, Birmingham and unveiled on 21 May 1921 by the Earl of Birkenhead, and dedicated by Rev. Bourchier, at a ceremony attended by an estimated 20,000 people including many thousands of cyclists. Around the anniversary of the unveiling, a memorial service is held by the Cyclists' Touring Club in May each year. The memorial was rededicated in 1963, when a plaque was added to commemorate cyclists killed in the Second World War, which reads "IN REMEMBRANCE / OF THOSE / CYCLISTS / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN WORLD WAR II / 1939 - 1945". It became a Grade II listed building in 2001. A second plaque was added 2013, commemorating all cyclists who fought and died for their country, dedicated at the remembrance service in May 2014. Nearby is the Grade II listed sandstone monument that by tradition marks the centre of England.

The Meriden Rural District was a rural district of Warwickshire, England, which existed between 1894 and 1974. It was named after the village of Meriden. Various boundary changes occurred to the district over the years. It gained area from the abolished Castle Bromwich Rural District in 1912. In 1932 it was enlarged by the abolition of the Nuneaton Rural District the Foleshill Rural District and the Solihull Rural District. It also lost territory as the county boroughs of Solihull and Coventry expanded their boundaries. The district was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. Part of it to the south was merged with the Solihull county borough to become part of the new Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the new West Midlands county. Part of it to the north was merged with the Atherstone Rural District to become part of North Warwickshire. At the time of its abolition in 1974 Meriden RD consisted of the following civil parishes: Allesley Balsall Barston Berkswell Bickenhill Castle Bromwich Chelmsley Wood Coleshill Corley Coundon Curdworth Fillongley Fordbridge Great Packington Hampton-in-Arden Keresley Kingshurst Kinwalsey Lea Marston Little Packington Maxstoke Meriden Middleton Minworth Nether Whitacre Over Whitacre Sheldon Shustoke Water Orton Wishaw

Walsh Hall is a six-bedroom, Grade II* listed house on Walsh Lane, Meriden, West Midlands (originally Warwickshire), England.It comprises a 16 foot (4.9 m) bay of a 15th-century hall, with original roof truss, and 16th century additions. The timber frame sits on an ashlar base. The infill is whitewashed, and the chimneys are in red brick. An additional wing was added sometime in the early-to-mid 20th century.The hall sits in 4.8 acres (1.9 ha) of land, and was given listed status in November 1952. It lies adjacent to and north of the Meriden Bypass, part of the A45, which separates the hall from the centre of Meriden, to the south-west. The hall was once owned by musician Jeff Lynne, founding member of Electric Light Orchestra, who sold it to UB40's Robin Campbell in 1995, and moved to Beverly Hills, California. Campbell put the house back on the market in 2013, when it was valued at around £1.65 million.

The Coventry Way is a 40-mile (64 km) long distance footpath in central England that starts and finishes in Meriden. It forms a circular route around the city of Coventry covering countryside in both the West Midlands and Warwickshire. The path is managed by A Coventry Way Association.

St James' Church is an 18th-century chapel situated in the grounds of Packington Hall, near Meriden, Warwickshire. It is a Grade I listed building. The church was built in 1789 to a design by architect Joseph Bonomi for the Earl of Aylesford as a private family chapel. It is said to commemorate the recovery of George III from insanity. The red brick church, in neo-classical style, has an unusual square plan with four corner turrets topped with domes and finials. It houses an organ built by Thomas Parker, to specifications outlined by Handel in 1749, for his librettist Charles Jennens. Jennens' home Gopsall Hall, has not survived, but the organ passed to his relatives the Earls of Aylesford. The instrument was filmed and recorded for the documentary The Elusive English Organ.

The English Open was a professional golf tournament held in England. First played in 1988, it was an annual event on the European Tour until 2002. After several aborted attempts at reviving the tournament, it returned to the tour schedule in 2021, when it was titled as the Cazoo Classic. Winners of the tournament include some of the most successful players in European Tour history including Mark James, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke. James and Clarke are the only two players to have won the title more than once.

The Forest of Arden Hotel & Country Club is a hotel and country club complex in England. Operated by Marriott Hotels & Resorts, it is located 4 miles (6 km) to the east of Birmingham Airport in Warwickshire. The Forest of Arden has two golf courses, the Arden and the Aylesford, both of which were designed by Donald Steel, and a golf academy. The Arden is the championship course, and has been the venue for many prestigious tournaments, including European Tour events, the British Masters on three occasions, and the English Open four times between 1993 and 1996.

Packington Old Hall is a 17th-century manor house situated at Great Packington, near Meriden, Warwickshire. It is a Grade II* listed building. An original manor house was rebuilt in red brick in 1679 by the Sir Clement Fisher, 2nd Baronet. In 1693 his nephew, the third baronet built another larger mansion on the estate. The new house became known as Packington Hall and from 1729 the new house has been the seat of the Earl of Aylesford.

Berkswell Hall is a 19th-century country house at Berkswell, formerly Warwickshire now West Midlands, now converted into residential apartments. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Great Packington is a hamlet, civil parish and country park in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. The parish of Meriden is to the south-east, and Little Packington to the west. At Great Packington is Packington estate, which includes Packington Hall, Packington Old Hall and St James' Church.

Berkswell Marsh is a 7.5 hectare (18.5 acre) biological site of Special Scientific Interest in the West Midlands, en. The site was notified in 1991 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is located in the Meriden Gap which is between Birmingham and Coventry.

Packington Hall is a 17th-century mansion situated at Great Packington, near Meriden, Warwickshire, England the seat of the Earl of Aylesford. It is a Grade II* listed building.