Abberley

Abberley is a picturesque village in north west Worcestershire, England. It is situated on the northern slopes of Abberley Hill (height 283 m), between the River Severn and River Teme. The village had a population of 830 in 2001.

Location
Abberley lies halfway between Worcester and Tenbury, at the junction with the road from Worcester to Cleobury Mortimer. At the latest census, it had the youngest population of any Worcestershire village.

The village
Abberley is a village of three distinct parts. The oldest part, known as The Village, clusters round the 12th century and 13th century parish church of St. Michael's and The Manor Arms. To the west, and divided from the village by farmland and the Cleobury road, is The Common, where the largest part of the population lives, new housing is being added, and there is a village shop cum post office. Between the village and the common, on the Cleobury road, are the Parochial VC primary school and the Village Hall.

A little to the north, across the Green (developed as a Millennium project) from the village, is the large Victorian St. Mary's church, built in 1852 to replace St. Michael's church when the latter fell into disrepair, though the chancel of St. Michael's was later restored and is still used for some services.

Overlooking the Village is the third part of Abberley, The Hill, with scattered farms, houses and cottages across the steep slopes of Abberley Hill.

On the opposite side of Abberley Hill to the village, to the south of the Worcester-Tenbury road, lies Abberley Hall. Abberley Hill forms part of the Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark. The Hill lies on the path of the Worcestershire Way, a well-used long-distance hiking trail.

Abberley has two churches, a primary school, a modern village hall, a traditional village pub at its centre, The Manor Arms, and nearby a country hotel and restaurant, The Elms.

Abberley is home to Abberley Hall School, a preparatory school set in the grounds of Abberley Hall, which also contain the Abberley Clock Tower, the setting for the children's book by Gene Kemp, The Clock Tower Ghost.

History
The name Abberley probably relates to the 6th century Saxon chief Eobald, by way of Eobaldelega, then Eobaldsleigh. Abberley is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086-7 as Edboldelege, when it was held by Ralph de Tosny.

In 1405 Abberley Hill was at the centre of a protracted stand-off between two major medieval armies, that of Henry IV camped on Abberley Hill itself and the primarily Welsh army of Owain Glyndŵr (Owen Glendower) camped on nearby Woodbury Hill. Eventually, cut off from their supply line, the Welsh withdrew, never again to penetrate so far into England.