St Mary de Wyche

The parish of Wychbold was carved out of the large parish of Dodderhill in the 19th century, as salt works and housing developed around Stoke. John Corbett gave land for the church and vicarage and contributed largely to the cost of the building. The church was opened in 1888, with sandstone exterior and brick interior. The tower is large and placed unusually at the southeast: it contains six bells. In the church are fittings made by the Bromsgrove Guild.

Due to being built on the line of the underground brine stream, the church has been affected by subsidence caused by excessive pumping of the brine in the early 19th century. The levels inside the church are noticeably strange, especially the angle of the west wall. In 2004 major alterations were made to the interior, levelling the floor in places, and inserting kitchen and toilet facilities. If you go to the east end of the church and look west, you will get some idea of the difficulties encountered when this job was done!

In the churchyard are graves of the Amphlett family of Wychbold Hall, of the first Vicar, Rev. Mole, and a stone to “the memory of fifty infants gathered to their Saviour’s bosom” which is a mystery.