Eckington, Worcestershire

Eckington is a small village near to the southern border of the English county of Worcestershire, according to the 2001 consensus it had a population of 1,202.

The village is surrounded by the River Avon and often experiences flooding on its entry roads. It is situated at the north-west side of Bredon Hill, an outcrop of the Cotswolds. The nearest towns to Eckington and also situated along the River Avon are Pershore which is 4 miles north and Evesham 10 miles north east. The historic town of Tewkesbury is situated 8 miles south west on the River Severn which river also runs through the nearest city of Worcester (13 miles from Eckington).

Eckington is renowned for its famous bridge, its village cross and its Norman-period church. It has a thriving first school, the Eckington Church of England First School, a scout hut with surrounding recreation grounds, home to village's football and cricket teams, and a well used village hall.

Eckington has a village shop and 2 hairdressers. It currently has two pubs The Bell and The Anchor, both offering food and guest accommodation. Formerly there was a third pub, The Crown, which closed in the early 1990s.

Eckington once had a station on the Bristol to Birmingham main rail line, very well sited for the village; the line remains open and high-speed trains regularly thunder through, but the station closed in January 1965.

One of the Pilgrim Fathers, George Soule, is believed to have come from the village.

External links

* [http://www.eckington.info/ Eckington website]
* [http://members.aol.com/eckingtonworcs/index.html Eckington Directory]
* [http://www.millenniumschools.co.uk/pub/worcs/eckington-ce/ Eckington C of E First School]
* [http://www.sharecom.ca/phillips/127.html "Eckington Bridge, 1929"] , picture by Walter J. Phillips
* [http://www.poetry-archive.com/q/upon_eckington_bridge_river_avon.html "Upon Eckington Bridge, River Avon"] by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch
* [http://www.webteams.co.uk/home.asp?team=eckingtonfc Eckington F.C website]