Harvington

Last updated

Harvington
Harvington.jpg
Worcestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Harvington
Location within Worcestershire
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Evesham
Postcode district WR11
Police West Mercia
Fire Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance West Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Worcestershire
52°08′35″N1°55′33″W / 52.143077°N 1.925876°W / 52.143077; -1.925876

Harvington is a village near Evesham in Worcestershire, England. Bounded by the River Avon to the south and the Lench Hills to the north, three miles northeast of Evesham and now on the Worcestershire/Warwickshire border. The village today is an amalgamation of two smaller villages, Harvington and Harvington Cross, and has a population of around 1,750.

Contents

Past

Harvington is first mentioned in the Anglo Saxon charters of 709CE when it was known as Herverton; in the Middle Ages it was called Herwynton. In 1868 there was a curious old custom still observed at Harvington; the children used to go round to all the houses on St Thomas's Day and St Valentine's Day repeating a doggerel rhyme as follows: 'Wissal, wassail, through the town, If you've got any apples throw them down, Up with the stocking and down with the shoe, If you've got no apples money will do.'

Present

Harvington has a number of amenities including a convenience store, a farm shop, two children's play areas, a community orchard, youth group, sports facilities and clubs.

The village has two churches, the Anglican St James Church and a Baptist church, and two pubs, the Golden Cross and the Coach and Horses.

The River Avon is close by. A large section of the bank is owned and managed by Manor Farm Leisure, which also runs the local golf course, fishing lakes and holiday caravan site.

Towards the south end of the village, there is a natural landmark called Monkey Island, which despite its name doesn't have any monkeys or islands and is simply just a wooded area near an orchard that contains a brook flowing through it.

Education

Harvington First School is a small school of approximately 100 pupils aged 5 – 10 years. Older pupils attend nearby St. Egwins Middle School and Prince Henry's High School which are in Evesham. Harvey Bears Nursery & Preschool offers childcare to the residents of Harvington and surrounding communities.

Sports

Harvington Cricket Club were winners of four Worcestershire league titles which they achieved in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. They are in Division 5 of the Worcestershire County League. The club hosts county matches at various representative levels. In 2010 1st XI player Nathan Gage won the Worcestershire Cricketer of the Year sponsored by Duncan Fearnley and the Worcester News. The club runs free coaching sessions for local schools and holds Junior practice on Friday evenings.[ citation needed ]

Harvington Harriers Football club play in division 3 in the Evesham & District Sunday Football League.

Railways

Harvington railway station previously served the village as part of the Gloucester Loop Line. In July 1858 the Redditch Railway Act authorised a line to link Redditch with the Midland Railway's Birmingham and Gloucester line at Barnt Green. The Redditch Railway opened on 18 September 1859 but was operated from the start by the Midland Railway.

In 1868 the Evesham and Redditch Railway built a line south from Redditch through Evesham to a junction at Ashchurch. There were intermediate stations between Redditch and Evesham at Studley and Astwood Bank, Coughton, Alcester, Wixford, Broom Junction (for the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway), Salford Priors, and Harvington.

British Railways (BR) closed the line under the Beeching Axe south of Alcester on 29 September 1962 after suspending the passenger service between Redditch and Evesham due to poor track condition. Freight services continued between Redditch and Alcester until 1964 when BR closed the whole line south of Redditch.

Governance and religion

Harvington parish falls under the Wychavon District Council ward of Harvington and Norton, the Worcestershire County Council division of Harvington, and the parliamentary constituency of Mid Worcestershire, whose MP since 2015 is Nigel Huddleston of the Conservative Party.

It falls under the Church of England Diocese of Worcester, the Archdeaconry of Worcester, and the deanery of Evesham.

