Abbots Bromley is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire and lies approximately east of Stafford, England. According to the University of Nottingham English Place-names project, the settlement name Abbots Bromley could mean 'clearing/wood frequented by broom'. The prefix 'abbots' was added because the village was held by Burton Abbey. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,779.
Abbots Bromley was rated the best place to live in the Midlands by the Sunday Times in 2013 and again in 2016. The village is a regular entrant and often winner of the Staffordshire Best Kept Village Competition which takes place across the county each year. Originally organised by the Community Council of Staffordshire there is a best-kept village award for a large and small village in each of the county's Districts and Boroughs. Whilst down the years the East Staffordshire district prize has been awarded to Abbots Bromley on a number of occasions the overall county title continues to elude. In August 2017 the village won the double honour of winning both the best kept village and community council trophy award, a double not achieved for many years. This double was repeated again in 2018. In 2019 the competition was taken on by The Community Foundation for Staffordshire and Abbots Bromley won for the third consecutive year. Through the competition Abbots Bromley maintains a healthy rivalry with nearby Yoxall, also a regular winner in the East Staffordshire section.
The village is world-renowned for its annual Horn Dance, an ancient tradition which attracts visitors from far and wide.
Location The village sits within the Postal Area of the nearby settlement of Rugeley which is the closest town to the village at from Abbots Bromley. The village and civil parish lie within the East Staffordshire District. The village is north of the city of Lichfield and is south west of Uttoxeter.- Staffordshire A-Z County Atlas: 2011 Edition: Scale:3.8 inches to 1 mile (5.9cm to 1km) The nearest railway station is at Rugeley which is south west of the village. The Blithfield ReservoirHistory of Reservoir retrieved 11 April 2013 is from the centre of the village. Within the parish there are the natural features of Bagot's Wood and the largest remaining part of the Needwood Forest. Phil Drabble's Goats Lodge nature reserve is also in the parish. Chaserider hourly bus service 63 links the village to Uttoxeter, Rugeley, Hednesford and Cannock.
History The first historical record of the village dates from 942, when the manor of "Bromleage" was given to Wulfsige the Black. The will, dated 1002, of Wulfric Spot, Earl of Mercia, gave the village to the Abbey of Burton upon Trent. There is some evidence that the current settlement was a planned town – there is evidence of burgage plots, a grid pattern of streets and a wide market place.
Domesday Book Abbas Bromley is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086–7 as Brunlege, when it was part of the land of St Mary of Burton.
Royal Charter In 1227, a weekly market was confirmed by Royal Charter at the site of the Buttercross (recorded in 1339, the present structure said by Pevsner to date from the 17th century), which survives to the present. The current, triangular market place is now grassed over and serves as a village green and the focus for events on Horn Dance Day.
Dissolution of the Monasteries The village remained affiliated to the Abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1545. Henry VIII gave Bromley Abbatis to Sir William Paget, Clerk of the Signet and Privy Councillor. The village was known as Paget's Bromley for several centuries, (distinguishing it from the part of the parish in the hands of the Bagot family, still known as Bagot's Bromley) but eventually the influence of the Paget family declined, and the name reverted to Abbots Bromley.
Industry Despite being an agricultural centre on account of its market and fairs, Abbots Bromley enjoyed some industrial success. In the 16th century it was a major centre for glass manufacture. In 1606 it gained a grammar school, now Richard Clarke First School.
Decline Despite nineteenth century efforts to connect the village to the expanding railway network the North Staffordshire Railway received an act of parliament to build a branch line from Stowe-by-Chartley which was never taken advantage of. Abbots Bromley remained comparatively isolated and in decline, losing its market, fairs and economic status.
20th century By the 1950s the village faced economic decay and an ageing population. It was also comparatively late in receiving mains electricity and gas services. More recently it has become a dormitory settlement for surrounding urban areas such as the West Midlands conurbation and Derby. There has been some new development as well as the restoration of historic buildings, with a Millennium Hall perhaps the most noted recent example.
Parish council Nine parish councillors, elected every four years represent the community. Every year the council elects a chair (currently Richard Love) and vice chair. The parish council is supported by the parish clerk. Meetings are usually held in the village hall at 19:00 on the last Wednesday of every month (except August and December due to holidays). All meetings are open to the public. One parish surgery is also held every other month on a Saturday morning in the Church House to enable parishioners to bring any local issues to the attention of a councillor so that it can be reported to the full parish council meeting. Following the election of new parish councillors in May 2015 the council began the process of developing a neighbourhood plan, administered through a sub-group of the parish council.
Other local representation Abbots Bromley is part of the Bagots and Needwood Ward on East Staffordshire Borough Council and is currently represented by three Conservative borough councillors. At county level the village is part of the Needwood Forest Division, represented by Conservative Catherine Brown on Staffordshire County Council. The village is part of the parliamentary constituency of Lichfield and is currently represented by Labour MP Dave Robertson.
