Slimbridge
Encyclopedia
Dursley
Dursley is a market town in Gloucestershire, England. It is under the North East flank of Stinchcombe Hill , and about 6 km South East of the River Severn. The town is adjacent with Cam which, though a village, is a community of double the size...
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...
.
It is best known as the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is a wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Queen Elizabeth II.It was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist and artist Sir Peter Scott, initially as the Severn Wildfowl Trust...
's Slimbridge Reserve
WWT Slimbridge
WWT Slimbridge is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England. Slimbridge is halfway between Bristol and Gloucester on the estuary of the river Severn. The reserve was the first WWT centre to be opened, on 10 November 1946, thanks to the...
which was started by Sir Peter Scott. The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal
Gloucester and Sharpness Canal
The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal or Gloucester and Berkeley Canal is a canal in the west of England, between Gloucester and Sharpness; for much of its length it runs close to the tidal River Severn, but cuts off a significant loop in the river, at a once-dangerous bend near Arlingham...
runs through the village, and under Patch Bridge which must be crossed to reach the Wildfowl Trust. Damage to the decking of Patch Bridge in October 2007 resulted in a temporary repair being made using steel plates. Unfortunately this had the effect of unbalancing the bridge, which warped and jammed on October 23 2007. The swing bridge was replaced in early 2009. Nearby there is a caravan park and pub. The name of the bridge is echoed by the locals abandoning the "Tudor Arms" name and merely referring to the pub as "The Patch." On the canal towpath, next the bridge, is the Slimbridge Boat Station, which is a cafe, general store and boating resource centre.
The village church of St John the Evangelist dates from the early 13th century and is a grade I listed building.
The village's football club, Slimbridge Football Club
Slimbridge F.C.
Slimbridge Football Club are an English football club representing the village of Slimbridge, near Dursley, Gloucestershire , currently playing in the Hellenic League...
play in the Hellenic Premier Division
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League is an English football league covering an area including the English counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Buckinghamshire, southern Herefordshire, western Greater London, and northern Wiltshire. There is also one team from Hampshire.The league...
as well as competing in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and FA Vase
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System...
. 'The Swans' or 'The Bridge' play their home matches at their ground located in Wisloe Road, Cambridge, just across the A38 from Slimbridge village.
Slimbridge is home to one primary school that takes pupils from Slimbridge and the surrounding village of Cambridge, Gloucestershire
Cambridge, Gloucestershire
Cambridge is a hamlet in the district of Stroud, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the A38 road between Bristol and Gloucester, about three miles from Dursley....
. The school is fairly small consisting of only 4 classes and around 100 pupils. There is also a recreational field in Slimbridge that the Playing Field Committee raised money through the aid of National Lottery funding to build a brand new pavilion.
The 2480 acres (10 km²) Slimbridge Estate is owned by the Ernest Cook Trust
Ernest Cook Trust
The Ernest Cook Trust is a large educational charity in England. It was founded in 1952 by the philanthropist Ernest Cook, the grandson of Thomas Cook...
based on an original purchase in 1945 by Ernest Cook of 1109 acres (4.5 km²) in the parishes of Slimbridge and Gossington out of the sale of outlying portions of the Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK . The castle's origins date back to the 11th century and it has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.The castle has remained within the Berkeley family since they reconstructed it in the...
Estate. The Berkeley Estate had for years been a famous sporting estate although the last Earl of Berkeley, who died young, was more interested in the sciences. Ernest Cook extended the estate further by purchasing Breadstone Farm and Wanswell Court from the Berkeley family.