England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Elmdon St Nicholas

The Parish

The parish of Elmdon lies in western Warwickshire close to its border with neighbouring Worcestershire. Elmdon is located about 7 miles southeast of the city of Birmingham. Elmdon, before the late 20th century, would have been a rather small village, not much more than a hamlet sitting astride the A45 road from Birmingham to Coventry. Much has changed for Elmdon, the major development being the construction of Birmingham International Airport and its attendant infrastructure of businesses and hotel less than a mile from St Nicholas' church. Today Elmdon is almost unrecognisable being on the edge of Greater Birmingham's contiguous urban fringe. Formerly this would have been an agricultural community with a mixed farming economy now dominated by light industry and services. Elmdon is drained to the east by a number of small brooks draining into the River Blyth which turns northwards via the Tame to reach the Trent near Alrewas in Staffordshire from there it heads for the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Elmdon is sited at around 120 metres above the sea and sits on top of a low rise which land falling away gently in most directions to around 90 metres or so. Elmdon parish was rather small for a Warwickshire parish, it covered around 1,100 acres and supported a population of almost 170 parishioners. In Domesday times Elmdon was held by Thorkil of Warwick, a rare Saxon survivor, and could offer just a single plough together with small meadows and woodlands.

The Church

St Nicholas' church (the dedication is a little hazy with some sources simply referring to Elmdon Church) sits inside the former estate of Elmdon Hall. Indeed the church was built as a replacement for the prior mediaeval building in 1780 to complement the late 18th century Hall & Rectory. The approach along a lane beside the huge Land Rover assembly plant is typical of the area and the constant roar of aircraft taking off overhead is also rather distracting. The church, itself, has little of interest to Pevsner, only the stuccoed vault to the apse meriting any grudging praise from him. Otherwise he simply described the building in a handful of lines. The access lane ends at a large parking area, the church is deeply embedded in woodland and is extremely difficult to adequately photograph accordingly - only in winter is it remotely possible.