Castlemorton is a village and civil parish close to

Malvern Malvern or Malverne may refer to: Places Australia * Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne * City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne * Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...

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-Severn ...

in the county of Worcestershire, England. It consists of a village centre, a large common and many farms and houses within the area. In 2013 the

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Worcestershire Wildlife Trust is one of 46 wildlife trusts throughout the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1968 to conserve, protect and restore the county's wildlife. The Trust owns and manages over 70 nature reserves across the county, part ...

purchased 42 acres of meadow at Hollybed Farm as part of a project to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation of Elizabeth II and restore the meadows as a nature resrve. In 1992 the Common was the location of the controversial Castlemorton Common Festival, a week-long free festival and

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

. The event made national headlines. The 2015 World War II film '' Our Father'' was filmed on location on Castlemorton Common.

History

A medieval

motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

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. James I 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, and protected as a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

(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