Westwood, Worcestershire
Civil parish in Worcestershire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Westwood is a civil parish in Wychavon district, Worcestershire, England. The parish consists of Westwood Park, the grounds of Westwood House, near Droitwich Spa. In 2021 the parish had a population of 78. It shares a grouped parish council with the neighbouring village of Hampton Lovett.[1]
| Westwood | |
|---|---|
Westwood House from the rear in 2015 | |
  Westwood Location within Worcestershire | |
| Population | 78 (2021 census) |
| OS grid reference | SO875640 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DROITWICH |
| Postcode district | WR9 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
History
The parish contains the Grade I listed Westwood House and its former estate, the Grade II listed Westwood Park.[2] Originally a nunnery, the house was granted to Sir John Pakington by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries and has undergone many expansions throughout its existence.[3] The house was ultimately converted into twelve separate residencies has been sold to private owners.[3]
In John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870–72, Westwood had a population of 22.[4]
Geography
The parish covers an area of around 1.16 square miles (3 square kilometres).[5] It includes a large lake which holds Site of Special Scientific Interest classification.[1] The adjacent villages include Hampton Lovett, Hadley and Doverdale.[4] Westwood sits immediately west of the nearest town, Droitwich, and about 3.5 miles north of Worcester.[4] The area is mostly rural and contains extensive farmland and wooded areas.[1]
Politics
The parish is part of the non-metropolitan district of Wychavon and the non-metropolitan and ceremonial county of Worcestershire, governed by Worcestershire County Council.[1] Westwood falls under the Droitwich and Evesham parliament constituency, currently represented by the Conservative Party MP Nigel Huddleston in the House of Commons.[6] Local events and meetings are held in the village hall in Hampton Lovett, adjacent to the Church of St Mary's and All Saints.[1]