Wyman's Brook
Encyclopedia
Wymans Brook is a district in the 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...

, 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...

, named after the small river which flows through the district. It is situated relatively close to Cheltenham racecourse, Pittville
Pittville
Pittville is a northern area of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, founded in the early 19th Century by Joseph Pitt. It contains Pittville park, with its two lakes, skatepark, tennis courts and Pump Room, Pittville School , the arts and media campus of the University of Gloucestershire, and some...

 Park, the Prince of Wales Stadium/ Leisure @ Cheltenham and the area of Cheltenham known as "Swindon Village
Swindon Village
Swindon Village is both a village and a suburb in the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. It is located northwest of Arle.Features of Swindon Village include:...

".

Overview

The brook itself is dammed at Pittville to form an ornamental lake, and partly culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...

ed as it flows through the district. In 2006 investigation revealed that the brook was suffering from increasing pollution from the Marle Hill landfill site (now a golf course). Before the brook becomes Pittville Lake, it flows through Whaddon
Whaddon, Cheltenham
Whaddon is an area in the North Eastern part of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Whaddon Road, the home of Cheltenham Town Football Club is situated here....

 (another area of Cheltenham). This is why a road adjoining the Cheltenham Town football ground is called "Wymans Road". After this, the brook goes on to flow through the residential area of Pittville, and under "Overbrook Drive". Following this, it flows along the bottom of Pittville School's front playing field and in to Pittville Park where it becomes the lake as mentioned previously. After the brook leaves the area of Wymans Brook, it flows through some small industrial units on "Wymans Lane" and along the edge of Swindon Village Park, situated in the Swindon Village area of Cheltenham, and out into countryside.

Before the area of Wyman's Brook was developed, as with a lot of Cheltenham, it was open fields and orchards.

The majority of houses on Wymans Brook are privately owned and were built in the 1970s. The main road running through the estate is "Windyridge Road". Some of the smaller roads at the end closest to Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing events, located at Prestbury Park, in the suburban village of Prestbury on the outskirts of the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...

, were named after race horses. Names of roads include "Arkle Close" and "Golden Miller
Golden Miller
Golden Miller was a Thoroughbred racehorse whois the most successful Cheltenham Gold Cup horse ever, having won the race in five consecutive years between 1932 and 1936...

 Road". Some social housing was added to the estate, just off "Windyridge Gardens", in the 1990s. These houses were built on part of the Midwinter allotment site, therefore, the newer road is named "Midwinter Gardens".

Railway

The Honeybourne
Honeybourne
Honeybourne is a village and civil parish about east of Evesham in Worcestershire, England. Much of the parish is farmland. RAF Honeybourne just south of the village was operational from 1940 until 1947.-History:...

 railway line, which runs along one edge of Wymans Brook, was taken up in the 1970s, before the houses of the area were built. The trackbed is now used as a cycle track in part. This track if followed in one direction, from Wymans Brook, leads to Hunting Butts Tunnel and Cheltenham Racecourse, where the line has been preserved by the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire/Warwickshire Borders that has reopened the closed railway line between Laverton Halt and Cheltenham Racecourse railway stations in Gloucestershire/Worcestershire., it currently...

. This part of the track is still covered with stones from when it was in use and therefore is not really suitable for cycling on. If the track is followed from just behind the Prince of Wales stadium, which is at the other end of Wymans Brook, in the opposite direction to the racecourse, it runs along the bottom of the High Street and carries on past the Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...

 supermarket and on up to the Cheltenham Railway Station that is currently in use. This part of the track has been tarmaced by the council and is now a useful and busy cycle/footpath for many residents of Cheltenham who can use it to get from the town centre to the swimming pool and sports facilities at "Leisure @ Cheltenham".

There is another train line which runs along the opposite edge of Wymans Brook. This is currently in use and is the border between Wymans Brook and the industrial units off "Wymans Lane" and further along the road, "Swindon Village". The line is crossed using an automated level crossing on Swindon Lane. This rail line runs from Cheltenham Spa railway station
Cheltenham Spa railway station
Cheltenham Spa railway station is in Gloucestershire, England, on the Bristol-Birmingham main line. It is managed by First Great Western and is about one mile from the town centre.-History:...

.

Facilities

The facilities in Wymans Brook are located on Windyridge Road. The facilities include a Chinese takeaway, a Pub, a Pharmacy, a Fish & Chip Shop, a Doctors surgery, a dentist's surgery, a window company and a small supermarket. The pub stands separate from the other facilities, it was built in 1979 and was named "The Haymaker", possibly with reference to the fact that the estate was previously fields. In 2007, the pub was refurbished and renamed "The Ridge", a reference to the fact that it stands on "Windyridge Road". The old "Haymaker" sign is displayed next to the bar. The supermarket etc. are in a block of units. The supermarket is a Co-op store which sells groceries etc. The doctors surgery and the dentist's surgery are accessed via a flight of stairs as they are above the Co-op and Chinese takeaway.

Wymans Brook is a very pleasant residential area and close to many facilities including Cheltenham Town Centre and a number of Retail Parks. It is also very close to the Cheltenham Racecourse and adjacent to open countryside and fields.
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