Lower Shuckburgh
Lower Shuckburgh is owned by the Shuckburgh Estate, based at Shuckburgh Hall in Upper Shuckburgh. The village has approximately 25 houses plus outlying farms and the church of St John the Baptist, situated towards one end of the village. There are no other public meeting places. The church was built on the grounds of the previous one, in 1864 by John Croft, for Sir Frederick Shuckburgh. It is a Victorian building featured as one of Pevsner’s “England’s Thousand Best Churches”. Its unique exterior and interior Moorish architectural style attracts many visitors.
Napton on the Hill
Napton is a hilltop village, mentioned in the Doomsday Book (1086). It is a village full of character and charm with a diverse array of properties, some dating back 400 years. The hill is encircled by the Grand Union and Oxford canals. The canals and the numerous footpaths give people a chance to explore the wonderful countryside.
Priors Hardwick
Priors Hardwick is a picturesque village lying between Wormleighton and Priors Marston. The houses form a ring around a large meadow, the site of the medieval village, a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The church is a Grade II* ironstone building, dating from around 1300, and is the most dominant building in the village, along with the nearby and renowned Portuguese restaurant, The Butchers Arms, which attracts many visitors.
Priors Marston
Priors Marston is a growing village of around 600 people. Its present growth is partly due to its successful school, which also serves Priors Hardwick. It is one of the first Free Schools in the country, set up by the villages when the previous one had been closed by the local authority.
Stockton
Stockton is the largest of the six villages with a population of around 1500. It is characterised by the 19th century terraced cottages built for the employees of the neighbouring quarry and cement works (the latter now closed) and small estates of new houses. There is a demand for more affordable housing in the village. There is a primary school (which is part of the highly–acclaimed Stowe Valley Multi Academy Trust), shop, pub and village hall. There is a social club, sports club, Scout group, WI, toddler group and other village activities and groups, all of which are generally well supported by the community. It has a regular bus service between Rugby and Leamington.
Wormleighton
Wormleighton is a small parish in an elevated location in the south-east corner of the Diocese, bordering the Peterborough and Oxford dioceses. This attractive and picturesque hamlet is best described as being a manorial settlement with most of its population living near to the 16th century manor house. The manor was once much larger, being the original home of the Spencer family prior to their move to Althorp and who still own most of the land around the hamlet.