Bishop's Cleeve

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Bishop's Cleeve
St Michael ^ All Angels' church, Bishops Cleeve - geograph.org.uk - 3939638.jpg
St Michael & All Angels Church parish church in Bishop's Cleeve
Gloucestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Bishop's Cleeve
Location within Gloucestershire
Population14,068 (2021 Census) [1]
OS grid reference SO965202
Civil parish
  • Bishop's Cleeve
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Cheltenham
Postcode district GL52
Dialling code 01242
Police Gloucestershire
Fire Gloucestershire
Ambulance South Western
List of places
UK
England
Gloucestershire
51°56′49″N2°03′40″W / 51.947°N 2.061°W / 51.947; -2.061

Bishop's Cleeve is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. [2] The village lies at the foot of Cleeve Hill, the highest point in the Cotswolds. Bishop's Cleeve had a population of 10,612 [3] in 2011, which has increased to 14,068 in the 2021 Census. The village is 13 miles (21 km) from Gloucester and 44 miles (71 km) from Oxford. The village is also close to the towns of Cheltenham 4.6 miles (7.4 km), Tewkesbury 7.3 miles (11.7 km), Evesham 13.2 miles (21.2 km), and Malvern 20 miles (32 km).

Contents

Etymology

The name Cleeve, first attested in the eighth century as Clife, comes from the dative singular form of the Old English word clif ('at the cliff, bank, steep hill'). The element 'Bishop's' became attached to the name because the estate was owned by the bishops of Worcester. [2]

Railway past

The railway station during its operation Bishops cleeve rail station1807650 af63ce87.jpg
The railway station during its operation
Site of the station after closure Cleeve station site geograph-3309154-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
Site of the station after closure

Bishop's Cleeve was once served by a railway line, a relative latecomer in British railway history, opened on 1 June 1906 by the Great Western Railway and running from Stratford-upon-Avon to Cheltenham, part of a mainline from Birmingham to the South West and South Wales. Bishop's Cleeve railway station along with almost all others on this section closed on 7 March 1960 and was subsequently demolished, but the nearby Cheltenham Racecourse railway station remained in operation for royal visits to the racecourse until 1965; through passenger services continued until 25 March 1968, and goods until 1976 when a derailment (railway accident) at Winchcombe damaged the line.

With the damage done, It was decided not to bring the section back into use and by 1980 the entire line had been dismantled. However, the 15-mile (24 km) stretch of track between Broadway and Cheltenham Racecourse had since been reconstructed, reopened and preserved as the Heritage Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.

Bishop's Cleeve was also served, though less well, by a station, called Cleeve railway station, on the present Birmingham to Bristol main line (ex-Midland Railway, later LMS), about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the west, but this station closed on 20 February 1950.

Bishop's Cleeve is bordered by the village of Woodmancote to the east, the former Great Western railway line dividing the two parishes. In 2020, the population of Bishop's Cleeve was 16,477. [4]

Education

Bishop's Cleeve has three schools; Grangefield Primary School, Bishop's Cleeve Primary Academy, which was built in 1965, and Cleeve School, an academy school in the south-east of the village. [5] [6]

Infrastructure & Development

Bishops Cleeve is served by the A435 running through the western side of the village, with direct access to Cheltenham and Evesham. In 2012, the local police station was closed down, part of the county's aim of saving £18 million across the constabulary. [7] The village benefits from a local library and a wide range of community facilities including sports centres, a youth centre, bowling greens, and a local football club.

In 2010, the development of 450 houses began at Homelands Farm, with the developers, Comparo, wanting to build an extra 550 houses on top of this. This was rejected by Tewkesbury Borough Council in 2007, but the developers appealed to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government about the decision, which triggered a full planning inquiry. The main concerns stated were the strain on the local infrastructure it would create, and that the site is prone to flooding. In 2013 the Secretary of State upheld the appeal, 550 dwellings are to be built in the north-west of Bishop's Cleeve and a further 500 dwellings between Gotherington and Cleeve. [8]

Local shops and businesses

Church Road and its shops, Bishop's Cleeve Church Road, Bishop's Cleeve, Glos - geograph.org.uk - 3417370.jpg
Church Road and its shops, Bishop's Cleeve

There are retail shops in Church Road, Tobyfield Road and The Green. There is an industrial estate with many employers as well as a gym and other facilities. There is also a large business HQ shared by Capita, Lloyds Banking, Zurich and PoloWorks behind Grangefield School. GE Aviation also own a large collection of industrial buildings to the west of the A-road through the village. As well as GE there are many hangars used by companies for helicopter construction and flying; these are especially used during the races in Cheltenham.

Sport & leisure

Bishop's Cleeve has a Non-League football team, Bishop's Cleeve F.C., who play at Kayte Lane. Bishop's Cleeve Colts FC youth football is the grassroots football club that partners BCC FC and has teams from U5s to U16s for both boys and girls, Bishops's Cleeve Colts F.C. There is also a local sports and arts centre on Two Hedges Road, which provides tarmac netball pitches, cricket nets, tennis courts, squash courts, and a large sports hall.

