Atherstone Chamber of Trade & Commerce

Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. Atherstone is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire, close to the border with Staffordshire and Leicestershire, and is the administrative headquarters of the borough of Warwickshire.

Today, Atherstone is a thriving town whose economy has expanded rapidly since the 90's with several major companies such as TNT, Aldi, BHS and 3M setting up head offices and national distribution centres. The Chamber is keen to expand upon this. The town is ideally situated for easy access to all major midlands towns and cities.

The town iteslf is very picturesque and centred around the market square, there is a good range of shops, superb architectural examples and you can also enjoy very pleasant walks along the Coventry Canal and nearby countryside.

Atherstone has a long important history dating back to Roman times. An important Roman settlement existed at Mancetter near the site of modern day Atherstone and the Roman road - the Watling Street (the A5) also ran through the town.

The ancient St. Mary's Chapel, situated at the top of the market square dates from the early 12th century when the monks of Bec made a donation of 12 acres to a house of hermits, later refered to as "Austin Friars".

By the late Tudor period Atherstone had become a thriving centre for leatherworking, clothmaking, metalworking and ale brewing - the town currently has 26 public houses and bars!

Atherstone was once an important hatting town. The industry began in the 17th century, and at its height there were seven firms employing over 3000 people. The trade ended completely in 1998.

An annual tradition in Atherstone is the Shrove Tuesday Football game which celebrated its 800th anniversary in 1999. The game is a free-for-all played along the old Roman road. The match starts at 3pm and continues until 5pm, at which point the person with the ball is declared the winner. There are no teams and no goals. The ball used is made specially each year and the game attracts a large crowd and media attention every year.