Whitnash was mentioned in the Domesday Book as Witenas, by 1326 it had become Whitenasshe meaning 'white ash'. As Whitnash is generally thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon ‘at the white ash’ other derivations have included ‘place by the wood’, ‘sacred ash’ or the 'meeting place of the wise'. The parish church of St Margaret's is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and stands on a mound which may have been a pagan site, it was largely rebuilt between 1855 and 1880 to designs by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Whitnash was for most of its history a small village, the population in 1931 was 586. Some older half timbered buildings dating from the 17th century still remain around the historical core, including the Plough and Harrow inn. Dramatic population growth began during the second half of the 20th century; in the space of a few decades the population increased by over five times. Reflecting its much larger size, in 1978 the parish council declared itself thenceforth a town council.
Town centre
Whitnash does not have a well defined town centre as such; with Leamington Spa town centre only 2 miles to the north, a central district for Whitnash never developed, and the town expanded residentially around only the small historic core around St. Margaret's Church. Whitnash has three neighbourhood shopping areas around Coppice Road, Heathcote Road /Acre Close and Home Farm Crescent. Other facilities include a community hall, a library and an information centre.
Education & Politics
There are four primary schools in the town. Whitnash Primary, St Joseph's RC Primary, St Margaret's Middle School and Briar HillFirst School. There are no secondary schools located in Whitnash, but the state schools Campion School, Myton School and Trinity Catholic School name Whitnash as being within their priority areas. Since 1983 all the town's seats on Warwick District Council have been held by The Whitnash Resident's Association and its predecessor The Ratepayer's Party. The Residents Association has also held the towns seat on Warwickshire County Council for many years.
Recreation
Whitnash has a tennis club, Whitnash Sports & Social Club, petanque club, and the Whitnash Society. Whitnash Sports and Social club is the new home of the Leamington Royalsrugby league team, who represent Leamington, Warwick and the surrounding areas in the Midlands RL Conference. Whitnash Town FC is the local association football club. The Leamington and County golf club is also within the parish.
Local Media
Whitnash has a free quarterly news pamphlet called the ‘Whitnash Tymes’ posted to every residence in the town. Usually entailing messages from the mayor and local authorities, listings, local business advertisements, local news, and events.
