Upper Arley
| Arley and Upper Arley | |
|---|---|
 Upper Arley village and the River Severn |
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 Arley and Upper Arley
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| Arley and Upper Arley shown within Worcestershire | |
| Population | 645 |
| OS grid reference | SO765805 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BEWDLEY |
| Postcode district | DY12 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
Upper Arley (grid reference SO765805) is a village and civil parish near Kidderminster in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, the village had a population of 645 at the 2001 census.
The Arley railway station on the Severn Valley Railway, one of Britain's preserved steam railways, has been used in many films and television programmes (including the BBC's Oh, Doctor Beeching!). The station was opened in 1862 and closed by British Railways in 1963. It was reopened by the SVR in 1974. The village also has one pub, a tearoom and a post office with shop.
Upper Arley used to be in Staffordshire, but was transferred to Worcestershire in 1895. The parish is unusual in being divided into two unequal parts by the river Severn. Woodeaves (west of the river) was only linked to the rest of the parish by a foot ferry, which was replaced in the 1960s by a footbridge.
The manor of Upper Arley had various owners before 1276, when it was bought by Roger de Mortimer in 1276. It passed down his family, who held the title Earl of March until 1448 when Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York sold it. It was bought by William Burley, whose daughter Joan married Thomas Lyttleton, whose descendants (spelling their name Lyttelton) also owned Hagley Hall and became Barons Lyttelton until the death of Thomas Lyttelton, 2nd Baron Lyttelton in 1779, when it passed to his sister Lucy and her husband, Arthur Annesley, 8th Viscount Valentia, later Earl of Mountnorris. The manor was held by the Woodward family from 1853 to 1959. Captain Robert Woodward was killed in World War I in 1915. On the death of Sir Chad Woodward, on 2 February 1957, most of the estate was sold off for death duties. His widow continued to retain the rights and duties of the Lord of the Manor.
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Wikipedia