Churchdown, Gloucestershire
Encyclopedia
Churchdown is a village
in Gloucestershire
, England
, situated between Gloucester
and Cheltenham
.
The village is unusual in having two centres. The old centre is near St Andrew's Church; the new centre is near St John's Church. Churchdown is a relatively large village, with a population of 11,261 (2001).
Churchdown is located in a semi-rural environment; so close to the city of Gloucester
as to be treated by many as a suburb, but surrounded on three sides by open countryside. The local landmark is Churchdown Hill (also known as Chosen Hill), which rises to 154m above sea level
and has views over the Vale of Severn
and to the Cotswolds
, Gloucester
, Cheltenham
, the Malverns and Wales
. The hill is home to the historic sites of Mussell Well and the "Roman" Steps, and a radio transmitter broadcasting BBC Radio Gloucestershire
and Six reservoirs operated by Severn Trent Water
.
Churchdown borders Imjin Barracks to the North and the district of Innsworth
to the North West.
. At a local government level, Churchdown is represented as two wards - Churchdown Brookfield (the southern half of Churchdown also known locally as Churchdown Village) and Churchdown St John's (the northern half near St John's church). For European Parliament
purposes, it lies within the South West Region
.
brought prosperity to the northern (St John's) end of the village. This was succeeded by a road between Cheltenham and Gloucester along a similar route (called Cheltenham Road East as it traverses Churchdown), which was once part of the main trunk road from London
to Fishguard
. This road now provides access to Cheltenham and Gloucester, and also to the M5
via the Golden Valley Bypass section of the A40
.
on the main line between Birmingham
and Bristol
. Little remains of the station itself next to what is now Station Close, but through traffic continues.
(still known locally as Staverton) and light aircraft
are a regular feature in the skies above the village.
Churchdown has six schools, including two secondary school
s - Churchdown School and Chosen Hill School
. There are also several primary schools ; Churchdown Parton Manor Infant and Junior Schools, St. Mary's Catholic School and Churchdown Village Infant and Junior Schools.
Youth football is active through the Churchdown Panthers, who play mostly in the Cheltenham FA league. The club does not have a club house, but uses local public pitches. It is mostly run by parents.
The Chosen Hill Former Pupils rugby club first team plays in the South West League and has an active youth section.
The park on the north side of the village has a skate board ramp and a number of public football pitches.
Churchdown has three Church of England
Churches: St John's, St Andrew's and St Bartholomew's. There are also the Evangelical
Golden Valley Church which meets at Parton Manor School, Catholic
Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour on Cheltenham Road East and Churchdown Methodist Church on Chapel Hay Lane. St Bartholemew's is on the top of Churchdown Hill, built upon the site of a pre-Christian, Iron Age settlement.
Churchdown has several interesting old structures including the Old School House on The Green, where the first village school was held, Ye Old House on Sandfield Road (thought to have been built in the 16th century, Dunstan Cottage in Chapel Hay Lane and The Cottage on Oldbury Orchard.
Chosen Hill was made famous by composer Herbert Howells
. His Piano Quartet is dedicated "to the hill at Chosen and Ivor Gurney
who knows it".
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...
in Gloucestershire
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...
, situated between 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....
and Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
.
The village is unusual in having two centres. The old centre is near St Andrew's Church; the new centre is near St John's Church. Churchdown is a relatively large village, with a population of 11,261 (2001).
Location
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....
as to be treated by many as a suburb, but surrounded on three sides by open countryside. The local landmark is Churchdown Hill (also known as Chosen Hill), which rises to 154m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
and has views over the Vale of Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
and to the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, 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....
, Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, the Malverns and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The hill is home to the historic sites of Mussell Well and the "Roman" Steps, and a radio transmitter broadcasting BBC Radio Gloucestershire
BBC Radio Gloucestershire
BBC Radio Gloucestershire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Gloucestershire, which started on 3 October 1988. It broadcasts from its studios in London Rd, Gloucester on 95 , 95.8 , 104.7 FM, 1413 in the Cotswolds & Forest of Dean AM and over the internet.-Transmitters:The...
and Six reservoirs operated by Severn Trent Water
Severn Trent
Severn Trent plc is a British public utility. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.Severn Trent is a group of companies employing more than 15,000 people across the UK, US and mainland Europe, with some involvement in the Middle East.The main...
.
Churchdown borders Imjin Barracks to the North and the district of Innsworth
Innsworth
Innsworth is a suburb of Gloucester, it is a civil parish and forms part of the borough of Tewkesbury.It contains Imjin Barracks, the home of HQ ARRC, which moved from Germany in 2010...
to the North West.
