Pirton is a small village in the English county of

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

. The village has been occupied since at least 1086, when Domesday listed the village of Peritone within the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

of Pershore. Pirton has some uncommon features for a village. The most unusual is an 18th-century

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

named Pirton Tower near a lake named Pirton Pool. It is one of the remaining artifices which the

Earl of Coventry Earl of Coventry is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation for the Villiers family was created in 1623 and took its name from the city of Coventry. It became extinct in 1687. A decade later, the second ...

built to add artistic interest to views from the park at his distant estate,

Croome Court Croome Court is a mid-18th-century Neo-Palladian mansion surrounded by extensive landscaped parkland at Croome D'Abitot, near Upton-upon-Severn in south Worcestershire, England. The mansion and park were designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown ...

. Pirton Tower and some of the other follies became purposed as local picnic houses. The follies were allowed to fall into disrepair. Pirton has a Council-owned wood, beside Pirton Green. Pirton Church has a storied history. It is about half a mile away from "main" Pirton. When the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

arrived in Pirton c. 1357, it was tremendously harmful for the villagers. There is a ditch which was a mass grave for those who died because of the illness. The surviving residents had to move to the countryside at the time of the black death. The current Pirton Church is about 500 years old and has been in continuous use. It still conducts services on Sundays or e.g.: Mass. Pirton has a nearby

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...

which used to be called Pirton Sidings due to the sidings that used to be there. Pirton Level Crossing is a highly filmed location for Rail Enthusiasts.

References

External links

* Villages in Worcestershire {{Worcestershire-geo-stub