Abbey Fields

Abbey Fields is a 68-acre (28 ha) park that is found in the centre of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. The park was once farmland belonging to St Mary's Abbey, which was dissolved in the middle of the sixteenth century and is now ruined. St Nicholas' Church, with origins from the twelfth century, remains in the park.

The park is now maintained by Warwick District Council and has a leisure-centre complex which includes indoor and outdoor swimming pools, five tennis courts and a large play area for children. Other features of the park include a cafe, the town's war memorial, and a museum charting the history of the abbey, located in the old barn. As well as these manmade attractions, there is to be found a natural lake and Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe. The volunteer-run organisation Friends of Abbey Fields works with the district council to maintain the park.

As the largest park in the town, it hosts a number of well-known events each year, such as the Lions Club show, the town carnival, bonfire night events and the Boxing Day charity duck race. It is also an orienteering venue used by the Midlands club Octavian Droobers.

Field

Field may refer to:

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Abbey

An abbey (from Latin abbatia, from Latin abbās, derived from Aramaic abba, "father") is a Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox Christian monastery or convent. Abbeys usually fall under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.

The term can also refer to a former abbey (for example, Westminster Abbey).

Origins

The formation of monastic communities dates back to pre-Christian times, as witnessed by the Essenes. The earliest known Christian monasteries consisted of groups of huts built near the location of a famous ascetic or other holy person. As these communities of disciples grew, they attracted people who desired to study the ascetic's doctrine and imitate his or her way of life.

In the earliest age of Christian monasticism, the ascetics were accustomed to living alone. Ascetics would typically live near a village church, supporting themselves while also donating their excess food to the poor. Increasing religious fervor and persecution drove them farther away from civilization into solitude. The deserts of Egypt hosted some of the "cells" or huts of these anchorites.

Rushcliffe (UK Parliament constituency)

Rushcliffe is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1970 by Ken Clarke, a Conservative.

History

The constituency was formed by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (for first use during the election that year).

Since 1950 it has been a safe seat for the Conservative Party whose members have held it without marginal majorities except for a four-year period when it was held by Labour from 1966 coinciding with the First Wilson Ministry. Unlike other constituencies nearby, such as Broxtowe and Gedling, which were previously held by the Conservatives, they retained Rushcliffe in the 1997 New Labour landslide. This was at the time attributed in part to its more rural nature, but also to the personal popularity of the incumbent MP, Conservative Kenneth Clarke.

Boundaries

1885-1918: Part of the Sessional Division of Nottingham.

1918-1950: The Urban Districts of Beeston, Carlton, and West Bridgford, the Rural Districts of Leake (the civil parishes of Costock, East Leake, Normanton-on-Soar, Rempstone, Stanford-on-Soar, Sutton Bonington, Thorpe-in-the-Glebe, West Leake, Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, and Wysall) and Stapleford (the civil parishes of Bramcote, Chilwell, Stapleford, and Toton), the Rural District which consisted of the civil parishes of Kingston-on-Soar and Ratcliffe-on-Soar, and in the Rural District of Basford the civil parishes of Awsworth, Barton-in-Fabis, Bilborough, Bradmore, Bunny, Burton Joyce, Clifton-with-Glapton, Colwick, Cossall, Gamston, Gedling, Gotham, Nuthall, Ruddington, South Wilford, Stoke Bardolph, Strelley, Thrumpton, Trowell, and Wollaton.

Westminster Abbey (UK Parliament constituency)

Westminster Abbey was a constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons by the first past the post system of election.

It was created at the 1918 general election, replacing the former constituency of Westminster, and abolished at the 1950 general election, when it was merged with the former two-seat City of London constituency to form the new single-member seat of Cities of London and Westminster.

The seat was sometimes known as the Abbey Division of Westminster or simply Abbey. It was held by the Conservative Party for its entire existence.

Boundaries

The City of Westminster is a district of Inner London. Its southern boundary is on the north bank of the River Thames. In 1918 it was to the west of the City of London, to the south of Holborn and St. Pancras and to the east of Kensington and Chelsea. It consisted of the eastern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster, comprising the then wards of Covent Garden, Great Marlborough, Pall Mall, Regent, St. Anne, St. John, St. Margaret, Strand and part of Charing Cross.