| Madresfield | |
|---|---|
 Estate houses in the village | |
  Madresfield Location withinWorcestershire | |
| OS grid reference | SO804473 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MALVERN |
| Postcode district | WR13 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Madresfield is a village andcivil parish in the administrative district ofMalvern Hills in the county ofWorcestershire, England. It is located about two miles east ofMalvern town centre at the foot of theMalvern Hills and is less than two miles from theRiver Severn. Surrounded by farms andcommon land, it has a clear view of the entire range of the Malvern Hills, and is part of the informal region referred to asThe Malverns.
The name Madresfield derives from theOld Englishmǣðeresfeld, meaning either 'mower's field' or 'Maethhere's field'.[1]
Madresfield is pronounced "Ma-ders Field"[2] or "Ma-dres Field".[3]
Madresfield is not mentioned in theDomesday Book of 1086, as it was part of the manor ofPowick.[4]
Madresfield is part of aChurch of Englandparish which includes the neighbouring village ofGuarlford. There is aparish church in the village (dedicated toSt. Mary the Virgin). There have been three churches, the first a smallchapel that was mainly used by theBeauchamps. A second church, built on marshy ground to the designs ofAugustus Pugin, was demolished after only twelve years after becoming unsafe. The present church was built on land donated by the Earl Beauchamp and re-used many items from the earlier church. The church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, has a refurbishedpeal of bells which are on the visiting circuit of regionalcampanologists. The bells were rehung in December 2005 following recasting of 1 and 2 from the scrap metal of the old 4th and tenor and retuning the other bells.,[5] The village also has aprimary school.
ARomankiln was discovered on ground near Northend Farm, and near to what is now calledRoman Way. There is an 800-year-old ditch alongside Townsend Way that was once the boundary to the ancient village of Madresfield.
The main road though the village was re-routed in the early 19th century to move it away from Madresfield Court. Many of the village houses were built just after this period.
The village boasted twovillage greens,Mathersfield Green near "Byways" andBunn's Green on the corner of Northend Lane and Rectory Lane.
The firstpoint-to-point racing amateur horseback race was held at Madresfield in 1836.
Thestately home, near the village centre has been the ancestral home for several centuries of theLygon family, whose eldest sons took the title ofEarl Beauchamp from 1815 until 1979, when the last Earl died. Distinguished collections of furniture and art are housed in the Court, which was rated bySimon Jenkins to be among the 50 best in his book on 1,000 historic houses.[6] The house is managed by theElmley Foundation, a British registered charity.
In the event of a German invasion threatening London, a 1940 government plan was to move the Royal Family to Madresfield.[7]
