Slimbridge

Last updated

Slimbridge is a village and civil parish near Dursley in Gloucestershire, England.

Contents

Slimbridge
Slimbridge church.JPG Gloucester and Sharpness Canal at Patch Bridge.jpg
Parish church of St. John the Evangelist; the canal at Patch Bridge, near the Wildfowl Reserve
Gloucestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Slimbridge
Location within Gloucestershire
Population1,136 (2011, including Cambridge) [1]
OS grid reference SO740035
Civil parish
  • Slimbridge
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town GLOUCESTER
Postcode district GL2
Dialling code 01453
Police Gloucestershire
Fire Gloucestershire
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Gloucestershire
51°43′41″N2°22′41″W / 51.728°N 02.378°W / 51.728; -02.378

It is best known as the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Slimbridge Reserve which was started by Sir Peter Scott. [2]

Canal and Patch Bridge

The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal runs through the village, and under Patch Bridge which must be crossed to reach the Wildfowl Trust. Damage to the decking of Patch Bridge in October 2007 resulted in a temporary repair being made using steel plates. This had the effect of unbalancing the bridge, which warped and jammed on 23 October 2007. The swing bridge was replaced in early 2009. [3] Nearby there is a caravan park and pub. [4] The name of the bridge is echoed by the locals abandoning the "Tudor Arms" name and merely referring to the pub as "The Patch." https://www.thetudorarms.co.uk . On the canal towpath, next the bridge, is the Slimbridge Boat Station, which is a cafe, general store and boating resource centre.

Church

The village church of St John the Evangelist dates from the early 13th century and is a grade I listed building. [5]

School and playing field

Slimbridge is home to one primary school that takes pupils from Slimbridge and the surrounding village of Cambridge, Gloucestershire. The school is fairly small consisting of only 4 classes and around 100 pupils. [6] There is also a recreational field in Slimbridge that the Playing Field Committee raised money through the aid of National Lottery funding to build a brand new pavilion. [7]

Slimbridge estate

The 2,480-acre (10.0 km2) Slimbridge Estate is owned by the Ernest Cook Trust based on an original purchase in 1945 by Ernest Cook of 1,109 acres (4.49 km2) in the parishes of Slimbridge and Gossington out of the sale of outlying portions of the Berkeley Castle Estate. [8] The Berkeley Estate had for years been a famous sporting estate although the last Earl of Berkeley, who died young, was more interested in the sciences. Ernest Cook extended the estate further by purchasing Breadstone Farm and Wanswell Court from the Berkeley family.

Sport and leisure

The village's football club, Slimbridge Football Club play in the Southern Football League South & West Division as well as competing in the FA Cup and FA Trophy. [9] "The Swans" or "The Bridge" play their home matches at their ground located in Wisloe Road, Cambridge, just across the A38 from Slimbridge village. [10] In the Summer of 2016, the club's Wisloe Road Ground was renamed 'Thornhill Park' in memory of former Chairman Evi Thornhill, who donated the field that the club has built on in his will when he died in 1960.

The village also has a cricket club which operates in the Stroud District Cricket League.

Slimbridge Local History Society holds regular meetings featuring presentations of local history and maintains online archives for members' use. [11]

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Slimbridge is twinned with the 14 communes of the former canton of Saint-Georges-du-Vièvre (Normandy, France), the most populated of which is Lieurey.

Related Research Articles

<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">Peter Scott</span> British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989)

Sir Peter Markham Scott, was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest in observing and shooting wildfowl at a young age and later took to their breeding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust</span> Charity in the United Kingdom

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is an international wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornbury, Gloucestershire</span> Market town in Gloucestershire, England

Thornbury is a market town and civil parish in the South Gloucestershire unitary authority area of England, about 12 mi (19 km) north of Bristol. It had a population of 12,063 at the 2011 census. The population has risen to 14,496 in the 2021 census. Thornbury is a Britain in Bloom award-winning town, with its own competition: Thornbury in Bloom. The earliest documentary evidence of a village at "Thornbyrig" dates from the end of the 9th century. The Domesday Book of 1086 noted a manor of "Turneberie" belonging to William the Conqueror’s consort, Matilda of Flanders, with 104 residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWT Slimbridge</span> Wetland nature reserve in Gloucestershire

WWT Slimbridge is a wetland wildlife reserve near Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, England. It is midway between Bristol and Gloucester on the eastern side of the estuary of the River Severn. The reserve, set up by the artist and naturalist Sir Peter Scott, opened in November 1946. Scott subsequently founded the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, which has since opened nine other reserves around the country. Slimbridge comprises some 800 hectares of pasture, reed bed, lagoon and salt marsh. Many water birds live there all year round, and others are migrants on their ways to and from their summer breeding grounds. Other birds overwinter, including large numbers of white-fronted geese and increasing numbers of Bewick's swans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dursley</span> Market town in Gloucestershire, England

Dursley is a market town and civil parish in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire, England. It lies between the cities of Bristol and Gloucester. It is under the northeast flank of Stinchcombe Hill, and about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of the River Severn. The town is adjacent to the village of Cam. The population of Dursley was 7,463 at the 2021 Census.

