Offenham

Offenham
Main Street, Offenham
Offenham Offenham shown within Worcestershire
OS grid reference	SP0546
Civil parish	Offenham
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
UK Parliament	Mid Worcestershire
List of places UK England Worcestershire

Coordinates: 52°06′57″N 1°55′25″W / 52.1157°N 1.9237°W / 52.1157; -1.9237

Offenham is a large rural village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England, located about three miles east of Evesham, in the Vale of Evesham. The River Avon flows through Offenham. The civil parish extends beyond the area of the settlement of Offenham and includes Blackminster Middle School and the Blackminster Trading Estate. It was awarded the title of Calor Worcestershire Village of the Year in 2004.

History

Offenham was founded as a monastic grange and medieval deer park by the Benedictine Abbots of Evesham Abbey in the 13th century, the old grange stood where Court Farm now stands. The grange was established to enclose the large flocks of sheep needed by the Abbots to trade wool with Flanders. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries the grange became crown property and Henry VIII granted both Offenham and Evesham to Philip Hoby, one of his English Ambassadors. The grange and park later became the property of the Hazelwood family until the mid-18th century when it was sub-divided, by this time the village had formed an adequate farming and market gardening community.^[1]

Maypole

Offenham Maypole

Offenham village is noted for its 64 ft maypole, the tallest of only six permanent maypoles remaining in England. On May Day there is maypole dancing, morris dancing and the crowning of the Queen of the May. It is not known for how long Offenham has had a maypole but the tradition dates back to medieval times.^[1]

St. Mary & St. Milburgh Church

Offenham Church

The village church was built in 1538 and rebuilt in 1861/2 by Frederick Preedy who was born in Offenham in 1820.

Offenham Church Website

References

1 2 History of Offenham Retrieved 1 August 2009

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Offenham.

Settlements in the Wychavon district

Towns	Droitwich Spa Evesham Pershore

Villages	Ab Lench Abberton Abbots Morton Aldington Aston Somerville Ashton under Hill Atch Lench Badsey Beckford Bengeworth Besford Bridge Besford Bickmarsh Birlingham Bishampton Blackminster Bradley Green Bredon Bretforton Bricklehampton Broadway Broughton Hackett Charlton Cleeve Prior Conderton Crossway Green Defford Dodderhill Drakes Broughton Dunhampstead Dunhampton Eckington Elmbridge Elmley Castle Fernhill Heath Fladbury Flyford Flavell Grafton Flyford Grafton Great Comberton Hadzor Hampton Hanbury Hartlebury Harvington Hatfield Hawbridge Hawford Himbleton Hinton-on-the-Green Holberrow Green Honeybourne Huddington Kemerton Kersoe Kington Little Comberton Littleworth Martin Hussingtree Mere Green Murcot Netherton North and Middle Littleton North Piddle Norton Oddingley Offenham Ombersley Overbury Pebworth Pensham Peopleton Pinvin Pirton Salwarpe Sedgeberrow South Littleton Strensham Throckmorton Tibberton Upton Snodsbury Upton Warren Wadborough White Ladies Aston Whittington Wick Wickhamford Wychbold Wyre Piddle

Civil parishes	Civil parishes in the Wychavon district

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