Tetbury

Last updated

Tetbury
Market Place, Tetbury - geograph.org.uk - 862732.jpg
Gloucestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Tetbury
Location within Gloucestershire
Population6,453 (2021 Census) [1]
OS grid reference ST890930
Civil parish
  • Tetbury
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town TETBURY
Postcode district GL8
Dialling code 01666
Police Gloucestershire
Fire Gloucestershire
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Gloucestershire
51°38′10″N2°09′29″W / 51.636°N 2.158°W / 51.636; -2.158

Tetbury is a town and civil parish inside the Cotswold district in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census, increasing to 5,472 at the 2011 census. [2] The population further increased to 6,453 in the 2021 Census. [1]

Contents

History

During the Middle Ages, Tetbury became an important market for Cotswold wool and yarn. Notable buildings in the town include the Church House and the late 18th century Gothic revival parish church of St Mary the Virgin and St Mary Magdalene and much of the rest of the town centre, dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Market House, dating from 1655 with restorations done in 1817, is a fine example of a Cotswold pillared market house that used to trade wool and yarn which was the main source of the town's wealth, [3] it is still in use as a meeting place and market. Other attractions include the Tetbury Police Museum and Courtroom, Chavenage House, Highgrove House and Westonbirt Arboretum lie just outside the town.

The Tetbury Woolsack Races, founded 1972, is an annual competition where participants must carry a 60-pound (27 kg) sack of wool up and down a steep hill (Gumstool Hill). The Tetbury Woolsack Races take place on the "late May Bank Holiday", the last Monday in May each year.

Tetbury has won five consecutive Gold awards in the Regional "Heart of England in Bloom" competition in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and was category winner "Best Small Town" in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2010 Tetbury was Overall Winner of Heart of England in Bloom and won a Judges Discretionary Award for Community Achievement. Tetbury won Silver Gilt as a first-time entrant in the National Britain in Bloom Campaign in 2009 and a second Silver Gilt in Britain in Bloom in 2011. [4] [5]

Geography

A map of Tetbury from 1946 Tetbury map 1946.jpg
A map of Tetbury from 1946

Tetbury is situated in a landscape of gently rolling hills primarily used for farmland, including grazing of sheep and grain production. Its location is associated with a nearby major east–west trade or drovers trail, which would account for its early importance as a wool trade centre. Nearby to the west are Owlpen Manor, Beverston Castle and Calcot Manor. The Tetbury Avon, a tributary of the Bristol Avon, known locally as the Ingleburn rises to the north of the town.

Governance

Most of Tetbury falls in the Tetbury parish, although some of the northern parts of the town are officially in Tetbury Upton.

Tetbury is in the Cotswold district, and amenities are run by Cotswold District Council. Gloucestershire County Council is also responsible for parts of the town.

Nationally, Tetbury has been in the Cotswold constituency since 1997 and has been represented in Parliament by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative). At the General Election following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies Tetbury will be part of the South Cotswolds constituency.

Economy

The 18th century parish church of St Mary the Virgin with its late 19th century steeple Tetbury8431.JPG
The 18th century parish church of St Mary the Virgin with its late 19th century steeple
The centre of Tetbury Tetbury, United Kingdom.jpg
The centre of Tetbury

Tetbury is renowned for its antique and bric-à-brac shops; Homes & Antiques magazine named Long Street one of the UK's top 10 favourite streets for shopping in December 2018. [8] The town centre also has a number of independent specialist food and clothing shops, banks, charity shops, estate agents and other shops including lifestyle clothing brand Overider and the Prince of Wales's original "Highgrove Shop" which opened in 2008. [9]

A Tesco supermarket branch was opened a quarter of a mile from the town centre in July 2002. The town's high street is the home to a number of specialist shops selling cheese, breads, meats, dairy and frozen products, entertainment supplies, among others.

The town has pubs and hotels, including the Royal Oak Inn which was featured in the 1971 film Dulcima and in an episode of BBC One's Bonekickers . The Trouble House, immediately outside the town, was served by Trouble House Halt between 1959 and 1964.

Culture

Events in the town include Woolsack Day, held on the last Bank Holiday in May, famous for the races and street fair. A flower show is held at the recreation ground. The first "Tetbury Fiesta" was held on the recreation ground in July 2008. [10] Tetbury Music Festival is held in early October. [11]

Hospital

Tetbury Hospital is a privately run facility which funds itself from government funding and charitable donations. The hospital, which homes a Minor Injuries Unit, was rated as "needing improvement" by the Care Quality Commission in 2016. [12] In 2005 it was announced that beds at the site would be cut. [13] The nearest Accident and Emergency Department is in Cirencester.

Education

The town has two schools, St Mary's Primary School and Sir William Romney's School, a secondary school which specialises in creative arts. In 2006 Sir William Romney's announced that it would be closing its Sixth Form centre, meaning students wishing to sit A-Levels now travel to Cirencester, Stroud or Filton College in Bristol. [14] Westonbirt School is an independent school for girls aged 11 to 18.

