Bourton-on-the-Water

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Bourton-on-the-Water
River Windrush - geograph.org.uk - 1341404.jpg
Bridge over the River Windrush
Gloucestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Bourton-on-the-Water
Location within Gloucestershire
Population3,296 
OS grid reference SP167209
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Cheltenham
Postcode district GL54
Dialling code 01451
Police Gloucestershire
Fire Gloucestershire
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Gloucestershire
51°53′10″N1°45′32″W / 51.886°N 1.759°W / 51.886; -1.759

Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village had a population of 3,296 at the 2011 census. [1] Much of the village centre is a designated Conservation Area. [2]

Contents

Description

Bourton-on-the-Water's high street is flanked by long wide greens and the River Windrush that runs through them. The river is crossed by five low, arched stone bridges. They were built between 1654 and 1953, leading to the nickname of "Venice of the Cotswolds". [3]

St Lawrence Church interior St lawrence bourton 7897.jpg
St Lawrence Church interior

The village often has more visitors than residents during the peak tourist season. [4] Some 300,000 visitors arrive each year as compared to under 3,500 permanent residents. [5]

There are three churches, Our Lady and St Kenelm Roman Catholic Church, Bourton-on-the-Water Baptist Church and St Lawrence, Church of England. The latter is usually open to visitors during the week. It is a Grade II listed building. A part of it was built in the 14th century but major modifications were made in the 1780s and in the late 1800s. [6]

Educational institutions include Bourton-on-the-Water Primary School and the Cotswold School, a co-educational comprehensive school.

Governance

An electoral ward of the same name exists and includes Cold Aston in addition to Bourton. The total population of the ward at the 2011 census was 3,676. [7] The village itself had 3,296 people; the estimated population in mid-2016 was 3,482. [8]

Bourton-on-the-Water parish is bounded by the Fosse Way along the northwest, while the eastern boundary is defined by a series of brooks, namely Slaughter Brook, the River Dikler and the River Windrush. The southern boundary is associated with a watercourse that runs between Bourton Hill and Broadwater Bottom. [9]

History

The earliest evidence of human activity within the Bourton-on-the-Water area was found in the Slaughter Bridge gravel-spread, where Neolithic pottery (dated c. 4000 B.C.) was discovered. Moreover, excavations of the Salmonsbury Camp give evidence of almost continuous habitation through the Neolithic period, the Bronze Age and throughout England's Roman period (c. 43 to 410 A.D.). A Roman road, Icknield Street (also known as Ryknild Street), ran from the Fosse Way at Bourton-on-the-Water to Templeborough in South Yorkshire. [10] Ancient Roman pottery and coins discovered in the village itself give clear evidence of extended Roman occupation. By the 11th century a Christian church, Norman, was established and the village had developed along the River Windrush much as it is today. Centuries earlier, a Saxon timber church was located on that site in about AD 708, built on the site of an old Roman temple. Some of the St Lawrence church on that site today was built in the 14th century but most of it is from the 17th and 18th centuries. [11]

The village was served by a passenger railway between 1862 and 1962. Tourism did not become a significant factor in the village until the 1920s and 1930s. The Model Village opened in 1937. There was a significant increase in the population between 1931 and 1951. [12]

Following the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908, the town, for recruiting, was granted to the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars. Following this formation the regiment maintained a troop from B Squadron. Today the regiment, now a squadron of The Royal Wessex Yeomanry, continues to recruit from this area. [13]

The Cotswold School opened in the village in 1988 following the amalgamation of Bourton Vale Secondary Modern (Bourton on the Water) and Westwood's Grammar School (Northleach). [14] It achieved academy status in September 2010, and was named 'Comprehensive School of the Year 2015/16' by The Sunday Times. [15] During construction of the school's maths block, it was discovered to be situated upon a Roman cemetery which also contained Iron Age roundhouses, burials, and pottery. [16] [17]

The houses and shops in the village are constructed of the ashlar yellow limestone characteristic of the Cotswolds and they have the embellishments that make Cotswold architecture so picturesque: projecting gables, string-courses, windows with stone mullions, dripmoulds and stone hoodmoulds over the doors. [9]

Parts of the James Bond movie Die Another Day (2002) were filmed in the car park at Bourton-on-the-Water and on the nearby ex-RAF aircraft runway at RAF Little Rissington. [18]

