Inkberrow
Encyclopedia
Inkberrow is a village
in the district of Wychavon
, Worcestershire
that is often thought to be the model for Ambridge, the setting of the BBC Radio 4
long running radio serialisation or soap opera The Archers
. In particular 'The Bull', the fictional Ambridge pub, is supposed to be based on a very real pub, the Old Bull, in Inkberrow. It is at this historic public house
or wayside inn
, a black and white half-timbered building, that William Shakespeare
is reputed to have stayed while on his way to Worcester
to collect his marriage certificate
. Also in the village, there is a post office
, a small shop called the Forge Shop and a restaurant–bar called the Bull's Head.
The village's parish church
is dedicated to St. Peter.
In 2006 Inkberrow was awarded the title of Worcestershire Village of the Year 2006 and winner of the Building Community Life section of the competition
The area was within Feckenham Forest
, a royal forest
with harsh forest law punishments.
Cookhill Priory
stood three miles east, at the edge of the county.
There is also a tennis club in Inkberrow. There is a clubhouse near the village hall (also a much used facility).
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the district of Wychavon
Wychavon
Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Pershore. Other towns in the district include Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Broadway. The district extends from the south-east corner of Worcestershire north and west...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
that is often thought to be the model for Ambridge, the setting of the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
long running radio serialisation or soap opera The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
. In particular 'The Bull', the fictional Ambridge pub, is supposed to be based on a very real pub, the Old Bull, in Inkberrow. It is at this historic public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
or wayside inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
, a black and white half-timbered building, that William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
is reputed to have stayed while on his way to Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
to collect his marriage certificate
Marriage certificate
In some jurisdictions a marriage certificate is the official record that two people have undertaken a marriage ceremony. This does include jurisdictions where marriage licenses do not exist...
. Also in the village, there is a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a small shop called the Forge Shop and a restaurant–bar called the Bull's Head.
The village's parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
is dedicated to St. Peter.
In 2006 Inkberrow was awarded the title of Worcestershire Village of the Year 2006 and winner of the Building Community Life section of the competition
History
The earliest recorded version of the village is Intanbeorgan, from the 8th and 9th century. By the 16th century, it was known as Inkebarrow.The area was within Feckenham Forest
Feckenham Forest
Feckenham Forest was a royal forest, centred around the town of Feckenham, covering large parts of west Worcestershire and Warwickshire. As such, it was not entirely wooded, nor entirely the property of the King. Rather, the King had legal rights over game, wood and grazing within the forest, and...
, a royal forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
with harsh forest law punishments.
Cookhill Priory
Cookhill Priory
Cookhill Priory was a Cistercian nunnery in Worcestershire, England. It was founded by Isabel de Mauduit in 1260.It is now a Grade II* listed building....
stood three miles east, at the edge of the county.
Childcare
Inkberrow has excellent childcare facilities, including a very popular nursery, out-of-school club and pre-school.Sports
The village has junior and adult football clubs with large memberships when compared to those of higher populated towns and villages. The football club is called Inkberrow FC. Inkberrow FC play in the Midland Football Combination, with the ambition of playing to an even higher standard. recently Inkberrow have built new pitches, consisting of two 11 a-side pitches and a mini soccer pitch.There is also a tennis club in Inkberrow. There is a clubhouse near the village hall (also a much used facility).