Weddington: The Old Manor (Warwickshire, UK)
Lord Watitune, Lord of the Manor of the New Weddington Isles, established this micronation in 2019 in response to the decimation of the historic medieval village of Weddington in Warwickshire, UK by a huge housing development that obliterated many of 'old' Weddington’s former green fields and spaces.
The original Weddington village dates back well before medieval times; evidence of Iron Age and Roman settlements have been found in the area, and the finding of a Bronze Age flat axe in a field to the north east of St James' Church in Weddington, also suggests activity in the area at this time.
Weddington’s first documented appearance occurred at the time of its recording in the Domesday Book of 1086 following William the Conqueror's invasion of Britain. Weddington was known by its early Saxon name of ‘Watitune’ at the time and consisted of a small village built alongside the River Anker, with an estimated population of 105.
The original Weddington village dates back well before medieval times; evidence of Iron Age and Roman settlements have been found in the area, and the finding of a Bronze Age flat axe in a field to the north east of St James' Church in Weddington, also suggests activity in the area at this time.
Weddington’s first documented appearance occurred at the time of its recording in the Domesday Book of 1086 following William the Conqueror's invasion of Britain. Weddington was known by its early Saxon name of ‘Watitune’ at the time and consisted of a small village built alongside the River Anker, with an estimated population of 105.
Later, a Royal Hunting Lodge was built in the area by King John, followed by the construction of an impressive Castle owned by various nobility and royalty (including Lady Jane Grey and Elizabeth I). The Castle and its owners - the Lords of the Manor - dominated Weddington throughout the following centuries, withstanding plague and civil war, with the Castle finally being converted into a World War One Red Cross hospital in 1916. The Castle and its estate was finally demolished in 1928 to make way for housing development. Throughout the twentieth century, however, Weddington and its medival St James Church retained much of its original charm, with the new residences (mostly built in the 1930s) nestling next to green farmland pasture. Sadly in the beginning of the twenty-first Century housing on a massive scale threatened Weddington once again, and despite passionate local opposition (see The Battle of Church Fields) much of Weddington's rural heart was concreted over with modern housing built on a flood plain.
A small consolation: the present Lord Watitune, a major actor in the recent opposition, has - as well as establishing a hope for the future in The New Weddington Isles - documented the past of the Castle and it's Manorial Estate for posterity, in its own virtual micronational archive. Click on the button below to visit the old Weddington Manor of the past...
A small consolation: the present Lord Watitune, a major actor in the recent opposition, has - as well as establishing a hope for the future in The New Weddington Isles - documented the past of the Castle and it's Manorial Estate for posterity, in its own virtual micronational archive. Click on the button below to visit the old Weddington Manor of the past...
"Of course, such remains - a handful of black and white photographs, the occasional record in local journals - can never replace the actual physical presence of this lost building; cannot evoke the atmosphere and sense of continuity that one feels when walking on ancient flagstones where kings and queens walked centuries before. But they can at least serve as a reminder that for all our wealth of history that has survived down the years, there is a sub-strata of history that did not survive. The suburban estates and grey industrial units of today are built upon the solid foundations and extravagant gardens of once-great manors that now only exist – ghost-like – in faded photographs and historical archives."
Lord Watitune, Lord of the Manor of the New Weddington Isles 2005.
Lord Watitune, Lord of the Manor of the New Weddington Isles 2005.
