Alvechurch
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(June 2009) |
| Alvechurch | |
|---|---|
 Tudor Rose Fish Bar, Alvechurch | |
  Alvechurch Location withinWorcestershire | |
| Population | 6,564 |
| OS grid reference | SP025725 |
| •London | 99 miles (159 km) |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BIRMINGHAM |
| Postcode district | B48 |
| Dialling code | 0121 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Alvechurch(/ˈælvtʃɜːrtʃ/ALVER-church) is a large village andcivil parishin theBromsgrove districtin northeastWorcestershire,England, in the valley of theRiver Arrow.TheLickey Hills Country Parkis 2.5 miles (4 km) to the northwest. It is 11 miles (18 kilometres) south ofBirmingham,5 mi (8 km) north ofRedditchand 6 mi (10 km) east ofBromsgrove.At the 2001 census, the population was 5,316.[1]
History
[edit]Alvechurch, pronounced "Alverchurch" means "Ælfgyth's church".[2]In the eighth century, Ælfgyth founded a church on the site of the church of St. Laurence.[3]
KingOffaof Mercia gave the land forming the parish toBishops of Worcesterin 780. The parish is mentioned in theDomesday Bookof 1068 asAlvievecherchewith a small population of under 20 people.[4][5]In the thirteenth century the Bishop of Worcester built a palace in the village, and a weekly market and an annual fair were established.[6]
The Bishop's Palace was pulled down in the seventeenth century, the only remnants being part of the moat and a yew tree which formerly stood in the palace grounds.
From the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century there was a brick factory in the hamlet of Withybed on the edge of the village. Other local industries included nail and needle making.Dellowcars were made in Alvechurch between 1949 and 1956.
Architecture
[edit]The village has a number of medieval half-timbered buildings, as well as many Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian buildings.[7]
The church ofSt Laurencedates back to 1239.[8]It is situated on high ground, and was probably the site of an earlierMercianchurch, although nothing remains of the earlier wooden building. Much of the church was rebuilt between 1858 and 1861 byWilliam Butterfield.There is a 1,348-pipe organ. The tower has a peal of eight bells, rung regularly by the North Worcestershire and District Change Ringing Association.The Ark,a £1m extension to the church was built in 2005 despite a village referendum in February 2004[9]voting against the erection of the building.
There are also many newer residential buildings and a First and Middle school with library. In 2008 a new first and middle school were built north-east of the village, the old school has since been demolished and the new estate has road names commemorating the house names of the school.
Arts and entertainment
[edit]There is an attractivearts and craftsstyleBaptistchurch in the centre of the village.
There is also a renowned local amateur dramatic group, theAlvechurch Drama Societywhich produces two plays per year at the village hall. [10][unreliable source?]The group is celebrated for its original pantomimes which are written by Chris Davies and Paul Chamberlain.
Alvechurch Sports and Social Clubhosts live music on a regular basis and is home toAlvechurch Acoustic Rootsa curated music event which welcomes performers from the local area and beyond.
Sport
[edit]The football team that serves the village isAlvechurch F.C.,which was founded in 1929 and played in the local park prior to a move toLye Meadow.They reached the Third Round of the FA Cup in 1974, losing 4–2 toBradford City,the club was at its greatest in the 80's when it spent a large stint in the Southern League Premier. In November 1993 they folded, but a group of supporters resurrected the club in 1994, in the 2002–03 season the club gained promotion to the Midland Football Alliance, now known as the Midland Football League Premier, and won the division in the 2016–17 season. In the 2017–18 season, they finished 2nd in the Evo-StikNorthern Premier LeagueDivision 1 South, gaining promotion to the 3rd tier of the non league pyramid. As of the 2018–19 season they play in the Evo-StikSouthern Football LeagueCentral Premier.
The village also has a local cricket team.
Travel and transport
[edit]TheM42 motorwayruns across the north side of the village; the nearest junction is north of the village atHopwood,junction 2.
Alvechurch railway station,opened in 1859, is on theCross-City Line.It provides local trains to Redditch andLichfieldviaBirmingham.The station is unmanned. On 1 September 2014, a passing loop and second platform were completed and officially opened.[11]
The village is accessible bynarrowboatalong a ruralcanal.AlvechurchMarinais on theWorcester and Birmingham Canal(built 1789), just across a hedgerow from the station.
TheA441 roadused to pass through the village, but now a relief road by-passes the village, helping to reduce traffic and pollution. Recently, specific traffic-calming measures have been added to the village's main thoroughfares. These 'pinch-points' reduce the road width to one raised central lane, preventing drivers from speeding and promoting considerate road use.
Alvechurch F.C.play their home games at Lye Meadow on Redditch Road.
Famous people
[edit]- Tracie Andrews,who murdered Lee Harvey in 1996 in a high-profile case that Andrews initially blamed on a 'road rage' killer.
- Godfrey Baseley,creator ofThe Archers.
- Digby Jones, Baron Jones of Birmingham;his parents owned a shop in the village.
- Alan Smith,who scored the winning goal forArsenalin the 1994Cup Winners' Cupfinal played for Alvechurch F.C.
- Fay Weldon,a novelist.
References
[edit]- ^Census 2001
- ^Taylor, John R. (25 June 2015).The Oxford Handbook of the Word.OUP Oxford. p. 637.ISBN9780191669323.
- ^"Towns and Villages Around Kidderminster | Alvechurch".visitoruk.Retrieved18 September2016.
- ^"Alvechurch - Domesday Book".opendomesday.org.
- ^Mills, David (2011).A Dictionary of British Place-Names.OUP Oxford. p. 12.ISBN9780199609086.
- ^Brooks, Alan; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2007).Worcestershire.Yale University Press. pp. 105–106.ISBN9780300112986.
- ^"The Worcestershire Historic Towns Survey: The story of Alvechurch"(PDF).Worcestershire County Council.Retrieved4 June2018.
- ^"History".Archived fromthe originalon 14 August 2011.Retrieved21 November2011.
- ^"The Village Online, Archive".
- ^"Home".Archived fromthe originalon 25 April 2012.Retrieved21 November2011.
- ^Osborne, Connie (1 September 2014)."Commuters back on track with railway opening".Redditch Standard.Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2014.Retrieved12 June2018.
External links
[edit]
- Alvechurch Parish Council
- A description of the village
- Seven fine pen & ink studies of Alvechurch buildings
- 2001 Census Statistics
- Alvechurchin theDomesday Book
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
