- Abbeydale, Gloucestershire
infobox UK place
country = England
static_
static_image_caption=
latitude= 51.84
longitude=-02.20
official_name =Abbeydale
population =
shire_district=
shire_county=Gloucestershire
region= South West England
constituency_westminster=
post_town=
postcode_district =
postcode_area=
dial_code=
os_grid_reference= SO8616Abbeydale is a suburb around 3 miles east of
Gloucester city centre,Gloucestershire ,England .It lies between the Matson, Saintbridge, Upton St Leonards and Abbeymead districts of the City of Gloucester and is adjacent to the M5 motorway.
History
Most of the Abbeydale area was green fields until around 1971 when the Heron Park estate was constructed by Heron Homesteads.
The Heron estate appears to have been designed in accordance with the
Radburn model. It consists of loops and cul-de-sacs radiating from a central spine road, Heron Way, giving access to the rear of the houses where there are garages and hard-standings. The houses face each other across interconnecting pathways and green spaces, so pedestrians are largely separated from cars. In keeping with the developer's brand name, the streets were named after British birds. The area is almost identical to a Heron development inYate ,South Gloucestershire which was built around the same time and even has its own Heron Way.In 1975, contracts were signed for the construction of Heron Primary School, which opened in 1977.
The Glevum Way Shopping Centre opened in 1981, with a Safeway supermarket and a handful of small shops. Over the following few years, a community centre, a doctor's surgery, a pub and a veterinary clinic were built beside the centre. In 1983, the Safeway store was damaged by fire. In 2005, the shopping complex was demolished to make way from a new Morrison's store.
The second half of what became known as Abbeydale was started around 1976 with further development on land between Heron Park and the M5. These homes were constructed by the Robert Hitchins and Glevum building companies and are distinguished from the Heron estate by their more conventional layout and different house designs. Most houses face the road and have front driveways and garages. These developments, which lie either side of the Wheatway, were completed around 1982. This newer part of Abbeydale is separated from the older Heron Park by the Wheatridge - a lane of former farmworkers' cottages and larger country houses leading from Painswick Road. Around 1984, plots of land at the top of the Wheatridge were sold for the construction of individually designed homes and a small housing development.
Around 1986, further housing development began on farmland between Abbeydale and Barnwood; this area became known as
Abbeymead and was connected to Abbeydale at the roundabout beside the shopping centre.Parts of Abbeydale are strikingly similar to those of
Quedgeley , another suburb a few miles to the south of Gloucester. Both areas were developed at around the same time by the Glevum and Hitchins companies, and many of the houses are of identical design.
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