could originate from the 7th century, although the village was not cited in the Domesday Book of 1086. The -ley suffix is shared by many villages in the country, and means a clearing in the woods. This means that Keresley was a clearing in the Forest of Arden. And the Keres- prefix is thought to either be a corruption of the Saxon word for cress or someone's name, meaning together either: The cress clearing, or 'Mr' Cress's Clearing. Parish Church The Church of England parish church of Saint Thomas is just off the Tamworth Road (B4098). It was designed by the Gothic Revival architect Benjamin Ferrey in the Early English style and built in 1844–45. The bell tower has a ring of six bells. St Thomas's is a Grade II listed building. Public services and local amenities Coventry City Council is the local government body of the City of Coventry. The city is divided up into 18 Wards each with three councillors. Coventry forms part of the West Midlands Police force area. The neighbourhood policing team for Keresley, Coundon and Allesley are the Bablake neighbourhood team. Notable residents The actor Clive Owen and the cybernetics professor Kevin Warwick were born in Keresley. So was novelist Graham Joyce. Also from Keresley is Roddy 'Radiation' Byers guitarist of 1980s ska band The Specials. British Communist leader, trade unionist, and historian Graham Stevenson was born in Keresley. William Tallon, nicknamed "Backstairs Billy", was a resident of the village as a teenager, prior to him joining the Royal Household in 1951. Apple rain On the evening of Monday 12 December 2011 hundreds of apples reportedly fell from the sky over the junction between Kelmscote Road and Keresley Road, in Keresley, Coventry. Several witnesses reported that hundreds of apples seemingly fell out of the sky landing on the ground, and several cars, below. This incident received both local and national media coverage and, although it drew comment by the Met Office, it still remains unexplained. References Sources External links St Thomas' Church, Keresley Suburbs of Coventry Villages in the West Midlands (county)