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

Severn Beach is a village on the Severn Estuary in South Gloucestershire, England. The eastern portal of the Severn Tunnel is on the outskirts of the village. The Severn footpath – on the sea wall – is part of the Severn Way that leads from Gloucester, Slimbridge and the Second Severn Crossing. Extensive sea defences have been constructed and this provides a popular walkway along its length. Originally, the Severn Way finished at Severn Beach, but it has been extended to Bristol.

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

Cambridge ( ) is a hamlet in the district of Stroud, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the A38 road between Bristol and Gloucester. It is about 3 miles (5 km) from Dursley and about 11 miles (18 km) from Gloucester.

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

Patchway is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated 6 mi (9.7 km) north-north west of central Bristol. The town has become an overflow settlement for Bristol and is contiguous with Bristol's urban area, along with the nearby towns of Filton and Bradley Stoke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Stoke</span> Village in England

Little Stoke is a village in the parish of Stoke Gifford, situated in South Gloucestershire, England. It is surrounded by Patchway, Stoke Gifford and Bradley Stoke. Home to Patchway railway station, a minor stop on the railway network, the railway line separates Little Stoke from the large Rolls-Royce factories in nearby Filton. Gipsy Patch Lane Bridge provides access under the line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burscough</span> Town in West Lancashire, England

Burscough is a town and civil parish in the district of West Lancashire, Lancashire, England. The town is located approximately 13.5 miles (21.7 km) north-northeast of Liverpool and 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Preston. Its northern part is called Burscough Bridge, and was originally a separate settlement.

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

Stonehouse is a town in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire in southwestern England.

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

Frampton on Severn is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. The population is 1,432.

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

Arlingham is a village and civil parish in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire, England. The 2021 Census recorded a parish population of 533. The parish contains the hamlets of Milton End, Overton and Priding. The next parish to the east is Fretherne with Saul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slimbridge A.F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Slimbridge Association Football Club is an English football club representing the village of Slimbridge, near Dursley, Gloucestershire. The first team currently plays in the Southern League, the reserve team in the Hellenic League Division Two West, and the Under-18 Youth team in the Cheltenham Under-18 Floodlit Youth League. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A4135 road</span> Road in England

The A4135 road is a road in Gloucestershire, England, connecting the town of Tetbury with the M5 motorway and the A38 road to the west, passing through Beverston, Dursley and Cam en route to Slimbridge.

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

Hatherop is a village and civil parish in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Fairford in Gloucestershire, England. The River Coln forms part of the western boundary of the parish.

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

Purton is a village on the east bank of the River Severn, 3 miles north of Berkeley, in Gloucestershire, England. The village is in the civil parish of Hinton. It lies opposite the hamlet of Purton on the west bank of the river.

Felicity Philippa, Lady Scott was a British wildlife conservationist.

The Ernest Cook Trust is a large educational charity in England. It was founded in 1952 by the philanthropist Ernest Cook, the grandson of Thomas Cook. Each year the Trustees distribute more than £1.25m in educational grants to benefit children and young people, notably to schools for improving their outdoor education and play areas.

References

  1. ↑ "Parish population 2011". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Sir Peter Scott". WWT. Archived from the original on 16 September 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  3. ↑ "Patch Bridge Replacement". Gloucester Docks. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "Slimbridge - Tudor Caravan Park". Camping and Caravan Club. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "Church of St John the Evangelist". historicengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Slimbridge Primary School". Slimbridge Primary School. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "PARCS (Play Area Regeneration Committee of Slimbridge)". Slimbridge Parish Council. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "The Slimbridge Estate". Ernest Cook Trust. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Slimbridge get promotion confirmed by FA after long wait". Gazette. 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "Slimbridge AFC FC home ground - Wisloe Road". My Footy Grounds. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  11. ↑ "Slimbridge Local History Society". Slimbridge Local History Society. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 27 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.