Leigh, Worcestershire
Encyclopedia
Leigh is a village and civil parish (with Bransford
) in the Malvern Hills District
in the county of Worcestershire
, England.
With just a few hundred inhabitants the parish lies on the A4103, the main Worcester
to Hereford
road, about 5 miles out of Worcester, whilst Malvern
is also about 5 miles away. It comprises the village of Bransford, and the hamlets of Brockamin, Leigh Sinton
, Sandlin & Smith End Green.
Due largely to the significant reduction of the hop industry in the area, Leigh, like many local villages, declined in the late 20th century; it lost its pub, its police station and its railway station (with the closure of the Bromyard
branch line in the 1960s).
church (St. Edburga's) was built in 1100 by Benedictine
monks from Pershore Abbey
.
A mile to the south at Castle Green are the earthwork and buried remains of a medieval motte and bailey
castle.
Bransford
Bransford is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England.-External links:* *...
) in the Malvern Hills District
Malvern Hills (district)
Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county that borders Herefordshire. It was originally formed in 1974 and was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1998...
in the county of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England.
With just a few hundred inhabitants the parish lies on the A4103, the main Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
to Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
road, about 5 miles out of Worcester, whilst Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
is also about 5 miles away. It comprises the village of Bransford, and the hamlets of Brockamin, Leigh Sinton
Leigh Sinton
Leigh Sinton is a hamlet in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England, and one of the constituent places of the civil parish of Leigh and Bransford. The parish lies on the A4103 Worcester to Hereford road, about 5 miles out of Worcester, whilst Malvern is also about 5...
, Sandlin & Smith End Green.
Due largely to the significant reduction of the hop industry in the area, Leigh, like many local villages, declined in the late 20th century; it lost its pub, its police station and its railway station (with the closure of the Bromyard
Bromyard
Bromyard is a town in northeast Herefordshire, England with a population of approximately 4,000. It lies near to the county border with Worcestershire on the A44 between Leominster and Worcester. Bromyard has a number of traditional half-timbered pubs and some buildings dating back to Norman times...
branch line in the 1960s).
History
Leigh's NormanNorman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
church (St. Edburga's) was built in 1100 by Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monks from Pershore Abbey
Pershore Abbey
Pershore Abbey, at Pershore in Worcestershire, was an Anglo-Saxon abbey and is now an Anglican parish church.-Foundation:The foundation of the minster at Pershore is alluded to in a spurious charter of King Æthelred of Mercia...
.
A mile to the south at Castle Green are the earthwork and buried remains of a medieval motte and bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle.