Known for its large number of attractive thatched cottages including what is believed to be an original “chocolate box cottage”, Welford-on-Avon is a picturesque village set in the heart of South Warwickshire.
It lies on the Avon River and is about four miles west of Stratford-upon-Avon which is the birthplace of the famous playwright, William Shakespeare.
According to the 2021 Census, it has a population of 1,694 residents. It is a village that has also been put on the map for its accumulative trophy winnings.
Welford-on-Avon has been county winner or runner-up in the Warwickshire “Best Kept Village Competition” on a grand number of 12 occasions, since 1991.
Tripsget.com also labelled it as the “prettiest village in England outside of the Cotswolds”.
The small village has three public houses, two shops, a garage, a primary school, a bowls club, a sports club, an 18 hole Golf Course, a children’s play area, allotments and two Churches – the Parish Church of St Peter’s and the Methodist Church.
A popular establishment in Welford-on-Avon is The Shakespeare Inn, which has drawn a lot of attention on the review platform, TripAdvisor.
Reviewer, LooLaBe11e wrote: “How lovely to have a village pub that lives up to the expectations of a village pub. Friendly staff, good food and great value for money.”
User, Q545SIpails, agreed that it was “worth the visit”, writing: “Lovely English village pub, with log fires in the heart of a beautiful village.”
The main village street forms part of the main road from Binton Bridge southwards to Long Marston and has a maypole at the south end in a small triangular green.
The village boasts one of the tallest Maypoles in England, standing at 20m high, and the annual Maypole dancing festival is performed by the pupils of Welford Primary School every June, according to the Parish Council.
Typically performed on May Day, May 1, a Maypole dance is performed around a tall pole with greenery or flowers and ribbons woven around it.
Some evidence suggests origins began in Roman Britain about 2,000 years ago, when soldiers celebrated the arrival of spring by dancing around decorated trees to thank the goddess Flora.
Welford is known for its timber-framed cottages, many of them were introduced in the 17th century, and most of them roofed in thatch. Many of the most attractive cottages are located on Church Lane and Boat Street and some cottages are found gracing the covers of calendars and postcards.
The oldest building in Welford is the parish church of St Peter, built in 1330 on the site of an earlier 12th-century building. Inside are a 13th-century font and a Jacobean pulpit.
The church is just a short distance from the river, and the site of a ford – which, in turn, gave the village its name. The church tower was said to have been used as a landmark by travellers using the ford.
