Alcester

Hello and welcome from me, Nigel Hewin, to this week's edition of Outlook, being recorded on Wednesday, the 23rd of September, 2026.

And what's coming up this week? Well, we're going to visit the village of Wheatley near Ulster.

We'll find out more about the garden at Geoff Hamilton.

There's about a marathon gran at 72 has completed 172 marathons.

Thanks Dave.

Do pick up your phone and leave messages on our answer phone.

There's a village or probably more of a hamlet in Warwickshire called Wheatley which I must admit I'd never heard of but I found out that it's in the parish of Arrow near Ulster and Elaine's going to tell us more about it.

Wheatley comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning withy.

All these be made in the finest salt of England.

Within a mile of Alcester is a limes.

The Castle of Dudley is in Staffordshire, but hard by is Worcestershire.

Sir Gilbert Talbot, Knight, hath a goodly house by Bromsgrove Market called Grafton.

Warwick, Coventry, Henley, I have it described.

Monk Kirkby, I know the site of this.

Alcester, Rugby, Tamworth-upon-Anker, I have it described.

Nuneaton, I have it described.

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Hello and welcome to Ulster, a market town in Warwickshire that sits at the junction of the rivers Arrow and Ulm.

It has Roman origins, a high street dotted with Tudor architecture, and it was once at the heart of the needle and fishing hook industry.

We are at the town's Gregg Hall, which was built in the 1950s as a gift to the people of Ulster from David Gregg, who ran a chain of grocers.

A community campaign saw the hall refurbished and reopened, becoming a community hub in 2023.

Joining me here is Sir Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for Ronther and Ogmore and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Sarah is steeped in the politics of America's grand old party and worked on the 2004 Bush-Cheney presidential campaign.

She also worked at the American European Business Association and she is a regular commentator on UK and US politics.

And as fords of this kind must have been very numerous along the ancient roads of this country before bridges were built, we can only be astonished that there are not more Stratfords than the five or six that are found in the Gazetteers.

The Roman road that came this way was a vicinal route from the Watling Street where Birmingham now stands through Henley-in-Arden and Alcester, the Roman station of Alana.

Passing over the ford of the Avon, it went to London by way of Edington, Sunrising Hill, and Banbury.

Other Roman roads, the Fosse Way and Ryknield Street, remodeled on the lines of ancient British trackways, passed east and west of Stratford at an equal distance of six miles.

The chase of Malvern is bigger than the other Wyre or Fakenham, and occupieth a great part of Malvern Hills.

great malvern and little also is set in the chase of malvern malvern chase as i here say is in length in some place a twenty miles but malvern chase doth not occupy all malvern hills wire is a six miles by north from worcester there be three salt springs whereof two be near together the third is a quarter of a mile off all these be made in the finest salt of england Within a mile of Alcester is a Lyme's.

The castle of Dudley is in Staffordshire, but hard by is Worcestershire.

Sir Gilbert Talbot Knight hath a goodly house by Bromsgrove Market called Grafton.

Pakington hath a very goodly new house of brick called Hampton Court, a six miles off from Worcester somewhat northward.

Market towns in Warwickshire, Warwick, Coventry, Henley, I have it described, Monk Kirkby, I know the site of this, Alcester, Rugby, Tamworth upon Anchor, I have it described, Nuneaton, I have it described, Atherston, I have it described, Bremisham, in the way to Chesterwood, a twelve miles from Coventry, I have it described, southam a six miles from warwick castles in warwickshire warwick killingworth braundon a five miles by north from coventry now desolated sometime as i heard say longing to the lord mortimer brinkelow a five miles by east from coventry now desolated longing some time as men say to the mortimers baginton castle now desolated it longed to the baggots a two miles from coventry ashley castle rivers avon anchor sow riseth near hakesbury three miles from coventry north-east fluit per sow pargum by white lee it propest on the village in tamham labitur leam coming out of northamptonshire it cometh by granborough lemmington marton off kirkpargus and at edmund coote bridge into avon coal flew orator in yardal wood propy king's north ton and after that by cole's hill he goeth into thame blithe riseth in warwickshire near rowton by bolshall hampton pakington and then going betwixt cole's hill and macstoke near shustock village into thame the length of warwickshire be estimation from rollerich stones by chipping north ton to tamwut as to the limits of oxfordshire and staffordshire Thus the length is about thirty-six miles.

