Prestbury, Gloucestershire
| Prestbury | |
| Gloucestershire | |
|---|---|
 The thatched shop, Prestbury | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 51°54’50"N, 2°2’30"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,300 |
| Post town: | Cheltenham |
| Postcode: | GL52 |
| Dialling code: | 01242 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Cheltenham |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Tewkesbury |
Prestbury is a medium-sized village near the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire. It is on the outskirts of Cheltenham.
Contents
History
The name of the village means either "Priests' fortified place" (Old English Preosta burg) or "Preiests' Hill" (Preosta Beorg). If the former, it may be from a fortified manor house belonging to the Bishop of Hereford in the 13th century.
The village is mentioned as Preosdabyrig in 899-904. Prestbury is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as "Presteberie", part of the property of the church of Hereford, with 18 villagers, five smallholders, a priest, a riding man and 11 slaves. By the 13th century it had become Presbery. In 1249 the Bishop of Hereford was granted permission to hold a weekly market along with a three-day annual fair in August.[1]
The village became eclipsed by Cheltenham following the end of the mediæval period. The market started to decline in the 15th century and had lapsed completely by the start of the 18th century. In the middle of the 18th century a mineral spring was discovered in the parish, and by 1751 a local landowner, Lord Craven, had a business providing bathing and lodging. However it did not last past the end of the century.[1]
About the village
The Prestbury War Memorial is a Cotswold stone gothic revival column with six engraved panels commemorating the villagers who died in the First World War (1914–1918).[2] The memorial was severely damaged in October 2011 in an act of vandalism when the column was toppled to the ground and smashed.[3]
The village shops include two stores. There is a doctor's surgery, a post office, public library, two hairdressers, a pharmacy and a butcher. A carvery, the King's Arms, was the village's main public house, and it was here that the 19th-century jockey Fred Archer grew up, his father being the landlord of the pub.[4] There are three further village pubs: the Plough, the Beehive and the Royal Oak.
Prestbury Racecourse
The village is home to Prestbury Park, the Cheltenham Racecourse, which holds the Gold Cup race each March. Racehorse trainers Frenchy Nicholson and his son David Nicholson had stables in Prestbury. Notable Nicholson apprentices include Pat Eddery, Walter Swinburn, and Mouse Morris the 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup winning trainer with the horse War of Attrition.
Pictures
St Mary's Church, Prestbury; view from Mill Street
Prestbury War Memorial
The Burgage, Prestbury
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Prestbury, Gloucestershire) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Gloucestershire Historic Towns Survey: Prestbury". http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/utilities/action/act_download.cfm?mediaid=21199.
- ↑ "Prestbury War Memorial". remembering.org.uk. http://www.remembering.org.uk/prestbury_memorial.htm. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ↑ "Prestbury war memorial in Gloucestershire vandalised". BBC News. 8 October 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-15227057. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ↑ http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66385
