Northleach

Northleach
Gloucestershire
St Peter and St Paul, Northleach
Location
Grid reference:	SP111146
Location:	51°49’49"N, 1°50’21"W
Data
Postcode:	GL54
Local Government
Council:	Cotswold

Northleach is a small Cotswold village in Gloucestershire, on the young River Leach at the junction of the A40 and the A429, which follows the ancient Roman road, the Fosse Way, though bypassed off the main route since the 1980s.

The town was made wealthy by the mediæval wool trade of the 15th century, and the parish church is of impressive size and quality in reflection of this fact.

The Leach runs through the town, here a minor brook. The road which became the A40 ran through the town, and as the main road between Oxford and Cheltenham it contributed greatly to the town's development. The town was bypassed in the mid-1980s, only after vibration damage had been detected in some of the fine 15th - 18th century houses on the main road.

The town has three pubs: The Sherborne Arms, The Red Lion Inn, and The Wheatsheaf Inn. There is also a Sports and Social Club, a Snooker and Billiards club, a Mechanical Music museum, art and antique shops, a butchers, a bakers, a takeaway, a wine bar and other retail shops.

Sporting traditions and amenities

• Football: Northleach Town FC
• Cricket

The town also has teams for darts, skittles, snooker and Pool (cue sports)|pool, running and a tennis club. The majority of the clubs use the Northleach Pavilion, the Snooker Club is on the ground floor of the Cotswold hall and the Westwood Community Centre has a number of sports activities.

Northleach Primary School is one of the few Gloucestershire primary schools with its own swimming pool (outdoor). The pool is open to the public for a small charge over the summer holidays.

Northleach did have a "long standing" (Westwoods) Grammar School,now demolished. The westwood community centre now stands there. "Fallows" (a road nearby) honours a recent Headmaster.

The town celebrates "St Peterstide" every year.

Outside links

• Northleach with Eastington Town Council
• Pictures of Northleach and the area on Geograph.co.uk
• BBC archive film of Northleach from 1986

References

• David Verey, Gloucestershire: the Cotswolds, The Buildings of England edited by Nikolaus Pevsner, 2nd ed. (1979) ISBN 0-14-071040-X, p. 338-343