# Harvington

Harvington is a village near Evesham in Worcestershire, England. Bounded by the River Avon to the south and the Lench Hills to the north, three miles northeast of Evesham and now on the Worcestershire/Warwickshire border. The village today is an amalgamation of two smaller villages, Harvington and Harvington Cross, and has a population of around 1,750.

## History

Harvington is first mentioned in the Anglo Saxon charters of 709CE when it was known as Herverton; in the Middle Ages it was called Herwynton. In 1868 there was a curious old custom still observed at Harvington; the children used to go round to all the houses on St Thomas's Day and St Valentine's Day repeating a doggerel rhyme as follows: 'Wissal, wassail, through the town, If you've got any apples throw them down, Up with the stocking and down with the shoe, If you've got no apples money will do.'

### 1961 Jet Provost air incident

On 30 August 1961, BAC Jet Provost 'XM423', from RAF Little Rissington in east Gloucestershire, hit 275kV 160ft pylons, on the transmission line from Ham Hall to Melksham. Both pilots ejected.

## Present

Harvington has a number of amenities including a convenience store, a farm shop, two children's play areas, a community orchard, youth group, sports facilities and clubs.
The village has two churches, the Anglican St James Church and a Baptist church, and two pubs, the Golden Cross and the Coach and Horses.
The River Avon is close by. A large section of the bank is owned and managed by Manor Farm Leisure, which also runs the local golf course, fishing lakes and holiday caravan site.
Towards the south end of the village, there is a natural landmark called Monkey Island, which despite its name doesn't have any monkeys or islands and is simply just a wooded area near an orchard that contains a brook flowing through it.

## Education

Harvington First School is a small school of approximately 100 pupils aged 5 – 10 years. Older pupils attend nearby St. Egwins Middle School and Prince Henry's High School which are in Evesham. Harvey Bears Nursery & Preschool offers childcare to the residents of Harvington and surrounding communities.

## Sports

Harvington Cricket Club were winners of four Worcestershire league titles which they achieved in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. They are in Division 5 of the Worcestershire County League. The club hosts county matches at various representative levels. In 2010 1st XI player Nathan Gage won the Worcestershire Cricketer of the Year sponsored by Duncan Fearnley and the Worcester News. The club runs free coaching sessions for local schools and holds Junior practice on Friday evenings.
Harvington Harriers Football club play in division 3 in the Evesham & District Sunday Football League.

## Railways

Harvington railway station previously served the village as part of the Gloucester Loop Line. In July 1858 the Redditch Railway Act authorised a line to link Redditch with the Midland Railway's Birmingham and Gloucester line at Barnt Green. The Redditch Railway opened on 18 September 1859 but was operated from the start by the Midland Railway.
In 1868 the Evesham and Redditch Railway built a line south from Redditch through Evesham to a junction at Ashchurch. There were intermediate stations between Redditch and Evesham at Studley and Astwood Bank, Coughton, Alcester, Wixford, Broom Junction (for the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway), Salford Priors, and Harvington.
British Railways (BR) closed the line under the Beeching Axe south of Alcester on 29 September 1962 after suspending the passenger service between Redditch and Evesham due to poor track condition. Freight services continued between Redditch and Alcester until 1964 when BR closed the whole line south of Redditch.

## Governance and religion

Harvington parish falls under the Wychavon District Council ward of Harvington and Norton, the Worcestershire County Council division of Harvington, and the parliamentary constituency of Redditch, whose MP since 2024 is Chris Bloore of the Labour Party.
It falls under the Church of England Diocese of Worcester, the Archdeaconry of Worcester, and the deanery of Evesham.

## Community

Harvington boasts a vibrant local community, enriched by cherished landmarks such as the Ellenden Farm Shop. This popular destination, brimming with local produce, has become a vital hub for residents and visitors alike. Alongside the village hall, it serves as a secondary community center, fostering connections and supporting local enterprises.
The sense of community extends online through the active Facebook group Mainly Harvington Village in WorcestershireOfficial Chat. This platform allows even the smallest conversations within the village to reach a wide audience, connecting real people and fostering a sense of togetherness both in person and virtually.

## Notable residents

* Adam de Harvington, Chancellor of the Exchequer 1327–1330, took his surname from his native village. He was usually known in his own lifetime as Adam de Herwynton (the common medieval spelling of Harvington). Note: Again, he was born in Harvington, Kidderminster, not Harvington, Evesham.
* William de Harvington, who was Adam's cousin and left him his personal property, was Abbot of Pershore Abbey 1307–1340.
* Gareth Jones, who was a High rise building cladding contractor and led and made rules in safety and man safe systems, he was an advocate for the fall a rest system and one of the key reasons why it is now compulsory to wear when working at height. In later years he has retired in the village and jokingly called the Volvo expert due to his knowledge about them. He has become known within the village for his charity work with his wife Shirley, 2009-2014 he walked from Harvington to Harrogate raising money for different charities. Born 1958.