The Parish Council embraces Facebook as an information platform.

The following link opens in a new browser window.

  Elford News - this page is run by the parish council and generally displays public announcements at parish and county level.  Anyone wishing to add items may do so via the parish clerk.

The Cricket Club have their own internet portal here.

New members are always welcome.  If you are interested in playing or just helping out contact Steph on stavinor@hotmail.com.

Based on the History of Elford document written for the Son-et-Lumiere in September 1986. Revised and updated by John Bridgman in November 2018.

The name Elford probably derives from"Ella'sFord".  Ella was the son of Elthelred, King of Mercia in Saxon times. He is believed to have been buried in the tumulus on the hill at Elford Lowe. Alternative suggestions for the village name derive from"Elder Tree Ford" or the "El" may refer to eels which abounded in the river.

The village of Elford is located off the A513 road between Tamworth and Alrewas. The location of the settlement is highly significant, situated as it is on the banks of the RiverTame, surrounded by fertile agricultural land and near to a strategic crossing point. There has been continuous human habitation in this location since the Neolithic period.

The exact derivation may never be proved but it is certain that the area has been populated since long before the Roman occupation.  Neolithic tumuli have been identified at Elford Lowe and Elford Park.They may have been the burial grounds of nomadic tribes, but it is more probable that settlements existed along the river banks between Elford and Fisherwick and on the fringes of nearby Lichfield and Needwood forests.

The Roman invaders built the great arterial roads, Watling Street and Ryknield Street, which intersected at Wall.  From then onward the area assumed importance as a farming region which supplied wool, leather and food to the garrisons and marching legions. Remains of Roman farms have been found at Whittington.

In the seventh century Chad brought Christianity to Lichfield and established his church. From Lichfield itinerant monks visited outlying settlements to preach the gospel at fixed sites, often in the shadow of an erected cross of wood or stone.  Eventually churches were built on the ground hallowed by countless such acts of worship.

This is how the church at Elford developed as in the 600s a wooden cross was erected on the site of the present church grounds. The river was forded nearby at a point which later came to be known as the hall ford and it is probable that the churchyard, as we know it, was used as a Christian centre from the time of Chad.

The latter part of the first millenium A.D. was a turbulent period in local history with frequent skirmishes between invading Angles and Danes and the Celts, who were the local people. Offa established the Kingdom of Mercia and declared Tamworth the capital but it was destroyed by the Danes, who established Danelaw North of Watling Street.

In the next century Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great defeated the Danes and restored Tamworth. Life became more tranquil.

In AD1004 Wulfric Spot, Earl of Mercia, founded Burton Abbey and bequeathed Elleford as part of the Abbey estate to his daughter. After the Conquest in 1066 the Manor of Elleford was forfeited to the Crown and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Elleford is described as a settlement of 24 villagers, 8 small holders with 8 ploughs. Two mills are also recorded.  After Domesday it was held by the Crown until the middle of the sixteenth century.

At the end of the twelfth century the Lordship of the Manor of Elford was held by the Ardernes, a Cheshire family, who were Lords of Aldford and Alvaney.  The Ardernes occupied  Elford until 1408 when Sir John, who did not have a male heir, died.  In 1254 Walkelin de Arderne was granted a charter to hold a market in Elford on Fridays. The market had ceased by 1500. In 1385 King Richard II granted a licence to Sir Thomas de Arderne to enclose 300 acres of land in Elleford as a park.

The most famous Arderne was Sir Thomas who fought with the Black Prince at Crecy and Poitiers and who is reputed to have distinguished himself with "noble deeds and feates(Sic)ofarms".

Matilda Arderne married Thomas Stanley and founded the Stanley line at Elford which lasted until 1508.

The Stanleys, and before them the Ardemes, lived at Elford Park, in a moated house on the site of the present farm. The first hall,  adjacent to the church, was not built until the beginning of the sixteenth century.

On the 21st August, 1484, John Stanley, the Lord of the Manor, is reputed to have joined amongst others, Lord Stanley and Henry, Duke of Richmond at Haselour Hall, the home of Lord Stanley and his wife Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Duke of Richmond (to become Henry VII). Lord Stanley's decisive intervention into the Battle of Bosworth next day, changed the course of English history. Richard III was killed and Henry VII became the first of the Tudor monarchs.

John Stanley's only son was killed by a tennis ball which severed his jugular vein. The famous effigy in the Church, of the small boy holding a tennis ball, commemorates the death. The title of the 'Lord of the Manor' passed via the female line to William Staunton then to Richard Huddlestone, then to William Smythe and finally to Sir John Bowes. Thus began the line of the Bowes/Howard family in Elford which lasted until the end of the 1930s. Henry Bowes, who became Earl of Berkshire and Suffolk, built a new hall on the site of the old one,  circa 1720/1730. Several of the cottages, now standing in the village, were built at the sametime.

