IN the lovely old sepia tinted world that we like our countryside to be, with bobbies on bikes, rows of thatched cottages and children playing on the village green, the two hubs of village life are the church and the pub.
Well done, then, to Roy Millar, from Malvern, who has produced a keenly researched - more about that later - little book detailing the aforesaid facilities in a spread of settlements that cover the border areas of south Worcestershire, the Cotswolds and south west Herefordshire.
Places like Bredon, Fladbury, Inkberrow, Snowshill, Childswickham, Colwall, Coddington, Bosbury and many, many more. Thirty-three in all.
The book is called The Village, the Church and the Pub, it retails at £9.99 and profits are going to the Cobalt Unit Appeal Fund in Cheltenham to help in its fight against cancer.
In the course of collecting information, Roy has spent many an hour creaking open church doors and propping up pub bars.
For him, the former was probably as pleasurable as the latter, since he is keenly interested in churches and in the past decade has visited more than a thousand of them in England and Wales.
His travels have unearthed some fascinating local history and I could probably fill this story with "Did you know?" examples.
Here are just a few.
Did you know:
n During the Second World War, a young lad called Terence Nelhams was evacuated from London to Stoke Lacy, near Bromyard. He later became Adam Faith, pop idol and actor.
n In the early years of the last century, the Fir Tree Inn at Much Cowarne, between Worcester and Hereford, was a popular venue for bare knuckle fighting, often between gipsies who descended on the area for the hop picking. They were welcome to drink at the pub, provided they supplied their own mugs.
n At Coddington, on the west side of the Malvern Hills, a school was established for the children of servicemen serving in India. Its former pupils included ex-Goon Michael Bentine, former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe and Sarah Churchill, niece of Sir Winston Churchill.
n In the churchyard of St Mary's at Childwickham there is a gravestone of a women aged 133.
n The pathway between the Old Mill Inn at Elmley Castle and the Mill Pool is known as Death Walk, because at one time it was the regular route for coffins being carried to the village church.
n At one time it was a punishable offence to bury someone in anything but wool, because wool was considered a source of wealth and would guarantee the body a comfortable last resting place.
And so it goes on, village after village, church after church, pub after pub.
"I have toured Worcestershire, Herefordshire and the Cotswolds for 50 years," said Roy, "and I have met many interesting people."
In fact he is not a local man, but was born on the Wirral, Cheshire. His first connection with the area came in 1948 when he joined the Royal Air Force Police and was sent to RAF Pershore to train.
There he met his wife Betty and after a career in the insurance industry, which saw him based in Worcestershire, took early retirement in 1985 and a couple of years later settled in Malvern.
It was a friend who suggested he put his country travels into print and The Church, the Village and the Pub is the result.
It is illustrated by Evesham artist Barbara Butcher and as well as her work, includes some marvellous old photographs of country life.
Finally, a story of supreme sacrifice.
In the church of St Mary the Virgin at Much Cowarne lies the badly mutilated recumbent figure of Grimbaldus Poucefoot. It shows him in armour and with his legs crossed.
According to legend, Grimbaldus was once held prisoner in Tunis and a ransom demanded. It was to be "a joint of his wife".
In an act of astounding bravery - not to say foolishness, because by the time it arrived in Tunis, it could have been anyone's "joint" even if it was recognisable as such - Mrs Pouncefoot, otherwise known as Constance, lopped off her hand and sent it on.
At which her husband was released.
An artist's impression of Constance, minus her hand and wrist, together with Grimaldus is on display in the church.
Nasty.
n Copies of The Village, the Church and the Pub by Roy Millar, price £9.99, can be obtained by phoning 01684 892170 or at a variety of outlets throughout Worcestershire and Herefordshire, including Worcester Cathedral gift shop, tourist information centres in Worcester, Ledbury and Great Malvern.
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