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Great Alne Parish Council

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The Village

The name Great Alne takes its name from the River Alne. First chronicled in the charter of King Ethelbald (723-737) "near to the river which our ancestors used to call, and which is called to this day, 'Alwine'." The Celtic work Alwine meaning bright or clear.

FEATURES OF THE VILLAGE - PAST AND PRESENT

The Mother Huff Cap Public House With its unique sign and name, the village pub is mentioned in 1675 as one of the six prime post ways on the London to Shrewsbury road, lying 104 miles and one furlong from London. Sadly, the pub has been closed since January 2019 and there are currently no plans to re-open (as of October 2019). Further information can be found in the Parish Council minutes.

Great Alne and Kinwarton Memorial Hall This was built as a memorial to the men of the parishes of Great Alne and Kinwarton who lost their lives during the 1st World War. It was opened on the 22nd October 1921 and orginally had a thatched roof. It was funded by local people.

St Mary Magdalen church Great Alne is blessed with a beautiful parish church in a stunning setting. Whilst 13th century in origin there have been later additions. A gallery was added to provide additional seating. The stained glass in the East window dates from 1860 and is by Hardman & Co, who were also responsible for the stained glass in the Houses of Parliament. There is a wooden war memorial to the memory of those men of the parish who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars, which interestingly contains the name of a woman, Sister E.M. Elvins.

Great Alne Hall Daniel Ratcliffe built Great Alne Hall in 1876. He also built the lodges at each entrance to the Maudslay site. The Hall was demolished in the early 1940's when the Maudslay Motor Company moved to Great Alne from Coventry. This site is currently being redeveloped as a Retirement Village.

Austin Cottage This cottage on School Road was built in 1924. It takes its name from the fact that Mr Herbert Austin drove the very first Austin Seven car up the drive and offered the job of chauffeur to the then groom of Mr Theodore Neal.

The Boot Inn Dating from the 18th Century the Boot Inn used to stand on the corner of Mill Lane and Henley Road. It was closed in 1961 and demolished the following year, three chalet syle bungalows now stand in its place.

Great Alne Railway Station The Great Western branch-line between Bearley and Alcester opened on Monday 4th September 1876. The railway and station were constructed by engineer William Clarke and Great Alne was orginally the only intermediate station on the Alcester line. It was closed to passengers in 1917 only to reopen again in 1922/3. Passenger use was stopped again in 1939, except for trains carrying workers for the Castle Maudslay Motor Company. The line closed completely in 1951.

Alne Mill The mill is no longer working but was converted to luxury apartments in 1989. It lies about a quarter of a mile to the south of the village on Mill Lane. The lane is probably the Milnewey or Millway mentioned in 1541 and 1728. The Mill was considered to be worth five shillings in the Doomsday survey of 1086.

Schools The old school was built in 1839 and was not vacated until the new school was built in 1965. Originally, however, the first school room for the village was attached to the church around 1836. The present school currently has about 116 pupils and has an excellent reputation in the area. The old school was used by Warwickshire County Council as a Pupil Referral Unit, known as the Seymour Centre. It has recently been sold and is now a residential property- Seymour House.

The Playing Field Mr Theodore Neal, formerly of the Long House, Park Lane gave the field to residents of the parish in 1927 to be used as a playing field only and free of charge. The Parish Council maintains the Recreation Ground.




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