Gloucester departure

I didn't know Transport for Wales went as far as Cheltenham Spa now, here is one of their trains departing Gloucester bound for the other Gloucestershire town.

Yate is great

At the weekend i headed off on my next railway adventure, this time towards the south west. I want to finally go to Bristol this year but i am saving that for the Summer, today instead i went half way between Gloucester and Bristol to the town of Yate.

And Yate is pretty nice too with a lovely old church and some other items of interest. You can see my photos here.

Churches (231) : St Matthew, Cheltenham

The parish church of St Matthew in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire is Victorian. It was built in the late 1870s as a permanent structure to replace an earlier iron church. This earlier iron church had been opened due to the poor condition at the time of St Mary's church in Cheltenham which had been closed for restoration. After St Mary was re-opened, the congregation was found to be too large for the old church and after plans to demolish and enlarge St Mary's were refused so St Matthew's was built as an additional church.

The tower and spire were added in the early 1880s but the spire was removed in 1952, the tower was also reduced in height in the 1970s. The church has a wide nave with four bay aisles with clerestories. The church is in the Early English Gothic Style and is built from coursed rock-faced limestone with an ashlar dressing.

Churches (224) : Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury

A monastery has existed in the town since 715CE but the abbey's origins are from the 10th century. The current abbey church was begun in 1102 with construction lasting several centuries (and surviving a serious fire in 1178). After the Dissolution, the abbey church was saved by the townsfolk who wanted to continue using it as their parish church. One part of the church that has not survived is a free standing bell tower which was demolished in the 18th century.

The church is large, the same size as many cathedrals in the country. The church has a cruciform plan with one of the largest Romanesque crossing towers in Europe. The tower was once topped with a wooden spire but this collapsed in 1559 and was not replaced. The church has an eight bay nave with aisles and a north porch. The church is mostly built from limestone ashlar.

Churches (204) : All Saints, Kemble

The parish church of All Saints in Kemble, Gloucestershire dates from the 12th century but may have been built on the site of an earlier Saxon church. The church has a nave, south aisle, chancel and a west tower which was built in around 1250. A spire was added to the tower in 1480.

The church was badly damaged by a lightning strike during a storm in 1823. It was completely rebuilt (apart from the tower) during the early 1870s with as much of the original fabric reused as possible, a north aisle was added at the time. The spire was restored again in 1964. The church is built from coursed and dressed limestone.

Churches (190) : St Nicholas, Ashchurch

The parish church of St Nicholas in Ashchurch, Gloucestershire dates from from the late 11th century with building beginning in 1092, though the church was not consecrated until 1121. The church has a long nave, a north aisle was added in the 13th century, the west tower in the 14th. A clerestory was added in the 15th. The church still has it's rood screen, a rare survivor of the Commonwealth and Puritanism. 

The church was restored in 1889. It is largely built from limestone. 

Churches (177) : St Nicholas, Gloucester

The former parish church of St Nicholas is one of a number of historic places of worship in Gloucester. The church dates from 1190 and was known, in the early 13th century, as St Nicholas of the Bridge. The church was rebuilt in the 13th century though to largely the same layout of the original church. The west tower with it's spire were built in the 15th century. 

The spire was originally 61m high but was damaged by cannon fire in the Civil War. It was reduced in height and truncated in the 18th century. The church was restored in the 19th century and repaired after fire damage in 1901. The north aisle was rebuilt in the 1930s.

The church was made redundant in 1971 and is now preserved. The church is made from limestone with a six bay nave and a two bay chancel.

Churches (170) : St Mary de Lode, Gloucester

St Mary de Lode is a parish church in Gloucester adjacent to the cathedral. Some believe it was built on the site of the first Christian church in Britain. It was built over a couple of Roman buildings, one was a baths, the other was a mausoleum. Some think an early post Roman-Britan church was built on the site. The current church dates from the 11th century. The church consisted of a nave, chancel and tower.

The church was badly damaged by fire in 1190. A new chancel was built in the 13th century. The central tower is Norman though the nave was rebuilt in 1826 in the Early Gothic Revival style. 

Priories (1) : Llanthony Secunda, Gloucester

Llantony Secunda Priory was an Augustinian canon house located in Gloucester. It was founded by the Earl of Hereford, Miles de Gloucester in 1136 as a refuge for the monks of Llanthony Priory in the Vale of Ewyas, after that priory came under attack from the local Welsh population. 

