Willersey
| Willersey | |
|---|---|
The Bell Inn, Willersey | |
Willersey Location within Gloucestershire | |
| Population | 816 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP104398 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BROADWAY |
| Postcode district | WR12 |
| Dialling code | 01386 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Willersey is a village in Gloucestershire, South West England, situated close to the boundary with Worcestershire, West Midlands region, and 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Evesham. Although situated in Gloucestershire, the postal county for the village is Worcestershire, as it is covered by the Broadway post town. It is an old village with much character. There is a primary school and a park.
The Church of St Peter was built in the 12th century. It is a grade I listed building.[3]
Archaeology
In 2023, two cavalry swords were found by a metal detectorist in a field near the village.[4] Excavations in 2025 indicated that there had been an Iron Age settlement at the site, and then a Roman villa.[4]
Transport
Between 1904 and 1960, Willersey was served by a halt on the Honeybourne Line.[5]
Today Willersey is served by three bus routes each operated by a different bus company. Willersey to Evesham, known as Rural 4 is operated by N.N. Cresswell Coach Hire Ltd.[6] Prior to Autumn 2013 the Willersey to Evesham was operated by Castleways Coaches. The Willersey to Cheltenham route is operated by Castleways Coaches.[7] The third route is Moreton-in-Marsh to Stratford-upon-Avon which is operated by Johnsons buses.[8]
The nearest railway station to Willersey is Honeybourne which is served by the Cotswold line, offering a direct journey to London Paddington. However Honeybourne station is unreachable by public transport so travellers can go by bus to Moreton-in-Marsh or Evesham to catch a train on the same line.
Industry
Willersey attracts fewer tourists than many Cotswold villages. It is an industrial and farming village. It has an industrial estate and Auto-Sleepers, a motorhome manufacturer, and Vale Press, a printing company, are based there.
Pubs
There are two pubs in the village – The Bell Inn and The New Inn. The Bell Inn is a 17th-century Cotswold stone building.[9] Its sign is a depiction of a large bell and the pub has a wooden bell tower. The New Inn is toward the top of Main Street near the old village shop.
References
- ^ "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Location of North Cotswolds". parliament.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Church of St. Peter". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ a b Morris, Steven (4 July 2025). "Detectorist's Roman swords find unearths iron age settlement in Gloucestershire". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ Mitchell, Victor E.; Smith, Keith (October 1998). Stratford upon Avon to Cheltenham. Country Railway Routes. Midhurst: Middleton Press. figure 44. ISBN 1-901706-25-7.
- ^ "Bus Services - nncresswell.co.uk". www.nncresswell.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ "Castleways Coaches". Archived from the original on 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Bus schedule - Mondays to Saturdays" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ "Home". the-bell-willersey.com.