It had a population of 3,074 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 3,464 at the 2011 census.[1] In 2001 South Cerney was winner of the Bledisloe Cup for the best-kept village in Gloucestershire (large village class), having previously won the award in 1955.[2]
Etymology
The name Cerney is first attested in Old English in 852 CE, when it was recorded that King of the Mercians granted lands in Cerney to a man called Alfeah.[3] It is again attested in charters of the 990s associated with King Aethelred II, in the form æt Cyrne, meaning 'on the River Churn'[4] (the origin of whose own name is ancient, but whose etymology is obscure).[5] To this was added the Old English word ēa ('river'), first attested in the form Cernei (and variant spellings like it) in the Domesday Book of 1086.[6][4] Thus Cerney meant 'the river Churn'. The addition of the word South, distinguishing the settlement from North Cerney, is first attested in 1274.[4]
The parish also contains Cerney Wick, which includes the Old English word wic, meaning 'outlying farmstead'. Thus this name once meant 'satellite farmstead of Cerney'. This name is first attested as Cernewike in 1220.[7]
Church of All Hallows, South Cerney and Ann Edwards School
Two fragments of a carved wooden crucified Christ, a head and a foot, were found in 1915 concealed in a wall of the village church.[8] The crucifix was probably hidden at the time of the Reformation but mostly disintegrated due to the damp. Part of a crucifix that dates from the 12th century, it is one of very few early-medieval wooden sculptures of Christ extant in England, and would have been part of the 'rood' that stood above the rood screen that separated the nave of the church from the chancel. The original carvings were purchased by the British Museum in 1994.[9][10] The South Cerney church now contains a replica.
At the end of Silver Street in South Cerney is the Ann Edwards School, founded by Ann Edwards in 1834.[11] And in nearby Station Road, an attractive row of gabled cottages dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. The remains of some of the old railway line can also be found in this area of the village.[12]
Culture
The Village is home to an active theatre group called the South Cerney Players,[13] as well as two active singing groups, Bluenotes and Singing for Fun.
Tourism and recreation
The village lies within the Cotswold Water Park, an area made up of over 140 lakes, mostly formed by gravel extraction. Many of the lakes are now used for leisure activities including fishing and sailing. South Cerney Sailing Club is in the Cotswold Water Park.[14]
The village is home to the South Cerney Outdoor Education Centre, which was created in 1971 by Gloucestershire County Council as a non-profit organisation to promote outdoor learning and provide low-cost outdoor activities for young people.[15]
The annual Street Fair and Duck Race is a local festival held over the weekend of the second May bank holiday. The Street Fair was started by All Hallows church over 30 years ago and since then it has grown and developed into a major event. It supports the work of the church, provides opportunities for local organisations and raises funds for charities.
The village is home to Beaver, Cubs and Scouts, meeting on Thursday evenings, and Guides who meet on Tuesday evenings, all at The Jim Denley Scout Headquarters in Berkeley Close. The Brownie Pack meet in the village hall in School Lane on Wednesdays from 5:45-7:00pm.
Wayside Cross
South Cerney Wayside Cross
A medieval Wayside Cross (Grade II Listed building) sits at the junction of High Street and Silver Street. It has an old shaft, base & steps in a new cross. It was the place for pilgrims to stop and pray for good luck on their journey. Probably used as the focus for market traders to vend their produce as well. There is a cut OS benchmark on the base representing 90.2 m Above Seas Level.
Social activities
South Cerney Flower Show
South Cerney Gardening Club
The C.O.S.Y Club (Cerney Over Sixty Years Club).
South Cerney Stragglers
Cerney Lakes Tennis Club
Thursday Group
Cafe Society
Village Social Lunch
Curry Club
Local amenities
South Cerney has a range of local amenities including a Post Office and newsagents (known as South Cerney News), One Stop, Co-Op, hairdressers, a fish and chip shop, an Indian restaurant/takeaway, pharmacy and a dental surgery. There are three public houses in South Cerney, The Old George, The Royal Oak and The Eliot Arms Hotel. There is a Village Hall and Fenton's Community Centre.[16]
Duke of Gloucester Barracks, on the site of the former RAF South Cerney, is located approximately 1 mile outside the Village. In 1986 RAF South Cerney hosted the World Aerobatic Championships.[17]
It is also home to South Cerney Golf course & Driving Range. South Cerney is a par 70 - 5,987yrds course.[18]
Ann Edwards Primary School
Ann Edwards School is also located within the village. The name of the school was adopted when the buildings were located on the present site in 1970.
Ann Edwards lived in South Cerney and was actively involved in education in the early 19th century. She was the wife of the village curate and ran a dame school. When her husband unexpectedly came into money, she endowed the first school building which was opened in 1820. It was a Church of England Foundation School and there were 29 pupils in 1867.[19] The colours of the coat of arms of Ann Edwards - black and gold - have been adopted as the colours of the school uniform in memory of the founder.
