Hanham
Encyclopedia
Hanham is a village on the eastern outskirts of Bristol
, England
, situated on the A431
between Bristol, Bath and Keynsham
. It is in the unitary authority
of South Gloucestershire
. It became a civil parish on April 1, 2003.
The village is reputed to have one of the oldest public house
s in Britain, The Blue Bowl - thought to have started life as a tavern for Roman
soldiers. There is no firm evidence for the age of the pub but Roman coins have been discovered nearby and St Lyte wrote in 1480 that it was an old established hostelry.
It is the site of Hanham Lock
on the River Avon
.
George Whitefield
first preached in the open air on Hanham Mount to Kingswood miners in 1739. Because he was soon to go to Georgia
he introduced John Wesley
to his congregation and to open air preaching, a great novelty in 18th century Britain. A replica pulpit was erected in honour of this, as well as commemorative plaques.
For the 1950s Festival of Britain an 80 ft high beacon was erected in honour of Baptists who suffered persecution during the period 1662 to 1689. In 2007 it was replaced by a newer, taller and brighter beacon, the former one having been considered unsafe.
Oliver Cromwell
also stayed in the village, at the Blue Bowl Inn, which was used as his regional headquarters.
Tom Cribb
, once world champion bare-knuckle
boxer
, was born in Hanham.
Resident John Horwood
was convicted and hung for the murder of his girlfriend in 1821. His skeleton was kept hanging in a cupboard at Bristol University until its burial in 2011.
Memorial Road has a Memorial Cottage at the entrance of Christchurch and Hanham High School. It was built in memory of a local hero John Chiddy, for his widow and family. John Chiddy was killed by an express train whilst removing a large stone from the metals of the Great Western Railway near Conham, March 31, 1876'.
Brave Hero John Chiddy from Hanham 'He leapt to die, and for a hundred lives he gave his one'.
It is served by bus services 6, 44, 44A, 45, 332 and N3
Cliff Britton
was born in Hanham in 1909. He was famous as an Everton
and England
footballer and later as manager of Burnley F.C.
, Everton
, Preston North End
and Hull City
.
Stephen Merchant
was born in Hanham and attended local school Hanham High. He is co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcoms The Office
and Extras with Ricky Gervais
.
Hanham also has had an influence on the Bristol music scene. DJ Riski Bizniz of One Cut lives in Hanham, as well as Bob Savage and Jenre of Quel Est La Date who also attended Hanham High. Jack Higgins of punk
band TLi also lived in Hanham along with previous members Matthew Crane, Ryan Hughes, Daniel Harvey and also Ex pop idol contestant Rik Waller
all of which also attend Hanham High.
Hanham will also be the first place in the UK to trial Gordon Brown's
new eco-towns. Built on a former hospital site, the new village will serve as a blueprint for Gordon Brown's proposed five eco-towns that will provide up to 100,000 zero-carbon dwellings across the country.
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...
, 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 on the A431
A431 road
The A431 is an A road running from Bristol to Bath in England. It runs parallel to, and about to the north of, the A4, the principal route between Bristol and Bath on the south side of the River Avon....
between Bristol, Bath and Keynsham
Keynsham
Keynsham is a town and civil parish between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, south-west England. It has a population of 15,533.It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham, which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne....
. It is in the unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, in South West England.-History:The district was created in 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished, by the merger of former area of the districts of Kingswood and Northavon...
. It became a civil parish on April 1, 2003.
The village is reputed to have one of the oldest public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s in Britain, The Blue Bowl - thought to have started life as a tavern for Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
soldiers. There is no firm evidence for the age of the pub but Roman coins have been discovered nearby and St Lyte wrote in 1480 that it was an old established hostelry.
It is the site of Hanham Lock
Hanham Lock
Hanham Lock is situated on the River Avon, at the village of Hanham near Bristol, England.Hanham Lock is the first lock east of Netham where boats leave the Bristol Floating Harbour. A weir carries the river and boats use the adjacent lock. It is numbered as 1 and is officially the first on the...
on the River Avon
River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other River Avons in Britain, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
.
George Whitefield
George Whitefield
George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...
first preached in the open air on Hanham Mount to Kingswood miners in 1739. Because he was soon to go to Georgia
Province of Georgia
The Province of Georgia was one of the Southern colonies in British America. It was the last of the thirteen original colonies established by Great Britain in what later became the United States...
he introduced John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
to his congregation and to open air preaching, a great novelty in 18th century Britain. A replica pulpit was erected in honour of this, as well as commemorative plaques.
For the 1950s Festival of Britain an 80 ft high beacon was erected in honour of Baptists who suffered persecution during the period 1662 to 1689. In 2007 it was replaced by a newer, taller and brighter beacon, the former one having been considered unsafe.
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
also stayed in the village, at the Blue Bowl Inn, which was used as his regional headquarters.
Tom Cribb
Tom Cribb
Tom Cribb was an English bare-knuckle boxer of the 19th century, so successful that he became world champion. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.-Life:...
, once world champion bare-knuckle
Bare-knuckle
Bare-knuckle means without gloves, bandages or any other protection for and/or dangerous 'arming' of the knuckles, a larger part or even the whole hand...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, was born in Hanham.
Resident John Horwood
John Horwood
John Horwood was convicted of murder in Bristol, England, in 1821. He was the first person to be hanged at Bristol New Gaol. His skeleton was retained, and most recently was kept hanging in a cupboard at Bristol University with the noose still around its neck...
was convicted and hung for the murder of his girlfriend in 1821. His skeleton was kept hanging in a cupboard at Bristol University until its burial in 2011.
Memorial Road has a Memorial Cottage at the entrance of Christchurch and Hanham High School. It was built in memory of a local hero John Chiddy, for his widow and family. John Chiddy was killed by an express train whilst removing a large stone from the metals of the Great Western Railway near Conham, March 31, 1876'.
Brave Hero John Chiddy from Hanham 'He leapt to die, and for a hundred lives he gave his one'.
It is served by bus services 6, 44, 44A, 45, 332 and N3
Cliff Britton
Cliff Britton
Clifford Samuel Britton was a footballer and football manager. He was born 29 August 1909 in Hanham in Bristol and died 1 December 1975.-Playing career:...
was born in Hanham in 1909. He was famous as an Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
footballer and later as manager of Burnley F.C.
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
and Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
.
Stephen Merchant
Stephen Merchant
Stephen James Merchant is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, as the co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcom The Office, as the co-writer, co-director and a co-star of Extras, and as the...
was born in Hanham and attended local school Hanham High. He is co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcoms The Office
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
and Extras with Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
.
Hanham also has had an influence on the Bristol music scene. DJ Riski Bizniz of One Cut lives in Hanham, as well as Bob Savage and Jenre of Quel Est La Date who also attended Hanham High. Jack Higgins of punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band TLi also lived in Hanham along with previous members Matthew Crane, Ryan Hughes, Daniel Harvey and also Ex pop idol contestant Rik Waller
Rik Waller
Rik Waller is an English singer.-Pop Idol:Waller is best known for being a finalist in the first series of the British ITV television series Pop Idol...
all of which also attend Hanham High.
Hanham will also be the first place in the UK to trial Gordon Brown's
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
new eco-towns. Built on a former hospital site, the new village will serve as a blueprint for Gordon Brown's proposed five eco-towns that will provide up to 100,000 zero-carbon dwellings across the country.