Dodderhill is a

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 authority ...

, near

Droitwich Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester. The ...

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 His ...

, England, located on the

River Salwarpe The River Salwarpe is a long river in Worcestershire, England. It is a left bank tributary of the River Severn, which it joins near Hawford. Course The Salwarpe is formed by the confluence of the Battlefield and Spadesbourne Brooks in Bromsg ...

. The parish is bisected by the

M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

, constructed in 1962. It is home to the Droitwich transmitting station in

Wychbold Wychbold is a village in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire. The village is situated on the A38 road, A38 between Droitwich Spa and Bromsgrove, and by Junction 5 of the M5 motorway. The first records of Wychbold suggest that it was of great ...

History

One of the earliest mentions of Dodderhill is of the Saxon Royal Palace recorded in the Saxon Charter of AD 692. There was once a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

fort and later an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

church. The parish church of St. Augustine's, is on the hill overlooking

Droitwich Spa Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester, Engl ...

. It was completed in 1220 and rebuilt in the 18th century. A possible

ley tunnel Mysterious tunnels or " secret passages" are a common element of the local folklore tradition in Europe. Such tunnels are said to physically link prominent places such as country houses, castles, churches, ancient monuments and other, often me ...

is said by archeologists to lead from St Augustine's, to Friar Street Droitwich Spa, part of a system of tunnels linking St Augustine's and St Andrew's churches.Worcester News archives: Droitwich Spa tunnels.
Retrieved 9 February 2010 (This 'tunnel' seems unlikely as it does not appear to have been located or mentioned when the railway and/or canal was built unless built after this time. Notable people associated with Dodderhill include the MP Thomas Vernon, part of whose family estate was located in the parish; the royalist

Sir Thomas Nott Sir Thomas Nott (11 December 1606 – 1681) was an English royalist army officer and an original fellow of the Royal Society. In 1640, he acquired the remainder of the crown lease of Twickenham Park, Middlesex which he sold in 1659.Stephen Porter, ...

, who bought the manors of Sagebury and Obden in Dodderhill in 1637;Stephen Porter, ‘Nott, Sir Thomas (1606–1681)’,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 and the 'Salt King' and philanthropist John Corbett who built the Chateau Impney in 1873Dodderhill Parish Survey project: People.
Retrieved 9 February 2010Dodderhill Parish Survey project: Historic Places & Buildings.
Retrieved 9 February

Schools

There is one school associated with the area which is known as RGS Dodderhill. This is a private (fee paying) school for pupils from age 2 to 16 years. The senior school is housed in the old vicarage of the church shown above. As of 2022 there are around 150 pupils.

History

Schools

References

Further reading