Whitchurch, Bristol

Last updated

Whitchurch
Bristol whitchurchpark.png
Boundaries of the city council ward.
Population11,061 (2001) [1]
OS grid reference ST611676
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BRISTOL
Postcode district BS14
Dialling code 01275
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
51°24′23″N2°33′34″W / 51.4064°N 2.5594°W / 51.4064; -2.5594

Whitchurch is a village in north Somerset, England and an adjoining suburb of southern Bristol, bounded by Hartcliffe to the west and Hengrove and Knowle to the north. The suburb was initially developed during the 1930s.

Contents

The A37 road, which passes through Whitchurch, links Bristol with Dorchester. Within Bristol the A37 is known as Wells Road. It was one of the first dual carriageways to be built in Bristol.

History

The name means "the white church", and was first recorded in 1230. (Another source dated about 1500 may be a copy of a record dated to 1065). [2] The village in its present location dates from about the 12th century, when the centre of population of an older village named Filton, Filwood or Felton, west of the present village, moved to the present site. [3] The parish was still sometimes known as Felton as late as the 19th century. [4] The parish of Whitchurch was part of the Keynsham Hundred in Somerset. [5]

The parish became a civil parish in 1866. The northern parts of the civil parish were transferred to Bristol in the 1930s and 1951. [6] From then Whitchurch was divided between a suburb of Bristol and a village outside the city in Somerset.

The suburb of Bristol

Whitchurch taken from Maes Knoll Whitchurch Bristol.jpg
Whitchurch taken from Maes Knoll

The suburb now lies in the council wards of Whitchurch Park and Hengrove.

The suburb is one of only two parts of Bristol not to use the 0117 dialling code. Along with Stockwood, Whitchurch numbers use the 01275 of north Somerset instead.

Facilities close by include the Hengrove Leisure Park which includes various restaurants/food retailers (Frankie & Benny's, McDonald's). Adjacent to the leisure park is Hawkfield Business Park, which is a significant source of commerce and employment for the suburb.

The suburb is home to the Whitchurch Sports Centre, and used to be an occasional venue for pro-boxing bouts. It has a dilapidated Whitchurch athletics stadium. The sports centre is also earmarked for demolition, once the new sports centre and olympic sized swimming pool are finished as part of the expanded Hengrove Leisure Park redevelopment. In October 2006, Whitchurch Sports Centre was taken over by Action Sport UK, a South African company. Some of Whitchurch Sports Centre's activities are now based at Withywood Sports Centre and Ashton Park School Sports Centre. The suburb is also home to rugby union club Bristol Barbarians who reside in Norton lane. The club currently play in Somerset 1 and are coached by Steve Penfold. Whitchurch is also the birthplace of famous snooker player and world champion Judd Trump.

On 2 August 2005 the beginnings of a tornado (a funnel) floated in the skies above South Bristol. As it did not touch it cannot be classed as a tornado but nevertheless it provided an unusual yet impressive sight for the residents of Whitchurch and surrounding parts of Bristol, such as Stockwood. [7]

The village

The village of Whitchurch is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Bath and Northeast Somerset. In the 2001 census the civil parish had a population of 1,354. [8]

Between 1925 and 1959 the village was served by Whitchurch Halt, a station on the Bristol and North Somerset Railway.

Church

St Nicholas Church, Whitchurch St Nicholas' church, Whitchurch - geograph.org.uk - 180239.jpg
St Nicholas Church, Whitchurch
St Bernadette's Catholic Church, Whitchurch Whitchurch, Bristol, St Bernadette's Catholic Church - geograph.org.uk - 68518.jpg
St Bernadette's Catholic Church, Whitchurch

The ecclesiastical parish includes both the civil parish in Somerset and the suburb in Bristol. [9] The parish church is in the village in Somerset, and is dedicated to St Nicholas. St. Augustine's Church on Whitchurch Lane was opened in 1972 but closed in 2007.

Airport

Whitchurch Airport was located on the land which is now home to the Hengrove Leisure Park. The airport was used before World War II by internal UK scheduled flights. During the war it was the base for various types of military aircraft (which flew from there on various missions) and civilian aircraft (which were moved there to avoid their destruction at more vulnerable airports such as Croydon). Whitchurch Airport and Liverpool Airport were the only civil airports in England to remain in use during World War II. Imperial Airways (later BOAC) flew to Lisbon in neutral Portugal: at one time in 1941 there were 1200 people waiting for a flight to Lisbon. [10] There were also a large number of espionage flights to France and elsewhere in occupied Europe. When the war finished, Bristol needed a larger airport. Farm land in Lulsgate was purchased and Lulsgate Airport (later to be Bristol Airport) was opened. For a short time from 1959, the old airport was used as a motor racing circuit Whitchurch Circuit for Formula Two and Formula Three races. The airport is also the home of st bernadettes rugby club currently playing in Somerset prem. Current club captain also plays international rugby for Jordan.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeovil</span> Town in Somerset, England

