Wickwar
Encyclopedia
Wickwar is a village in South Gloucestershire between Chipping Sodbury
and Charfield
. It is famous for its football
club and its high street
. The Wickwar brewery is a popular local producer of cask ale
.
It is on the main Bristol
-Birmingham
railway line, and once had a station
, but this closed in January 1965. Just to the south the line passes through a tunnel 1,401 yards in length. Wickwar also lies near to the source of the Little Avon River
, which rises in woodland to the east.
The place-name 'Wickwar' is first attested in the Domesday Book
of 1086, where it appears as 'Wichen', meaning 'dairy farm or settlement'. The manor was given to John la Warre by King John and was held by Roger la Warre in 1285, when it was referred to as 'Warre Wyke'. Warre is a Norman family name which gave its name to Wickwar.
The village originally lay on the Old Saltway from Droitwich to Chipping Sodbury
and Pucklechurch
, and was developed in the late 13th century by the de la Warre family with the establishment of a market in 1285. The main street, the present High Street, was laid out around the market place with uniform burgage
plots and rear access lanes. Burghers paid an annual fixed rent to the overlord, but they could sell their tenancies much as in the free market today. In addition they often carried on trades and crafts which, together with their property rights, distinguished them from the feudal peasant. Livestock were often kept on the burgage plots behind the house, and this necessitated the rear access lane.
The original settlement of Wickwar was located around the church and Poole Court, a 16th-century Manor House demolished in the 19th century, to the north of the village. All that remains of the Manor is its terraced garden, south-west of the church, which formerly stood on the edge of a lake. The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity is set on a small hill and is of 12th-century origin. It was extensively remodelled in the 14th and 15th centuries and was restored
c.1881 by W L Bernard. Inside there is an interesting sculpture of St John the Baptist dated 1496, which was originally housed at Poole Court.
To the north of the church, within the churchyard is the Sunday School
, built in 1837 in a Gothic revival style. The churchyard also has a number of chest tombs, which represent a good collection of local and classical tomb forms and contribute greatly to the setting of the church.
The Old Rectory to the west of the church dates from 1864 and was built by George Devey
for the Earl of Ducie
. It is an impressive house with an interesting doorway surmounted by the Earl of Ducie's coronet.
Another interesting building is the Old Grammar School, founded in 1684 by Alexander Hosea for poor children of the village.
The High Street has a fine collection of mostly 18th-century fronted, rendered or stuccoed houses, including Albert House and the Police station. The Town Hall c.1795 is also an impressive building, with arched openings and a bellcote with pinnacle. The Town Hall clock mechanism is also important, thought to date from 1660.
Entering Wickwar from the north, via West End Road or the B4509, the walls that line the road are of local stone and form a strong feature contributing to the village character. Furthermore, the views of the Old Rectory and the church behind high on the hill, provide a focal point to the town.
The area around the church and the Old Rectory is an attractive landscape with clumps of trees adding to the scene. The pathway to the Church is a distinctive local feature lined by mature trees as it rises steeply up the hill. The terraced gardens of the former Poole Court also add interest, with the tower to the south - the air shaft of the railway tunnel - beneath the site of the drained lake.
This area of the town is particularly attractive, with the undulating landscape and openness contrasting with the inward facing town centre. The views from the churchyard are also splendid, with the Nibley Monument to William Tyndale
clearly visible on the horizon and the Somerset Monument to Lord Edward Somerset
to the right, both notable landmarks.
The buildings on High Street are largely two-storey with varying roof lines, heights and facades. These features, coupled with the assortment of clay-tiled and Cotswold stone slate roofs, and rendered, stucco or stone houses add interest to the general street scene. This is further enforced by the use of colour on the buildings, varying from pink to yellow.
limestone in Wickwar Quarry. These are possibly tectite deposits, formed as molten material ejected by a meteorite impact fell back to Earth.
Chipping Sodbury
Chipping Sodbury is a market town in the county of South Gloucestershire, south-west England, founded in the 12th century by William Crassus . The villages of Old Sodbury and Little Sodbury are nearby...
and Charfield
Charfield
Charfield is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England lying near the Little Avon River and south-west of the town of Wotton-under-Edge....
. It is famous for its football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club and its high street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
. The Wickwar brewery is a popular local producer of cask ale
Cask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
.
It is on the main Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
-Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
railway line, and once had a station
Wickwar railway station
Wickwar railway station served the village of Wickwar in South Gloucestershire, England. The station was on the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, originally a broad gauge line overseen by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but later taken over by the Midland Railway and converted to standard gauge.Wickwar...
, but this closed in January 1965. Just to the south the line passes through a tunnel 1,401 yards in length. Wickwar also lies near to the source of the Little Avon River
Little Avon River
The Little Avon River is a small river partly in southern Gloucestershire and partly in South Gloucestershire. For much of its length it forms the boundary between the county of Gloucestershire and the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. It rises to the east of Wickwar, near Horton, passes...
, which rises in woodland to the east.
History
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086, where it appears as 'Wichen', meaning 'dairy farm or settlement'. The manor was given to John la Warre by King John and was held by Roger la Warre in 1285, when it was referred to as 'Warre Wyke'. Warre is a Norman family name which gave its name to Wickwar.
