Warwickshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. It covers 763 square miles (1,975 km2) and had a population of 599,115 at the 2021 census. Warwick is the county town, but Nuneaton in the north is the largest settlement.
The county is run in two tiers: Warwickshire County Council plus five district and borough councils. Most of it is farmland, with the towns strung along the Avon valley and the M6 corridor.
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Region | West Midlands |
| Area | 763 sq mi (1,975 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 599,115 |
| Density | 303 people per km2 (786 per sq mi) |
| County town | Warwick |
| Largest town | Nuneaton (94,364) |
| Districts | North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick |
| Postcode areas | CV, B |
| Council | Warwickshire County Council |
Towns and Villages in Warwickshire
The GeoNames gazetteer records 395 named places in Warwickshire. The 250 below cover its towns and villages, alphabetically from Abbot’s Salford to Wroxall; the rest are estates and named quarters inside the larger towns.
- Abbot’s Salford
- Admington
- Alcester
- Alderminster
- Alne End
- Alveston
- Ansty
- Arlescote
- Armscote
- Ash Green
- Ashorne
- Aspley Heath
- Aston Cantlow
- Atherstone
- Attleborough
- Austrey
- Avon Dassett
- Baddesley Ensor
- Barcheston
- Barford
- Barnmoor Green
- Bascote
- Bassetts Pole
- Bearley
- Bedworth
- Bedworth Woodlands
- Bermuda
- Bidford-on-Avon
- Billesley
- Bilton
- Binton
- Birchley Heath
- Birdingbury
- Bishops Itchington
- Black Hill
- Blackwell
- Blyth End
- Bodymoor Heath
- Bourton on Dunsmore
- Bramcote
- Brandon
- Brinklow
- Broadwell
- Brownlow Green
- Bubbenhall
- Budbrooke
- Bulkington
- Burmington
- Burton Green
- Bushwood
- Caldecote
- Chadshunt
- Charlecote
- Cherington
- Chesterton Green
- Church End
- Churchover
- Claverdon
- Cliff
- Clifton upon Dunsmore
- Coleshill
- Combrook
- Compton Wynyates
- Copston Magna
- Corley Moor
- Coughton
- Crimscote
- Curdworth
- Dean’s Green
- Devitts Green
- Dordon
- Dorsington
- Drayton
- Dunchurch
- Dunsmore Heath
- Earlswood
- Eathorpe
- Edstone
- Ettington
- Farnborough
- Fenny Compton
- Fillongley
- Finwood
- Flecknoe
- Foul End
- Frankton
- Freasley
- Furnace End
- Gaydon
- Goldicote
- Grandborough
- Great Packington
- Great Wolford
- Green End
- Grendon
- Grove End
- Halford
- Hallend
- Hampton Magna
- Harborough Magna
- Harbury
- Hartshill
- Haseley
- Haselor
- Hatton
- Hatton Green
- Hawkesbury
- Henley in Arden
- High Cross
- Hill Top
- Hoggrill’s End
- Honiley
- Honington
- Hungerfield
- Hunts Green
- Idlicote
- Ilmington
- Iron Cross
- Kenilworth
- Keresley Newlands
- Kineton
- King’s Newnham
- Kingsbury
- Kington
- Kinwarton
- Kitebrook
- Knightcote
- Ladbroke
- Lapworth
- Lawford Heath
- Leek Wootton
- Lighthorne
- Lillington
- Little Compton
- Little Lawford
- Little Packington
- Littleworth
- Long Compton
- Long Itchington
- Long Lawford
- Long Marston
- Lower Brailes
- Lower Clopton
- Lower Shuckburgh
- Lowsonford
- Luddington
- Mancetter
- Mappleborough Green
- Marston
- Marston Jabbett
- Maxstoke
- Merevale
- Middleton
- Monks Kirby
- Monwode Lea
- Moreton Paddox
- Napton on the Hill
- Neal’s Green
- Nether Whitacre
- New Bilton
- New Town
- Newbold on Stour
- Newbold Pacey
- Newnham
- Newton Regis
- Newtown
- Northend
- Norton Lindsey
- Nuneaton
- Offchurch
- Oldberrow
- Oldfield
- Over Green
- Over Whitacre
- Oxhill
- Packwood
- Pailton
- Piccadilly
- Pillerton Priors
- Polesworth
- Preston Bagot
- Preston on Stour
- Princethorpe
- Priors Marston
- Quinton
- Radway
- Red Hill
- Ridge Lane
- Rowington
- Royal Leamington Spa
- Rugby
- Rushbrook
- Ryton on Dunsmore
- Salford Priors
- Sambourne
- Seckington
- Shelford
- Shilton
- Shipston on Stour
- Shotteswell
- Shrewley
- Shuttington
- Snitterfield
- Southam
- Spernall
- Stockingford
- Stockton
- Stoneleigh
- Stoneton
- Stratford-upon-Avon
- Street Ashton
- Stretton on Fosse
- Stretton-on-Dunsmore
- Studley
- Sutton under Brailes
- Tachbrook Mallory
- Tattle Bank
- Temple Herdewyke
