Tutshill
Encyclopedia
Tutshill is a small village within the parish of Tidenham
in the Forest of Dean
, Gloucestershire
, England
. It is located on the eastern bank of the River Wye
, which forms the boundary with Wales
at this point and which separates the village from the town of Chepstow
. The village of Woodcroft
adjoins Tutshill to the north, and across the A48
road to the south is the village of Sedbury
.
, on top of the hill overlooking the Wye and its ancient crossing point at Castleford. and also having a distant view of the River Severn
. The tower is of uncertain date, and has been suggested as either an Anglo-Norman
watchtower linked to Chepstow Castle
, or a later windmill.
After the town of Chepstow developed and a bridge was built over the Wye, the main road between England and Wales followed the steep hill directly up the river bank, now a footpath, between the bridge and Tutshill, until a new road looping around Castleford Hill was opened in 1808. This road carried traffic between the two countries until a new bridge was built at Chepstow in 1988, whereupon Tutshill was bypassed.
. She attended Tutshill Church of England Primary School before moving on at the age of eleven to the nearby Wyedean School in Sedbury. Her childhood home, Church Cottage
, a mid-19th century Gothic-style
Grade II listed buiding designed by the architect Henry Woodyer, was put up for sale in 2011.
The character Severus Snape
in the Harry Potter
books was partly based on Sylvia Morgan, a teacher at her primary school, and on one of her teachers at Wyedean School, John Nettleship
. In the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a passage is set in the Forest of Dean
, where Harry
, Hermione
and Ron
are camping and discover the Sword of Gryffindor where it has been hidden by Snape. Tutshill is also the home of a fictional professional Quidditch
team operating within the Harry Potter universe
. The Tutshill Tornados are one of thirteen fictional Quidditch teams that play in the professional Quidditch League of Britain and Ireland that was established in 1674. The team players wear sky-blue robes emblazoned with a double “T” in dark blue on the chest and back. In the early 20th century the fictional team set a British and Irish record by winning the League Cup five times in a row.
Tidenham
Tidenham is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean of west Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the Welsh border.The parish includes the villages of Tidenham, Beachley, Boughspring, Sedbury, Tutshill and Woodcroft, and according to the United Kingdom Census 2001 had a population of 5,316...
in the Forest of Dean
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....
, 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 on the eastern bank of the River Wye
River 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:...
, which forms the boundary with 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...
at this point and which separates the village from the town 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...
. The village of Woodcroft
Woodcroft, Gloucestershire
Woodcroft is a small village in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the eastern bank of the River Wye, opposite Piercefield House, two miles north of the Welsh town of Chepstow...
adjoins Tutshill to the north, and across the A48
A48 road
The A48 is a major trunk road in Great Britain. It runs from the A40 at Highnam west of Gloucester to the A40 at Carmarthen. Before the construction of the M4 motorway and the first Severn Bridge in the mid 1960s it was the principal route into South Wales. For most of its journey through Wales,...
road to the south is the village of Sedbury
Sedbury
Sedbury is a village in the Forest of Dean district of west Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the eastern bank of the River Wye, facing the Welsh town of Chepstow...
.
History
The name derives from the ruined "tut", a local term for watchtowerWatchtower
A watchtower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military, and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may...
, on top of the hill overlooking the Wye and its ancient crossing point at Castleford. and also having a distant view of 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...
. The tower is of uncertain date, and has been suggested as either an Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
watchtower linked to Chepstow Castle
Chepstow Castle
Chepstow Castle , located in Chepstow, Monmouthshire in Wales, on top of cliffs overlooking the River Wye, is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain...
, or a later windmill.
After the town of Chepstow developed and a bridge was built over the Wye, the main road between England and Wales followed the steep hill directly up the river bank, now a footpath, between the bridge and Tutshill, until a new road looping around Castleford Hill was opened in 1808. This road carried traffic between the two countries until a new bridge was built at Chepstow in 1988, whereupon Tutshill was bypassed.
J. K. Rowling
The village was the childhood home, from the age of nine in 1974, of the author J. K. RowlingJ. K. Rowling
Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...
. She attended Tutshill Church of England Primary School before moving on at the age of eleven to the nearby Wyedean School in Sedbury. Her childhood home, Church Cottage
Church Cottage, Tutshill
Church Cottage in the village of Tutshill, Gloucestershire, England, is a Grade II listed building, thought to have been designed by the architect Henry Woodyer. It was the childhood home, between the ages of 9 and 18, of Joanne Rowling, author Church Cottage in the village of Tutshill,...
, a mid-19th century Gothic-style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Grade II listed buiding designed by the architect Henry Woodyer, was put up for sale in 2011.
The character Severus Snape
Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel of the series, he is hostile toward Harry and is built up to be the primary antagonist until the final chapters. As the series progresses, Snape's character becomes more layered and...
in the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
books was partly based on Sylvia Morgan, a teacher at her primary school, and on one of her teachers at Wyedean School, John Nettleship
John Nettleship
John Lawrence Nettleship was a British schoolteacher who taught chemistry at Wyedean School, Gloucestershire. His pupils there included Joanne Rowling, whose mother worked for some time as an assistant in his department...
. In the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a passage is set in the 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...
, where Harry
Harry Potter (character)
Harry James Potter is the title character and main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard...
, Hermione
Hermione Granger
Hermione Jean Granger is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts...
and Ron
Ron Weasley
Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger...
are camping and discover the Sword of Gryffindor where it has been hidden by Snape. Tutshill is also the home of a fictional professional Quidditch
Quidditch
Quidditch is a fictional sport developed by British author J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter series of novels. It is described as an extremely rough, but very popular, semi-contact sport, played by wizards and witches around the world...
team operating within the Harry Potter universe
Harry Potter universe
The fictional universe of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of fantasy novels comprises two separate and distinct societies: the wizarding world and the Muggle world...
. The Tutshill Tornados are one of thirteen fictional Quidditch teams that play in the professional Quidditch League of Britain and Ireland that was established in 1674. The team players wear sky-blue robes emblazoned with a double “T” in dark blue on the chest and back. In the early 20th century the fictional team set a British and Irish record by winning the League Cup five times in a row.