During the Civil War, Richard Bowes espoused Parliament's cause and was able, with the help of his Rector Thomas Dowley, to protect the Church and its monuments from the ravages of Cromwell's troops. However, situated between the parliamentary forces at Tamworth and the royalist forces at Lichfield, he had cause to complain about the raids on his cattle, by both sides.  Legend suggests that Gore Hill is so named because of the blood which flowed down the hill after a skirmish between advance companies of the opposing troops.

In the latter part of the eighteenth century, the most notable resident of Elford was Robert Bage who owned a paper mill adjacent to Mill House. He wrote six novels, three of which were included in Sir Walter Scott's list of the fifty best novels of the time. No other author had so many titles in the list.

A great writer he may have been, but the opinions expressed in his books did not endear him to the establishment. He believed strongly in the equality of man and in the equality of woman with man. He was skeptical of organised religion and he accused its leaders of hypocrisy. All were dangerous views to hold at the time of the French Revolution. In his private life he was a kind and generous person, well-liked by all who knew him.

In the following century two figures dominated Elford. The one was Lady Mary Howard and the other was her cousin, Francis Edward Paget, the Rector of Elford from 1835 to 1882. Lady Mary was a benefactress to the village. She rebuilt the Church and modernised the cottages of her tenants. The Howards were descendants of Catherine Howard, once wife of King Henry VIII before her execution. It is said that a wooden travelling trunk with a hide cover that once belonged to Queen Catherine.

Francis Paget was a spiritual guiding force with social ideas far ahead of his time. He was a ‘hellfire preacher’ from the Oxford Movement’ who cared for the community as he ran evening classes, a library, a savings scheme, a choral society and he was a prolific author and wrote in protest at the use of child labour. The proceeds from the sale of his books were given to the parish.

The Howard line, of Lords of the Manor, ended in 1936. The 640 acre estate including the hall, property and land were bequeathed to the City of Birmingham by Francis Edward Howard Paget. He fought in World War I and returned obsessed by a vision for a better world. He made donations to restore the church in Elford. He endowed the Royal Masonic Hospital, London, with an ‘Elford Wing’ also contributing to the operating theatre and nurses’ home.  In addition, he maintained a block of beds for Cancer patients in Middlesex Hospital.

The Hall was bequeathed to Birmingham Corporation for the use of Birmingham people to visit and enjoy the countryside. This did not happen. The period of the Spanish Civil War between 1936-1939 saw Birmingham Corporation offer sanctuary to Basque children fleeing the war. They were housed at the Hall despite opposition from the Parish Council.

During the Second World War, the Hall was used to store the City's art treasures. In 1941 a German bomber flying over Model Farm on the outskirts of the village, ditched two 2000kg bombs before flying home following an air-raid on Coventry. The bombs missed the farm house but blew off the roof and caused extensive damage to other buildings and a large crater in the fields.

Elford Hall was demolished in 1964. The Hall had fallen into ruin. The kitchen walled gardens have been restored by volunteers and is well worth a visit.

This has been a very brief history of Elford, which is more fully expounded by the Son-et Lumiere. We hope that you have enjoyed both seeing and learning about our village. Thank you for your support and please visit us again.

Images of Elford's past

Photos have been kindly supplied by villagers and ex-villagers and compiled by former resident John Bridgman.  For additions, corrections, copyright and further information please contact the Parish Clerk.

More information can be found on the History of Elford site run by Ron & Jean Chamberlain.  

Click any image to enlarge and access gallery.

What is the Elford Neighbourhood Plan?

The Elford Neighbourhood Plan was a local community project, initiated by Elford Parish Council and led by a group of residents, to help the community to have more influence on the future development of Elford Parish, and to help address local issues that residents and businesses were concerned about.

The Neighbourhood Plan has now been adopted (approved by a majority of Elford residents in a local referendum), and became part of the planning system for Elford, so planning decisions in Elford have to abide by the policies of the Neighbourhood Plan.

The first stage of the neighbourhood plan project was to apply for Elford Parish to be officially designated as a Neighbourhood Plan Area, which Lichfield District Council approved in August 2015.  This allowed the Parish Council to apply for funding to help with the project, to pay for things like publicity, resources and expert advice on planning matters.

In February and March 2016, the Parish Council organised a series of meetings and discussion sessions for residents to get together to talk about a possible neighbourhood plan.  All Elford residents were invited to these sessions, where we discussed what a neighbourhood plan could do for Elford, and what issues we might be able to address through one.  Many different opinions, ideas and concerns were expressed, which helped to inform the broad scope of the neighbourhood plan and subsequent discussions.

