Wotton-under-Edge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wotton-under-Edge |
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 Church of St Mary the Virgin, Wotton-under-Edge |
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 Wotton-under-Edge
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| Population | 5,627 (2011 UK Census) |
| OS grid reference | ST758933 |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE |
| Postcode district | GL12 |
| Dialling code | 01453 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Wotton-under-Edge is a market town within the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England. Located near the southern fringe of the Cotswolds, the Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes through the town. Standing on the B4058, Wotton is about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the M5 motorway. The nearest railway station is Cam and Dursley, 7 miles (11 km) away by road, on the Bristol to Birmingham line.
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History
The first record of the town is in an Anglo-Saxon Royal Charter of King Edmund I, who in AD 940 leased four hides of land in Wudetun to Eadric. The name Wudetun means the enclosure, homestead or village (tun) in or near the wood (wude). The "Edge" refers to the limestone escarpment of the Cotswold Edge which includes the hills of Wotton Hill and Tor Hill that flank the town. "The Edge" has also become a term used by locals to describe the area. In the 1086 Domesday Book listing, Wotton was in the hundred of Dudstone.
Kingswood Abbey was founded in 1139, but all that remains is a 16th-century Cistercian gatehouse. Nearby historical buildings include the Tudor houses of Newark Park and Owlpen Manor. The medieval former public house The Ancient Ram Inn dates back to 1145.
A battle occurred nearby, when the building was owned by a Viscount Lisle. William Berkely led the forces that beat the Viscount, and after the battle his men sacked the manor. This occurred on 20 March 1469.
St. Mary the Virgin was consecrated in 1283, and is the oldest and largest church in the town.
The Katharine Lady Berkeley's Grammar School was established in 1384 and is now a comprehensive named Katharine Lady Berkeley's School although the present modern building is a little outside of the town on the way to the village of Kingswood. The British School was established in the village in 1835.
Overlooking the town on the top of Wotton Hill are a collection of trees planted in the 19th century to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. These are situated on the site that housed one of the early warning beacons used to warn England of the approach of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
New Mills, founded in 1810, prospered by supplying both sides in the Napoleonic wars but after a century of decline the mill was near to closing in 1981 when it was acquired by Renishaw plc.
The town's corporation status was abolished in 1886 following the Municipal Corporations Act of 1883
The Wotton-under-Edge BT Tower formed part of the microwave communication network.
Facilities
The town is relatively well served for a town of its size, the town contains a Kebab, Pizza, Chinese and British Takeaways as well as an Indian restaurant/take-away, there are also three public houses, the town can be quite lively at night compared to many others of its size.
In 1958, local people and school students built the town swimming pool, which was completed in 1961. Subsequently the pool has had solar and electric heating installed. In 1999 with the fund raising support of community groups, a retractable enclosure was fitted to prolong the swimming season.
In 2002, following the closure of the local cinema, a group of volunteers raised funds for a refurbishment to become one of the first digital cinemas in the UK. It re-opened in 2005 as a 100-seat facility inside an old stable yard, once part of the Crown Inn which closed in 1911. Films were first shown in the old Banqueting Hall of the Inn and moved to the stable yard some years later, due to the popularity of films. The Wotton Electric Picture House (the original name) is now a thriving venue
The town has always lacked a railway station. There was once one at nearby Charfield, which is still on a partly-extant line, and there have been calls for the station to be re-opened.
Gallery
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Monumental brass of Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley (d.1417), Church of St Mary the Virgin
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The Ancient Ram Inn
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The Falcon Inn
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The Tolsey clock commemorates the Diamond Jubilee (60 years) of Queen Victoria's reign. The clock says "1837 - 1897". It lies between Market Street and High Street.
Transport
Wotton has never had a railway station due to the difficult terrain of the Cotswold Edge, although Charfield railway station just to the west on flatter ground was within walking distance from 1844 until its closure in 1965, and is proposed to reopen in 2024 along with a possible traffic-free pedestrian and cycling link between Wotton, Kingswood and Charfield to improve connectivity.
The town is served by multiple bus routes linking to Charfield, Dursley, Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Nailsworth, Stroud, and Thornbury, as well as a once-daily service to Bristol city centre.
As well as the Cotswold Edge long-distance footpath, the Slow Ways traffic-free accessible walking project also connects Wotton to Dursley, Yate, Thornbury, Tetbury and Sherston.
Several long-stay car parks are available in the town free of charge.
Notable people
- More Adey (1858–1942) – art critic
- Ian Alexander – footballer
- Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley (d.1417)
- John Biddle – Unitarian
- Charles Blagden – physician
- Sophie Brzeska - writer.
- Bruce Chatwin - writer. Chatwin and his wife Elizabeth owned the house Holwell Farm from the mid-1960s to the 1980s.
- Ann Dinham - born Ann Orchard, later Ann Riddiford and then Ann Foster; exiled to Tasmania in 1851 for "inciting a burglary".
- U. A. Fanthorpe – poet
- Sir Matthew Hale – Lord Chief Justice (1671–1676)
- Matthew Blagden Hale – bishop
- Evan Hayward – Member of Parliament
- Mark Horton – archaeologist
- Catherine Johnson – playwright
- Richard Knill – missionary
- Ian MacDonald (1948–2003) – music critic and author
- Sir Isaac Pitman – creator of Pitman Shorthand, Pitman Place is named after him
- Mark Porter – doctor
- Sean Rigg – footballer
- Jamie Stephens – footballer
See also
In Spanish: Wotton-under-Edge para niños
