Hither Green, Badsey

Click on the image above to see this road on the Worcestershire County Council GIS website with the digitised historical maps. Click on the image below to view the original enclosure map.

Photos taken 2006. Aerial photo: a6989

HITHER GREEN

Hither Green is a development of six detached houses (numbers 1-6) built in 1984. Here are details about the planning application for Hither Green (link to be added). The road was named after the old field name of Hither Green Ground. Today, a footpath runs from Badsey Village to the Bretforton Road just to the west of Hither Green. Until 1815, the main road to Evesham cut right through the centre of what is now Hither Green. Some paintings by John Bird portray the area as it was in the 1930s: see Bretforton Road in 1930s.

Cyril Bird’s garage in the late 1930s

North Side – 1, 2 (Badsey Map G074)

In 1812, at the time of the Badsey Enclosure Act, this land was part of an old enclosure owned by Badsey and Aldington Poor. It consisted of two cottages and gardens and amounted to 0a 0r 12p. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, which provided workhouses for the poor, meant that the cottages were no longer required, and so they were sold in 1838. They were bought by Philip Perks, an Evesham butcher. He pulled down the old cottages and built five new ones which he sold to Edward Wilson in 1843. Edward Wilson sold these at public auction in July 1866. The cottages were known as The Leys. The cottages were bought by Frederick Cockerton Stewart in the early part of the 20^th century. They were last used for residential accommodation in the 1950s. The Stewarts then used the cottages as a warehouse for their market gardening business which they ran from the adjacent yard until being pulled down to make way for the new housing development.

• This road on the 1851 census
• This road on the 1861 census
• This road on the 1871 census
• This road on the 1881 census
• This road on the 1891 census
• This road on the 1901 census

South Side – 3, 4, 5 (Badsey Map G071 and R1)

In 1812, at the time of the Badsey Enclosure Act, this land was part of an old enclosure owned by Thomas Byrd. It was called Hither Green Ground and amounted to 7a 3r 35p. The houses have been built in the northern part of the plot; the area of land behind was the subject of a controversial planning application made in January 2006. Planning was being sought to have a touring caravan park on the site, but this application was subsequently withdrawn. The plot of land also covers an area which was once part of the main road: "One public Turnpike Road of the width of forty feet marked Number 1 on the surveyor’s map commencing at the Hamlet of Aldington and leading from the Town of Evesham aforesaid towards the Village of Bretforton in an Eastwardly direction and in its usual track until it enters the Parish of Bretforton aforesaid."

South Side – 6 (Badsey Map R2)

In 1812, at the time of the Badsey Enclosure Act, this was part of the main road to Evesham, leading out of the village of Badsey to the Bretforton Turnpike Road: "One public Carriage Road and Highway of the width of forty feet marked Number 2 on the said map leading in a Southwardly direction out of the said Turnpike Road over the Leys and from thence in a Westwardly direction of the width of thirty-five feet until it enters the Village of Badsey." In 1815, the Enclosure Commissioners stopped up the road and a new, more direct road was built which is the present-day Synehurst.