Ladbroke – Warwickshire
Village Farm
Village Farm (circa 1948) on left-hand side of Photograph
Welcome to the two Village Farm homepage.
Ladbroke - Location
Ladbroke is a small village approx. 2 miles south of Southam in rural South Warwickshire. The towns of Coventry, Rugby, Daventry, Banbury, Warwick, Leamington Spa and Stratford upon Avon form a circle around Ladbroke at a radius of 10 to 15 miles.
To the south of Ladbroke lies some of the least densely populated areas of Warwickshire.
Ladbroke - History
In AD 998 lands in Ladbroke, Southam and Radbourne were given by King Edward to the alderman Leofwine.
The village is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and at that, time was centered on All Saints Church then known as St. Mary's. It was documented then as Ladbroc, which apparently came from the name of the stream, which runs through the village, the 'Lot Brook'.
The lands were split into a number of estates by 1086 when three tenants-in-chief held land in Ladbroke from the King. It is not known if any of them resided in the village. Of the sub-tenants William de Ladbroke and his descendants are the most frequently mentioned and probably resided in the Village. In medieval times, it is thought that there were two manors in Ladbroke - Ladbroke Manor and Ladbroke Grange - but there is some uncertainty about this and it is not clear where the manors were sited. A certain amount of the land in the parish was held by the Cistercian Abbey in Coombe.
The Church of All Saints which dates back to the 13th Century although it was almost entirely rebuilt in the 14th century. Shortly after the dissolution, Ladbroke Manor came into the possession of Robert Catesby, famous for being a conspirator with the Gunpowder Plot who sold the manor to Sir Robert Dudley in 1597. It is possible that the parish lands were enclosed from this time. In 1608, Sir Robert put 16 houses and 500 acres of arable land out of use. Sir William Palmer purchased the manor in 1633 and was responsible for the creation of the parkland of Ladbroke Hall probably around 1650.
William Palmer commissioned surveyors Richard and John Whitynge of Wantage Oxfordshire to produce a map of the area, this was during December 1639.
Ladbroke Hall was once home of Lord Rootes, the famous car manufacturer.
Ladbrokes, the bookmakers, takes its name from the village, the firm's founders having lived in the village in the early 1900's probably at Ladbroke House.
Village Farm - History
Village Farm was originally thought to consist of about 250 acres around the now main A423 south of Ladbroke on the way to Southam. The farm was originally a part of the Estate owned by the Palmer-Morewood Family who lived at Ladbroke Hall. The farm was sold around 1927 through 'Harrods ' of London in order to raise money for re-equipping Swanwick Collieries - Derbyshire, owned by Rowland Charles Arther Palmer-Morewood. The 1926-1927 Spennell's Annual Directory shows a George Baker as the Farmer, the farm was one of the 47 inhabited dwellings of the village.
View taken during 1910s Ladbroke.
The early map commissioned by William Palmer in December 1639 indicates that a house has stood on the site of Village Farm from that time. When the map was produced, the Gentleman farmer was William Chebsey: today this name lives on in the form of Chebsey Court a development of four houses built in 1997.
Village Farm - Today
The farmhouse is now known as 2 Village Farm and the Dairy is 1 Village Farm, the barns have been extensively rebuild and converted into two further dwellings during the period 1995-1997. The barns are known as Village Farm Barns and Hedge's Barn, the history theme has continued, as Village Farm was more locally known as Hedge's Farm.
The remaining stable ranges were given planning permission for conversion into a further two dwellings in April 1998 and work commenced June 1999 - and completed in January 2001. The conversion returened return all the farm buildings back into use. Names suggested for the Barn included 'The Stables' and 'Horse & Jockey' after a public house which stood near the site, the pub I understand was also known as 'The White Horse'. After some thought the Barn is now known as 'Swanwick Barn' after the Colliery in Derbyshire.
Village Farm - Location and Other Information
Village Farm is a deep red brick farmhouse located opposite the Red Telephone Kiosk at the heart of the village. Within the private rear garden there are a further three telephone kiosks (for more detail see below).
The National Grid reference for Village Farm is SP417588.
Heres how to Find Us.
