- Churchdown
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Coordinates: 51°53′N 2°10′W / 51.88°N 2.17°W
Churchdown 
Churchdown
Churchdown shown within GloucestershirePopulation 11,261 OS grid reference SO875205 Shire county Gloucestershire Region South West Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town GLOUCESTER Postcode district GL3 Dialling code 01452 Police Gloucestershire Fire Gloucestershire Ambulance Great Western EU Parliament South West England UK Parliament Tewkesbury List of places: UK • England • Gloucestershire Churchdown is a village in Gloucestershire, England, situated between Gloucester and Cheltenham.
The village is unusual in having two centres. The old centre is near St Andrew's Church; the new centre is near St John's Church. Churchdown is a relatively large village, with a population of 11,261 (2001).[1]
Contents
Location
St Bartholemew's Church, on top of Churchdown Hill in Gloucestershire
Churchdown is located in a semi-rural environment; so close to the city of Gloucester as to be treated by many as a suburb, but surrounded on three sides by open countryside. The local landmark is Churchdown Hill (also known as Chosen Hill), which rises to 154m above sea level and has views over the Vale of Severn and to the Cotswolds, Gloucester, Cheltenham, the Malverns and Wales. The hill is home to the historic sites of Mussell Well and the "Roman" Steps, and a radio transmitter broadcasting BBC Radio Gloucestershire and Six reservoirs operated by Severn Trent Water.
Churchdown borders Imjin Barracks to the North and the district of Innsworth to the North West.
Administrative
Churchdown is within the parliamentary constituency of Tewkesbury. At a local government level, Churchdown is represented as two wards - Churchdown Brookfield (the southern half of Churchdown also known locally as Churchdown Village) and Churchdown St John's (the northern half near St John's church). For European Parliament purposes, it lies within the South West Region.
Transport and travel
Churchdown has long benefited from a convenient location along routes between larger settlements. The Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad[2] brought prosperity to the northern (St John's) end of the village. This was succeeded by a road between Cheltenham and Gloucester along a similar route (called Cheltenham Road East as it traverses Churchdown), which was once part of the main trunk road from London to Fishguard. This road now provides access to Cheltenham and Gloucester, and also to the M5 via the Golden Valley Bypass section of the A40.
Rail
From 1874 until 1964 Churchdown was served by a railway station on the main line between Birmingham and Bristol. Little remains of the station itself next to what is now Station Close, but through traffic continues.
Air
Churchdown is adjacent to Gloucestershire Airport (still known locally as Staverton) and light aircraft are a regular feature in the skies above the village.
Bus
Local bus services are operated by Stagecoach west. Three services pass through Churchdown: The 94 between Cheltenham and Gloucester passes through on Cheltenham Road east, every 10 minutes. There are also the 97/98 routes, which also run between Cheltenham and Gloucester, but take a different, longer route between the two towns. In the village, the 97 runs via Parton Road and the 98 via Pirton Lane.
Publications
Residents enjoy the Churchdown Magazine, which is produced bimonthly and is delivered free of charge to 5100 households.[3] It includes articles of local interest, advertisements and details of local events, and has been in print since 1974.
Education
- See also List of schools in Gloucestershire
Churchdown has six schools, including two secondary schools - Churchdown School and Chosen Hill School. There are also several primary schools ; Churchdown Parton Manor Infant and Junior Schools, St. Mary's Catholic School and Churchdown Village Infant and Junior Schools.[4]
Sport and leisure
Churchdown has an eighteen hole golf course and driving range on its outskirts at Brickhampton, and an inline and skateboard facility at Churchdown Park. Churchdown also boasts numerous football pitches and rugby pitches, as well as sports halls at both Churchdown and Chosen hill schools.
Youth football is active through the Churchdown Panthers, who play mostly in the Cheltenham FA league. The club does not have a club house, but uses local public pitches. It is mostly run by parents.[5]
The Chosen Hill Former Pupils rugby club first team plays in the South West League and has an active youth section.[6]
The park on the north side of the village has a skate board ramp and a number of public football pitches.[7]
Churches
St Andrew's Church, in Churchdown Village in GloucestershireChurchdown has three Church of England Churches: St John's, St Andrew's and St Bartholomew's. There are also the Evangelical Golden Valley Church which meets at Parton Manor School, Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour on Cheltenham Road East and Churchdown Methodist Church on Chapel Hay Lane. St Bartholemew's is on the top of Churchdown Hill, built upon the site of a pre-Christian, Iron Age settlement.
Historic buildings
The Old School House building at The Green in ChurchdownChurchdown has several interesting old structures including the Old School House on The Green, where the first village school was held, Ye Old House on Sandfield Road (thought to have been built in the 16th century, Dunstan Cottage in Chapel Hay Lane and The Cottage on Oldbury Orchard.
Other information
The village has two main rows of shops and two pubs - the Hare and Hounds near St John's, and the Bat and Ball near St Andrew's. There is also a Working Men's Club (Churchdown Social Club) located in Church Road where games of bowls and tennis sometimes take place, and Churchdown Community Centre in Parton Road in which various functions are held and skittles on two alleys.
Chosen Hill was made famous by composer Herbert Howells. His Piano Quartet is dedicated "to the hill at Chosen and Ivor Gurney who knows it".
Churchdown Online
Churchdown is privileged to have an exclusive website called Churchdown Online which is part of the GRM Media Group. Churchdown Online informs residents on the latest events information and news for Churchdown. The site is owned by Chosen Hill School pupil Jack Vockins and is regularly updated.
References
- "Churchdown Gloucester - Official Guide" 1 363642002X5 hardback, also paperback, 1975, "by order of the Parish Council", Forward Publicity Ltd, no author marked, copy held at Churchdown library
- "The Story of Churchdown", Gwen Waters, ISBN 0-904586-04-9, Gloucester Reprints, 1999
- ^ "UK Census 2001 Key Statistics: Parish Headcounts" datasets for Churchdown CP (Parish) - UK Office for National Statistics
- ^ The Gloucester & Cheltenham Railway and the Leckhampton Quarry Tramroads. Locomotion Papers Number Forty-Three. D. E. Bick, Oakwood Press, 1968.
- ^ "The Churchdown Magazine", Issue 127 JAN/FEB 06
- ^ Gloucestershire County Council - Community information for Churchdown including list of schools
- ^ [1] - Football Club Web site
- ^ [2] - Rugby Club Web site
- ^ Geograph - picture and description of skate facility
External links
Categories:- Villages in Gloucestershire
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