Watling Street towards Rugby is a limes upon Leicestershire.

A mile above Bremisham is a limes upon Staffordshire.

All these be made in the finest salt of England.

Within a mile of Alcester is a limes.

The Castle of Dudley is in Staffordshire, but hard by is Worcestershire.

Sir Gilbert Talbot, knight, hath a goodly house by Bromsgrove market called Grafton.

Pakington hath a very goodly new house of brick called Hampton Court, a six miles off from Worcester somewhat northward.

Market towns in Warwickshire: Warwick, Coventry, Henley, I have it described; Monk Kirkby, I know the site of this; Alcester; Rugby; Tamworth-upon-Anker, I have it described; Nuneaton, I have it described; Atherstone, I have it described; Bremisham, in the way to Chesterwood, a twelve miles from Coventry, I have it described; Southam, a six miles from Warwick.

Castles in Warwickshire: Warwick; Killingworth; Brawndon, a five miles by north from Coventry, now desolated, sometime, as I heard say, longing to the Lord Mortimer; Brinklow, a five miles by east from Coventry, now desolated, longing sometime, as men say, to the Mortimers; Baginton Castle, now desolated, it longed to the Bagots, a two miles from Coventry; Ashley Castle.

Rivers: Avon; Anker; Sow, riseth near Heykesbury, three miles from Coventry northeast, fluet per Sow Pargum, by White's Lee, et propest Only village in Tamam labitur; Leam coming out of Northamptonshire, it cometh by Granborough, Leamington, Martin, Offkirk Pargus, and at Edmund Coote Bridge into Avon; Cole fluet oritur in Yardle Wood propi Kings Northton, and after that by Coles Hill he goeth into Tame; Blythe riseth in Warwickshire near Rowton by Bolshaw, Hampton, Pakington, and then going betwixt Coles Hill and Maxstoke near Shustoke village into Tame.

And as fords of this kind must have been very numerous along the ancient roads of this country before bridges were built, we can only be astonished that there are not more Stratfords than the five or six that are found in the Gazetteers.

The Roman road that came this way was a vicinal route from the Watling Street where Birmingham now stands through Henley-in-Arden and Alcester, the Roman station of Alana.

Passing over the ford of the Avon, it went to London by way of Eddington, Sunrising Hill, and Banbury.

Other Roman roads, the Fosse Way and Ryknield Street, remodeled on the lines of ancient British trackways, passed east and west of Stratford at an equal distance of six miles.

But it is only fair to say that the stories are legendary and not sustained by any known facts in the Clopton family history.

From Clopton we will retrace our steps to Stratford and thence set out anew to visit some outlying villages of interest better reached from the road to Ulster.

The Alcester Road is the least interesting road out of Stratford.

It leads past the Great Western Railway Station and thence up Red Hill, reaching Alcester, the Roman Alona, in seven and a half miles.

For there are other Stratfords to be found upon the map of England as necessarily there must be when we consider the origin of the name which means merely the ford where the street generally a paved Roman road crossed a river and as fords of this kind must have been very numerous along the ancient roads of this country before bridges were built we can only be astonished that there are not more Stratfords than the five or six that are found in the gazetteers.

The Roman road that came this way was a vicinal route from the Watling Street where Birmingham now stands through Henley-in-Arden and Alcester the Roman station of Alana.

Passing over the ford of the Avon it went to London by way of Edington, Sunrising Hill and Banbury.

Other Roman roads the Fosse Way and Ryknield Street remodeled on the lines of ancient British trackways passed east and west of Stratford at an equal distance of six miles.

Barton, through which we come into Bidford, is, as might perhaps be suspected from its name, merely a rustic hamlet, for Barton is but the old English word for a cow buyer or a barn.

It is that Burton Heath mentioned in The Taming of the Shrew, of which Christopher Sly, old Sly's son, by birth a peddler, by education a card maker, by transmutation a bear herd, and now by present profession a tinker, was a native.

From Barton we cross the Avon into Bidford over an ancient bridge of eight arches built in fourteen eighty-two by the brethren of Alcester Priory to replace the ford by which travelers along the Ryknield Street had up to that time crossed the river.

The eight arches of Bidford achieve the rather difficult feat of being each of a different shape and size, and the heavy stonework itself has been extensively patched with brick.