38-556: Ragley Hall in the parish of Arrow in Warwickshire is a stately home, located south of Alcester and eight miles (13 km) west of Stratford-upon-Avon . It is the ancestral seat of the Seymour-Conway family, Marquesses of Hertford . The house was built by Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway (1623–1683) to the designs of William Hurlbert, with modifications by Robert Hooke and was completed after his death in 1683. The interior
76-507: A Roman fort or town, and derived from the Latin 'castrum', from which the modern word ' castle ' also derives. Alcester was founded by the Romans in around AD 47 as a walled fort . The walled town, possibly named Alauna developed from the military camp. It was sited on Icknield Street , a Roman road that ran the length of Roman Britain from south-west England to south Yorkshire . The town
114-406: A bus service for the final eight months. Redditch to Barnt Green remains open on the electrified Birmingham suburban network. Currently, Alcester is served by one regular bus route, the hourly Stagecoach Midlands -operated X19 between Redditch and Stratford-upon-Avon . The Diamond West Midlands -operated route 247 operates irregularly through Alcester between Redditch and Evesham . Alcester
152-695: A few occasions engulfed part of the town. The last occurrences were in 1956, 10 April 1998 (Maunday Thursday) and on 21 July 2007 when 200 homes were left uninhabitable. In response to the severe flooding of 2007 Alcester flood scheme completed an underground storage tank with a 3.25 million litre capacity in June 2011, costing just over £1 million. The scheme attracted funding from the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee's Local Levy with contributions from Warwickshire County Council , Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Alcester Town Council. The scheme included work on
190-562: A group of modernized black and white farm workers' cottages which have risen up the social scale to become homes for business people. Arrow with Weethley parish falls under the local government district and parliamentary constituency of Stratford-on-Avon , and the Church of England Diocese of Coventry . In 2001 the parish had a population of 208. In 710, according to the chronicles of Evesham Abbey , Ceolred , King of Mercia , gave land in ARROW to
228-403: Is also a National Trust property. Alcester is also a significant town on the 100-mile-long Heart of England Way long-distance trail . Recent developments, carried out by a multi-agency partnership, include ' Roman Alcester', a museum exhibiting locally found archaeological artifacts from the 1st to 4th century. 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of its opening. In early June, Alcester holds
266-550: Is also known for two nearby stately homes . To the north is Coughton Court , the family seat of the Throckmorton baronets as well as a National Trust property. To the south-west is Ragley Hall , the home of the Marquis of Hertford , whose gardens contain a children's adventure playground . Kinwarton , which is just north of Alcester, contains a church of Anglo Saxon origin and a historic dovecote , Kinwarton Dovecote , which
304-640: Is believed to have been designed by Francis Smith of Warwick , supervisor of its rebuild by the Woodward brothers of Chipping Campden in 1729. Alcester Town Hall was built between 1618 and 1641, and is a grade I listed building. Alcester was previously served by Alcester railway station belonging to the Midland Railway (later part of the LMS Railway ), on the Gloucester Loop Line , branching off
342-404: Is said to have been added or rebuilt in 1767. In the tower is one bell by Henry Bagley, 1657. The north aisle was added in 1865 and the rest of the building restored. The nave (49 ft. by 20 ft.) has a north arcade of three bays . In the south wall are three windows: the easternmost dating from about 1300. The west wall has a Tudor doorway. There are several tombs within the church of
380-573: Is shown to have made his fortune and moved out of the city to the fictional Arrow House (actually Arley Hall in Cheshire ). Alcester Alcester ( / ˈ ɒ l s t ər , ˈ ɔː l -/ OL -stər, AWL - ) 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
418-524: The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway main line at Ashchurch , passing through Evesham , Alcester and Redditch and rejoining the main line at Barnt Green , near Bromsgrove . The loop was built to address the fact that the main line bypassed most of the towns it might otherwise have served, but it took three separate companies to complete, Alcester being on the Evesham and Redditch railway prior to absorption by
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#1733086063513456-713: The Cotswold Hills League and two Sunday teams who play friendlies. There are also numerous junior teams (Up to U16), and a girls team. Alcester Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1892. The club continued until the outbreak of the Second World War . Alne Cricket Club ( Great Alne ) is a cricke club about 2 miles from Alcester centre that play in local competitions and have a summer fun week for children. Adults can also play in their "Adult Team". Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from
494-561: The Court Leet charity street market with a procession and competitions for best stall and best fancy dress. On the first Monday and Tuesday in October, Alcester holds an annual mop fair where amusement rides, side stalls and food booths line the High Street, Church Street and Henley Street. The mop fair has gradually decreased in size over a period of years, likely an external influence since