Some Tetbury children travel further afield, with students at the two grammar schools, Marling School for boys and Stroud High School for girls, both in Stroud, and some at the comprehensive Deer Park School in Cirencester.

Transport

The 17th-century Tetbury Market House Tetbury.market.house.arp.jpg
The 17th-century Tetbury Market House

Tetbury has bus services which serve local towns. Tetbury railway station closed in 1964, and the nearest railway station is now at Kemble; the nearest major airport is Bristol Airport. General aviation uses Kemble Airport at Kemble. The former airfield at Long Newnton, 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Tetbury, was home to the Cotswold Gliding Club from 1964 to 1967 when it moved to nearby Aston Down.

Tetbury is on the A433, with easy access to the M4 and M5 motorways. The A4135 originates in Tetbury and proceeds westerly through Beverston.

Notable people

Present

Past

See also

Related Research Articles

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

The Cotswolds is a region in 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, Bath and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat rare in the UK and that is quarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone. 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">Cirencester</span> Market town in Gloucestershire, England

Cirencester is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, 80 miles (130 km) west of London. 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.

<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.

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

Fairford is a market town in Gloucestershire, England. The town lies in the Cotswold hills on the River Coln, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Cirencester, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Lechlade and 9 miles (14 km) north of Swindon. Nearby are RAF Fairford and the Cotswold Water Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kemble, Gloucestershire</span> Village in the Cotswolds of England

Kemble is a village in the civil parish of Kemble and Ewen, in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. Historically part of Wiltshire, it lies 4 miles (6.4 km) from Cirencester and is the settlement closest to Thames Head, the source of the River Thames. In 2020 it had an estimated population of 940. At the 2011 census the parish had a population of 1,036.

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

Chalford is a large village in the Frome Valley of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. It is to the southeast of Stroud about four miles upstream. It gives its name to Chalford parish, which covers the villages of Chalford, Chalford Hill, France Lynch, Bussage and Brownshill, spread over two square miles of the Cotswold countryside. At this point the valley is also called the Golden Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cotswolds (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards

The Cotswolds is a constituency in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, a Conservative, since its 1997 creation.

<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">Kemble railway station</span> Railway station in Gloucestershire, England

Kemble railway station is a railway station that serves the village of Kemble in Gloucestershire, England. The station is on the Swindon to Gloucester "Golden Valley" line, 90 miles 79 chains (146.4 km) from the zero point at Paddington. Despite its rural location, Kemble station has a high number of passengers, due mainly to the proximity of Cirencester.

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

Beverston is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 132, decreasing to 129 at the 2011 census. The village is about two miles west of Tetbury. Beverston is an example of a typical unaltered Gloucestershire Cotswold village. It is home to Beverston Castle dating to the 12th Century, a Norman Church St Mary's Church, Beverston, and some examples of Cotswold architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverston Castle</span> Medieval stone fortress in Beverston, Gloucestershire, England

Beverston Castle, also known as Beverstone Castle or Tetbury Castle, was constructed as a medieval stone fortress in the village of Beverston, Gloucestershire, England. The property is a mix of manor house, various small buildings, extensive gardens and the medieval ruins of the fortified building. The castle was founded in 1229 by Maurice de Gaunt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A433 road</span> Road in Gloucestershire

The A433 road is an A road and primary route in Gloucestershire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siddington, Gloucestershire</span> Village and parish 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tetbury Avon</span> River in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, England

The Tetbury Avon, also known as the River Avon, Little Avon or Ingleburn, is a tributary of the Bristol Avon in south-west England. It rises at Tetbury in Gloucestershire and flows in a generally south-easterly direction, joining the Sherston Avon at Malmesbury in Wiltshire. The water flow has been reduced by public water extraction from its source aquifer in the Cotswold Hills. In the past watermills were used for fulling wool and grinding corn; one working mill survives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tetbury railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Tetbury railway station was the terminus station on the Tetbury branch line, serving the Gloucestershire town of Tetbury.

South Cotswolds is a newly created constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it will first be contested at the next general election.

References

  1. 1 2 "TETBURY". City population. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "Parish & Ward populations 2011". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "The Market House". Feoffees of Tetbury. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "RHS Britain in Bloom". Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  5. ↑ "Tetbury in Bloom". Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "History". The Parish Church of St Mary The Virgin and St Mary Magdalen, Tetbury. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Ross, David. "Tetbury - St Mary the Virgin". Britain Express. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "Edinburgh News". Archived from the original on 8 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  9. ↑ Kirkwood, Holly (22 September 2014). "Royal retail therapy: The Highgrove Shops". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  10. ↑ Tetbury Fiesta Archived 24 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "Tetbury Music Festival". Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  12. ↑ "Tetbury Hospital". Care Quality Commission. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  13. ↑ "Tetbury hospital beds to close". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. 30 August 2005. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  14. ↑ "School Places Strategy 2018-2023" (PDF). Gloucestershire Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.