Schools The village is home to The Richard Clarke First School, run by the Uttoxeter Learning Trust for pupils aged 4–9. The school was founded in 1606 via a bequest made by Richard Clarke a local man who achieved success in London in the trade of a dyer. The school was originally known as 'Clarke's Grammar School'. The current school is rated as good by OFSTED with outstanding features. The village is part of the three tier school system, now quite rare in England. From age 9-13 pupils go to Oldfields Hall Middle School in Uttoxeter and then from age 13-16 (or 18 if students opt to stay on in the sixth form) to Thomas Alleyne's High School also in Uttoxeter.
The village was also the home of one of the original Woodard Schools, and the first in the Woodard Group for girls Abbots Bromley School (formerly known as Abbots Bromley School for Girls and before that the School of S. Mary and S. Anne). In 2015 the school opened a new International College on the former St Mary's site. The school closed in July 2019 and the site has been sold. The site has been purchased by a property developer with plans to convert to residential properties.
Historic buildings The village has a large number of listed buildings, and its historic core has conservation area status, reflecting its pre-industrial townscape. Of these, the half timbered Church House,Listed building status- Church House retrieved 12 April 2013 The Goats Head Inn,Listed building status-Goats head Inn retrieved 12 April 2013 which is claimed to be the original town hall, and the SchoolhouseListed building status- Old School House retrieved 12 April 2013 (Richard Clarke's 1606 Grammar School) are some of the most noteworthy. The Market Cross (Buttercross) has been designated a scheduled Ancient Monument.
Gallery
Listed Buildings in Abbots Bromley
Dwellings at No's 5, 6, 7, 8, High Street, Grade II, Hall Hill Lane4 Houses Listings retrieved 12 April 2013 Bagot's Bromley Monument, near Bromley Farmhouse, Grade IIBromley Monument Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Bank House, Grade II, High Street.Bank House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Barn and Cartshed close to Park Lodge, Grade II.Barn and Cart shed listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Barn in Goose Lane, Grade II.Goose Lane Barn Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Barn, Hurst Farm, Grade II.Hurst Farm Barn Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Barn, High Elms Farm, Grade II.High Elms Barn Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Batkin House, Harley Lane, Grade II.Batkin House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Bentilee Park Farmhouse, Grade II.Bentilee Park Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Bromley House, Grade II.Bromley House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Cael Cottage, Grade II.Cael Cottage Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Cedar Cottage, Grade II.Cedar Cottage Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Chesterton House, Grade II.Chesterton House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Saint Nicholas Parish Church, Grade II.Parish Church Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Church View Farmhouse. Grade II.Church View Farmhouse Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 North West Leafields Farm, Associated building and structures. Grade II.Leafield Farm Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Coleridge House School, Grade II.Coleridge House School Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Croft's House, Grade II.Croft House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Crofts Cottage, Grade II.Crofts Cottage Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Dandelion Cottages and Associated structures, Grade II.Dandelion Cottages listings retrieved 12 April 2013 Falcott Inglenook, Grade II.Falcott Inglenook Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Georgian House, Grade II,Georgian House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Gilleon's Hall, Grade II.Gilleon’s Hall Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Goats Lodge, Grade II.Goats Lodge Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Granary and Associated structures at Hurst Farmhouse, Grade II,Hurst Farm Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Grange Farmhouse, Grade II.Grange Farmhouse Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Narley Farmhouse, Grade II.Narley Farmhouse Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Heatley Green Farmhouse, Grade II.Heatley Green Farmhouse Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Dwelling on Market Place, Grade II.Market Place Dwelling Listed retrieved 12 April 2013 Dwelling Owned by Goodwin, Grade II.Goodwin Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Inglenook Oak Cottage, Grade II.Oak Cottage Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Lancsuss House, Grade II.Lancsuss House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Laurel Cottage, Grade II.Laurel Cottage Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Leacross Cottage, Grade II.Leacross Cottage Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Leafields Farmhouse, Grade II.Leafields Farmhouse Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Lychgate to the parish Church Saint Nicholas, Grade II.Lychgate Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Manor Farmhouse, Grade II.Manor Farmhouse Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Maxstoke House, Grade II.Maxstoke House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Middleton House, Grade IIMiddleton House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 five different Milepost in the parish, Grade II.Mile Post Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Mount Pleasant Farmhouse, Grade II.Mount Pleasant Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Norfolk House, Grade II.Norfolk House Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Norman Villa, Grade II.Norman Villa Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Northwood House, Grade II.Northwood House listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Park Lodge, Grade II.Park Lodge Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Parkside Farmhouse, Grade II.Parkside Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Premises of C. Taswell, Grade II.C. Taswell Listing retrieved 12 April 2013 Newsagent Premises of J.M. Meadows, grade II.JM Meadows Listing retrieved 12 April 2013