Yeovil is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2021) was 49,698. It is close to Somerset's southern border with Dorset, 126 miles (203 km) west of London, 41.8 miles (67.3 km) south of Bristol, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Sherborne and 27.6 miles (44.4 km) east of Taunton. The aircraft and defence industries which developed in the 20th century made it a target for bombing in the Second World War; they are still major employers. Yeovil Country Park, which includes Ninesprings, is one of several open spaces with educational, cultural and sporting facilities. Religious sites include the 14th-century Church of St John the Baptist. The town is on the A30 and A37 roads and has two railway stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A37 road</span> Road in England

The A37 is a major road in south west England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Airport</span> Airport in Bristol, England

Bristol Airport, at Lulsgate Bottom, on the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills, in North Somerset, is an international airport serving the city of Bristol, England, and the surrounding area. It is 7 nautical miles southwest of Bristol city centre. Built on the site of a former RAF airfield, it opened in 1957 as Bristol (Lulsgate) Airport, replacing Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport as Bristol's municipal airport. From 1997 to 2010, it was known as Bristol International Airport. In 1997, a majority shareholding in the airport was sold to FirstGroup, and then in 2001 the airport was sold to a joint venture of Macquarie Bank and others. In September 2014, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan bought out Macquarie to become the sole owner.

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

Pensford is the largest village in the civil parish of Publow in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley, approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of Bristol, 8 miles (13 km) west of Bath, and 14 miles (23 km) north of Wells. It is on the A37 road from Bristol to Shepton Mallet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol South (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Bristol South is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Karin Smyth of the Labour Party.

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

Winford is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley, Somerset, England. It is within the unitary authority of North Somerset about 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Bristol. The parish has a population of 2,153.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A4174 road</span> Road in Bristol

The A4174 is a major ring road in England which runs around the northern and eastern edge of Bristol, mainly in South Gloucestershire, and through the southern suburbs of the city. When it was first conceived it was planned to circle the whole of Bristol, and is commonly referred to as the "Avon Ring Road", or less accurately the "Bristol Ring Road", on road signs. The road does not circle the whole city, instead covering roughly half of the route. It is broken in part where it is concurrent with the A4.

The city of Bristol, England, is divided into many areas, which often overlap or have non-fixed borders. These include Parliamentary constituencies, council wards and unofficial neighbourhoods. There are no civil parishes in Bristol.

Bristol is a city in south west England, near the Bristol Channel coast, approximately 106 miles (170 km) west of London. Several factors have influenced the development of its transport network. It is a major centre of employment, retail, culture and higher education, has many historic areas, and has a history of maritime industry. The city has a population of 450,000, with a metropolitan area of 650,000, and lies at the centre of the former County of Avon, which includes many dormitory towns, and has a population of one million.

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

Bishopsworth is the name of both a council ward of the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and a suburb of the city which lies within that ward. Bishopsworth contains many council estates.

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

Hengrove is a suburb and council ward of Bristol, England, situated between Whitchurch, Knowle and Bishopsworth, running along both dual carriageways, Wells Road (A37) and Airport Road (A4174). The area of Knowle it adjoins is known as Knowle West.

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

Stockwood is a residential area and council ward in south Bristol, between Whitchurch and Brislington, and west of the Somerset town of Keynsham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport</span> 1930–1957 airport of Bristol, England

Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, also known as Whitchurch Airport, was a municipal airport in Bristol, England, three miles (5 km) south of the city centre, from 1930 to 1957. It was the main airport for Bristol and the surrounding area. During World War II, it was one of the few civil airports in Europe that remained operational, enabling air connections to Lisbon and Shannon and onwards to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in Bristol</span> Overview of sports traditions and activities in Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Bristol has a number of notable professional sports teams and a large number of active amateur sports clubs. There are also large numbers of participants in individual sports. The city has two Football League clubs: Bristol City F.C., who play in the second tier, and Bristol Rovers F.C., who play in the third tier. Gloucestershire County Cricket Club has its headquarters in the city. Bristol Bears are currently in Premiership Rugby.

This article lists proposed developments to transport in Bristol, England.

South Bristol is the part of Bristol, England south of the Bristol Avon. It is almost entirely made up of the areas of the city historically in Somerset, and since the abolition of the county Avon, consists of the southern suburbs in the county of Bristol. Definitions sometimes also include areas of North Somerset, including Long Ashton, Nailsea and Backwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol and Wessex Aeroplane Club</span>

The Bristol and Wessex Aeroplane Club is a flying club based at Bristol Airport, providing plane hire, flying instruction and a ground school for general aviation. The club was formed in 1927 and officially opened by the Air Minister, Sir Samuel Hoare, on 8 October of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hengrove Park Leisure Centre</span>

Hengrove Park Leisure Centre is a leisure centre in Hengrove, Bristol, UK.

References

  1. ↑ "Whitchurch" (PDF). 2001 Census Ward Information Sheet. Retrieved 20 February 2007.
  2. ↑ Watts, Victor, ed. (2010), "Whitchurch, Avon", The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Cambridge University Press
  3. ↑ "History". Whitchurch Parish Council. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales". 1870. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  6. ↑ Vision of Britain website
  7. ↑ BBC News
  8. ↑ "Whitchurch Parish". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  9. ↑ Map of parish
  10. ↑ Bristol Record Office accession 44394: Doris Ogilvie diary
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.