THE flat acres of Perdiswell, which cover the area between the northern edge of Worcester and the village of Fernhill Heath and lie east of Droitwich Road, have been in the news again recently.

Over the years the land has been a country estate, a wartime airfield and a plethora of sports pitches and it was in connection with the latter the fertiliser has hit the fan once more. Worcester City Council has offered a

£2 million-plus loan to create a state-of-the-art hockey facility there, while declining (as some fans see it) to back proposals by Worcester City FC, which currently plays in Bromsgrove, to return to its roots.

That rumpus may yet rumble on, but for the moment lets look back. The Perdiswell estate, as it was, centred around Perdiswell Hall, built in 1787 by George Byfield for the Wakesman family. Then the land was well outside the Worcester city boundary and a fine avenue of lime trees lined the road to the nearest habitation, which was Fernhill Heath.

The Wakemans were prominent in the political and business life of Worcester in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Thomas was mayor in 1761 and James was mayor in 1806. However, they inherited greater estates in Shropshire, to which they moved, and sold Perdiswell Hall. But by now, with the city boundary creeping ever outwards, the property was no longer so ideally set and was sold for a song in 1860. It was eventually let to Mr AC Sherriff, who was the city MP, although its grounds were still sufficiently spacious and attractive enough to be opened to the public and were a magnet for local artists.

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In the 1920s it became fashionable for towns and cities to have their own airport and Worcester looked at four sites, Pitchcroft, Henwick, Powick Hams and Perdiswell. The last named got the nod and the corporation bought the Perdiswell Hall estate. But a wrangle over adjoining farmland led to a delay and soon the Second World War was looming.

Even so, Perdiswell, with a single grass runway, had become a working airfield with Amy Johnson landing, as did another noted flyer Sir Alan Cobham. Top jockey Gordon (later Sir Gordon) used it to ride at Worcester Races. There were hangars, workshops and a waiting room erected alongside what is now the service road to the sports centre. The runway was parallel with Droitwich Road.

During the war, Perdiswell was in constant use by an RAF Elementary Flying Training School, with many of the accompanying hazards of learning to fly. Overshoots on to Bilford Road were not uncommon and American actor Clark Gable was supposed to have been in a US Air Force plane that crashed on to Droitwich Road while trying to land, although whether that was man or myth has never been nailed down for certain.

The land’s post war use has mainly been as sports pitches, as well as the home of 187 (City of Worcester) Air Training Corps Squadron. For years a Spitfire stood outside the ATC HQ and then a Gloster Javelin, with both becoming familiar landmarks.