Brockworth
Brockworth | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | Gloucester | |
Postcode district | GL3 | |
Police | Gloucestershire | |
Fire | Gloucestershire | |
Ambulance | South Western | |
UK Parliament | ||
Brockworth is a village and parish in the
Since the mid-20th century, Brockworth has been known locally for the
Governance
An
Brockworth has a parish council.[3]
History
The name Brockworth is derived from the
The oldest surviving building in the village is the Grade I listed building St George's Church, which dates back to 1142.[6] The present structure has elements from then until the nineteenth century. Adjacent to this is the Tudor manor house Brockworth Court, a Grade II* listed building,[7] that was built between 1534 and 1539 for Richard Hart, the last prior of Llanthony Priory.[8]
Brockworth was the third in a series of rural villages located along an old
Gloster Aircraft Company
The Gloster Aircraft Company was first formed at Hucclecote, Gloucestershire in 1915, as the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company. In 1926 the name of the company was abbreviated to Gloster Aircraft Company because customers outside of the United Kingdom found the original name too difficult to pronounce. In May 1934 the company was purchased by Hawker Aircraft but the company name was unchanged.
From 1921 the company produced the following aircraft types: Sparrowhawk, Nighthawk, Nightjar, Grouse, Grebe, Gamecock, Gorcock, Guan, Gambit, Gnatsnapper, Gauntlet, Gladiator,
Brockworth bombed
The Gloster Aircraft Company (known locally as GAC) drew upon an employment pool from the surrounding area and it was responsible for much of the growth in the development of housing estates which was halted by the outbreak of World War II. During the war Brockworth and the surrounding area were bombed by the Luftwaffe in an attempt to halt the production of aircraft.[11]
1939–45 WWII production
As the pre-war biplane Gladiator was rapidly rendered obsolete by faster monoplanes the Brockworth factory was available to manufacture Hawker aircraft. In 1939 the company built 1,000
Post-WWII developments
Following
Cooper's Hill
Cooper's Hill (grid reference SO892146) is a local landmark within the parish of Brockworth, and is known in Britain[12] and beyond[13] for its annual cheese rolling contest. A large round cheese is rolled down the steep slope of the hill and chased by a group of "runners", who in fact spend most of their brief descent to the bottom of the hill falling and tumbling. Two hundred years ago this was part of a larger mid-summer festival with other activities and competitions, but the event is now confined to the cheese-rolling and is held in May during the Spring Bank-holiday Monday. It is usually said to have originated as a pagan festival celebrating the arrival of summer, fertility, or both.
The contest was the subject of the BBC One programme The Great Cheese Chase broadcast in 2018.[14]
The Witcombe Festival was originally held at the bottom of Coopers Hill but since 2018 has been in Brockworth Road.[15]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Brockworth". City population. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Parish population 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2015". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Parish Council - Brockworth Parish Council". Archived from the original on 29 April 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-19-869103-7.
- ^ "Great Witcombe Roman Villa". English Heritage. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Church of St George". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ Good Stuff. "Brockworth Court - Brockworth - Gloucestershire - England - British Listed Buildings". Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ "History". St-george-brockworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ "Gloster Aircraft Factory". Pastscape. Historic England. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Gloucestershire Aircraft Company". BAE systems. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Air raid life near the Gloster Aircraft Company". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 April 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ Cheese Rolling. BBC Gloucestershire, 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2013. Archived here.
- ^ "American flies in to win Gloucestershire cheese rolling contest". The Guardian. 27 May 2013. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ^ "The Great Cheese Chase - BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ Boobyer, Leigh (20 June 2018). "Bigger, better and even more cider: Witcombe Cider Festival is on the move". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
Sources
- Gloster Javelin pictures and story
- Cooper's Hill Annual Cheese Rolling and Wake
- BBC coverage of the 2004 Cheese Rolling event Archived 12 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Injuries suffered at 2004 annual Cheese Rolling.
- Video of the 2014 Cheese Rolling at Cooper's Hill
- More about Frank Whittle
- Royal Air Force History of the Gloster E28/39/Meteor
- Hucclecote Parish where the E28/39 aircraft, with a jet engine designed by Sir Frank Whittle, became airborne in taxiing runs for the first time.