Stoke Orchard
Encyclopedia
Stoke Orchard is a village
or hamlet
north-west of Cheltenham
in Gloucestershire
, England
. Locally the village is often known as 'Stoke'.
Stoke Orchard is in the borough
of Tewkesbury
, the Cheltenham
post town
, and on the Coombe Hill
, Cheltenham
, telephone exchange
. Stoke Orchard neighbours Elmstone-Hardwicke
, Tredington and Bishop's Cleeve
. Politically the village is twinned with neighbouring Tredington, as Stoke Orchard parish. The two villages are part of a large church parish with two other villages nearer to the River Severn
.
Stoke Orchard, in common with many villages in this part of Gloucestershire, has a sizeable church but no shops or pubs. The church has early wall paintings of the life of St James - revealed when the whitewash applied at the time of the English Reformation
was removed.
Stoke Orchard was formerly home to the Coal Research Establishment of the National Coal Board
, which moved onto the site of a Ministry for Aircraft Production shadow factory run by the Gloster Aircraft Company
adjacent to RAF Stoke Orchard
. The village is still home to Stoke Orchard Garage, owned by the Stojanov family who also own the former school at Elmstone-Hardwicke
.
Tredington Primary School was built half way between Stoke and Tredington in order to serve both communities.
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...
or hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
north-west of 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...
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...
. Locally the village is often known as 'Stoke'.
Stoke Orchard is in the borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
, the 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...
post town
Post town
A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system. Including the correct post town in the address increases the chances of a letter or parcel being delivered on time. Post towns are usually based upon the location of...
, and on the Coombe Hill
Coombe Hill, Gloucestershire
Coombe Hill is the name of a hamlet, telephone exchange and the terminus of the disused Coombe Hill Canal, now a nature reserve, in Gloucestershire, England....
, 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...
, telephone exchange
Telephone exchange
In the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
. Stoke Orchard neighbours Elmstone-Hardwicke
Elmstone-Hardwicke
Elmstone Hardwicke is a village and sizeable parish north-west of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England.St Mary Magdelene Church may be considered the hub of the village; its location is...
, Tredington and Bishop's Cleeve
Bishop's Cleeve
Bishop's Cleeve is an urbanised village in the Borough of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England, near Cheltenham. The village lies at the foot of Cleeve Hill, the highest point in the Cotswolds.- History :...
. Politically the village is twinned with neighbouring Tredington, as Stoke Orchard parish. The two villages are part of a large church parish with two other villages nearer to 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...
.
Stoke Orchard, in common with many villages in this part of Gloucestershire, has a sizeable church but no shops or pubs. The church has early wall paintings of the life of St James - revealed when the whitewash applied at the time of the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
was removed.
Stoke Orchard was formerly home to the Coal Research Establishment of the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
, which moved onto the site of a Ministry for Aircraft Production shadow factory run by the Gloster Aircraft Company
Gloster Aircraft Company
The Gloster Aircraft Company, Limited, known locally as GAC, was a British aircraft manufacturer. The company produced a famous lineage of fighters for the Royal Air Force : the Grebe, Gladiator, Meteor and Javelin. It also produced the Hawker Hurricane and Hawker Typhoon for the parent company...
adjacent to RAF Stoke Orchard
RAF Stoke Orchard
RAF Stoke Orchard was a Royal Air Force station near the village of Stoke Orchard, north west of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire during World War II....
. The village is still home to Stoke Orchard Garage, owned by the Stojanov family who also own the former school at Elmstone-Hardwicke
Elmstone-Hardwicke
Elmstone Hardwicke is a village and sizeable parish north-west of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England.St Mary Magdelene Church may be considered the hub of the village; its location is...
.
Tredington Primary School was built half way between Stoke and Tredington in order to serve both communities.