The Cotswolds is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat that is quarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone. It lies across the boundaries of several English counties; mainly Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. The highest point is Cleeve Hill at 1,083 ft (330 m), just east of Cheltenham. The predominantly rural landscape contains stone-built villages, towns, stately homes and gardens featuring the local stone.
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to the west. The largest settlement is Swindon, and Trowbridge is the county town.
Swindon is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located in South West England, Swindon lies on the M4 corridor, 71 miles (114km) to the west of London and 36 miles to the east of Bristol. The Cotswolds lie just to the town's north and the North Wessex Downs to its south.
Cirencester is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the eighth largest settlement in Gloucestershire and the largest town within the Cotswolds. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural University, the oldest agricultural college in the English-speaking world, founded in 1840. The town had a population of 20,229 in 2021. The town is 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Swindon, 18 miles (29 km) southeast of Gloucester, 37 miles (60 km) west of Oxford and 39 miles (63 km) northeast of Bristol.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engineering giants", and "one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution, [who] changed the face of the English landscape with his groundbreaking designs and ingenious constructions". Brunel built dockyards, the Great Western Railway (GWR), a series of steamships including the first purpose-built transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.
Kingston Bagpuize is a village in the civil parish of Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor, in the Vale of White Horse district, in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is about 6 miles (10 km) west of Abingdon. It was part of Berkshire, until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the population of Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor as 2,349.
Lydiard Park Academy, formerly known as Greendown Community School, is a mixed sex comprehensive secondary school for students aged between 11 and 18 years in the Grange Park area of Swindon, England. As of December 2022, there were 1271 students enrolled. It adopted academy status in August 2011 and is the founding member of The Park Academies Trust.
Peter Heaton-Jones is a British Conservative Party politician, journalist and broadcaster. He served as Member of Parliament for North Devon between 2015 and 2019.
Priory Vale is a community in the north of the town of Swindon, Wiltshire, England, which comprises the urban villages of Redhouse, Oakhurst and Haydon End. Although not strictly part of Priory Vale, the nearby village of Taw Hill completes this instalment of Swindon's northern expansion which began with Abbey Meads in the mid-1990s and continued at St Andrew's Ridge. The area was developed during the early 21st century.
Holmleigh Park High School is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Tuffley, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. The number of pupils currently attending is approximately 1,152. Headteacher Patrick Farmbrough took over on 1 September 2019.
The civil parish of Haydon Wick is a northern suburb of the town of Swindon, Wiltshire, in England. It had a population of 25,036 at the 2021 census. The parish includes the former hamlet of Haydon and the suburbs of Greenmeadow and Rodbourne Cheney.
New College is a further and higher education institution in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. There are two main campuses, Queens Drive and North Star, as well as an Adult Learning Centre in Swindon town centre. The college offers qualifications for all ages: GCSEs, A Levels, T Levels, vocational qualifications, higher education and degree-level courses.
Lydiard Tregoze is a small village and civil parish on the western edge of Swindon in the county of Wiltshire, in the south-west of England. Its name has in the past been spelt as Liddiard Tregooze.
Lawn Manor Academy is a secondary school with academy status in Walcot, Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Its site is next to The Lawn, a public park which was the grounds of a manor house, home of the Goddard family.
Malmesbury is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately 14 miles (23 km) west of Swindon, 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Bristol, and 9 miles (14 km) north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upper waters of the Bristol Avon and one of its tributaries.
Swindon Stadium, also known as the Abbey Stadium, is a Greyhound Board of Great Britain regulated greyhound racing track and former speedway track in Blunsdon, Swindon, England. Greyhound racing currently takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday as part of the ARC fixture schedule.
Darnell Anthony Furlong is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.
A bronze statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, also known as Brunel Monument or the Isambard Brunel Monument, by Carlo Marochetti, stands on the Victoria Embankment in London, England, at the west end of Temple Place. The statue rests on a Portland stone pedestal, with flanking screens and benches, by the architect Richard Norman Shaw.
Ben Garner is an English professional football coach who is currently head coach of Right to Dream International Academy.
