The market town of Rugby is located in the county of Warwickshire. It is located along the River Avon and is the second largest town in the county. The Rugby area settled since the early Iron Age. Only a few miles away from Rugby was the Roman settlement of Tripontium. Originally the town was a farming settlement but it grew and obtained a Market Charter in 1255 and quickly became a market town. Today the town is a thriving city with many features that visitors will enjoy.
Probably one of the first places people will head is St Andrew's Church. This church is the original parish church. The site has been home to a church since the 13th Century, but the current building was extensively rebuilt and expanded in the 19th Century leaving almost no remains of the 13th Century structure. The spire of the east tower is over 55 meters high, much higher than a few of the remaining parts most notably the west tower which comes in at a mere 22 meters and looks more of a castle than a church tower. Because of the look of the west tower it is believed that the church, which was built during the reign of Henry III, was used not just as a place of worship but also a place of defense. Visitors can not only enjoy the beautiful architecture that is the church but some of the great medieval artifacts that call the church home, most notably the 13th Century medieval font and parish chest.
While in Rugby it is important to visit the Rugby School Museum. As to why you should visit, well, you can learn a lot about the school, the town, and the game that bears it's name. That's right the Rugby school is credited as being the birthplace of the game rugby football. Here at the museum you can learn about the creation of the game itself. If you are just not interested in learning the ins and outs of Rugby football then you can learn about Poet Rupert Brooke, who called the school home. Or even learn about the man behind the cleverly imaginative book, Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll who was educated at this very school.
If you are interested in art there are a couple of places to go. You can stay at the Rugby School and check out the Lewis Museum, which was named for Edward Lewis. Or you can go to the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum. Here you will get to see many nationally recognized artists such as Lucian Freud, Stanely Spencer, L.S. Lowry, and Bridget Riley. Stepping into the "museum" you can see a lot of interesting artifacts that have been found in and near the city. One of the most interesting ones might be the collection of Roman Artifacts that were excavated from Tripontium. You can also learn about the industrial and social history of Rugby as well as see the 2006 Rugby World Cup.
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