Highnam

Last updated

Highnam
Highnam Court MMB 08.jpg
Gloucestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Highnam
Location within Gloucestershire
Population1,936 
OS grid reference SO795195
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town GLOUCESTER
Postcode district GL2
Dialling code 01452
Police Gloucestershire
Fire Gloucestershire
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Gloucestershire
51°52′26″N2°17′53″W / 51.874°N 02.298°W / 51.874; -02.298

Highnam is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of the city of Gloucester. It is three miles northwest of the city on the A40, on the way to Ross, west of Alney Island and Over Bridge. It is connected by Segregated Bicycle Paths via Over Bridge and Alney Island to Gloucester. The parish includes the villages of Lassington and Over. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,014, [1] reducing to 1,916 at the 2011 census. [2] At the 2021 census it had increased to 2,141.

Contents

Highnam was originally made up of farm land, which explains some of its street names (Brimsome Meadow, Poppy Field, Stoney Field, Long Field, Peters Field, Williams Orchard, et al.). As a village, Highnam is fairly small, containing few social amenities. These include the Church of the Holy Innocents, a school (Highnam C of E Primary [3] ), a village hall, a day nursery, a village shop and a doctor's surgery.

The Arnold family were Lords of the Manor in the sixteenth century- the best known member of the family is Sir Nicholas Arnold (died 1580), Lord Deputy of Ireland.

The wealthy artist and collector Thomas Gambier Parry purchased the Highnam Court estate in 1837. He remodelled the Court and laid out the Highnam Court gardens; he was one of the first to make a pinetum. [4] Highnam Court gardens are now open to the public. [5] His son, the composer Hubert Parry, learnt to play the organ in the church.

Highnam has an eighteen-hole golf course and a large business park just outside the main village. The village is home to both football and cricket teams Highnam Court Cricket Club and also has Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Brownies groups. A new feature in 2007 was the addition of a Youth Café.

Highnam Woods to the west of the village are managed by the RSPB as a nature reserve, and Lassington Wood is to the east of the village.

Holy Innocents Church

The interior of Highnam church Highnam church.jpg
The interior of Highnam church

The church of the Holy Innocents, Highnam was constructed between 1849 and 1851 at the request of Thomas Gambier Parry in memory of his first wife and those of his children who died at an early age. The church was designed by Henry Woodyer in a Gothic style.

Gambier-Parry adorned the whole of the chancel, including the roof, and much of the nave with frescoes using a new "spirit fresco" method he adapted from his study of Italian fresco painters. The church has been described by Sir John Betjeman as "The most complete Victorian Church in this country". [6] In Simon Jenkins' book England's Thousand Best Churches, Holy Innocents was rated in the "Top 100" with four stars. [7]

A major restoration of the church and frescoes was completed in 1994. The Grade I listed church forms an ensemble with its listed Church Lodge, Rectory, Memorial Hall and Old Schoolhouse on the edge of the park of Highnam Court. [8]

Although unringable, the tower contains the world's heaviest ring of three bells, cast by Charles & George Mears in 1850. [9]

Governance

The village falls in the 'Highnam with Haw Bridge' electoral ward. This ward starts in the north at Forthampton and stretches south to Minsterworth. [10] The total ward population at the 2011 census was 4,206. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hubert Parry</span> British composer, teacher and historian (1848–1918)

Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet, was an English composer, teacher and historian of music. Born in Richmond Hill in Bournemouth, Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is best known for the choral song "Jerusalem", his 1902 setting for the coronation anthem "I was glad", the choral and orchestral ode Blest Pair of Sirens, and the hymn tune "Repton", which sets the words "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind". His orchestral works include five symphonies and a set of Symphonic Variations. He also composed the music for Ode to Newfoundland, the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial anthem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pewsey</span> Village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England

Pewsey is a village and civil parish at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire, about 6 miles (10 km) south of Marlborough and 71 miles (114 km) west of London. It is within reach of the M4 motorway and the A303 and is served by Pewsey railway station on the Reading to Taunton line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Gambier Parry</span> English painter

Thomas Gambier Parry, J.P., D.L., was a British artist and art collector. He is best remembered for his development of the Gambier Parry process of fresco painting, and for forming the significant collection of early Italian paintings and objects that his heirs gave to the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, where many are displayed in the Courtauld Gallery.

