Doverdale
Village in Worcestershire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Doverdale is a small village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England. It lies to the west of Droitwich. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 57. Since 1973 it has shared a grouped parish council with the neighbouring parish of Ombersley.
| Doverdale | |
|---|---|
| Civil parish | |
St Mary's Church | |
  Doverdale Location within Worcestershire | |
| Population | 57 (Parish, 2021)[1] |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Droitwich |
| Postcode district | WR9 |
History
Doverdale was historically a manor. It appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Lunvredele", when it was owned by Urse d'Abetot and formed part of the Cresslow hundred of Worcestershire. A priest and church were mentioned, suggesting it had already become a parish by that time.[2][3] Cresslow hundred was subsequently merged into Halfshire hundred.[4][5]
The current parish church, dedicated to St Mary, is believed to have been built in the 14th century, presumably replacing the church mentioned in the Domesday Book.[6] A moated manor house, which possibly predated the Norman Conquest, stood adjoining the church. This house subsequently became known as Moat Farm, and was destroyed by fire in 1850.[7][3]
A newer manor house, Doverdale Manor, was built at the northern end of the parish in the early 18th century.[8] As of April 2022[update] there are six listed buildings in the parish.[9]
Governance
There are three tiers of local government covering Doverdale, at parish, district and county level: Ombersley and Doverdale Parish Council, Wychavon District Council, and Worcestershire County Council. The parish council is a grouped parish council, established in 1973 to cover the two parishes of Doverdale and Ombersley. They remain legally separate civil parishes, although they are sometimes inaccurately described as being a single parish.[10][11][12]
