Honeybourne

Coordinates: 52°05′42″N 1°49′52″W / 52.095°N 1.831°W / 52.095; -1.831

Honeybourne
The Thatched Tavern
Honeybourne  Honeybourne shown within Worcestershire
Population	1,619 (2001 census)[1]
OS grid reference	SP1144
Parish	Honeybourne
District	Wychavon
Shire county	Worcestershire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	EVESHAM
Postcode district	WR11
Dialling code	01386
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Worcestershire

Honeybourne is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) east of Evesham in Worcestershire, England. Much of the parish is farmland. RAF Honeybourne just south of the village was operational from 1940 until 1947.

History

Honeybourne was two villages: Church Honeybourne and Cow Honeybourne. Honeybourne has several historic timber framed and thatched buildings. The Thatched Tavern in Cow Honeybourne has a cruck truss.^[2]

Parish churches

In Church Honeybourne the Church of England parish church of Saint Ecgwin was consecrated in 1295.^[3] Its antiquity is reflected in a local rhyme "when Evesham was bush and thorn there was a church at Honeybourne". Its nave and chancel appear to be original late 13th century structures.^[3] There was a south aisle, but it was demolished and its windows re-set in the south wall of the nave.^[3] The bell tower has a Decorated Gothic spire with three tiers of lucarnes.^[3] The south porch is a late mediaeval Perpendicular Gothic addition.^[3]

In Cow Honeybourne the parish church has a 15th century Perpendicular Gothic west tower and formerly had an ornate Elizabethan pulpit.^[2] The church was used as almshouses from the 16th to the 19th century.^{[citation needed]} Apart from the tower, the church was rebuilt in 1861-63 to designs by the Worcester Diocesan Architect W.J. Hopkins.^[2] The church has since been made redundant, deconsecrated and converted to private houses.^{[citation needed]}

Amenities

Honeybourne has two public houses: the Gate Inn and the 13th century Thatched Tavern. Other amenities include the Domestic Fowl Trust, which is a conservation centre and supplier of rare breed poultry, The Ranch, and Honeybourne Pottery.

Education

Honeybourne First School teaches children between the ages of four and 10. Honeybees Nursery takes children between the ages of two and four.

Railways

First Great Western serves Honeybourne railway station on the Cotswold Line with direct train services to Worcester Shrub Hill, Oxford and London Paddington.

The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway was built through the parish in the 1840's and opened Honeybourne station. The Great Western Railway took over the OW&W in 1862 and enlarged Honeybourne station in the 1900's when it built the railway between Stratford-upon-Avon and Cheltenham Spa.

British Railways closed the line between Stratford and Cheltenham, reduced the OW&W line to single track and reduced Honeybourne station to one platform. BR later rebranded this part of the former OW&W Railway as the Cotswold Line.

Network Rail is currently restoring parts of the Cotswold Line to double track and has now enlarged Honeybourne to two platforms with a rather large, wheelchair accessible bridge.

References

1. ^ "Area selected: Wychavon (Non-Metropolitan District)". Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View. Office for National Statistics. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=4&containerAreaId=790557. Retrieved 16 July 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Pevsner, 1968, page 125
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Pevsner, 1968, page 119

Sources

• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1968). The Buildings of England: Worcestershire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 119, 125. 

External links

Media related to Honeybourne at Wikimedia Commons