Administrative
Churchdown is within the parliamentary constituency of TewkesburyTewkesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Tewkesbury is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. At a local government level, Churchdown is represented as two wards - Churchdown Brookfield (the southern half of Churchdown also known locally as Churchdown Village) and Churchdown St John's (the northern half near St John's church). For European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
purposes, it lies within the South West Region
South West England (European Parliament constituency)
South West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, reduced from 7 in 2004.-Boundaries:...
.
Transport and travel
Churchdown has long benefited from a convenient location along routes between larger settlements. The Gloucester and Cheltenham TramroadGloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad
The Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad, also known as the Gloucester and Cheltenham Railway, connected Gloucester with Cheltenham with horse-drawn trams. Its primary economic purpose was the transport of coal from Gloucester's docks to the rapidly-developing spa town of Cheltenham, and onwards to...
brought prosperity to the northern (St John's) end of the village. This was succeeded by a road between Cheltenham and Gloucester along a similar route (called Cheltenham Road East as it traverses Churchdown), which was once part of the main trunk road from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
. This road now provides access to Cheltenham and Gloucester, and also to the M5
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
via the Golden Valley Bypass section of the A40
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
.
Rail
From 1874 until 1964 Churchdown was served by a railway stationChurchdown railway station
Churchdown railway station was situated on the main line between Birmingham and Bristol.-History:thumb|Up holiday express from Torbay near Churchdown in 1957...
on the main line between Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. Little remains of the station itself next to what is now Station Close, but through traffic continues.
Air
Churchdown is adjacent to Gloucestershire AirportGloucestershire Airport
Gloucestershire Airport , formerly Staverton Airport, is located at Staverton, in the Borough of Tewkesbury within Gloucestershire, England. It lies west of Cheltenham, near the city of Gloucester and close to the M5 motorway. According to the sign at the airport's entrance it is Gloucestershire's...
(still known locally as Staverton) and light aircraft
Light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross take-off weight of or less.Many aircraft used commercially for freight, sightseeing, photography and scheduled flights are light aircraft.Examples of light aircraft include:...
are a regular feature in the skies above the village.
Bus
Local bus services are operated by Stagecoach west. Three services pass through Churchdown: The 94 between Cheltenham and Gloucester passes through on Cheltenham Road east, every 10 minutes. There are also the 97/98 routes, which also run between Cheltenham and Gloucester, but take a different, longer route between the two towns. In the village, the 97 runs via Parton Road and the 98 via Pirton Lane.Publications
Residents enjoy the Churchdown Magazine, which is produced bimonthly and is delivered free of charge to 5100 households. It includes articles of local interest, advertisements and details of local events, and has been in print since 1974.Education
- See also List of schools in Gloucestershire
Churchdown has six schools, including two secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s - Churchdown School and Chosen Hill School
Chosen Hill School
Chosen Hill School is a large co-educational academy state school in the village of Churchdown in Gloucestershire, England, between Cheltenham and Gloucester. It is a dual specialist Technology College and Language College, and a Beacon School. The school was recently mentioned in The Daily...
. There are also several primary schools ; Churchdown Parton Manor Infant and Junior Schools, St. Mary's Catholic School and Churchdown Village Infant and Junior Schools.
Sport and leisure
Churchdown has an eighteen hole golf course and driving range on its outskirts at Brickhampton, and an inline and skateboard facility at Churchdown Park. Churchdown also boasts numerous football pitches and rugby pitches, as well as sports halls at both Churchdown and Chosen hill schools.Youth football is active through the Churchdown Panthers, who play mostly in the Cheltenham FA league. The club does not have a club house, but uses local public pitches. It is mostly run by parents.
The Chosen Hill Former Pupils rugby club first team plays in the South West League and has an active youth section.
The park on the north side of the village has a skate board ramp and a number of public football pitches.
Churches
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...
Churches: St John's, St Andrew's and St Bartholomew's. There are also the Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Golden Valley Church which meets at Parton Manor School, Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour on Cheltenham Road East and Churchdown Methodist Church on Chapel Hay Lane. St Bartholemew's is on the top of Churchdown Hill, built upon the site of a pre-Christian, Iron Age settlement.
Historic buildings
Other information
The village has two main rows of shops and two pubs - the Hare and Hounds near St John's, and the Bat and Ball near St Andrew's. There is also a Working Men's Club (Churchdown Social Club) located in Church Road where games of bowls and tennis sometimes take place, and Churchdown Community Centre in Parton Road in which various functions are held and skittles on two alleys.Chosen Hill was made famous by composer Herbert Howells
Herbert Howells
Herbert Norman Howells CH was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.-Life:...
. His Piano Quartet is dedicated "to the hill at Chosen and Ivor Gurney
Ivor Gurney
Ivor Bertie Gurney was an English composer and poet.-Life:Born at 3 Queen Street, Gloucester in 1890, the second of four children of David Gurney, a tailor, and his wife Florence, a seamstress, Gurney showed musical ability early...
who knows it".