The village originally lay on the Old Saltway from Droitwich to Chipping Sodbury
Chipping Sodbury
Chipping Sodbury is a market town in the county of South Gloucestershire, south-west England, founded in the 12th century by William Crassus . The villages of Old Sodbury and Little Sodbury are nearby...
and Pucklechurch
Pucklechurch
Pucklechurch is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom.- Location :Pucklechurch is a historic village with an incredibly rich past, from the Bronze Age with its tumulus on Shortwood Hill, up to the siting of a barrage balloon depot in World War II...
, and was developed in the late 13th century by the de la Warre family with the establishment of a market in 1285. The main street, the present High Street, was laid out around the market place with uniform burgage
Burgage
Burgage is a medieval land term used in England and Scotland, well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town rental property , owned by a king or lord. The property usually, and distinctly, consisted of a house on a long and narrow plot of land, with the narrow end facing the street...
plots and rear access lanes. Burghers paid an annual fixed rent to the overlord, but they could sell their tenancies much as in the free market today. In addition they often carried on trades and crafts which, together with their property rights, distinguished them from the feudal peasant. Livestock were often kept on the burgage plots behind the house, and this necessitated the rear access lane.
The original settlement of Wickwar was located around the church and Poole Court, a 16th-century Manor House demolished in the 19th century, to the north of the village. All that remains of the Manor is its terraced garden, south-west of the church, which formerly stood on the edge of a lake. The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity is set on a small hill and is of 12th-century origin. It was extensively remodelled in the 14th and 15th centuries and was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
c.1881 by W L Bernard. Inside there is an interesting sculpture of St John the Baptist dated 1496, which was originally housed at Poole Court.
To the north of the church, within the churchyard is the Sunday School
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
, built in 1837 in a Gothic revival style. The churchyard also has a number of chest tombs, which represent a good collection of local and classical tomb forms and contribute greatly to the setting of the church.
The Old Rectory to the west of the church dates from 1864 and was built by George Devey
George Devey
George Devey was a British architect, born in London, the second son of Frederick and Ann Devey. Devey was educated in London, after leaving school he initially studied art, with an ambition to become a professional artist...
for the Earl of Ducie
Earl of Ducie
Earl of Ducie is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1837 for Thomas Reynolds Moreton, 4th Baron Ducie. The family descends from Edward Moreton , who married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Ducie. Their son Matthew Ducie Moreton represented Gloucestershire in the House of...
. It is an impressive house with an interesting doorway surmounted by the Earl of Ducie's coronet.
Another interesting building is the Old Grammar School, founded in 1684 by Alexander Hosea for poor children of the village.
The High Street has a fine collection of mostly 18th-century fronted, rendered or stuccoed houses, including Albert House and the Police station. The Town Hall c.1795 is also an impressive building, with arched openings and a bellcote with pinnacle. The Town Hall clock mechanism is also important, thought to date from 1660.
Character
Wickwar displays the characteristics of a market town with a wide High Street and burgage plots. Visually, each end of the High Street is terminated by a bend in the road. The road width of the High Street varies considerably, from ten yards at its widest point at the centre of the High Street, to four yards at the northern end. This provides visual interest and variety, adding greater importance to the flanking buildings.Entering Wickwar from the north, via West End Road or the B4509, the walls that line the road are of local stone and form a strong feature contributing to the village character. Furthermore, the views of the Old Rectory and the church behind high on the hill, provide a focal point to the town.
The area around the church and the Old Rectory is an attractive landscape with clumps of trees adding to the scene. The pathway to the Church is a distinctive local feature lined by mature trees as it rises steeply up the hill. The terraced gardens of the former Poole Court also add interest, with the tower to the south - the air shaft of the railway tunnel - beneath the site of the drained lake.
This area of the town is particularly attractive, with the undulating landscape and openness contrasting with the inward facing town centre. The views from the churchyard are also splendid, with the Nibley Monument to William Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
clearly visible on the horizon and the Somerset Monument to Lord Edward Somerset
Lord Edward Somerset
General Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset GCB was a British soldier.He was the third son of the 5th duke of Beaufort, and elder brother of Lord Raglan....
to the right, both notable landmarks.
The buildings on High Street are largely two-storey with varying roof lines, heights and facades. These features, coupled with the assortment of clay-tiled and Cotswold stone slate roofs, and rendered, stucco or stone houses add interest to the general street scene. This is further enforced by the use of colour on the buildings, varying from pink to yellow.
1987 Gas Explosion
On the morning of the 9th January, 1987, a gas pipe running underneath the High Street exploded, demolishing a house and damaging others nearby. Fortunately the emergency services were able to evacuate the street before the explosion so no-one was harmed. As a result of the explosion a ban on heavy vehicles was introduced on a section of the High Street as it was thought that frequent use of the road by lorries had caused the pipes to break.Meteorite Impact
Spherules are found lying unconformably over CarboniferousCarboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
limestone in Wickwar Quarry. These are possibly tectite deposits, formed as molten material ejected by a meteorite impact fell back to Earth.