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

Hardwicke is a large village on the A38 road 7 km south of the city of Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. Despite its proximity to Gloucester, the village comes under Stroud Council. The population of the village taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011 was 3,901.

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

Badgeworth is a village and civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England, between Gloucester and Cheltenham. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,206, increasing to 1,286 at the 2011 census. Apart from the village of Badgeworth the parish also includes Bentham and Little Witcombe.

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

Sholden is a small village adjacent to the seaside town of Deal, lying on the road towards Sandwich in Kent, South East England.

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

Wisborough Green is a village and civil parish in West Sussex, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Billingshurst on the A272 road.

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

Hempsted is a suburban village and former civil parish, on the edge of Gloucester in the county of Gloucestershire, England. The parish was abolished in 1966 and absorbed into the parish and city of Gloucester. In 1961 the parish had a population of 508.

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

Upton St Leonards is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire. Forming part of the district of Stroud, it is a mile or so north of the A46 road between Stroud and Cheltenham.

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

Over is a village in Gloucestershire, England, 2 mi (3.2 km) west of Gloucester. It lies on the A40 road in the parish of Highnam, on the west bank of the River Severn. Over was historically a hamlet of the parish of Churcham. In 1935, it was transferred to the newly formed parish of Highnam. There is some debate on the correct pronunciation of the name, with some preferring /ɒvɝ/ (oo-vurr) and others stating that it should be pronounced as /ʊ̈vɝ/ (o-vurr).

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

Maisemore is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the A417 road 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Gloucester, on the west bank of the River Severn. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 488, reducing to 458 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Oswald's Church, Lassington</span> Church in Gloucestershire, England

St Oswald's Church was an Anglican church in the village of Lassington and the civil parish of Highnam, Gloucestershire, England. Only the tower survived to the present day, and it is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The tower is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westgate, Gloucester</span>

The Westgate area of Gloucester is centred on Westgate Street, one of the four main streets of Gloucester and one of the oldest parts of the city. The population of the Westgate ward in Gloucester was 6,687 at the time of the 2011 Census.

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

Hasfield is a civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, and lies six miles (9.7 km) south-west of Tewkesbury and seven miles (11 km) north of Gloucester. It is situated on the west bank of the River Severn; as much of its land resides below the 50-foot contour, it is subject to regular flooding. Hasfield is represented by the county councillor for Severn Vale division and the two borough councillors for Highnam with Haw Bridge ward on Tewkesbury Borough Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkeley Guise</span>

Sir Berkeley William Guise, 2nd Baronet of Highnam Court in the parish of Churcham, Gloucestershire, was a British landowner and Whig Member of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highnam Court</span> Country house in Gloucestershire, England

Highnam Court is a Grade I listed country house in Highnam, Gloucestershire, England, constructed in the 17th century. The estate passed from the Cooke family to the Guise family and, in the mid-19th century, was purchased by a member of the Gambier-Parry family.

Major Ernest Gambier-Parry was a British military officer who participated in an expedition to the Sudan to avenge the grisly death of a renowned general in 1885. However, the wounds he sustained in that campaign ended his military career. Gambier-Parry was also known for his work as an author, musician, and artist. He succeeded to the manor at Highnam Court following the death of his half-brother Sir Hubert Parry. In addition, he preserved and archived the art collection that had been amassed by his father Thomas Gambier Parry; the masterpieces were eventually bequeathed to the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Sidney Gambier-Parry was a British architect.

William Cooke, of Highnam Court, Gloucestershire, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Gloucester in 1679 and 1689 to 1695.

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

Longford is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. Although situated within two miles of Gloucester city centre, Longford parish falls within the jurisdiction of the Borough of Tewkesbury.

References

  1. ONS Census 2001 Neighbourhood Statistics
  2. "Parish population 2011" . Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  3. "Home". highnam.gloucs.sch.uk.
  4. DNB
  5. "Home". highnamcourt.co.uk.
  6. "Highnam Church - Holy Innocents". Gloucester County Council. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  7. Jenkins, Simon (2000). England's Thousand Best Churches. Penguin. p. 880. ISBN   978-0-14-029795-9.
  8. "Holy Innocents". English Heritage. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  9. "Dove Details". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  10. "Highnam with Haw Bridge - UK Census Data 2011".
  11. "Highnam and Haw Bridge ward 2011" . Retrieved 1 April 2015.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Highnam at Wikimedia Commons