Product Code Database
Bredon is a village and civil parish in Wychavon district at the southern edge of Worcestershire in England. It lies on the banks of the River Avon on the lower slopes of Bredon Hill.
The parish extends from the Avon valley floor at an elevation of in the south-west to the upper slopes of Bredon Hill at an elevation of in the north-east. The northern third of the parish falls within the Cotswolds AONB. At its greatest extent, the parish measures approximately long by wide and covers around .
Modern Bredon has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon period (c.500–1066), when in c.716 Æthelbald, King of Mercia, gave land to his kinsman Eanwulf the grandfather of Offa to found a monastery. For some time, the manor of Bredon continued under an abbot of its own, but by 844 it had become the property of the Bishop of Worcester. It remained part of the Worcester monastic estate until the Reformation.
From the Norman Conquest (1066) to the end of the Late Medieval Period (1500), the parish was governed under the feudal system. The manor was held by the Bishop of Worcester, who maintained a summer residence, park and fisheries on the site of the first monastery, and the medieval village developed around these church buildings. Following the Reformation in the 16th century, the manor passed to the Crown.
In 1718, wealthy resident William Hancock founded Bredon Hancock's Endowed Church of England First School. Bredon's Inclosure Acts was passed in 1811, and among those gaining large consolidated holdings were the lord of the manor, Rev. Richard Darke, and the rector, Rev. John Keysall.Victoria County History, A History of the County of Worcester: volume 3, 1913.
The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, one of the world's oldest main line railways, was constructed during the 1830s and 1840s through the village, with Bredon railway station opening in 1841. This remained in operation until 1965, when it was closed under the Beeching Axe. The station is currently closed on the Cross Country Route.
In February 1971, a new section of the M5 motorway was opened, cutting through the parish to the west of the village.
The earliest surviving building in the village, the parish church of St Giles, is one of England's most admired churches.Jenkins, S. (1999). England's Thousand Best Churches. It is built largely in the Norman, Early English and Decorated styles. A substantial part of the nave, the north porch and the western tower arch date from the 12th century, with significant additions in the 13th and 14th centuries – the most visible being a tall, octagonal spire, dating from 1300 to 1350, made famous by the poet, John Masefield. A number of 14th century heraldic tiles are set in the sanctuary steps, showing the arms of England, France, Beauchamp of Powick, Beauchamp of Warwick, Mortimer, Berkeley and others. The church contains many interesting monuments, including several to members of the interrelated Reed, Copley and Kemerton Court families.
To the west of the church is Bredon Barn, Bredon Barn , National Trust, retrieved 27 June 2009. a late 14th century threshing barn (often incorrectly referred to as a tithe barn) measuring approximately 40 metres by 12 metres. It has an enormous steep pitched roof covered in Cotswold limestone tiles. Walls are of limestone rubble masonry, divided into nine bays by oak posts on stone plinths forming aisles and carrying the open timber roof. The barn was badly damaged by fire in 1980. Now restored, it is in the care of the National Trust.
Bredon Hill has been recognised as the third most important site in the UK for dead-wood beetles and other invertebrates,Whitehead P & J. (1991–96). Articles published in The Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. a large proportion of which are in Bredon. The north of the parish is the richest area in Worcestershire for rare arable plants.The 1 km square (SO9438) is ranked by Plantlife as the richest in Worcestershire for arable flora. Kemerton Lake Nature Reserve (half in the parish), managed by the Kemerton Conservation Trust, is the West Midlands Region's most important site for dragonflies, with 22 species recorded. Kemerton Conservation Trust, retrieved 23 November 2011. It is also Worcestershire's most important site for jack snipe, and more than 170 other bird species have been recorded here. Purple milk-vetch, violet click beetle, barbastelle bat, lesser horseshoe bat, otter, polecat and great-crested newt are some of the other interesting species found in and around the village.
|
|
