Hewelsfield
Encyclopedia
Hewelsfield is a village and parish in the Forest of Dean District
of Gloucestershire
, England
. It is located 6 miles south of Coleford
and 5 miles north-east of Chepstow
, close to the Wye valley
and partly within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
. The parish also includes the separate village of Brockweir
.
in the Royal Forest of Dean
, but by the 12th century was established as a village with church. Ancient routes running up from the River Severn
at Alvington
and Woolaston
met at Hewelsfield village and continued to the nearby village of St. Briavels. In 1266 the manor of Hewelsfield was granted to Tintern Abbey
, which retained it until the Dissolution
in 1536. Together with the abbey grange at Brockweir, the manor was then granted to Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
.
The parish church of St. Mary Magdalen has a Norman nave; an Early English chancel; and a north transept enlarged in the 16th century. The churchyard is circular in form, which is often taken to suggest a pagan
site or Celtic
foundation. There is evidence
of a small motte and bailey castle close to the church, and earthworks close to the castle suggest either a deserted medieval village or field boundaries. A separate ancient field system exists close to Hewelsfield Court.
The village was designated a Conservation Area
in 1990.
, was occupied and developed in a piecemeal fashion by squatters in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Later in the 19th century, encouraged partly by the opening of the Wye Valley Railway
on the Monmouthshire
side of the river in 1876, private residents and retired people settled in the area and enlarged the cottages or built new houses.
in December 2004, when he described the project as "a triumph of community spirit".
The community shop was set up after the previous village shop closed down. It includes a café, general store and food outlet, post office, library kiosk, art gallery and IT training suite. The building is of traditional oak construction combined with sustainable technology, and aims to be environmentally friendly with photovoltaic roof shingles producing electricity, the excess from which is exported back to the national grid. The building also has a geothermal heating system drawing energy from the ground under the village playing field. The project cost around £375,000 and support came from many different sources, including Defra and the Countryside Agency
.
Forest of Dean (district)
Forest of Dean is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England, named after the Forest of Dean. Its council is based in Coleford. Other towns in the district include Cinderford, Newent and Tidenham....
of 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...
. It is located 6 miles south of Coleford
Coleford, Gloucestershire
Coleford is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England in the west of the Forest of Dean with a population of 8,351 . It is situated some four miles east of the Welsh border, and is close to the Wye Valley, a popular walking and canoeing area...
and 5 miles north-east of Chepstow
Chepstow
Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
, close to the Wye valley
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
and partly within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. The parish also includes the separate village of Brockweir
Brockweir
Brockweir is a small village on the eastern bank of the River Wye, within the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. A road bridge links it across the river to Monmouthshire, Wales, about a mile outside the village of Tintern and 7½ miles north of Chepstow...
.
History
The area was known in the Anglo-Saxon period as Hiwoldestone. It was included by William the ConquerorWilliam I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
in the Royal Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
, but by the 12th century was established as a village with church. Ancient routes running up from the River 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...
at Alvington
Alvington
Alvington is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England, situated on the A48 road, six miles north-east of Chepstow in Wales. The parish has a total population of 484.- History of Alvington:...
and Woolaston
Woolaston
Woolaston is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire in South West England. It lies on the north side of the Severn Estuary approximately 5 miles from the Welsh border at Chepstow and is surrounded by woodland and agricultural land.-The Village and its...
met at Hewelsfield village and continued to the nearby village of St. Briavels. In 1266 the manor of Hewelsfield was granted to Tintern Abbey
Tintern Abbey
Tintern Abbey was founded by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow, on 9 May 1131. It is situated in the village of Tintern, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, which forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England. It was only the second Cistercian...
, which retained it until the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1536. Together with the abbey grange at Brockweir, the manor was then granted to Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester was an English nobleman, son of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester and Elizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness Herbert. On his father's death on 15 April 1526, he succeeded as the second Earl of Worcester...
.
The parish church of St. Mary Magdalen has a Norman nave; an Early English chancel; and a north transept enlarged in the 16th century. The churchyard is circular in form, which is often taken to suggest a pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
site or Celtic
Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
foundation. There is evidence
Hewelsfield Motte
The Hewelsfield Motte is a roughly circular mound, thought to be a medieval motte built soon after the Norman conquest of England. It is located about southwest of St. Mary Magdalene's church at Hewelsfield, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. There is no evidence of any masonry...
of a small motte and bailey castle close to the church, and earthworks close to the castle suggest either a deserted medieval village or field boundaries. A separate ancient field system exists close to Hewelsfield Court.
The village was designated a Conservation Area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
in 1990.
Hewelsfield Common
The area known as Hewelsfield Common, west of the village and sloping down to the River WyeRiver Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
, was occupied and developed in a piecemeal fashion by squatters in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Later in the 19th century, encouraged partly by the opening of the Wye Valley Railway
Wye Valley Railway
The Wye Valley Railway was a standard gauge railway that ran for nearly between Chepstow and Monmouth along the lower part of the scenic Wye Valley in Monmouthshire, Wales, and Gloucestershire, England. It followed the route of the River Wye for most of its length...
on the Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
side of the river in 1876, private residents and retired people settled in the area and enlarged the cottages or built new houses.
Village Community Shop
The Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop and Cafe is established as a non-profit making community enterprise, staffed by volunteers from the local community. It was opened by the Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
in December 2004, when he described the project as "a triumph of community spirit".
The community shop was set up after the previous village shop closed down. It includes a café, general store and food outlet, post office, library kiosk, art gallery and IT training suite. The building is of traditional oak construction combined with sustainable technology, and aims to be environmentally friendly with photovoltaic roof shingles producing electricity, the excess from which is exported back to the national grid. The building also has a geothermal heating system drawing energy from the ground under the village playing field. The project cost around £375,000 and support came from many different sources, including Defra and the Countryside Agency
Countryside Agency
The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The Agency was formed by merging the Countryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission...
.