Barnwood
Encyclopedia
Barnwood, in Gloucestershire
, England
is situated on the old Roman road
that connects the City of Gloucester
with Hucclecote
, Brockworth and Cirencester
.
Barnwood was originally a small village
and St Lawrence Church, which is situated about two miles east of the city centre of Gloucester, is a traditional Church of England
parish
stone building known for The Barnwood Guild of Church Bellringers, inaugurated in 1952. However, bell ringing has a long history in the Gloucester area and Barnwood had long been a part of it when its activities were disrupted by World War II
.
Further up the same Roman road is the village of Hucclecote which is next in line to Brockworth where many famous aircraft have been produced in the past.
The inventor, Sir Charles Wheatstone
was born on 6 February 1802, at Barnwood Manor House. There now is a local pub (The Wheatstone Inn) named after him.
The Generation Design and Construction Division of the CEGB
became the centre of a new office development when it moved there in the early 1970s. This then became the corporate headquarters of Nuclear Electric
, and later the English offices of the (nominally Scottish-based) British Energy
. Other major companies in Barnwood include Capita
, Cheltenham & Gloucester
, Defra
, Highways Agency
, Holiday Inn
, InterCall
, Sainsbury's and Virgin Active
to name a few.
is set on the grounds of the Barnwood House Hospital
which was closed in 1968 and finally demolished in 2000. The arboretum consists of an enclosed woodland area that is cared and conserved for by Gloucester City Council in conjunction with the Friends of Barnwood Arboretum(FOBA). The Arboretum's main entrance is located off Church Lane, Barnwood and provides its visitors with various habitats, for example, grassland
and wetland
, and is set amongst a collection of mature native and exotic specimen trees.
They have their own web site at http://barnwoodarboretumpark.yolasite.com/
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
is situated on the old Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
that connects the City of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
with Hucclecote
Hucclecote
Hucclecote is an affluent and sought-after village in Gloucestershire , England situated on the old Roman road connecting Gloucester with Barnwood, Brockworth, Cirencester and Cheltenham...
, Brockworth and Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
.
Barnwood was originally a small village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and St Lawrence Church, which is situated about two miles east of the city centre of Gloucester, is a traditional Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
stone building known for The Barnwood Guild of Church Bellringers, inaugurated in 1952. However, bell ringing has a long history in the Gloucester area and Barnwood had long been a part of it when its activities were disrupted by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Further up the same Roman road is the village of Hucclecote which is next in line to Brockworth where many famous aircraft have been produced in the past.
The inventor, Sir Charles Wheatstone
Charles Wheatstone
Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS , was an English scientist and inventor of many scientific breakthroughs of the Victorian era, including the English concertina, the stereoscope , and the Playfair cipher...
was born on 6 February 1802, at Barnwood Manor House. There now is a local pub (The Wheatstone Inn) named after him.
The Generation Design and Construction Division of the CEGB
CEGB
The Central Electricity Generating Board was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 40 years; from 1957, to privatisation in the 1990s....
became the centre of a new office development when it moved there in the early 1970s. This then became the corporate headquarters of Nuclear Electric
Nuclear Electric
Nuclear Electric was formed as a result of the privatisation of the UK Electricity Supply Industry.When the Central Electricity Generating Board was split up, its power stations were divided between PowerGen and National Power. The nuclear stations, Magnox, AGR and the then under construction...
, and later the English offices of the (nominally Scottish-based) British Energy
British Energy
British Energy was the UK's largest electricity generation company by volume, before being taken over by Électricité de France in 2009. British Energy operated eight former UK state-owned nuclear power stations and one coal fired power station....
. Other major companies in Barnwood include Capita
Capita Group
The Capita Group Plc , commonly known as Capita Group or Capita, is a business process outsourcing and recruitment company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest business process outsourcing company in the UK, with an overall market share of 27% in 2009, and has clients in...
, Cheltenham & Gloucester
Cheltenham & Gloucester
Cheltenham & Gloucester plc is a mortgage and savings provider in the United Kingdom, a subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group. C&G specialises in mortgages and savings products. Previously, C&G was a building society, known as the Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society. C&G is one of the largest...
, Defra
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
, Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
, Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, InterCall
InterCall
InterCall, a subsidiary of West Corporation, is a conferencing and collaboration service provider. The company claims a customer base of over 1.7 million individual conference leaders in more than 75,000 organizations, 94% of Fortune 100, 88% of the Fortune 500 and 74% of the Fortune 1000.InterCall...
, Sainsbury's and Virgin Active
Virgin Active
Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs in South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company launched in 1998 in Preston, Lancashire as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group....
to name a few.
Arboretum
Barnwood ArboretumArboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
is set on the grounds of the Barnwood House Hospital
Barnwood House Hospital
Barnwood House Hospital was a private mental hospital in Barnwood, Gloucester, England. It was founded by the Gloucester Asylum Trust in 1860 as Barnwood House Institution and later became known as Barnwood House Hospital. The hospital catered for well-to-do patients, with reduced terms for those...
which was closed in 1968 and finally demolished in 2000. The arboretum consists of an enclosed woodland area that is cared and conserved for by Gloucester City Council in conjunction with the Friends of Barnwood Arboretum(FOBA). The Arboretum's main entrance is located off Church Lane, Barnwood and provides its visitors with various habitats, for example, grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
and wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
, and is set amongst a collection of mature native and exotic specimen trees.
Recently
Barnwood arboretum has benefited from improved access, information boards and tree identifications. FOBA also organise a wide range of events throughout the year to encourage local citizens to use the area in an educational manner.They have their own web site at http://barnwoodarboretumpark.yolasite.com/