Special designations

Bourton-on-the-Water 2010 PD 09.JPG

The small historic core of Bourton-on-the-Water along with associated areas along the River Windrush have been designated a UK Conservation Area. [19]

Salmonsbury Camp, a nearby Iron Age habitation, is designated a UK National scheduled monument (SAM 32392). [20]

English Heritage designates 114 buildings within Bourton-on-the-Water; all have Grade II or Grade II* listed status. (Grade II* indicates particularly important buildings of more than special interest.) [21]

Tourism

One of the bridges in the village Bridge-over Bourton Waters.jpg
One of the bridges in the village
The motor museum Motor Museum, Bourton-on-the-Water - geograph.org.uk - 996629.jpg
The motor museum
The model village Bourton-on-the-water 1990 03.jpg
The model village

Bourton has a number of tourist attractions: [22]

Long-distance footpaths and local walks start, finish or pass through Bourton-on-the-Water. One such route that begins its 100-mile route north is the Heart of England Way.

Sport

The village has its own non-league football club, Bourton Rovers, who play in the Hellenic Football League at the Rissington Road ground. [26]

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided BBC South and ITV Meridian. Television signals are received from the Oxford TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter situated in Icomb. [27] Local radio stations are BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Heart West, Greatest Hits Radio South West, WRFM (Witney Radio) and Cotswolds Radio, community based radio station [28] The town is served by the local newspaper, Cotswold Journal. [29]

Railway

Bourton-on-the-Water was first served by rail with the opening of the Bourton-on-the-Water railway in 1862. This was a branch line from Kingham on the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OWWR). The station was situated just to the north of the village. The OWWR (and its branch) later amalgamated with the Great Western Railway (GWR) and, in 1881, the branch was extended westwards and formed part of the GWR's Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway. The station closed to passengers in 1962 and to goods in 1964.

The closest operating railway station now is in Moreton-in-Marsh. The heritage Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway uses part of the route of the former Great Western Railway's main line in the Cotswolds; it does not pass through the village.

Notable people

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">Stow-on-the-Wold</span> English market town in Gloucestershire

Stow-on-the-Wold is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, on top of an 800-foot hill at the junction of main roads through the Cotswolds, including the Fosse Way (A429), which is of Roman origin. The town was founded by Norman lords to absorb trade from the roads converging there. Fairs have been held by royal charter since 1330; a horse fair is still held on the edge of town nearest to Oddington in May and October each year.

<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">Cirencester</span> Market town in Gloucestershire, England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moreton-in-Marsh</span> Town in Gloucestershire, England

Moreton-in-Marsh is a market town in the Evenlode Valley, within the Cotswolds district and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Gloucestershire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotswold District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region and range of hills. The council is based in the district's largest town of Cirencester. The district also includes the towns of Chipping Campden, Fairford, Lechlade, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach, Stow-on-the-Wold and Tetbury, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

Blockley is a village, civil parish and ecclesiastical parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Moreton-in-Marsh. Until 1931 Blockley was an exclave of Worcestershire.

<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.

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

The River Eye is a short river in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire which flows for 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) through the villages of Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter. The river is home to brown trout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Windrush</span> River in England

The River Windrush is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises near Snowshill in Gloucestershire and flows south east for 65 km (40 mi) via Burford and Witney to meet the Thames at Newbridge in Oxfordshire.

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

Andoversford is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England, about 5 miles (8 km) east of Cheltenham. The village is on the River Coln, parallel to the A40.The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 555. In 2019 the parish a population of 905.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bourton-on-the-Hill</span> Human settlement in England

Bourton-on-the-Hill is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, and about 2 miles (3 km) west of Moreton-in-Marsh. In 2010 it had an estimated population of 288. The village overlooks the surrounding hills of the Cotswolds and lies on the Heart of England Way, which heads southwards to Bourton-on-the-Water and northwards to Cannock Chase. The village is also connected by a footpath to the Cotswold Way, via Blockley and Chipping Campden.

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

Guiting Power is a village and civil parish in the Cotswolds, in Gloucestershire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 296.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cotswold School</span> Academy in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

Cotswold School is an 11 to 18 academy school located in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, Great Britain. The school achieved academy status in September 2010. The principal from 2012 is Mr Will Morgan. In 2023, the schools had 1430 students.

