Inkberrow is a village in Worcestershire, England, often thought to be the model for Ambridge, the fictional setting of BBC Radio 4's long-running series The Archers.[1] In particular, The Bull, the fictional Ambridge pub, is supposed to be based on The Old Bull in Inkberrow.[1]
The earliest recorded version of the village is Intanbeorgas, "Inta's mounds or barrows", from 789.[2] By the 15th century, the spelling may have become Ingtebarwe; nearby villages also mentioned include Church Lench, Abbots Morton and Arrow.[3] By the 16th century, it was known as Inkebarrow.[4]
Cookhill Priory stood 3mi (4.8km) to the east, at the edge of the county.
In 2006 Inkberrow was awarded the title of Worcestershire Village of the Year and won the Building Community Life section of the competition.[5]
Inkberrow was identified as a potential site for a new town in the 1960s,[citation needed] but this plan was not carried out. More houses were added to the village in 2013 in response to a rising need for accommodation. Inkberrow Millennium Green is an eight acre public open space to the east of the village, opened in 2000, which includes a medieval moat and fishpond, a variety of wildflowers and fruit trees, and a millennium seat with extensive views.[6]
St Peter's church
St Peter's church
The village's parish church is dedicated to St. Peter and contains the Savage family chapel.[7] It is a Grade I listed building.[8] The Domesday Book mentions a church in Inkberrow in Saxon times. It is believed that a minster existed as early as 700 AD. The current church is thought to have been built on the site of the minster, and also perhaps a 12th-century wood and earthwork castle destroyed by Henry III in 1233. The current church probably dates from the 13th century, and was not built on the site of the original church.[9]
The baptismal font dates from around 1200 AD, and is typical of the late Norman style. In 1839 it was cleaned and moved near the pulpit, under the arch linking the chancel to the south transept. It was moved again in 1887 to its current position opposite the south door of the nave.[9]
The village has junior and adult football clubs with large memberships when compared to those of more populous towns and villages. Sporting Club Inkberrow play in the Southern League Division One South, and have two 11 a-side pitches and a mini soccer pitch.
There is also a tennis club, with a clubhouse near the village hall.
Residents Avril and Chris Rowlands' large Christmas tree has been a local attraction for many years. The tree, planted in 1978, is just over 50ft (15m) tall and needs more than 1,000 lights to decorate it. In 2023, it raised over £1,000 for a local charity.[12]
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