Village Notice Board and Information Centre at UK Villages.co.uk
The Notice Board allows you to add items such as dates for Village events, items for sale and local trades. The site also contains a number of local links.
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Ladbroke Village Notice Board
Links to Other Related Sites
Links are still to be found and added. If you know of a site that may be of interest send an note to mailto:village.farm@tesco.net.
Ladbroke
Group PLC company history (now known as Hilton Group)
Ladbroke
'Trace your Ancestors'
Ladbroke
Village Information at 'Harbury & Ladbroke News'
Property
for Sale around Ladbroke via Loveitts Web Site and normally
includes some flats at Ladbroke Hall.
Further Reading and Publications
| 1914 | Ladbroke
and it's owners by S.H.A Hervey. This book
is becoimg harder to find for purchase - Warwick Library
has two copies for Loan together with a further two for
reference use only, one copy is marked 'Ipswich Town
Libraries'. A copy for reference use only is also
held at Leamington Spa and Southam but are kept under the
counter for safe keeping . The Leamington Copy has a history of its own, the book was purchased in July 1929 as part of the Frank Glover bequest, this fact being recorded on a Label within the Book. Frank Glover was a former owner of the Leamington Spa Courier, the local paper that includes Ladbroke within its circulation area. I was fortunate enough to purchase a copy of this book for £75 after a four search via a book Cristie Book Auction. |
| 1993 | Medieval Ladbroke by Linda Doyle - Book I L.Doyle@lyneve.freeserve.co.uk. |
| 1994 | The Palmer Estates - Ladbroke - Book II by Linda Doyle (includes a mention of Village Farm).- L.Doyle@lyneve.freeserve.co.uk |
| 1995 | Ladbroke - The Village Book by an Ladbroke Committee Editorial Group - still avaialble for £2 from Southam Library. |
| The Francis Frith Collection - extract for Ladbroke - copy held in Southam Library - reference 942.48 Lad. - Contains 7 photographs. | |
| Antiquities of Warwichshire - Dugdale - This book or should I say volumes is expensive, The Second edition is the one to have of the three and the two volumes retail around £1200. | |
| 2002 | Chapel Ascote - A Desserted Village - Book III by Linda Doyle (Currently avaialbe form linda at £2.50 a copy).- L.Doyle@lyneve.freeserve.co.uk |
Ladbroke - Television
Ladbroke has featured in a number of Television Dramas including 'Dangerfield' which was shown on BBC1 and 'Dalziel & Pascoe' which was shown on BBC on 12th June 1999. I do have a video of 'Dalziel & Pascoe' for loan, just send a request via email if you wish to borrow the tape. The video has been lent a number of times including requests from Germany.
The story is based on the noval 'On Beulah Height' by Reginald Hill. Dalziel and Pascoe investiage the horrific murder of an eight-year-old girl. The locals are convinced it has been comitted by a man who disappered following a similar unsolved murder 15 years ago.
The Millennium Green which was officially opened on 1st May 2000 was featured on BBC1 'Countryfile' broadcasted on 30th April 2000.
Ladbroke - Other Views
Village Farm 1998.
Telephone Kiosks in the
rear garden of two Village Farm. There are three kiosks in total
two are of a type known as K8 and are of the design by Architect
Bruce Martin from 1968, 11000 of these kiosks were produced and
are now rare. Many went straight to scrap yard! Both Kiosks were
originally located in Staffordshire, one from Kinver and was
painted in BT yellow and the other was from a small shopping
precinct in Leek. 
The remaining kiosk is a
K6 or Jubilee Kiosk the traditional model as designed by Sir
Giles Gilbert Scott in 1936. The kiosk at two Village Farm is
from Ford Village near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. If you wish to
obtain more information about Kiosks why not visit The National
Telephone Kiosk Collection at the Avoncroft Museum of
Historic Buildings near Bromsgrove?
Ladbroke - Christmas 2000
It was nice and a surprise to see snow over the Christmas / New Year Holiday.
Ladbroke Hall
Ladbroke House
Ladbroke Church taken from the Millennium Green across Farmyard.
Ó 2001 Sir Giles Gilbert Scott
Last update 09 June, 2003
the add-ins in this site
have been supplied free by 
Ludbroke
Family Web Site.