Hucclecote

Hucclecote is a village in Gloucestershire, England situated on the old Roman road connecting Gloucester with Barnwood, Brockworth and Cirencester.

Hucclecote was originally a small village that began development prior to the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Development was halted during the war and the area was bombed by the Luftwaffe due to the aircraft factories and other industrial facilities in the area which were originally within the boundary of Brockworth. Due to redistricting, the airfield from which the world's first jet fighter took off for test flights is now within the boundary of Hucclecote. The area which borders Brockworth is currently undergoing redevelopment, with the derelict land that formerly housed the airfield and factory, now making way for houses, a Tesco Supermarket, a Travel Inn, and many office buildings, with plans to add a restaurant and other retail facilities.

Hucclecote is generally split into two parts; with the dividing line being the M5 Motorway bridge. The part to the west of the bridge, and thus closest to Gloucester, is the largest part, and falls under Gloucester City Council, while to the east of the bridge, the Parish of Hucclecote is part of Tewkesbury Borough Council. The Parish of Hucclecote has considered changing its name in recent times, to reflect its identity as a separate part of Hucclecote. Possible names for this "new" village have included Whittlesfield, after Frank Whittle, who invented the jet engine that powered the plane that took off from the airfield, and Pineholt, which had been used to describe a small part of the area before a housing estate more than doubled the Parish's size in the late 1990s. However, as of 2007, the residents have shown little interest in changing the village name.

Floods of Summer 2007

During the floods of Summer 2007, Hucclecote escaped the damage on the scale that afflicted other parts of Gloucester, however on Friday 20th July 2007, a few roads were submerged, which prevented access to many homes, and were blocked off by the Police.

Origin of the Name 'Hucclecote'

Hucclecote derives from Anglo Saxon: 'Uchel'+'coed' = 'wood' + 'hill', presumably a reference to Chosen Hill.