In the 16th century, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries (and Evesham Abbey) in the 1540s, the manor was sold to the tenants and a new class of land-owning yeomen was set up.

[17] Owned by the National Trust, the Fleece Inn was originally built in the early 15th century as a longhouse by a prosperous yeoman farmer called Byrd.

[18][6] A longhouse is an early type of farmhouse which incorporated accommodation for livestock on the ground floor, alongside the family's living quarters.

There are "witch marks" on the inside of the door as well to ward off evil spirits,[6][20] The BBC has also used the Fleece Inn and the surrounding village green for its 1993 £5 million production of Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit where the pub was renamed the "Blue Dragon" for the duration of shooting.

Its estate covers 7.3 acres (30,000 m2) of grounds next to the church with outbuildings including; stabling, a dovecote from the 12th century, a cider house and an indoor swimming pool.

[23][24] Built in 1785 in neo-Gothic style, Bretforton Hall is a Grade II listed property, standing in 2 acres (8,100 m2) opposite the manor.

Notable features include a full octagonal 3-storey Gothic tower with crenellated parapet, ogee headed windows and battlements.

[6][25] Partially inspired by the decorations at Wells Cathedral, the Grade I listed church building dates from the late 13th century onwards with medieval and some later additions; it seats 140.

[4][26] One window was designed by Frederick Preedy, a renowned Victorian church architects; he was born in 1820 at Offenham, near Evesham, and worked in Worcester before moving to London.