Nuthurst is a small but ancient place, one of the earliest mentioned in the records of Warwickshire.  The name means ‘nut wood’ and in 709 Coenred, the Anglo Saxon king of Mercia gave ‘the woodland aet Hnuthyrst’ to Worcester Cathedral.  Later, in 872, the then Bishop of Worcester gave Nuthurst to Eanwulf, a servant of the King.

By the time of the Norman Conquest, Nuthurst formed part of the manor and parish of Hampton in Arden, nine miles distant.  The new Norman overlords were the de Mowbray family, who granted Nuthurst to the Hasting and, by 1272, the Trussell family.  It was Sir William Trussell of Nuthurst who, in 1326, informed King Edward II that he was deposed in favour of his son.  The Trussell manor house was on the site of Nuthurst House, nor Nuthurst Farm, where in 1331 a park was established.  An area enclosed with a bank and palisade, it contained game, wild boar, deer, rabbits etc. where the family and their friends could hawk and hunt.  The Trussells remained at Nuthurst until about 1640 when the manor was sold; by 1750 it had become absorbed into the manor of Knowle, the manor lands ultimately passing to the Umberslade Hall estate.

Because it was too far to travel to the parish church, Nuthurst was permitted, by the 12th century, to have its own chapel and resident priest, but under the control of the vicar of Hampton in Arden.  In the early 17th century the Hampton vicar attempted to destroy Nuthurst chapel by neglect and then by removing the chancel roof.  He was obliged to repair it but, by 1730, the building was a ruin.  Meanwhile Nuthurst people worshipped at neighbouring Lapworth church until 1834 when a new small chapel was built on the old chapel site, close to Obelisk Farm.  This is thought to be the site of the medieval priest’s house.

The obelisk from which the farm takes its name is a prominent landmark.  It was erected by Thomas Archer of Umberslade Hall in 1747, it is thought to celebrate his being raised to the peerage, though this is not certain as such structures were a fashionable addition to a gentleman’s estate.  Lord Archer was very proud of the honour, and also of the obelisk which was meant to be topped by a copper globe and gilt cross.

For centuries Nuthurst was a sparsely populated farming community but as travelling increased, the ancient road to Stratford was turnpiked in 1726, the Old Warwick Road in 1767, and the Stratford upon Avon canal reached Hockley Heath in 1800.  From this time Hockley Heath started to develop with a wharf, inns and other commercial enterprises.  The advent of the railway in 1852 with stations at Dorridge and Lapworth made the wider area attractive to Birmingham business men who improved old or built new houses.  Nuthurst Grange was one of these.

The Village owes its existence and development to two main factors. Firstly its position on the main route between Birmingham and London via Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford: and secondly its position on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal.

The Stratford Road has always been a major highway, and with the development of coaches as a form of travel, a network of coaching Inns became established with regular distances between them in order to provide fresh horses, rest, food and refreshment for the passengers . By 1788, there were four post coaches and one mail coach passing through Hockley Heath each day, taking passengers between Birmingham, Oxford and on to London.

In 1878, a new parish, Nuthurst-cum-Hockley Heath, was formed from Nuthurst and parts of neighbouring parishes and a new church, St Thomas’, built.  At last Nuthurst was released from its long connections to Hampton in Arden.  Also erected at this time was Umberslade Baptist church, endowed by Mr G.G. Muntz who acquired Umberslade Hall in 1857 and who was a staunch Baptist.

The 20th century saw Hockley Heath grow with random groups of houses, shops and services for the passing trade.  Since 1945, more houses have been built and it has become a desirable place to live.  Nuthurst however, despite some changes and the intrusion of the M40, remains mainly rural.