St Nicholas Church

History of the Parish

Warndon is a small, ancient country parish two miles east of Worcester city centre. In 1998 the growing housing needs of the city caused this farming community to give way to a large private housing development and a small area of light industry.

The Parish of Warndon can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon times. Set in the Forest of Feckenham, its boundaries were Smite in the north, Bredicot to the south-east, and Perrywood to the south-west.

Warndon stands at the junction of the Saltway, a prehistoric track by which salt was transported from Droitwich around the country before the Romans came to Britain.

The earliest record of Warndon dates from 978, when Bishop Oswald gave land in the parish to Acttidnoth of Smite, when the parish was held by the Bishops of Worcester.

The original Chapel of Warndon was annexed to the Church of St.Helen's, Worcester. In about 1086, the Norman manor house was built on the site, and the present church constructed as a chapel for the house, which at that time was fortified and moated.

After the death of Bishop Wulstan (1095), the monastery committed the care of Warndon to the Frithericus priests for their use. The chapel later passed to one Hugh Poer, a relative of Urso de Abetot, Sheriff of Worcester, named in Domesday as the owner of Warndon, and was held in his name by his brother Robert the Bursar.

By 1300, the chapel had become a church, and the presentation was made by Robert Bracy, Lord of Warndon, who bought the right from the Bishop of Worcester for two shillings (10p) per year. The patronage of the church follows the descent of the manor from that time.

On 8th July 1542, Henry Holbeach, last Prior and first Dean of Worcester, consecrated the church and churchyard, and the tower was built to commemorate the occasion.

In its time, Warndon has been combined with the parishes of Spetchley, Bredicot, and Tibberton, Worcester St.Barnabas and St.Wulstan's, Worcester.

On the 1st January 1991, the Parish of Warndon St.Nicholas was recreated, and on 30th May 1992, with the signing of an ecumenical* agreement among the Church of England, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, Warndon St.Nicholas Ecumenical* Parish officially came into existence.