England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Droitwich St Andrew

The Parish

The town of Droitwich lies in central Worcestershire roughly 7 miles north of the county town of Worcester. As a substantial town Droitwich was separated into 3 distinct parishes, of which St Andrew's parish constituted the western portion of the town. Droitwich sits on the A38 road, fortunately it nowadays follows a bypass to the west of the town, which connects Worcester onward to Birmingham and which follows an ancient Roman Road for much of the path through Worcestershire, it was at that road's crossing of the River Salwarp that the town grew. Droitwich has a long history, much of it derived from the exploitation of the town's saline springs. Even in Saxon times it was a major centre for the extraction of salt from brine springs and as will be seen below its salt production made it one of the largest settlements recorded in Domesday Book. By the early 18th century salt production had risen to 50,000 tons per annum, it was later, however, that the medicinal value of brine immersion was discovered, said to have developed during a cholera outbreak of 1832 and which lead to spa baths in the town and the town acquired its suffix as Droitwich Spa. In parallel with the exploitation of salt the town became a local market, said market being granted by the mid-12th century. Modern developments have come to Droitwich in abundance, the Droitwich canal connecting the town with the nearby Severn opened in 1771 and a railway arrived in 1847, even in more recent times the modern M5 motorway passes nearby to the east. The salt production has now ceased within the town, the last works closing in 1922 to leave a less industrial and more pleasant town which nowadays resembles more closely a mid-sized market town. The River Salwarp drains the town westwards into the nearby Severn where water turns south to reach the sea through the Bristol Channel. Droitwich is sited at between 30 metres, by the river, and 50 metres above the sea whilst land rises gently to almost 70 metres eastwards within a couple of miles. St Andrew's parish covered the southeastern quadrant of the town and covered an area of roughly 800 acres, it was the middle sized parish population-wise holding roughly 800 parishioners. In Domesday times Droitwich was shared by no less than 10 landholders with 6 of those landholdings in the hands of abbeys, King William retained the greater share. Collectively all of those holdings could offer an impressive 36 ploughs but it was the salthouses that made Droitwich so attractive, 20 salthouse are recorded along with 3 mills, a wealthy place indeed.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits at the junction of St Andrew's Street with the High Street of the town. The architectural history of the church relates to two distinct phases either side of a major fire in 1290 which required substantial rebuilding. Surviving from prior to the fire are the chancel arch, often amongst the earliest portions of a church, and its oddly placed northern tower. The tower shows the lancet styled windows of the Early English Gothic period and Pevsner dates them both to the earliest part of the 13th century. Following the fire the nave was soon replaced during the brief Transitional period of the last decade of the 13th century. Rebuilding went onwards into the early 14th century with Decorated styling now to the fore, the nave and chancel arcades, of 3-bays and 2 respectively, both carry Decorated styled windows as do the southern aisle and chapel. Building during the Perpendicular era was limited to the insertion of a clerestory. Restoration came late and into the 20th century for St Andrew, a short phase of 1911 rebuilt the northern aisle whilst the major restoration of 1927 rebuilt the eastern wall of the chancel and removed the higher stages of the tower amidst fears of subsidence. Like most urban churches parking is only in temporary and short-lived parking bays on the High Street, for an extended visit a car park should be sought. Once again the urban position hemmed in by neighbouring buildings limits markedly the angles available for the photographer requiring some invention to adequately record the church.