Martley
Encyclopedia
Martley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district
of the English
county of Worcestershire
. It is approximately nine miles north-west of Worcester
. The population of the village is approximately 1200 people. The mixed farming of the area includes arable, formerly cherry, apple, damson orchards and hopyards.
It is a popular village for retired people and professionals working in the city and surrounding towns, and has a large high school
to which around 700 pupils are bussed daily from the surrounding area. It has a sports hall with rock climbing wall and a gym within the grounds of the school can be used by the public out of school times.
, a petrol station/garage and a petting zoo. Schools in Martley include a primary school and the Chantry High School
which has approximately 700 students and has a special technology status. It serves a large rural catchment area. Its sports hall is shared with the public. Berrow Hill, an Iron Age
hillfort, is one of several in the area, which hosts a beacon
. There are many walks in the local area such as the Worcestershire Way
which passes close by Rodge Hill, and the River Teme
is also near the village.
The red sandstone
parish church
of St Peter is Norman
in origin. Its peal of six bells, cast locally in 1673 by the bellfounder Richard Keene of Woodstock in Oxfordshire, is the only complete set of original bells in the county. The bells are a Maiden Ring, a peal of bells that sounds the correct notes immediately after casting and needs no further tuning. St. Peter's was one of the first churches in Worcestershire to have as many as six bells and at the beginning of the 18th century very few churches had more than three or four bells. In 1894 the bells were rehung on the original frame and no further major work has been required since.
The church also contains some medieval wall paintings and an alabaster
effigy
of Sir Hugh Mortimer, Lord of Kyre & Martley, killed in battle at the Battle of Wakefield
in 1460. In 1999 a new stained glass window was cut, leaded & installed by Patrick Costeloe for the Artist Tom Denny.
The village is home to a cricket
club, running teams in the Worcestershire League (Sat). In 2000 Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath
played a match in Martley. The football club has two Saturday teams and a Sunday
team. Martley is the birthplace of the equine artist, Martin Stainforth
(1866-1957) and prolific engraver Francis Jukes
(1745-1812).
Malvern Hills (district)
Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county that borders Herefordshire. It was originally formed in 1974 and was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1998...
of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of 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...
. It is approximately nine miles north-west of 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...
. The population of the village is approximately 1200 people. The mixed farming of the area includes arable, formerly cherry, apple, damson orchards and hopyards.
It is a popular village for retired people and professionals working in the city and surrounding towns, and has a large high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
to which around 700 pupils are bussed daily from the surrounding area. It has a sports hall with rock climbing wall and a gym within the grounds of the school can be used by the public out of school times.
History & Amenities
Martley has a post office, a village shop, the Crown public housePublic 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...
, a petrol station/garage and a petting zoo. Schools in Martley include a primary school and the Chantry High School
Chantry High School (Worcestershire)
The Chantry High School is mixed gender comprehensive school in Martley, Worcestershire, England. The school has about 700 students on roll who come mainly from small villages around the edge of Worcester, The school has a Technology College specialism...
which has approximately 700 students and has a special technology status. It serves a large rural catchment area. Its sports hall is shared with the public. Berrow Hill, an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hillfort, is one of several in the area, which hosts a beacon
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
. There are many walks in the local area such as the Worcestershire Way
Worcestershire Way
The Worcestershire Way is a waymarked long-distance trail located within the county of Worcestershire, England. It runs from Bewdley to Great Malvern.-History:When launched back in 1989 the Worcestershire Way was long and ran partly into Herefordshire...
which passes close by Rodge Hill, and the River Teme
River Teme
The River Teme rises in Mid Wales, south of Newtown in Powys, and flows through Knighton where it crosses the border into England down to Ludlow in Shropshire, then to the north of Tenbury Wells on the Shropshire/Worcestershire border there, on its way to join the River Severn south of Worcester...
is also near the village.
The red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
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....
of St Peter is Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
in origin. Its peal of six bells, cast locally in 1673 by the bellfounder Richard Keene of Woodstock in Oxfordshire, is the only complete set of original bells in the county. The bells are a Maiden Ring, a peal of bells that sounds the correct notes immediately after casting and needs no further tuning. St. Peter's was one of the first churches in Worcestershire to have as many as six bells and at the beginning of the 18th century very few churches had more than three or four bells. In 1894 the bells were rehung on the original frame and no further major work has been required since.
The church also contains some medieval wall paintings and an alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of Sir Hugh Mortimer, Lord of Kyre & Martley, killed in battle at the Battle of Wakefield
Battle of Wakefield
The Battle of Wakefield took place at Sandal Magna near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire in Northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses...
in 1460. In 1999 a new stained glass window was cut, leaded & installed by Patrick Costeloe for the Artist Tom Denny.
The village is home to a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club, running teams in the Worcestershire League (Sat). In 2000 Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
played a match in Martley. The football club has two Saturday teams and a Sunday
Sunday league football
Sunday league football is a term used in the United Kingdom to describe those association football leagues which play on Sunday, as opposed to the more usual Saturday. These leagues tend to be lower standard amateur competitions, whose players may have less ability, or less time to devote to...
team. Martley is the birthplace of the equine artist, Martin Stainforth
Martin Stainforth
Martin Frank Stainforth was a British-born artist best known for his portraits of Thoroughbred racehorses he painted in England and while living in Australia and the United States....
(1866-1957) and prolific engraver Francis Jukes
Francis Jukes
Francis Jukes was a prolific engraver and publisher, chiefly known for his topographical and shipping prints, the majority in aquatint. He worked alongside the great illustrators of the late eighteenth century...
(1745-1812).