532-464: The Holy Trinity consists of a chancel with a north chapel and vestry , nave , north aisle , and west tower . The building dates from the 12th century, but the only evidence of this period is the south doorway, which may have been reset at a later period. The nave has windows of the end of the 13th century, and the chancel appears to have been rebuilt from early-to mid-14th century. The west tower
570-485: The Kingdom of Mercia . Alcester was also the site of Alcester Abbey , a Benedictine monastery founded in 1138 by Ralph le Boteler. Richard de Tutbury, the last abbot , resigned his office in 1467 and Alcester Abbey was absorbed into the neighbouring Evesham Abbey . By 1515 Alcester Abbey was in ruins as a result of the neglect of various abbots, and later during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII it
608-665: The Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC CWR , Capital Mid-Counties , Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire , Fresh (Coventry & Warwickshire) , Heart West Midlands , Smooth West Midlands , Greatest Hits Radio Midlands and Stratford Community Radio, a community based station that broadcast from Stratford-upon-Avon . The town is served by the local newspaper, Redditch Advertiser (formerly Alcester Chronicle ). The town has three secondary schools ; Alcester Grammar School , Alcester Academy , and St Benedict's Catholic High School . Alcester
646-519: The manor remained part of the honour of Leicester . In 1086 Fulk held the estate, but it later passed to one of the second Earl of Leicester's officials, Ralph le Boteler, who built a castle , or more likely wooden stockade , there, making it his principal seat. In the middle of the 12th century the Earl and Ralph jointly founded the monastery of Alcester , and granted to it lands in Oversley, in 1140. On
684-403: The 12th century William de Camville of Clifton, acquired the manor of Arrow through his marriage and it remained in that family and its cadets until about 1500 when it passed by marriage to Sir Hugh Conway . In the 17th century it became united through this family with Ragley Hall. The latter was held in 1370 by Sir John Rous. In October 1591 it was sold to Sir John Conway. Thereafter Ragley became
722-614: The Conway family, for centuries Lords of the Manor here, including Henege, an infant son of Edward Conway , who died in 1660. In the village church is a statue of one of the Marquesses sculpted by Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg , a nephew of Queen Victoria . There is a churchyard surrounding the church. During the third series of the BBC drama Peaky Blinders the main character Thomas Shelby
760-725: The Midland. In addition a branch line provided by the Alcester Railway Company (later part of the Great Western Railway ) ran from Alcester to Bearley , thus giving access to Stratford-upon-Avon . This line, however, was an early casualty, closing in September 1939. The Midland loop was due to close between Ashchurch and Redditch in June 1963 but the poor condition of the track led to all trains between Evesham and Redditch being withdrawn in October 1962 and replaced by
798-534: The abbey. It was subsequently wrested from them but regained by Abbot Agelwy II (1070–7), only to be lost again to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux , who at the time of the Domesday Survey held 7 1 ⁄ 2 hides Arrow Mill was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is now a hotel and restaurant as well as a working water mill . There were originally three manors , Arrow Manor, Ragley Hall and Oversley Manor. In
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#1733086063513836-548: The alchemist Ezekiel Foxcroft and his mother the philosopher Elizabeth Foxcroft . Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont was Anne's physician from 1671 until her death in 1679. The secondary seat of the Seymour-Conway family, Earls of Hertford, was Sudbourne Hall in Suffolk and their London townhouse was Hertford House . Financial instability of the Seymour family left the house threatened with demolition more than once. In 1912, following
874-468: The corner of Church Street and Malt Mill Lane, which probably dates from about 1500. St Nicholas's Church is a Grade II* listed building . Its clock is in an unusual position on the south-west corner of the 14th-century tower , to make it visible from the High Street. The church also houses the tomb of Fulke Greville, grandfather of poet and statesman Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke . The church's Georgian nave with Doric columns and plastered ceiling
912-440: The death of Hugh Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford , the estate's trustees recommended that the house be demolished. However, during World War I and World War II, the house found use as a military hospital. Hugh Seymour, 8th Marquess of Hertford , who in 1940 inherited Ragley Hall from his uncle George Seymour, 7th Marquess of Hertford , fought to save it after the war. It was refurbished between 1956 and 1958, when it became one of
950-570: The death of William le Boteler in 1369 without male heirs the manor passed to his daughter Elizabeth, wife of Sir Robert Ferrers . In 1482 Oversley passed to Sir William Gascoigne of Gawthorpe. In 1537 Sir William Gascoigne and his son Sir Henry Gascoigne, sold the manor to Sir Thomas Cromwell . After Cromwell's attainder Henry VIII granted Oversley, in exchange for lands in Bedfordshire , to Sir George Throckmorton of Coughton , who had been anxious to acquire it for several years. From this time
