Castlemorton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

close to Malvern in the

Malvern Hills District Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county, including the outlying towns of Tenbury Wells and Upton-upon-Sever ...

in the county of

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

, England. It consists of a village centre, a large common and many farms and houses within the area. In 2013 the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust purchased 42 acres of meadow at Hollybed Farm as part of a project to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the

Coronation of Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

and restore the meadows as a nature resrve. In 1992 the Common was the location of the controversial

Castlemorton Common Festival The Castlemorton Common Festival was a week-long free festival and rave held in the Malvern Hills near Malvern, Worcestershire, England between 22 and 29 May 1992. The media interest and controversy surrounding the festival, and concerns as to ...

, a week-long free festival and rave. The event made national headlines. The 2015

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

film ''

Our Father The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

'' was filmed on location on Castlemorton Common.

History

A medieval motte-and-bailey castle stood to the south of the village, the earthwork remains are still present. Castlemorton Common was once part of the vast Royal hunting grounds of the

Malvern Chase Malvern Chase was a royal chase that occupied the land between the Malvern Hills and the River Severn in Worcestershire and extended to Herefordshire from the River Teme to Cors Forest. The following parishes and hamlets were within the Chase ...

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

split up much of this hunting ground (examples are Eastnor Castle Estate, Bromsberrow Estate) and Castlemorton Common is the largest remaining tract of unenclosed public land. Much of Castlemorton is today within a designated

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...

, and protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to some very rare fauna and flora living within its boundaries.AONB Designation and Purpose - Malvern Hills AONB
Malvernhillsaonb.org.uk

References

External links

Castlemorton Parish Council website

Villages in Worcestershire Nature reserves in Worcestershire Civil parishes in Worcestershire {{Worcestershire-geo-stub