The original building still stands in School Lane; it was used as a school until 1972 when it was outgrown and children moved to buildings on the present site. These were demolished in 1990, having been replaced by a modern, purpose-built school.
The present school is a Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School. It serves the communities of South Cerney, Cerney Wick, and Somerford Keynes. The current Headteacher, Miss Helen Sowden was appointed as Headteacher with effect from September 2014, following the death of Headteacher, Stephen Richardson.
The school was designed as a semi open-plan building by a local architect and stands on a landscaped site of approximately six acres.
The re-built school was formally opened by Pam Ayres in 1990.
Wildlife and fossil discoveries
South Cerney is well endowed with numerous land and water dwelling species including the water vole, otter, breeding and wintering birds, and bats.[20]
Several mammoth bones and Neanderthal stone tools from the last Ice Age were found by a local couple in a quarry at Cerney Wick.[21]
Governance
South Cerney has an active Parish Council, currently with 10 members. The Clerk is Robert Cowley and the current Chair is local resident Marcus Price.
Cotswold District Council undertook a boundary review which resulted in the former 'Water Park' Ward being replaced. As of May 2015 the village was split into two District Council Wards, 'South Cerney Village' which elected Liberal Democrat Councillor Juliet Layton and 'Siddington and Cerney Rural' which elected Mike Evemy also a Liberal Democrat. Both were elected in the 2019 local elections.
There are several industrial areas which have sprung up on the outskirts of South Cerney, bringing more requirements for housing and a large estate was built on the land sold by Aggregate Industries some years ago.
South Cerney has a growing business community with many companies occupying the industrial and business estates that have built up on the outskirts of South Cerney.
Transportation
Cirencester is located at the hub of a significant road network with important routes to Gloucester (A417), Cheltenham (A435), Warwick (A429 "Fosseway"), Oxford (A40 via the B4425), Swindon (A419), Chippenham (A429), Bristol and Bath (A433), and Stroud (A419).
The nearest railway station is a few miles away at Kemble which is on the main line to London (Paddington).
The nearest airports are at Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham, all more than an hour away by road.
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.
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.
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.
The River Churn is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises at Seven Springs in Gloucestershire and flows south for approximately 37.3 km (23.2 mi) to meet the Thames at Cricklade in Wiltshire. Its length from its source to the confluence with the Thames is greater than that of the Thames from Thames Head, but the Churn is regarded as a tributary, rather than the main river.
Down Ampney is a medium-sized village located in Cotswold district in Gloucestershire, in England. The population taken at the 2011 census was 644.
The Cotswold Water Park is the United Kingdom's largest marl lake system, straddling the Wiltshire–Gloucestershire border, north-west of Cricklade and south of Cirencester. There are 180 lakes, spread over 42 square miles (110 km2).
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.
Dyrham is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England.
Ampney Crucis is a village and civil parish in the Cotswolds, part of the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England.
Ashton Keynes is a village and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England which borders with Gloucestershire. The village is about 5 miles (8 km) south of Cirencester and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Cricklade. At the 2011 census the population of the parish, which includes the hamlet of North End, was 1,400.
Somerford Keynes is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, close to the River Thames and about 5 miles from its source. It lies on the boundary with Wiltshire, midway between Cirencester, Swindon and Malmesbury. The parish population at the 2011 census was 479, and a 2019 estimate put it at 558. The parish includes the village of Shorncote.
Coln Rogers is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Coln St. Dennis, in the Cotswold district of the county of Gloucestershire, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 95.
The A433 road is an A road and primary route in Gloucestershire, England.
Siddington is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is located immediately south of Cirencester. At the 2011 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 1,249.
Meysey Hampton is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the south-east of Gloucester. It lies in the south of the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
North Cerney is a village and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire, and lies within the Cotswolds, a range of hills designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village is 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Cirencester within the Churn Valley.
Hampnett is a small village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, just west of the Fosse Way. It is situated west of the junction of the A40 and A429 roads in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A number of springs in the village form the source of the River Leach.
The round houses on the Thames and Severn Canal are five former lengthsmen's cottages built along the canal between Chalford and Lechlade in Gloucestershire, England. Constructed in the 1790s when the canal was built, all but one of them are Grade II listed and have been restored as private dwellings. The buildings have been described as "peculiar" and "a distinctive feature of the Thames and Severn Canal's architecture".
↑ Grundy, G. B. (1935). Saxon Charters and Field Names of Gloucester..
1 2 3 The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society, ed. by Victor Watts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.v. South CERNEY; ISBN9780521168557.
↑ The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society, ed. by Victor Watts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.vv. CIRENCESTER, CORINIUM; ISBN9780521168557.
↑ The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society, ed. by Victor Watts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.v. CERNEY WICK; ISBN9780521168557.
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