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

Upper Slaughter is a village in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of Stow-on-the-Wold. The village lies off the A429, which is known as the Fosse Way, and is located one mile away from its twin village Lower Slaughter, as well as being near the villages Bourton-on-the-Water, Daylesford, Upper Swell and Lower Swell. As of 2021, the village had a population of 181 inhabitants, an increase of 4 from 2011.

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

Cold Aston is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately 18 miles (29 km) to the east of Gloucester. It lies in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In the 2011 census, the population was 255.

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

Notgrove is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately 28.5 to the east of Gloucester. It lies in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Helen Evangeline O'Neil was an English archaeologist who specialized in Iron Age settlements throughout south central England. She was a member of the Royal Archaeological Institute and in 1968 was made a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her contributions to archaeology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bourton-on-the-Water model village</span> Scale model village in Gloucestershire, England

Bourton-on-the-Water model village is a scale model village in the grounds of the Old New Inn in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England. One of the first model villages in the country, it was started in 1936 and completed in 1940. The model represents the core of Bourton-on-the-Water as it appeared in 1936 in 1:9 scale. The model village contains around 100 buildings. It is open to the public and includes exhibitions of other models on smaller scales.

References

  1. ↑ "Parish population 2011". Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Conservation Area Statement" (PDF). Cotswold District Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  3. ↑ "History of Bourton-on-the-Water". Cotswolds Info. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Local Plan". Cotswold District Council. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  5. ↑ "12 tiny villages which are drowning in tourists". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "St Lawrence Church". British Listed Buildings. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Ward population 2011". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER". City Population. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  9. 1 2 C. R. Elrington, ed. (1965). "Parishes: Bourton-on-the-Water". A History of the County of Gloucester:volume 6. Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  10. ↑ "Roman Wickhamford". The Badsey Society. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  11. ↑ "Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire". Britain Express. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  12. ↑ "Conservation Area Statement" (PDF). Cotswold District Council, June 2002. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  13. ↑ Westlake, Ray (2011). The Territorials : 1908–1914 : a guide for military and family historians. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword. pp. 19, 50, and 119. ISBN   9781848843608. OCLC   780443267.
  14. ↑ "Cotswold News July 2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2020.
  15. ↑ "Sunday Times Comprehensive of the Year". Archived from the original on 17 August 2016.
  16. ↑ "Roman cemetery found under school field". 11 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
  17. ↑ O Seaneachain, Diarmuid (April 2013). "New Maths Block, Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Tourist Information Guide". Cotswolds Info. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  19. ↑ "The Most Sustainable Principal Settlements: Bourton-on-the-Water". Cotswold Local Plan. Cotswold District Council. 2001. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  20. ↑ Historic England. "Scheduled Monuments (1017340)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  21. ↑ "Listed Buildings". Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
    - "Listed Buildings". English Heritage. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  22. ↑ "Things to Do in Bourton-on-the-Water". TripAdvisor. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  23. ↑ The Old New Inn website: the Model Village Archived 3 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ↑ Marshall, Brian Robert (8 May 2013). "Model Village, Model Village, Model Village, The Old New Inn, Bourton-on-The-Water". Geograph.
  25. ↑ Davies, Caroline (19 April 2013). "Bourton-on-the-Water model village gets Grade II listed status". The Guardian .
  26. ↑ Bourton Rovers Archived 14 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine , Hellenic League. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  27. ↑ "Freeview Light on the Icomb Hill (Gloucestershire, England) transmitter". May 2004.
  28. ↑ "Cotswolds Radio" . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  29. ↑ "Cotswold Journal". British Papers. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  30. ↑ Burt A. Folkart (7 May 1991). "Wilfrid Hyde-White; English Actor of Stage, Films, TV". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  31. ↑ "Dudley G Johnson VC". VC Online. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  32. ↑ Hall, Danny (23 June 2016). "Olympian Sharon Laws from Bourton enjoying her farewell season with Podium Ambition". South Wales Argus . Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  33. ↑ Grove, George, ed. (1900). "Ransford, Edwin"  . A Dictionary of Music and Musicians . Vol. 3. London: Macmillan and Company. p. 75.
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