Throckmorton, Worcestershire
Encyclopedia
Throckmorton is a small village and civil parish
in the administrative district of Wychavon
, in the county of Worcestershire
, England
.
The village lies 5.2 miles northeast of Pershore
(which has a rail station), five miles north-west of Evesham
(which has a rail station) and 12 miles southeast of the city of Worcester
. At the 2001 census
, it had a population of 200.
), dating from the 13th century. Excavations discovered the stone foundations of an even earlier church on the site. The church has no electricity and is lit by gas-lamps and candles.
At the periphery of the village is the military airfield RAF Station Pershore. The station has a long history. It was built in 1940 during the Second World War
and was home to No 23 Operational Training Unit equipped with Wellington
bombers. Subsequently, the airfield was home to No 1 Ferry Unit, the RAF Pershore Advanced Flying School and the Royal Radar Establishment
Flying Unit. It is said to have one of the longest runways in UK (though this statement is incorrect, it is a mere 6000 ft). Although largely in a state of disuse, it is still in commission and is allegedly used for training purposes by military special forces and police.
Several plans have been put forward for the development of the site that was used in 2001 as a burial ground for the cremated carcasses of over 100,000 animals afflicted with foot and mouth disease. In 2008 it was suggested that the site be used as a prison camp to relieve overcrowding in Britain's jails.
In 2008 proposals were put forward by QinetiQ
to use the site for the development of an eco-town for a population of up to 20,000. Recently government proposals emerged to turn the airfield into a reception centre for illegal immigrants. The village was on a shortlist of eight sites, but it was successful campaigned against by local people (as 'PACT') and M.P. Peter Luff, and the plan was rejected by the House of Lords.
The airfield was used as site for Vulcan bombers. Pershore was one of a number of dispersal sites for the RAF nuclear deterrent V Bombers, none were ever dispersed on anything other than training missions. To a question raised in Parliament, assurance was given that there are no records of radioactive contamination as a result of use of the site for Vulcan bomber disposals as no V bomber ever dispersed with live weapons.
, and there are numerous heritage sites locally.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the administrative 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...
, in the 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...
, England
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...
.
The village lies 5.2 miles northeast of Pershore
Pershore
Pershore is a market town in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon. Pershore is in the Wychavon district and is part of the West Worcestershire parliamentary constituency. At the 2001 census the population was 7,304...
(which has a rail station), five miles north-west of Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
(which has a rail station) and 12 miles southeast of the city 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...
. At the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, it had a population of 200.
The church
The village is ancient and the earliest extant remains are parts of the church and bell-tower (now a chapelryChapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England, and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church...
), dating from the 13th century. Excavations discovered the stone foundations of an even earlier church on the site. The church has no electricity and is lit by gas-lamps and candles.
RAF Pershore
Archeological investigations of the airfield have suggested that it was originally a Roman site.At the periphery of the village is the military airfield RAF Station Pershore. The station has a long history. It was built in 1940 during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was home to No 23 Operational Training Unit equipped with Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
bombers. Subsequently, the airfield was home to No 1 Ferry Unit, the RAF Pershore Advanced Flying School and the Royal Radar Establishment
Royal Radar Establishment
The name Royal Radar Establishment was given to the existing Radar Research Establishment following a visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. Both names were abbreviated to RRE. The establishment had been formed, under its first name, in 1953 by merging the Telecommunications Research Establishment ...
Flying Unit. It is said to have one of the longest runways in UK (though this statement is incorrect, it is a mere 6000 ft). Although largely in a state of disuse, it is still in commission and is allegedly used for training purposes by military special forces and police.
Several plans have been put forward for the development of the site that was used in 2001 as a burial ground for the cremated carcasses of over 100,000 animals afflicted with foot and mouth disease. In 2008 it was suggested that the site be used as a prison camp to relieve overcrowding in Britain's jails.
In 2008 proposals were put forward by QinetiQ
QinetiQ
Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
to use the site for the development of an eco-town for a population of up to 20,000. Recently government proposals emerged to turn the airfield into a reception centre for illegal immigrants. The village was on a shortlist of eight sites, but it was successful campaigned against by local people (as 'PACT') and M.P. Peter Luff, and the plan was rejected by the House of Lords.
The airfield was used as site for Vulcan bombers. Pershore was one of a number of dispersal sites for the RAF nuclear deterrent V Bombers, none were ever dispersed on anything other than training missions. To a question raised in Parliament, assurance was given that there are no records of radioactive contamination as a result of use of the site for Vulcan bomber disposals as no V bomber ever dispersed with live weapons.
In the media
The village has had a number of television and radio documentaries made about it, notably by Channel 4's Time Team (2002) and BBC Radio 4 (2006).Culture and countryside
The surrounding countryside is that celebrated by A.E. Housman and Edward ElgarEdward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
, and there are numerous heritage sites locally.