Churchill and Blakedown are two neighbouring villages in North Worcestershire in the UK.
Blakedown sits on and around the A456, Birmingham to Kidderminster road, approximately 15 miles west of Birmingham, 5 miles south west of Stourbridge and the south west corner of the West Midlands conurbation, and 5 miles east of Kidderminster. Churchill is a smaller village, comprising the village of Churchill just to the north of Blakedown and, to the north east, the hamlet of Stakenbridge, and to the north west Ismere. The area is bisected by the railway line; Blakedown having a small station offering a regular passenger service to Birmingham, Stourbridge, Kidderminster, Worcester, Hereford and many stops between. To the West, the Parish takes in Hurcott Wood. Click on the link above for a local maps.
Both villages nestle amongst gently rolling hills and are surrounded by beautiful countryside; the area being popular with walkers, horse riders and cyclists (both road and off-road). There are open fields, brooks which run down from the Clent Hills, feeding numerous pools in the area on its way, to the River Stour (at Kidderminster) which, itself, is a tributary of the River Severn. There are also quiet woodlands, a large variety of wildlife and, from the brows of hills, fantastic views across Worcestershire (the Malvern Hills can be seen on a clear day to the South), the Clent Hills to the east, the South Staffordshire countryside to the north and west and, in the far distance, the Clee Hills in Shropshire to the west.
Churchill and Blakedown are mainly residential villages, although there are a number of farms and other businesses in the area. Blakedown has a school (Blakedown Primary School), a church, a sports club and playing fields, 3 public houses (in Blakedown The Old House at Home and The Swan, in Ismere the Old Wagon & Horses, a post office and a few shops. There are no shops in Churchill, although there is a church. Between the two villages is the Churchill and Blakedown Golf Club and, in Churchill, the old Churchill Forge Mill which is open to the public on certain days of the year. There is a Parish Council Churchill & Blakedown Parish Council for the villages, which regularly meets at the Sports Pavillion. Both areas also have a very active Neighbourhood Watch and are policed by West Mercia Constabulary. The local MP is Mark Garnier who is a Conservative MP, and the area is administered by Wyre Forest District Council and Worcestershire County Council.
Many local people travel to nearby Hagley, slightly further afield to the nearby towns of Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Bromsgrove, or beyond to Birmingham, for work, schools, colleges, shopping, entertainment and leisure. That is the beauty of the area – it has the best of both worlds within very easy reach.