How did the road get its name?
Manor Close is so-called because of its proximity to Badsey Manor House.
When did housing development begin?
Manor Close was the final phase of Council housing development in Badsey, with primarily terraced bungalows being built for old-age pensioners. In the late 1960s, 52 bungalows and houses were built (22 terraced bungalows, 12 semi-detached bungalows, two detached bungalows, six semi-detached houses, ten terraced houses), the southern area being developed first. Four more bungalows were built in about the 1980s. The northern half of Manor Close is on land which used to belong to Aldington but which became part of Badsey in 1921; the southern half has always been on land in Badsey.
Further information about the road may be found in the chapter called "Council Housing in Badsey & Aldington" by Will Dallimore, in Aldington and Badsey: Villages in the Vale - A Tapestry of Local History.
Numbering system
The numbers are 1-62, but with the odd numbers ending at 33 and four infill bungalows numbered 30A, 30B, 32A & 32B.
19th and early 20th century auctions and ownership
With regard to the northern half of Manor Close, in 1807, at the time of the Aldington Enclosure Act, this plot of land was an old enclosure owned by George Day and was part of the land belonging to Aldington Farm, which had previously been owned by the Foley family for nearly 140 years. On 6th October 1808, just two days after the Enclosure Awards, George Day sold the entire Aldington estate to James Ashwin of Bretforton, for £12,000. The eastern section of the field was sold off in 1815 when the new road Synehurst was built. The rest of the field remained in the Ashwin family for the next hundred years, with the exception of a small piece of land (80 feet x 42 feet) which was donated by Richard Ashwin in the 1840s for the purpose of building a school (the present-day Royal British Legion building). In 1912, the land was sold as Lot 16, along with the rest of the Ashwin estate, by public auction on 10th June at The King’s Head Hotel, Evesham. It was bought by the tenant, Mr F Thould.
With regard to the southern half of Manor Close, in 1812, at the time of the Badsey Enclosure Act, this plot of land was an old enclosure called Cherry Orchard which belonged to Edward Wilson. On 23rd July 1866, Edward Wilson tried to sell the orchard, together with the Manor House, at an auction at The Northwick Arms Hotel, Evesham. It remained unsold, however, and it was not until the 20th century that it was sold.