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Mickleton - Where’s that?
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To the tourist, Mickleton is a village on the B4632 southwards from
Stratford-upon-Avon towards Broadway and on to Cheltenham.
To the gardener, it is at the bottom of the hill from Hidcote and Kiftsgate gardens.
To the politician, Mickleton is (since the 1930s) the northernmost village in
Gloucestershire, close to the borders of Warwickshire and Worcestershire: it is
about 35 miles from Birmingham, 70 from Bristol, 100 from London or Cardiff.
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To the geographer, Mickleton is at the
far northern end of the steep scarp
which marks the western edge of the
Cotswold Hills, from here to Bath:
the village is at the foot of the scarp,
where the hills fall away into the Vale
of Evesham. To the north is Meon Hill
(636ft), scene of the notorious
‘witchcraft?murder of 1945.
To the historian, Mickleton was the
scene of Brunel’s infamous ‘Battle of
Mickleton Tunnel?(1852), considered
the last pitched battle to be fought
between private armies in England.
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Those with an eye for architecture will notice
black-and-white buildings with thatched
roofs (typical of the Vale) cheek by jowl
with others built of the mellow
Cotswold limestone.
To those who listen to “The Archers?
Mickleton is not far from Ambridge.
Through most of the last century,
the Vale has been famous for its fruit
and vegetables: cauliflowers were a
Mickleton speciality.
More recently market gardening has
declined: fields have gone back to corn or
pasture: new housing estates have
replaced rows of glasshouses.
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One family has bucked this trend by changing with the times: where two brothers
used to grow fruit and vegetables, two more brothers of the next generation now
grow ornamental plants. Their firm, Trade Only Plant Sales, supplies customers all
around the UK and is a significant local employer.
Villages on the edge of towns can have the life sucked out of them: there are
rows of houses, but no shops or social life as people go into town for everything.
Villages far from the town can be half-dead, with many of the houses only
occupied by Londoners at weekends. Mickleton is fortunate, falling between these
two extremes.
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The village still has a Post Office, general
food store, traditional butcher, garage and
farm shops: it has two pubs, The King’s
Arms (right) and The Butcher’s Arms.
The Three Ways House Hotel is home
of the world famous Pudding Club
and some private houses also offer
bed-and-breakfast. Mickleton has an
Anglican church, a Methodist chapel
and a good primary school.
Regular public transport services include
the Hedgehog Community bus, which can
also be used to connect with rail services
at Stratford and Moreton-in-Marsh.
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Honeybourne is the nearest railway station at 3 miles. Mickleton also has clubs
and societies offering a wide range of cultural, social, and sporting activities.
Mickleton is a good place to live, and to visit.
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