Do you have some knowledge about what Warndon Parish used to be like? 

Do you have any photographs of a time when this area was just fields, or under construction?

If so we would like to here from you.  This page/chapter is awaiting further information from you the residents.  Perhaps you have photos of your area both now and before it was built?

We want to make this page a special interests page to both new residents, children and visitors alike.  By looking to the past we can help shape the future.

The Parish Council

Parish Councils were established by an Act of Parliament in 1894. Prior to this local affairs were dealt with by Vestry meetings held in the Parish Church after Sunday morning service. The meetings dealt with church affairs and also they looked after the old, poor and sick, appointed church wardens, sextons and village constables ! With the passing of the Act, civil matters became the prerogative of the Parish Council, whilst church affairs became the business of the parochial church councils.

The Council in the making...

Warndon Parish Council was inaugurated in August 1984 by a group of residents living in Heron Grange, to be able to comment with authority on the Worcester Local plan. It is true to say that certain members of the City Council were against the formation of the council, but lost the day. They were supported by residents who lived in the Trotshill area and as time progressed, other Councillors have been elected or co-opted from other parts of the Parish. As of today, there are seven Councillors and one clerk.

The Council and it's relationship with the City and County Councils

The Parish is part of the St. Martin's Electoral Ward, which has three City Councillors. There is also a County Councillor for the Ward. The Parish Council is unusual as, along with St. Peter's we are within the City boundary. This means that many functions that are normally performed by rural Parish Councils are undertaken here by the City. Depending on Central Government's policy, the parish will eventually become an electoral ward in it's own right, although it is not possible to be more specific as this aspect of Local government Reform appears to be low on the agenda.

What's in a name..??

The concept of a civil parish within a city causes confusion, more so in our case because there is a mix of areas. The major part is the new houses and because the city planners came up with the excellent idea of the "hamlet" or "village" style of development, this gave the Developer's marketing people an ideal name - "Warndon Villages", but it ignored the rest of the parish - The result was that not even the City Council, in committee reports, could not adequately differentiate between the "old" area of Warndon, and the "new". Hence the Parish Council suggested to them that "old" Warndon is referred to as "Warndon" and we are referred to as "Warndon Parish". This is now the official title.

The Parish Boundary

The boundary in the North starts at the M5 Junction, follows the Worcester/Birmingham Canal to Blackpole Road, then along Cotswold Way to Wall Meadow. It follows the closed part of Tolladine Road to Middle Hollow, and then continues along Tolladine Road top the entrance to the gold club (next to the fairway), skirting the golf course along the back of the houses to open space to the rear of Ronkswood Hospital. It cuts Aconbury Close to Aconbury Farm, out onto Newtown Road across the fields behind County Hall, to Swinesherd, then north inside the M5 back to Junction 6 and the A449.

Click HERE and see the Parish Boundary Map.

OLD COUNTY MAP

A short history of Warndon

Warndon is situated on an ancient Saltway, a track used to transport salt from Droitwich Spa to Worcester and then on to boats on the Severn. The earliest church record of Warndon dates from 978AD when Bishop Oswald gave land in the Parish to Accttidnoth of Smite, when the Parish was held by the Bishops of Worcester (ref C. Monkhouse). The settlement was recorded in the Doomsday Book of 1086 when it was spelt "WARMEDUN".

The Ordanance Survey map of 1970 shows the area as farm and woodland with farms named

• Great Tolladine (the house at the Poacher's Pocket) 

• Little Tolladine (underneath Berkeley Beverborne)

• Warndon Court (the 15th century, Grade 2 listed farmhouse now restored)

• Trotshill (the house used by Beazer/Bryant consortium as offices until 1996)

• Aconbury (only the orchard remains)

• Lyppard Grange, (demolished in 1992 to make way for the local centre).

Conservation areas.
There are two in the Parish - The first is Warndon Court, which includes St. Nicholas Church (parts of which date from the 12th Century) and the Old Parsonage (a Grade 2 listed, 15th Century house). The second is Trotshill Lane (both sections), with several houses dating from the 17/18th century.

Development
The first phase of the Local Development Plan was Heron Grange built in 1979. It was not until 1989 that building started on Wall Meadow. The total planned development is now approximately 4090 dwellings, depending on the final plans for the affordable housing development. The population in 1901 was 141. Today it is 7361 adults and approximately 1800 under 18's. 

WARNDON PARISH OLD BOUNDARY MAP