Hartlebury

Hartlebury is a Worcestershire village to the south of Kidderminster.

The White Hart public house

Information
County:	Worcestershire
District:	Wychavon
Population:	2549

The village has been in existence from Saxon times, in 817CE it was known as Heortlabyrig (Hill of the Deer) and was granted by Burghred, King of Mercia to the Bishop of Worcester in 850CE. The area was known for it's sandstone quarries, which were used in local buildings including the parish church.

The area remained a home for the Bishop until the 21st century. The fortified manor house Hartlebury Castle being the residence of the Bishop from the 13th century until 2007. The castle is now open to the public and includes the Worcestershire County Museum.

The church of St James is of a much later period than the castle, it was mostly built in 1836 though retains elements from earlier buildings. The tower is 16th century and there are some arches from the 14th.

Hartlebury is a stop on the railway line between Worcester and Birmingham via Kidderminster. It also used to have a line through to Shrewsbury via the Severn Valley, and indeed was the original starting point of the Severn Valley Railway.

St James church

War memorial

Cottages

More housing near the churchyard

The Talbot public house

Kingsbury

Kingsbury is a village in the North of the county between Birmingham and Tamworth.

Kingsbury Community Centre

Information
County:	Warwickshire
District:	North Warwickshire
Population:	7662 (2011 census)

Kingsbury is derived from the Saxon Chinesburie which means "King's fort". The village is located next to the river Tame and was in a defendable position. The village is listed in the Domesday Book. Kingsbury (or Bracebridge) Hall was a fortified manor house located next to the parish church and next to the river. Part of the house is still in use as a farm house, some of the fortifications still exist.

Kingsbury is in the Hemlingford Hundred of Warwickshire, Hemlingford being a ford over the river Tame very close to Kingbury's church, a mill existing at this location as far back as the Domesday Book at least. The hundred's meeting place was at Hemlingford Green.

Kingsbury remained a small hamlet until the 19th century and the advent of the railway through Kingsbury in 1839. Coal mining and gravel extraction helped the village grow. In modern times the important Kingsbury Oil Terminal supplies oil to the Midlands. Kingsbury railway station was closed in 1968 though the railway line remains open. The parish church dedicated to St Peter & St Paul has existed since about 1200.

The fortified manor house

The church

The Royal Oak pub

Another pub, the Swan

Crossing the river Tame

West Kirby

West Kirby is a town on the North Western edge of the Wirral peninsula. Historically part of Cheshire, it is now in the Merseyside metropolitan county.

Shops and apartments in West Kirby

Information
County:	Merseyside
Borough:	Wirral
Population:	12,733 (2011 census)

Kirby has Viking origins, the name being derived from Kirkjubyr or village with a church. West was added to the name in the 13th century (or earlier) to distinguish it from Kirkby-in-Walsea on the other side of the Wirral (nowadays the town of Wallasey).

The old village was based around St Bridget's Church though the modern West Kirby has expanded and the modern centre is around West Kirby railway station which opened in 1878. The town became a tourist destination like nearby New Brighton in the 19th century and retains a Victorian promenade. The town has a large artificial lake which can hold sailing and other water sport events.

Station forecourt

Marine Lake is the name of the artificial lake mentioned above

Steam in Wirksworth

A Lanchashire & Yorkshire Railway locomotive in Derbyshire!

Wirksworth

Wirksworth is a market town in central Derbyshire in the Peak district.

Wirksworth

Information
County:	Derbyshire
District:	Derbyshire Dales
Population:	5038 (2011 census)

Wirksworth has Saxon origins with the parish church of St Mary thought to date from 653CE (though the current building's oldest parts date from the 12th century). The town's origins might pre-date that, is possible the Roman settlement of Lutudarum was at Wirksworth. The town has the oldest town charter in the Peak district, dating from 835. 

During Roman and Anglo-Saxon times there were a number of lead mines nearby. These were later listed in the Domesday Book as being owned by Repton Abbey. There continued to be lead mines in the area into the modern period. In the 18th century  the cotton mills began to grow in the area. The town was prosperous enough to allow for the building of a grand new town hall in 1871.

Wirksworth remains a prosperous market town though the old industries have departed. The town is the headquarters of the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway preserved line.

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

Blacks Head pub

Old buildings and new commerce in Wirksworth

St Mary's church