Hucclecote
| Hucclecote | |
| Gloucestershire | |
|---|---|
 Kingscroft Road in Hucclecote | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SO873168 |
| Location: | 51°51’0"N, 2°10’48"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 10,158 (2011) |
| Post town: | Gloucester |
| Postcode: | GL3 |
| Dialling code: | 01452 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Tewkesbury |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Gloucester Tewkesbury |
Hucclecote is a village in Gloucestershire, It is located on the periphery of the City of Gloucester, between Barnwood and Brockworth, along Ermin Way, an old Roman road connecting Gloucester with Cirencester and the Cotswolds.
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.[1]
Later, Hucclecote was a hamlet in the ancient parish of Churchdown. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Hucclecote is split into two parts; with the dividing line being the M5 motorway bridge, the larger part standing to the east, towards Gloucester, leaving the western part stranded, to such an extent that there have been suggestions of giving the west of the village a separate name.
Name
The origins of the name 'Hucclecote' are uncertain. The second element, 'cote' is a Middle English or Old English word for a cottage. The name in the Domesday Book is Hochilcote.[2]
A romantic, and unlikely, suggestion suggests an origin in the Welsh Uchel ('high') and coed ('wood'), albeit that the Welsh would actually coed uchel.
History
Hucclecote was a small village until development began shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War 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,[3] 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.[4]
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.
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 feet 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.
About the village
Hucclecote has many locally owned shops and two pubs; The Royal Oak and The Wagon & Horses, both operated by national chains. There is a range of local shops in the village, both chain stores and independent, for example the green-grocer, delicatessen and butcher. 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 the King George V Playing Field and run by the Hucclecote Community Association.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Hucclecote) |
References
- ↑ Geoff Adams (2005). Romano-Celtic Elites and Their Religion. Caeros Pty Ltd. pp. 45–. ISBN 978-0-9758445-1-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=yalSyHYPt0gC&pg=PA45. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
- ↑ Hucclecote: Open Domesday
- ↑ Gloster Meteor
- ↑ "Coopers Edge". http://www.coopersedge.co.uk/. Retrieved 6 April 2012.