THE first history of Warndon is being written by two local residents.

Les Bishop and Chris Monkhouse are hoping to publish the book, which will contain information stretching as far back as Roman times, later this year.

"It occurred to me last year to write the book to celebrate the Golden Jubilee," said Mr Bishop, Warndon Parish Council clerk.

"We are trying to go back as far as we can. In Roman times salt from Droitwich came down through Warndon."

One of the keys to the past are the street and village names, which refer to characters such as Thomas Habington, from the 17th Century, who now has an estate named after him.

"Habington was involved in the Gunpowder Plot," said Mr Bishop.

"His punishment was to be exiled to Worcestershire and never be allowed to leave the county. So he wrote the first history of Worcestershire."

Some well-known place names come from farms which used to occupy the site, such as Lyppard Grange, Trotshill and Tolladine.

Other names come from less obvious landmarks, such as Duck Meadow, in the Lyppards.

Folklore says there was a duck pond there.

Another key factor in researching the book was St Nicolas' Church, which dates back to the 1300s.

Vicars

"We know the names of all the vicars from 1300 to 1997," said Mr Bishop.

"But in addition, we've asked the residents of all the older properties in the parish about the information they have on their house and the previous tenants."

Because the modern estate has grown up over the past 30 years, Mr Bishop and Mr Monkhouse are hoping to speak to people who lived in the area 40 or 50 years ago.

"We thought we would do this while there are still people around who remember the area before the building of the original Warndon estate and before the recent development which is nearing completion."

Anyone who has a story to tell, or who can help with sponsorship or grants to get the book published, can contact Mr Bishop on 01905 754494.