- Tiddington
- Tile Hill
- Tredington
- Ufton
- Ullenhall
- Upper Milcote
- Walton
- Warmington
- Warwick
- Wasperton
- Water Orton
- Weethley Gate
- Wellesbourne
- Wellesbourne Mountford
- Weston on Avon
- Weston under Wetherley
- Whateley
- Whitacre Heath
- White Stitch
- Whitnash
- Willey
- Willoughby
- Wilmcote
- Wimpstone
- Wishaw
- Wixford
- Wolston
- Wolverton
- Wolvey
- Wood End
- Wootton Wawen
- Wroxall
Nuneaton (94,364 in its built-up area at the 2021 census) is the largest town, followed by Rugby (78,125), Royal Leamington Spa (57,512) and Warwick (37,267). Bedworth, Stratford-upon-Avon and Kenilworth each hold 20,000 to 35,000 people.
Geography
The River Avon runs south-west across the county through Rugby, Warwick and Stratford. North and west of it lies the Arden, once wooded and still marked by scattered hamlets and moated farms. South and east lies the Feldon, open arable land rising to the Cotswold edge at Edge Hill.
Warwickshire touches seven counties. Staffordshire lies north-west, Leicestershire north-east, Northamptonshire east, Oxfordshire south-east, Gloucestershire south-west, Worcestershire west and the West Midlands county along the western edge.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 599,115 residents, up 52,561 on 2011 — a rise of about 10%, faster than the English average. Density is 303 people per square kilometre, low for a county in this region.
Growth has been sharpest at Rugby and around Warwick and Leamington, driven by housing on the M40 and West Coast Main Line corridors. Stratford-on-Avon district remains the most rural and has the oldest age profile.
Economy and Local Life
Vehicle engineering is the county’s signature industry. Jaguar Land Rover’s design and engineering centre stands at Gaydon, Aston Martin builds alongside it, and the Wellesbourne and Whitley sites add research capacity. Rugby has made cement since 1825.
Logistics has grown fast where the M6, M69 and M42 meet, particularly around Coleshill and Ansty. Tourism is concentrated on Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle and Kenilworth, and farming still works most of the Feldon.
History
Warwick Castle grew from a Norman motte into the seat of the earls of Warwick. One of them, Richard Neville, was known as the Kingmaker for his part in the Wars of the Roses. William Shakespeare was born at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and is buried there.
Rugby School gave its name to a football code in 1823. The county was much larger before 1974, when Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield were transferred to the new West Midlands county.
Getting There
Four motorways cross Warwickshire: the M6 and M69 in the north, the M40 through Warwick and the M42 along the western edge. The A46 links Coventry to Stratford, and the A5 follows the old Watling Street on the Leicestershire boundary.
Rugby and Nuneaton sit on the West Coast Main Line, under an hour from London Euston. Chiltern Railways serves Leamington Spa, Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon from Marylebone. Birmingham Airport is just over the county boundary at Bickenhill.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Warwickshire?
599,115 at the 2021 census, an increase of 52,561 since 2011.
What is the largest town in Warwickshire?
Nuneaton, with 94,364 people in its built-up area. Rugby (78,125) and Royal Leamington Spa (57,512) follow.
Is Coventry in Warwickshire?
Not since 1974. Coventry, Birmingham, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield were all in the historic county but now sit in the West Midlands metropolitan county.
Which councils cover Warwickshire?
Warwickshire County Council, plus North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick at district level.
What postcode areas cover Warwickshire?
Mostly CV. The north-western corner around Coleshill and Water Orton uses B.
Where is Warwickshire?
In the middle of England, east and south of the West Midlands conurbation, between Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.