Battle of Edge Hill

It may now be a sleepy corner of Warwickshire but look behind the modern facade of Southam and the spirit of rebellion and bloodshed is not far away.

Memories of the past linger long in Southam. In 1960 its most noticeable feature was the constant flow of traffic through its ancient streets, but in the 17th century it was a completely different story. The first skirmishes of the English Civil War were fought here and at nearby Edgehill King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell battled it out in 1642.