 | The town of Nuneaton is in the English county of Warwickshire and is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth. It is best known for its associations with George Eliot, the 19th Century author. The author was born just outside Nuneaton in 1819, on a farm on the Arbury Estate. In the George Eliot novel Scenes of Clerical Life, Nuneaton is referred to as Milby.
Nuneaton is located nine miles to the north of Coventry, 20 miles east of Birmingham and 103 miles to the north west of London. The River Anker runs through the town. Some of the nearby towns include Atherstone, Bedworth and Hinckley, with Coventry, Lutterworth, Leicester and Tamworth just a bit further afield.
Some of the well known landmarks in the town of Nuneaton include the remains of the 12th Century nunnery that gave the town its name, and Mount Jud. Mount Jud is a big mound of quarry waste that was created when the Judkins Quarry was dug out: it lies to the north west of Nuneaton and can be seen by people from miles around.
The district of Nuneaton and Bedworth grew due to the coal mining industry, later becoming a manufacturing centre for electronics and textiles, and also becoming known for distribution services. Nuneaton is situated at a railroad junction, which helped it grow and prosper.
The town's traditional industries declined greatly in the postwar years and today it is mainly a commuter town for people commuting to and from work in Coventry and Birmingham. However, distribution and electronics are still major economic activities in the town.
A multi-million pound shopping centre: the Ropewalk Shopping Centre, opened in the town in 2005, which was developed to bring extra income to the town and attract visitors and retailers from the larger centres of Birmingham, Leicester, Coventry and Solihull. |
