Many English villages are historic enough to have been recorded in the Domesday book of 1086, and Hartlebury is no exception, though it can actually claim to have existed a long time before this. In 817 it was called Heoertlabyrig, literally translated as 'the Hill of the Deer' since 'Heort' was the Anglo-Saxon form of the word 'hart'. By the time of the Domesday entry its name had become Huertberie, which changed to Hertlebery over subsequent years.
Although Hartlebury is in many ways still a traditional English village, it has grown considerably in the past few decades to become a 'dormitory' for Kidderminster and Birmingham. New housing developments have been built, while the sprawling Hartlebury Trading Estate has introduced big business to the area. The village now has just two general stores, one of which houses the post office, and two of its pubs - the Talbot and the White Hart Inn - are under relatively new ownership.
An interesting indication of how the village is changing is the name of one of its schools: the former Queen Elizabeth I Grammar School, in existence since the granting of a Royal Charter by the eponymous monarch in the late 16th century, is now called the New Elizabethan School. However, the school ensures that its historic roots are maintained, with a copy of the charter on display in the main hall and continued links with The Old Elizabethans Association, a group of former pupils who meet regularly on the premises.
Many other clubs and societies are also operational in Hartlebury, including the Hartlebury History Society, the Women's Institute, gardening, tennis and walking clubs and the Museum Society who meet regularly at the Castle. It is refreshing to see that the long-established nucleus of older residents involved in these activities has been bolstered by interest from younger people, and there are several activities for families and youngsters such as a playgroup, a mothers and toddlers group, Cubs, Scouts and Guides.
The main church of St James the Apostle also plays an important part in village life, with plenty of events organised throughout the year. This is just one of the buildings in Hartlebury with an interesting past - it is likely that the village had a church in and possibly even before 1086 as the Domesday entry lists a priest as one of the village's assets, but St James' was certainly rebuilt during the thirteenth century and consecrated in 1269. Part of this structure remains today, namely the arches to the north side of the chancel and the walls of the vestry.
Also within the parish are two daughter churches - St Mary's at Bishops Wood (Crossway Green) sits in what is now the parish cemetery and is in regular use, while the chapel of St John, built mainly from corrugated galvanised sheeting in 1895, has recently been sold.
The village pubs also have an interesting history. The White Hart Inn, dating back to the early 18th century and once owned by the Bishop, has not changed its outward appearance much over the years. It has always provided a focal point for the community, with the local foxhounds regularly meeting here; auction sales were also held and old newspaper cuttings show advertisements for tea and supper dances at half a crown per head. The original stables remain - horse and pony sales were held here after the more famous Bromsgrove sales, when dealers would trot their purchases up and down the road and haggle over prices in the bar.
The Talbot, now a listed building, is the oldest of the Hartlebury inns, and past renovations have revealed that it was a farmhouse dating from the early 17th century. Originally known as The Dog Inn because of the white pointer dog on its sign, the adjacent old turnpike road also became known locally as Dog Lane. For a while, in the early 19th century, the pub was known as the Dealers' Inn. It remained a working farm until 1940 when it was sold and a barn was converted into a skittle alley. An inventory from 1911 refers to iron spittoons in the taproom, snuff boxes in the smoke room and a collection of 950 clay pipes.
The original road to the station ran alongside the Talbot with a butcher's shop on the opposite corner. Increased volume of traffic, coupled with the advent of the new dual carriageway, caused the present diversion and the loss of both the shop and the old road.
Another historically fascinating and popular place to visit is Hartlebury Common, comprising 220 acres of land officially established under the Enclosure Act of 1821. It is unique for two reasons: firstly it has been 'common land' since at least the mediaeval era and so has never been cultivated; and in addition it is Worcestershire's only heathland bog and contains several species of plant that occur nowhere else in the county. The Common was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1979 and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Archaeologists, as well as botanists, have declared interest in Hartlebury Common, with Mesolithic and Neolithic artefacts discovered at the site. There is also evidence of a circular earthwork enclosure that may have been used as a religious site, a settlement or an observation post in prehistoric times. And the area now has connections with a different kind of mystery - there have been a number of suspected UFO sightings above the Common, the most recent taking place in October 2005. The group UFORM (UFO Research Midlands) have held 'Skywatch' meetings there in the hope of witnessing further extraterrestrial activity...
Railway enthusiasts will enjoy visiting Hartlebury Station, which opened in 1852 and at one time marked the start point of the Severn Valley Railway - in those days passengers could travel as far as Stourbridge in one direction and Evesham in the other. Its signalbox, built in 1875, is also a point of interest as only a few of this design were ever made, and even fewer are still standing.
Hartlebury can also be proud that one important slice of its history has been preserved much further afield than the village itself. Norchard Cottage, a typical Worcestershire timber-framed farmhouse thought to have been built around 1630, is now on display at the Frontier Culture Museum in Virginia, USA. Marked for demolition by the council in 1973, it was saved by one George Elliott who bought it for £250 on condition that he move it from the site as soon as possible.
Mr Elliott dismantled the house stone by stone, preserving and labelling each piece, with most of the tiles, sandstone and bricks stored at Avoncroft Museum of Buildings. Later the materials were transported to Virginia, where the house was re-erected and re-named the "Worcestershire House".
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article