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Rugby Leasing

Did You Know?

Rugby is a birthplace of the jet engine. In April 1937 Frank Whittle built the world's first prototype jet engine at the British Thomson-Houston works in Rugby, and between 1936-41 based himself at Brownsover Hall on the outskirts, where he designed and developed early prototype engines.

Rugby holds the unique position as the birthplace of rugby football and, as you would expect, many of the town's attractions stir the passions of sporting enthusiasts. The town offers a pilgrimage for those who want to immerse themselves in the history, culture and development of the game. Visit Rugby School, where the game was born. Take a stroll along our Pathway of Fame to learn about some of the greats in the game or see William Webb Ellis immortalised in statue.

The founder of the International Olympic Committee, Pierre de Coubertin, made no secret of the role Rugby School and its famous headmaster, Dr Thomas Arnold, played in inspiring him to found the modern Olympic Games.

The book that seared the myth of Rugby in the mind of nearly every scuff-kneed schoolboy in the second half of the 19th Century- including de Coubertin - was the original school story bestseller Tom Brown's Schooldays.

Rugby can trace its origins back to the Iron Age when the area was settled, but it wasn’t until the Saxon times that Rugby got its name. It was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 under the name Rocheberie, which some believe means “Rook fort” in Anglo-Saxon. Rook, in this case, might refer either to the bird or a man’s name. After the Vikings landed, the name was altered to Rocheby which by 1200 evolved into the more familiar “Rokebi”.

Rugby became a market town in 1255 when the lord of the manor Henry de Rokeby obtained a market charter. Up until the mid-1500s, Rugby’s history remains fairly similar to other market towns in the country. In 1567, however, the school was established, representing a significant moment in the town’s development.

Rugby town also has some amazing outdoor spaces. So if you’re feeling a little cooped up after all those museums or it’s a sunny day, why not take a trip to Caldecott Park? Opened in 1904, Caldecott park is named after the Caldecott family who were the lords of Rugby Manor. Thomas Caldecott was the last Lord of the Manor, dying in 1875.

In 1140 the first recorded mention was made of St Andrew's Church which was originally a chapel of the mother church at Clifton-upon-Dunsmore, until Rugby Warwickshire was established as a parish in its own right in 1221.