Notable residents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcestershire</span> County of England

Worcestershire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands county to the north, Warwickshire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south, and Herefordshire to the west. The city of Worcester is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evesham</span> Human settlement in England

Evesham is a market town and parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies within the Vale of Evesham, an area comprising the flood plain of the River Avon, which has been renowned for market gardening. The town centre, situated within a meander of the river, is subjected regularly to flooding. The 2007 floods were the most severe in recorded history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alcester</span> Market town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England

Alcester is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England. It is 8 mi (13 km) west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 7 miles south of Redditch. The town dates back to the times of Roman Britain and is located at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redditch</span> Town and Borough in England

Redditch is a town and borough in Worcestershire, England. It is located south of Birmingham, east of Bromsgrove, northwest of Alcester and northeast of Worcester. The borough had a population of 87,037 in 2021. In the 19th century, it became a centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidford-on-Avon</span> Village in Warwickshire, England

Bidford-on-Avon is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire, very close to the border with Worcestershire. In the 2001 census it had a population of 4,830, increasing to 5,350 at the 2011 census, increasing again to 6,818 in the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station</span> Railway station in Gloucestershire, England

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury is a railway station serves the market town of Tewkesbury and the village of Ashchurch in Gloucestershire, England. The station is located less than 14 mile (400 m) from junction 9 of the M5 motorway and located on the main Bristol–Birmingham main line 7+14 miles (11.7 km) north of Cheltenham Spa and was opened on 1 June 1997 by Railtrack. There are regular bus connections from the station to Tewkesbury town centre, Gloucester Transport Hub and Cheltenham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid Worcestershire (UK Parliament constituency)</span>

Mid Worcestershire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Nigel Huddleston, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashchurch</span> Village in Gloucestershire, England

Ashchurch is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ashchurch Rural, in the Tewkesbury district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town of Tewkesbury, 11 mi (18 km) southwest of Evesham, 10 mi (16 km) north of Cheltenham, 13 mi (21 km) north-north-east of Gloucester and 10 mi (16 km) south of Pershore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashton under Hill</span> Human settlement in England

Ashton under Hill is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire in England. It is situated at the foot of Bredon Hill. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 743, about six miles south-west of Evesham. A five house hamlet named Paris is located above the village with panoramic views over the surrounding hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beckford, Worcestershire</span> Human settlement in England

Beckford is a small village on the main Cheltenham to Evesham Road, five miles north-east of Tewkesbury, on the Worcestershire—Gloucestershire border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redditch railway station</span> Railway station in Worcestershire, England

Redditch railway station serves the town of Redditch, North Worcestershire, England. It is the southern terminus of the Cross-City Line 14.5 miles (23 km) south of Birmingham New Street. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by West Midlands Trains. Redditch station sits at the end of a single track branch line from Barnt Green which forms part of the Cross-City Line. The line used to continue south to Ashchurch and also Evesham but this was closed in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnt Green railway station</span> Railway station in Worcestershire, England

Barnt Green railway station serves the village of Barnt Green, North Worcestershire, England. It is situated 9+12 miles (15.3 km) south west of Birmingham New Street. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by West Midlands Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salford Priors</span> Village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England

Salford Priors is a rural, agricultural village and civil parish about four miles south-west of Alcester, Warwickshire, England. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 1,546. It is on the Warwickshire border with Worcestershire. The village is eight miles from the popular tourist town of Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, and the River Avon runs near to it. Evesham lies seven miles to the south-west and is an important agricultural centre and soft fruit-growing area. The population of the Salford Priors ward – which includes the communities of Abbot's Salford, Dunnington, Iron Cross, Pitchill, Rushford and Mudwalls – was 1,492 at the 2001 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wixford</span> Human settlement in England

Wixford is a hamlet and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District of Warwickshire, England, situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Alcester. The population at the 2011 census was 155. The area is largely agricultural with no large employers in the area, most residents commuting to larger towns nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cookhill</span> Human settlement in England

Cookhill is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, on the county border near Alcester. It is close to a former Cistercian Priory of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinton on the Green</span> Human settlement in England

Hinton on the Green is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire in England. It is situated at the foot of Bredon Hill, about two miles south of Evesham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedgeberrow</span> Human settlement in England

Sedgeberrow is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Evesham. It stands beside the River Isbourne, a tributary of the River Avon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broom Junction railway station</span> Former railway station in Warwickshire, England

Broom Junction was a railway station serving the village of Broom in Warwickshire, England. It was an interchange for both the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway and the Barnt Green to Ashchurch line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evesham loop line</span> Railway line in England

The Evesham branch line is a mostly disused English railway line running from Barnt Green via Redditch, Alcester and Evesham to Ashchurch. It was sometimes known as the Gloucester loop line of the Midland Railway.