Notable people

Religious sites

St Michael & All Angels Church is Grade 1 listed, with parts dating back over 900 years. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotswolds</span> Protected area mostly in South West England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucestershire</span> County of England

Gloucestershire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire to the east, Wiltshire to the south, Bristol and Somerset to the south-west, and the Welsh county of Monmouthshire to the west. The city of Gloucester is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheltenham</span> Town and Borough in Gloucestershire, England

Cheltenham is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the most complete Regency town in Britain. It is directly northeast of Gloucester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tewkesbury</span> Town and civil parish in England

Tewkesbury is a market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and thus became an important trading point, which continued as railways and, later, the M5 and M50 motorway connections were established. The town gives its name to the Borough of Tewkesbury, a local government district of Gloucestershire. The town lies on the border with Worcestershire, marked largely by the Carrant Brook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shipston-on-Stour</span> Human settlement in England

Shipston-on-Stour is a town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in southern Warwickshire, England. It is located on the banks of the River Stour, 9 miles (15 km) south-southeast of Stratford-upon-Avon, 10 miles north-northwest of Chipping Norton, 14 miles (22 km) south of Warwick and 14.5 miles west of Banbury. In the 2021 census, Shipston-on-Stour had a population of 5,849.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchcombe</span> Market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England

Winchcombe is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury in the county of Gloucestershire, England, it is 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Cheltenham. The population was recorded as 4,538 in the 2011 census and estimated at 5,347 in 2019. The town is located in the Cotswolds and has many features and buildings dating back to medieval times. In 2021 it was the primary strike site of the eponymous Winchcombe meteorite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway</span> Heritage railway in England

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway which runs along the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border of the Cotswolds in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A435 road</span>

The A435 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Cirencester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station</span> Railway station in Ashchurch, Gloucestershire, England

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury is a railway station on the main Bristol–Birmingham main line, serving the market town of Tewkesbury and the village of Ashchurch in Gloucestershire, England. It is located less than 1⁄4 mile (400 m) from junction 9 of the M5 motorway. Originally opened in 1840 but closed in 1971. The station was reopened on 1 June 1997 by Railtrack. There are regular bus connections from the station to Tewkesbury town centre, Gloucester and Cheltenham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northleach</span> Market town in England

Northleach is a market town and former civil parish, now in parish Northleach with Eastington, in the Cotswold district, in Gloucestershire, England. The town is in the valley of the River Leach in the Cotswolds, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Cirencester and 11 miles (18 km) east-southeast of Cheltenham. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,854, the same as Northleach built-up-area. The 2021 Census recorded the population as 1,931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodmancote, Tewkesbury Borough</span> Human settlement in England

Woodmancote is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. The parish lies immediately east of Bishop's Cleeve; the village is about 3+1⁄2 miles (6 km) north of Cheltenham. In old English the name meant 'woodmen's cottage' and an early form was Wudumannacote. In the southeast of the parish is the small village of Cleeve Hill, under the slopes of the hill of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Orchard</span> Human settlement in England

Stoke Orchard is a village or hamlet approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northwest of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alderton, Gloucestershire</span> Human settlement in England

Alderton is a village and civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashchurch</span> Village in Gloucestershire, England

Ashchurch is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ashchurch Rural, in the Tewkesbury district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town of Tewkesbury, 11 mi (18 km) southwest of Evesham, 10 mi (16 km) north of Cheltenham, 13 mi (21 km) north-north-east of Gloucester and 10 mi (16 km) south of Pershore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gotherington</span> Village in Gloucestershire, England

Gotherington is a small village north of Bishops Cleeve in Gloucestershire, England. It is surrounded on the north by the villages of Woolstone and Oxenton, and to the south by Woodmancote and Bishop's Cleeve, a very large urban village. Gotherington has a population of around 1,200, while its neighbour, Bishops Cleeve, has a population of 15,000. The populations reduced at the 2011 census to 995 for Gotherington.

The Cheltenham Association Football League is a football competition based in England and has a total of three divisions. Its top division, Premier Division, sits at level 14 of the English football league system. It is a feeder to the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toddington, Gloucestershire</span> Village in Gloucestershire, England

Toddington is a village and civil parish in north Gloucestershire in Tewkesbury Borough, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) north-east of Cheltenham with a population of 419 at the 2011 census.

Stratford-upon-Avon Racecourse Platform was a railway station on the Stratford upon Avon to Cheltenham section of the Honeybourne Line. Located one mile south of the town centre, its purpose was to serve Stratford Racecourse. It closed in 1968 as a result of falling passenger numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Tewkesbury</span> Non-metropolitan district and borough in England

The Borough of Tewkesbury is a local government district with borough status in Gloucestershire, England. The borough is named after its largest town, Tewkesbury where the council is based. The district also includes the town of Winchcombe and numerous villages including Bishops Cleeve, Ashchurch, Churchdown, Innsworth and Brockworth as well as other hamlets and surrounding rural areas. Parts of the district lie within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In September 2024 the council voted to formally change the borough's name to North Gloucestershire.

References

  1. ↑ "Bishop's Cleeve". City population. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Bishop's Cleeve Parish Council". Welcome to Bishop’s Cleeve Parish Council. Bishop's Cleeve Parish Council, UK Government. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  3. ↑ "Population 2011" . Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Bishops Cleeve". UK Crime Stats. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  5. ↑ Grangefield School Accessed 29 January 2025]
  6. ↑ Bishop's Cleeve Primary Academy Acessed 29 January 2025
  7. ↑ "Police Station Closures". Heart.
  8. ↑ "How many! 500 new homes and primary school could be built in Bishop's Cleeve". Gloucestershire Live. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  9. ↑ Savill, Richard (28 March 2008). "PoW pilot who inspired the Great Escape dies at the age of 102". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  10. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Michael and All Angels (1091736)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 October 2019.
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