Nuneaton (/nəˈniːtən/ nə-NEE-tən) is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire to the north-east.

Nuneaton's urban area, which also includes the large villages of Bulkington and Hartshill, had a population of 99,372 at the 2021 census.

[3] Nuneaton gained its name from a medieval nunnery which was established in the 12th century, when it became a small market town.

The author George Eliot was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for much of her early life.

Nuneaton was originally an Anglo-Saxon settlement known as 'Etone' or 'Eaton', which translates literally as 'settlement by water', referring to the River Anker.

[13] In the mid-17th century, a silk ribbon weaving industry became established in the local area which included Nuneaton, Bedworth, Coventry and much of North Warwickshire.

[16] Mining did not start to develop on a larger scale until the 17th century, with the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, which led to greater demand for fuel and technical advancement.

[clarification needed] A major problem was the drainage of water from coal pits as they were dug deeper.

Sir Roger Newdigate, who owned several local coal mines, developed a turnpike road to Coventry in the 1750s, which partially resolved this problem.

The local coal industry was not exploited to its maximum potential until the development of the railway network in the 19th century.

[24] The local board's main responsibilities were to provide the town with infrastructure such as paved roads, clean drinking water, street lighting and sewerage.

[25] The neighbouring parish of Chilvers Coton was made a separate local board district at the same time.

The heaviest bombing raid on Nuneaton took place on 17 May 1941, when 130 people were killed, 380 houses were destroyed, and over 10,000 damaged.

Following this, Nuneaton's expansion was largely driven by private developments at Weddington, St Nicolas Park, Whitestone and Stockingford.

[40] In the 2011 Census it had a considerably lower population of 92,698[41] because Hinckley ceased to be defined as part of the urban area.

[citation needed] Towns close to Nuneaton include Bedworth, Atherstone and Hinckley, with Tamworth, Rugby, Coleshill and Lutterworth a little further afield.

[46] Nuneaton's traditional industries like textiles, mining and manufacturing have declined significantly in the post-war years.

However a relatively large number of businesses involved in the automotive, aerospace and engineering supply chains industries are active in the area.

MIRA Limited, formerly the Motor Industry Research Association, is based on a disused wartime airfield on the A5, to the north of the town.

[47] One of the biggest developments in the town's history, the multimillion-pound Ropewalk Shopping Centre, opened in September 2005 in the hope that it will give the town extra income from the shopping, attract more visitors and retailers, and attract shoppers as an alternative to larger retail centres such as Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and Solihull.

[47] While Bermuda Park, which is south of Nuneaton, is the location of the national distribution centres of Dairy Crest and RS Components.

In 2017 the Nuneaton and Bedworth borough was less prosperous than the rest of Warwickshire, reflecting the long established north–south divide in the county.

Near the town centre, but unusually not a part of it and outside the ring road, lies the medieval church of St. Nicolas – a grade I listed building.

[50] Chilvers Coton contains All Saints' Church, where Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) worshipped and Justin Welby, later Archbishop of Canterbury, served as a curate.

[56][57] Several Eastern European Jewish families settled in the area after the First World War, due to the economic vitality of the town at the time.

Arriva Midlands also operate a number of routes around Nuneaton with buses running to Tamworth, Hinckley, Barwell, Leicester.

[62] There are three main leisure centres and one stadium in the town owned by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and managed by Everyone Active on the council's behalf (after a competitive tender process): Nuneaton has a museum and art gallery in the grounds of Riversley Park adjacent to the town centre.

Public art in Nuneaton includes a statue of George Eliot on Newdegate Square, and the Gold Belt.

Many locations in George Eliot's works were based on places in or near her native Nuneaton, including: A major local landmark in Nuneaton, which can be seen for many miles is Mount Judd which is a conical shaped former spoil heap, 158 metres (518 ft) high made from spoil from the former Judkins Quarry.

[69][70] In May 2018 it was voted the best UK landmark in an online poll for the Daily Mirror newspaper, beating competition from the likes of the Angel of the North and Big Ben.