Hucclecote

Hucclecote is a village in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, comprising a ward (population 8,826)[1] in the City of Gloucester,[2][3] and an adjacent civil parish (population 1,332)[4] in the Borough of Tewkesbury.[5][6] It is located on the periphery of the city, between Barnwood and Brockworth, along Ermin Way, an old Roman road connecting Gloucester with Cirencester and the Cotswolds.

Hucclecote
Kingscroft Road in Hucclecote
Hucclecote Location within Gloucestershire
Population	10,158 (2011)
OS grid reference	SO873168
Shire county	Gloucestershire
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GLOUCESTER
Postcode district	GL3
Dialling code	01452
Police	Gloucestershire
Fire	Gloucestershire
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Gloucester and Tewkesbury

History and background

Hucclecote has been settled since ancient times, and a Roman villa dating from the second or third century AD has been found at Hucclecote.[7]

Later, Hucclecote was a hamlet in the ancient parish of Churchdown, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book.[5]

Hucclecote was a small village until development began prior to the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Development was halted during the war and the area was bombed by the Luftwaffe due to the aircraft factories and other industrial facilities in the area, which were originally within the boundary of Brockworth. Due to redistricting, the airfield from which the world's first jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor,[8] took off for test flights is now within the boundary of Hucclecote. The area bordering Brockworth is currently undergoing redevelopment, with the derelict land that formerly housed the airfield and factory having made way for Coopers Edge, a housing development of 1,900 homes, as well as shops and a school.[9] The nearby Gloucester Business Park currently has a Tesco Supermarket, a Premier Inn, and many office buildings, with restaurants and other retail facilities currently being added.[10]

Hucclecote Court, currently the offices of a local firm of solicitors

Ermin Way through Hucclecote was a major trunk route until the construction of the Brockworth Bypass in 1995. Until the construction of the Severn Bridge in 1966, this was a strategic route from the south of England to south Wales, as the lowest bridge crossing of the River Severn was at Gloucester.

Hucclecote is split into two parts; with the dividing line being the M5 Motorway bridge. The part to the west of the bridge, and thus closest to Gloucester, is the larger part, and falls under Gloucester City Council, while to the east of the bridge, the Parish of Hucclecote is part of Tewkesbury Borough Council. The Parish of Hucclecote has considered changing its name in recent times, to reflect its identity as a separate part of Hucclecote. Possible names for this "new" village have included Whittlesfield, after Frank Whittle, who invented the jet engine that powered the aeroplane that took off from the airfield, and Pineholt, which had been used to describe a small part of the area before a housing estate more than doubled the Parish's size in the late 1990s. As of 2011, interest has started to build to change the name formally to Pineholt, to separate the area from Hucclecote.

Origin of the name 'Hucclecote'

Possibly, though very doubtfully, Hucclecote derives from Welsh: 'Uchel'+'coed' = high wood (cf Wotton & Barnwood).

The Celtic meaning for the name 'Hucclecote' is 'tall trees, lofty woods'.

A "cote" is: A small shed or shelter for sheep or birds. [Middle English, from Old English.] cote

2 (k t). tr.v. cot·ed, cot·ing, cotes Obsolete. To go around by the side of; skirt.

Floods of Summer 2007

During the floods of Summer 2007, Hucclecote escaped the damage on the scale that afflicted other parts of Gloucester. However, on Friday 20 July 2007, a few roads were submerged, which prevented access to many homes, and were blocked off by the Police. During the period, many homes were without water for two weeks, and some were also without electricity.

The Dinglewell area was badly affected, with one house receiving 18" of brook water throughout the lower floors. It was nearly a year before the damage was finally repaired and the house could be lived in properly again.

Amenities

Hucclecote Millennium Garden by the side of Ermin Way/Hucclecote Road

Hucclecote has many locally owned shops and two pubs; The Royal Oak and The Wagon & Horses, both operated by national chains. There's also the Community Centre Club Bar. National brands such as The Co-operative and Lloyds Pharmacy have branches in the village. There are three schools in Hucclecote: Hillview primary school and Dinglewell Infants and Juniors.

In 2018, over 10,000 visitors are expected to the Hucclecote Show, a fayre held in George V playing fields and run by the Hucclecote Community Association.

Economy

The average household income was £27,040 in 2012.[11]

Notes

1. "Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics. Hucclecote". Office for National Statistics.
2. "Ward Area Profile - Hucclecote" (PDF). Gloucester City Council. Spring 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2014.
3. "Hucclecote". Ordnance Survey.
4. "Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics. Hucclecote". Office for National Statistics.
5. "History: Hucclecote Parish". 2012. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014.
6. "Hucclecote". Ordnance Survey.
7. Geoff Adams (2005). Romano-Celtic Elites and Their Religion. Caeros Pty Ltd. pp. 45–. ISBN 978-0-9758445-1-9. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
8. Gloster Meteor
9. "Coopers Edge". Retrieved 6 April 2012.
10. "Whittle Square Development". Retrieved 6 April 2012.
11. "Office for National Statistics". Retrieved 6 April 2012.

External links

• Hucclecote parish map, archived 2014 here.