988-517: The entirely rural hamlet of Weethley , it forms since 1 April 2004 the civil parish of Arrow with Weethley . The parish lies midway between Redditch and Evesham . From Alcester the River Arrow flows southwards to the river Avon , and to the west of the river the present road to Evesham joins that to Worcester at a busy junction where, near the Old Toll House, stands the hamlet of Arrow,
1026-657: The first stately homes opened to the public. In 1983, the painter Graham Rust completed a huge mural including pets, friends and family members which is known as "The Temptation" and is exhibited on the Southern staircase. Ragley was the site of the Jerwood Sculpture Park , opened in July 2004. The Park included works that won the Jerwood Sculpture Prizes, and the work of Dame Elisabeth Frink , among others. However
1064-517: The houses of Roman Alcester appear to have been well endowed, with features such as heating, painted plaster and mosaic floors. Along with most Romano-British towns, it appears to have gone into decline in the 4th century when the Romans began to leave Britain. Detailed archaeological work began in the 1920s. In the Early Middle Ages , Alencestre had become an Anglo-Saxon market town in
1102-418: The manor follows the same descent as Coughton. Oversley was a valuable and extensive manor, comprising also, in 1566, the present parishes of Exhall and Wixford , part of Grafton and part, at least, of King's Broom . Charles Turberville (1767–1811), of the ancient Anglo-Norman family, was farming at Oversley when he married at Alcester in October 1791. He is buried at Arrow. The parish church of
1140-450: The people of Alcester still flock to the streets during the two nights. The Alcester and Forest of Arden Food Festival is held every May and October. The St Nicholas Night Fair is held on 6 December each year. The annual duck race takes place on the 2nd Saturday in July to raise funds for the summer bunting and Christmas lights. The River Alne and Arrow , which join on the outskirts of Alcester, have occasionally flooded and on
1178-555: The principal seat of the Conway family in the 17th century and follows the same descent as the manor of Arrow. In the village are the gates to Ragley Hall which has been home to the Marquess of Hertford 's family since the mid-18th century. At the Domesday Book , the Count of Meulan , later created Earl of Leicester , held 3 hides of land in Oversley, and until the close of the Middle Ages
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1216-784: The science fiction television series Doctor Who , titled " The Girl in the Fireplace ", first broadcast in May 2006; and the first and fourth episodes of the fourth season of the Netflix series " The Crown ". A news item adds that "Ragley also became the home of Lady Cremone in the BBC Two Drama Dancing on the Edge " in 2013. Arrow, Warwickshire Arrow is a village in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire , England. Together with
1254-457: The site was closed in April 2012. Since 2017, the property has not been open to the general public but was available as a venue for events as of 2023. Maintenance of the park area is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Ragley Hall has occasionally been used as a location for filming, including: the 1982 television version of The Scarlet Pimpernel ; the fourth episode of the second series of
1292-531: The times of Roman Britain and is located at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow . In the 2021 census, the population of the parish was 6,035, with 6,421 in the built-up area. The poet and antiquary John Leland wrote in his Itinerary (ca. 1538–43) that the name Alcester was derived from that of the River Alne . The suffix 'cester' is derived from the Old English word 'ceaster', which meant
1330-434: The two pumping stations located at Bleachfield Street and Gas House Lane. Alcester Town F.C. has teams from Under-6 to Under-18 and senior players. The town has a rugby club, and also used to have a golf course which closed and became the home of the football club . Alcester is also home to Alcester & Ragley Park Cricket Club, situated in the grounds of Ragley Hall , the club has two Saturday teams who play in
1368-547: Was also just north of the Fosse Way , another important thoroughfare in Roman Britain. By the end of the 2nd century , Roman Alcester had developed into a bustling trading and market town: A small walled area in the centre of the town was surrounded by an extensive grid of roads serving a complex of workshops and their associated housing, which specialised in trades such as tanning , metal working and pottery manufacture. Some of
1406-556: Was largely demolished. The ruins were granted to the local Greville family, who used much of the stone to rebuild their family seat of Beauchamp Court. Alcester competed in the competition for city status as part of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours . Today the town features architecture from the Medieval , Tudor , Georgian , Victorian eras and the 20th century. The oldest house appears to be The Old Malthouse at
1444-407: Was subsequently modified on at least three occasions, to the designs of James Gibbs circa 1750–56; of James Wyatt circa 1778–83 and of William Tasker circa 1871–73. It became the home of Anne Conway and she was visited there by a number of notable people including Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz , Thomas Vaughan , Lilias Skene , Henry More , Elizabeth of Bohemia Christian Knorr von Rosenroth ,
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