Rugby Town — History and Sport in Warwicksire

Rugby is one of the most popular towns in Warwickshire, well known for local attractions that are linked to … rugby! The market town is set close to the river Avon, the second largest town in the county.

The Rugby Grammar School was founded in 1567, and is the birthplace of rugby. William Webb Ellis was the schoolboy that picked up the football, and run away with it in his hands. His statue can be found in the town centre, along other landmarks and the Webb Ellis Football Museum.

The legend says that Webb Ellis broke the existing rules of football by picking up the ball and running with it at a match played in 1823. You can picture yourself with a huge replica of the Webb Ellis Cup, the trophy awarded to the winner of the men’s Rugby World Cup.

The Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum is situated in the centre of Rugby, and is dedicated to rugby football. The building dates from 1842, and housed the Gilbert company. The rugby football maker was taken over by Rodney Webb in 1983, a former England international rugby union player, who turned the premises into a museum.

The Webb Ellis Museum was opened to the public in April 1987, as the first museum in Britain dedicated solely to the game of rugby football. The place is packed with much rugby memorabilia, including a Gilbert football of the kind…