Whitchurch, Bristol facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Whitchurch |
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 Boundaries of the city council ward. |
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| Population | 11,061 (2001) |
| OS grid reference | ST611676 |
| Unitary authority |
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| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRISTOL |
| Postcode district | BS14 |
| Dialling code | 01275 |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Whitchurch is a place in England. It is both a village in north Somerset and a part of southern Bristol. It sits next to areas like Hartcliffe, Hengrove, and Knowle. This part of Bristol started to grow in the 1930s.
The A37 road goes through Whitchurch. This road connects Bristol to Dorchester. In Bristol, the A37 is called Wells Road. It was one of the first roads in Bristol to have two lanes going in each direction.
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Discovering Whitchurch's Past
The name Whitchurch means "the white church." We first saw this name written down in 1230. The village you see today started around the 12th century. Before that, an older village called Filton or Felton was nearby. Its people moved to the current spot.
For a long time, even into the 1800s, some people still called the area Felton. Whitchurch was once part of a larger area in Somerset called the Keynsham Hundred. A "hundred" was an old way to divide up land in England.
In 1866, Whitchurch became its own "civil parish." This is a local area with its own council. Later, in the 1930s and 1950s, parts of northern Whitchurch became part of Bristol. This is why Whitchurch is now split between a Bristol suburb and a village in Somerset.
Whitchurch: A Bristol Suburb
The part of Whitchurch that is in Bristol is now part of the Whitchurch Park and Hengrove council areas.
Interestingly, this part of Bristol uses a different phone code. Most of Bristol uses 0117, but Whitchurch and Stockwood use the 01275 code. This is the same code used in north Somerset.
There are many useful places nearby. The Hengrove Leisure Park has restaurants like KFC and McDonald's. Next to it is Hawkfield Business Park. This area provides many jobs for people living in the suburb.
Whitchurch is also home to the Whitchurch Sports Centre. This center used to host professional boxing matches. There is also an athletics stadium, though it is quite old. A new sports center and a large swimming pool are being built as part of the Hengrove Leisure Park. When they are ready, the old sports center will be taken down.
The local rugby team, Bristol Barbarians, plays in Norton Lane. They are coached by Steve Penfold. Whitchurch is also the hometown of famous snooker player and world champion Judd Trump.
On August 2, 2005, something amazing happened in the sky. The start of a tornado (a funnel cloud) appeared above South Bristol. It didn't touch the ground, so it wasn't a full tornado. But it was a very cool sight for people in Whitchurch and nearby areas.
The Village of Whitchurch
The village part of Whitchurch is a civil parish in the area of Bath and North East Somerset. In 2001, about 1,354 people lived in the village.
From 1925 to 1959, the village had its own train station. It was called Whitchurch Halt. This station was on the Bristol and North Somerset Railway line.
Local Churches
The church area of Whitchurch includes both the village in Somerset and the suburb in Bristol. The main church is in the village. It is called St Nicholas Church. Another church, St. Augustine's Church on Whitchurch Lane, opened in 1972 but closed in 2007.
Whitchurch Airport's Story
There used to be an airport in Whitchurch called Whitchurch Airport. Today, the Hengrove Leisure Park stands on that land. Before World War II, the airport was used for flights within the country.
During the war, it became a very important place. Military planes flew from here on different missions. Civilian planes were also moved here to keep them safe from attacks on other airports. Whitchurch Airport and Liverpool Airport were the only civilian airports in England that stayed open during World War II.
A company called Imperial Airways (later BOAC) flew from Whitchurch to Lisbon in Portugal. Portugal was a neutral country during the war. At one point in 1941, 1200 people were waiting for a flight to Lisbon! The airport was also used for secret spy flights to France and other parts of Europe.
After the war, Bristol needed a bigger airport. So, new land was bought, and Lulsgate Airport opened. This airport later became Bristol Airport. For a short time around 1959, the old Whitchurch Airport was used for motor racing. It was called Whitchurch Circuit and hosted races for Formula Two and Formula Three cars.
Images for kids
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Boundaries of the city council ward.