A steering group of local residents (most of whom were not Parish Council members) took the project forward on behalf of the community.   The steering group looked at the following broad issues, which were identified at the earlier meetings as being the main areas of concern amongst local residents.

-          Local Services

-          Housing

-          Heritage and Conservation

-          Natural Environment

-          Development Management

The steering group prepared a residents’ questionnaire designed to find out in more detail what people thought about various local issues, to help inform the direction of the neighbourhood plan.  The survey asked questions about issues including local services, housing, concerns around development, our heritage assets, and the natural environment. This was followed by a further housing survey.

The preparation of the neighbourhood plan was intended and required to be a democratic process, and its objective and policies should reflect the opinions and ideas of the local community as far as practically possible.

Preparation of the Draft Plan

Following the results of the survey, the steering group reviewed what the neighbourhood plan should set out to achieve.  The draft vision and objectives of the plan, which were prepared following initial meetings, were worked on.

The steering group, together with their professional planning advisors, prepared draft planning policies which would influence future development in Elford.  A draft plan was written, on which all residents and various statutory bodies were formally consulted.  Consultation began in September 2017.

Consultation

In accordance with the 2012 Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations (Regulation 14), the Draft Neighbourhood Plan went out to formal consultation in October 2017.

Following this the Draft Neighbourhood Plan was amended by the consultants to incorporate comments submitted by consultees.  Further amendments were made in April 2018 to reflect the decision to build houses on land at the Shrubbery.

The Plan went out to Regulation 15 consultation from 8th May 2018 to 19th June 2018. Read the Submission version and supporting documents here.

Examination

The Neighbourhood Plan was examined by a Planning Inspector and the Examiner's Report can be found here. The Plan was amended accordingly.

Referendum

The District Council agreed that the Plan proceed to Referendum and this took place on 29th November 2018. Details here.

Decision statement

Made Plan

The Plan became part of the Development Plan for the area in January 2019

See the final version of the Plan here or for more information follow this link.

https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/Council/Planning/The-local-plan-and-planning-policy/Neighbourhood-plans/Elford-neighbourhood-plan.aspx

Further details can be found at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/elfordnp.

Twinning with Awoingt, France

Annual Report on  the Eford/Awoingt Association 2019-20 click here

On June 24th 2018 A twinning agreement was signed by representatives of Elford and Awoingt. Cllr Phil Turley signed the agreement on behalf of Elford Parish Council, and the Mayor, M. Lechowicz, on behalf of Awoingt.  Visitors from Awoingt were welcomed to Elford on the weekend of 25th August, when a reciprocal signing ceremony and various social events took place.

Full details of visit here (PDF - new window)

Elford Parish Council look forward to many years of this association.

Local Doctors                      

The Village does not have its own health provision, for details of local practitioners here are a couple of numbers locally and there are numerous practices in Tamworth.

Alrewas          01283 790316

Whittington    01543 440811

Local Hospitals

Sir Robert Peel Hospital,Tamworth             01827 263800

Queen’s Hospital, Burton on Trent             01283 566333

Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield        0121 424 2000

Dentist

Dentist Near Me - Find NHS Dentist & Private Dentists

Highways

To report problems with the roads and streetlights

0300 1118000 – email highways@staffordshire.gov.uk -  or https://apps2.staffordshire.gov.uk/web/reportfault/#divSelectionHeader

Lichfield Police

NON EMERGENCY – Telephone - 101

Police Community Support Officer

Costas Karpi – 07890 317765

Fire/Ambulance– 999

Electricity

Emergency – 0800 056 8090         

Water

Supply problems (24hrs) 0800 389 1011 –Billing 0845 60 70 456

Floodline

To register or enquire, Telephone  0845 988 1188

Flood Warden: Dave Hill 01827 383645

Further advice https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/flooding-and-home-insurance/limiting-flood-risk-and-damage/

Environmental Health

Advice on anti social behaviour or noise issues

https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/community-safety/anti-social-behaviour/1

Registry Office

https://www.registryofficesnearme.com/

Parish Council

Your local Parish Council is the first tier of local government.  Details of meetings and minutes can be found on the Parish Council Notice Board outside the Village Hall and also on the Parish Website.  Meetings are the second Monday of every month starting at 7pm with an open forum; to which anyone is welcome to attend and raise issues; followed by the Parish Council Meeting at 7.30pm.  Clerk to the Parish Council can be contacted via the Councillor's page or email clerk@elfordparish.co.uk

District Council

Lichfield District Council call 01543 308000.

Refuse Collection

For information call 01543 308999.

Library Bus

Information about our library service can be found at this Staffordshire County link

Village Coffee Shop

At the village hall every Tuesday 9.00am - 12pm. Coffee, cake, bacon sandwiches and much more!

Post Office

At the village hall every Tuesday 10.00am - 12pm