Twyning is a village on the River Avon in the north 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....

, near 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...

, 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...

. The name derives from the Old English for "between the rivers"; despite its spelling, it is pronounced "twinning".

The village is divided into two parts, the older "Churchend", and "Twyning Green", where the populace are said to have moved to escape the Black Death. It has two pubs, The Fleet Inn by the river and the Village Inn overlooking the village green. Boats have traditionally ferried people up the river Avon from Tewkesbury to enjoy the Fleet's hospitality.

There is also a small shop which houses a post office and a primary school of approximately 150 pupils. There are still a number of original black and white Tudor houses, although many were burned down (illegally) to make way for new developments in years past.

There is recreation complex called TRAC, that contains a park, three tennis courts, a 5-a-side football pitch and a pavilion. The village is fortunate to escape the floods that regularly blight this area, as it is situated on a slope up from the river. However, some properties (especially the riverside Fleet Inn) were affected in the great flood of 2007. The village is surrounded by fishing lakes and various places on the river for anglers.

Churchend

The older part of the village, Churchend, contains the village church which is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene.

Twining Surname

It is thought that the Twining surname is descended from, or at least connected to, the name of the village. A
15th century Abbot

Abbot

The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...

 at Winchcombe Abbey

Winchcombe Abbey

Winchcombe Abbey is a now-vanished Benedictine abbey in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, this abbey was once the capital of Mercia, an Anglo Saxon kingdom at the time of the Heptarchy in England. The Abbey was founded c. 798 for three hundred Benedictine monks, by King Offa of Mercia or King Kenulf. In...

, which is also in Gloucestershire, was called John Twining .

The tea merchants, Twinings

Twinings

Twinings is a marketer of tea based in Andover, Hampshire, England.- History :The founder of Twinings, Thomas Twining, opened the first known tea room, at 216 Strand, London, in 1706, which is still operating today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is one of the world's oldest in continuous use...

, are also thought to originate in Twyning. A branch of the family removed themselves to Painswick

Painswick

Painswick is a small town in Gloucestershire, England. Originally the town grew on the wool trade, but it is now best known for its parish church's yew trees and the local Rococo Garden. The town is mainly constructed of locally quarried Cotswold stone...

in the early middle ages and worked in the wool trade. In the 17th century Thomas Twining moved to London during a period of economic depression and began his tea business.