Barnwood

Barnwood, in Gloucestershire, England is on the old Roman road that links the City of Gloucester with Hucclecote, Brockworth and Cirencester.

Barnwood
Barnwood
Location within Gloucestershire
Population10,317 (2011.Ward)[1]
OS grid referenceSO8618
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGloucester
Postcode districtGL4
Dialling code01452
PoliceGloucestershire
FireGloucestershire
AmbulanceSouth Western

Barnwood was originally a small village. The Church of England parish church of St Lawrence, about two miles east of the city centre of Gloucester,[2] is known for The Barnwood Guild of Church Bellringers, inaugurated in 1952. However, bell ringing has a long history in the Gloucester area and Barnwood had long been a part of it when its activities were disrupted by World War II.[3]

Samuel and Anne Bubb, who were grandparents of the inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802–75), lived at Barnwood Manor House.[4] Biographical notes of 1887 say that Sir Charles stated that he was born in the house and lived there as a young child, and this was the scene of some of his earliest experiments.[5] In later years Wheatstone often returned to Barnwood. A local public house is named The Wheatstone Inn after him.

The architect Frederick S. Waller (1822–1905), sometime resident architect at Gloucester Cathedral, lived and died at Barnwood.[6]

The Generation Design and Construction Division of the CEGB became the centre of a new office development when it moved here in the early 1970s.[7] This then became the corporate headquarters of Nuclear Electric, and later the English offices of the (nominally Scottish-based) British Energy, which in 2009 became part of EDF Energy.[8] Other major companies in Barnwood include Claranet, Cheltenham & Gloucester and InterCall. There is also a Holiday Inn, Sainsbury's, Virgin Active and Tenpin Ltd in the area.

Barnwood Park School is a secondary school located in the area.[9]

Arboretum
Wotton Brook, which flows past Barnwood Arboretum

Barnwood Arboretum is set on the grounds of the Barnwood House Hospital which was closed in 1968 and finally demolished in 2000.[10] The arboretum consists of an enclosed woodland area that is cared for and conserved by Gloucester City Council in conjunction with the Friends of Barnwood Arboretum (FOBA).[11] The Arboretum's main entrance is located off Church Lane, Barnwood and provides its visitors with various habitats, for example, grassland and wetland, and is set amongst a collection of mature native and exotic specimen trees.

Barnwood arboretum has benefited from improved access, information boards and tree identifications. The Friends also organise a wide range of events throughout the year to encourage local citizens to use the area in an educational manner.[12]

References
  1. "Gloucester ward population 2011". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  2. "St Lawrence C of E Church". St Lawrence C of E Church. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  3. "Barnwood". The Banwood Guild. Archived from the original on 16 January 2005. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  4. "Charles Wheatstone and the Concertina". Concertina History. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  5. Gloucestershire Records Office reference GAL/N1
  6. Brodie, Antonia; Felstead, Alison; Franklin, Jonathan; Pinfield, Leslie; Oldfield, Jane, eds. (2001). Directory of British Architects 1834–1914, L–Z. London & New York: Continuum. p. 902. ISBN 082645514X.
  7. Cochrane, Rob (1990). "The GECB story" (PDF). AK Waugh. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  8. "Edf Energy Nuclear Generation Limited, Barnwood". Cylex. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  9. "Barnwood Park". Barnwood Park. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  10. "Gloucester: Hospitals Pages 269-275 A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4, the City of Gloucester". British History Online. Victoria County History. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  11. "Barnwood Arboretum LNR". Woodland Trust. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  12. "Barnwood Arboretum & Park". Friends of Barnwood Arboretum & Park. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
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