Polesworth
Polesworth sits proudly on the river Anker having inspired poets Michael Drayton, John Donne and reputedly Shakespeare too. Footpaths meander through Abbey Green Park along the river banks for visitors and locals to enjoy this haven of peace. From these banks you can admire the ancient Polesworth Abbey, founded in the 9th century by St. Modwena and King Egbert and where William Shakespeare was schooled.
In Elizabethan times Polesworth Hall – now part of the Abbey church site – was the most important centre of literary activity outside London. Known as the “Polesworth Circle”, Sir Henry Goodyer was patron to Michael Drayton who was a page boy here, a role which some academics believe Shakespeare shared. With the Goodyer family close to Ben Johnson and host to so many literary visitors it is highly likely Shakespeare spent time in Polesworth.
You can re-trace their footsteps around the Abbey precincts through the Gatehouse of the Benedictine Nunnery and then follow the Polesworth Poetry Trail through the village and along the Coventry Canal, past Pooley Hall featuring some of the oldest brickwork in the country, and up to Pooley Country Park.
Breathing new life into this former coal mine the country park leads into the Alvecote Meadows & pools, sites of special scientific interest, but also offers a Mountain Bike course and seasonal children’s activities in a woodland setting. Climb to the top of the mound at Pooley to see the golden leaf sculpture up close. And take in the view of 4 counties –the Staffordshire county boundary at Tamworth is less than a mile away, and Leicestershire’s Twycross Zoo and Derbyshire are less than 5 miles away.
In Polesworth there are a café, Indian restaurants, pubs, a library, shops, take-aways and a very good chip shop. There are also 2 self- catering holiday properties which are Donative Holiday Cottages, set just outside of Polesworth on a working family farm. The Abbey Gatehouse which is the gatehouse to Polesworth Abbey, has 2 apartments that have been recently restored. There is also fishing on the nearby lakes at Alvecote.
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