The priory became known for it's cheese making including gifts of cheese to the royal family. The priory was seized by the crown during the Dissolution of the Monastries and the lands granted to the MP Arthur Porter.

The priory is well preserved with some buildings intact.

Gloucestershire Places (5) : Moreton-in-Marsh

Moreton-in-Marsh is a Cotswolds market town in the East of the county. The area has been occupied since the Iron Age and also Roman Britain. The Fosse Way passes through the area. The first mention of Moreton is during the Saxon period in 577CE. After the Norman conquest Moreton came under the ownership of Westminster Abbey. Moreton gained a market charter in the early 13th century.

The town expanded during the medieval period, wool and cloth making becoming valuable industries. The town became affluent especially during the 18th century. Nowadays, it is a popular tourist destination.

The church of St David dates from the early 16th century and began life as a chapel of ease. It was rebuilt in the 19th century. Moreton-in-Marsh railway station opened in 1853. Moreton was also the Southern terminus of the Stratford & Moreton Tramway which opened in the 1820s (my MA was partially on the tramway, if you are interested you can read about the line here on my old blog).

Gloucestershire Places (4) : Cheltenham

Cheltenham is a spa town to the North of the county. The settlement of Celtan Hom, which may mean steep hill, was first recorded in 803CE. It appeared in the Domesday Book as Chintenham and received a market charter in 1226. 

Cheltenham's fortunes changed when mineral springs were discovered there in 1716. In 1788 the town and it's spas were visited by King George III and other royals which made the town a highly fashionable place to visit. Horse racing at Cheltenham began in 1815, adding to the visitors who thronged to the town every year. Many visitors came via Cheltenham Spa railway station which opened in 1840.

The town is said to be one of the most complete Regency era towns, it also has a number of fine churches including St Mark's.

Gloucestershire Places (3) : Lydney

Lydney is a town in the Forest of Dean, on the West bank of the river Severn. Settlement in the area dates back to the Iron Age, a fort was built in the area. Later on the Romans built a temple on the site. The Saxons later built a settlement at Lydney which by the time of the Domesday Book was known as Ledenei.

Located on the Severn, Lydney later gained docks to capitalise on the river trade. A railway bridge crossing the Severn was built near Lydney in 1870, the bridge was damaged beyond repair after being struck by oil tankers in 1960. Lydney railway station opened in 1851, one of a number of stations in the area. Another of these stations, Lydney Junction, is now the Southern terminus of the Dean Forest preserved railway.

The parish church dedicated to St Mary dates from the 13th century though most of the current church dates from the start of the 16th.

Gloucestershire Places (2) : Ashchurch

The village of Ashchurch is at the North of the county close to Tewkesbury. The first record of the name (then known as Asschirche - Church near the Ash tree) date from 1287. Ashchurch was part of the parish of Tewkesbury until the 16th century when it became a parish on it's own. The church dedicated to St Nicholas dates from the 12th century with additions and changes in the following centuries.

The railway reached Ashchurch in 1840, the station is now known as Ashchurch for Tewkesbury (as the larger settlement doesn't have a station anymore!) The Ministry of Defence maintain a large vehicle storage depot near the village.

Gloucestershire Places (1) : Kemble

Kemble is a village at the South-Eastern edge of the county deep in the Cotswolds and close to Cirencester. The village has existed since Saxon times or even earlier as it is situated near the Roman Fosse Way. Roman tiles have been found in the nearby village of Ewen.

A pre-Christian 7th century cemetery having been found in the village. The parish church has Norman origins with a tower dating from 1250CE. Kemble is the closest settlement to the Thames Head, the source of the mighty river.

A nearby former RAF base (once home to the Red Arrows) is now known as Cotswold Airport used mainly by light aircraft.

Churches (150) : St Mary, Lydney

The parish church of St Mary in Lydney in Gloucestershire dates the 13th century, most of the current church dates from then though a chapel was added in about 1500 at the East end of the North aisle. The church has a four stage West tower with a spire, a nave with aisles and a chancel. The church is made from thin-bedded sandstone rubble with large flush quoin stones and has a Welsh slate roof.

The church was restored in the 19th century, including the spire which was rebuilt.

Churches (143) : St Mark, Cheltenham

The parish church of St Mark in Cheltenham Spa was built between 1860 and 1866 by John Middleton. Transepts were added in 1888. The church is Gothic revival in the Decorated style and made from drilled Cotswold stone.

The church has a five bay nave and a two bay chancel. The West tower has three stages and a spire.