Barnwood

Barnwood
Suburb
Barnwood is located in Gloucestershire
Barnwood
Barnwood
Location within Gloucestershire
Population10,317 (ward, 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSO8618
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGloucester
Postcode districtGL4
Dialling code01452
PoliceGloucestershire
FireGloucestershire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

Barnwood is a suburb and former civil parish in the city of Gloucester, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It lies about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east of the centre of the city.

Barnwood was originally a small village on the Roman road that links Gloucester with Hucclecote, Brockworth and Cirencester. The Church of England parish church is dedicated to St Lawrence.[2]

Economy

The Generation Design and Construction Division of the CEGB became the centre of a new office development when it moved here in the early 1970s.[3] This then became the corporate headquarters of Nuclear Electric, and later the English offices of the (nominally Scottish-based) British Energy, which in 2009 became part of EDF Energy.[4] Other major companies in Barnwood include Claranet, Cheltenham & Gloucester, Unilever Gloucester (ice cream) and InterCall. There is also a Holiday Inn, Sainsbury's, Virgin Active and Tenpin Ltd in the area.

Education

Barnwood Park School is a secondary school.[5]

Arboretum

Wotton Brook, which flows past Barnwood Arboretum

Barnwood Arboretum is set on the grounds of the Barnwood House Hospital which was closed in 1968 and finally demolished in 2000.[6] The arboretum consists of an enclosed woodland area that is cared for and conserved by Gloucester City Council in conjunction with the Friends of Barnwood Arboretum (FOBA).[7] The Arboretum's main entrance is off Church Lane, Barnwood. It has with various habitats including grassland and wetland, and is set amongst a collection of mature native and exotic specimen trees.

The Friends of Barnwood Arboretum & Park organise events throughout the year to encourage local citizens to use the area in an educational manner.[8]

Football

Barnwood United Association Football Club was displaced from Barnwood and its Walls Club home in March 2024 when the venue's operator went into liquidation[9]. The Walls Club has remained closed since, with little public information available regarding its future.

Nicknamed "The Barny Army", the club has flourished under the leadership of several former players, securing a 25-year lease at the nearby Coopers Edge Sports Hub through a competitive tender process.[10] The club maintains its presence in Barnwood, socialising at Wotton Hall Social Club after training and matches.

In April 2021, there had been serious discussions about reducing to a single team; however, by the 2025–26 season, Barnwood United had expanded to 19 teams wearing their familiar claret and blue colours.[11]

The club currently fields:

The club is affiliated to Gloucestershire FA.[14]

Notable people

Samuel and Anne Bubb, who were grandparents of the inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802–75), lived at Barnwood Manor House.[15] Biographical notes of 1887 say that Sir Charles stated that he was born in the house and lived there as a young child, and this was the scene of some of his earliest experiments.[16] In later years Wheatstone often returned to Barnwood. A local public house is named The Wheatstone Inn after him.

The architect Frederick S. Waller (1822–1905), sometime resident architect at Gloucester Cathedral, lived and died at Barnwood.[17]

Civil parish

On 1 April 1966 the parish was abolished and became part of Gloucester, Hucclecote and Upton St. Leonards.[18] In 1961 the parish had a population of 2160.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Gloucester ward population 2011". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  2. ^ "St Lawrence C of E Church". www.stlawrencebarnwood.uk.eu.org. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  3. ^ Cochrane, Rob (1990). "The GECB story" (PDF). AK Waugh. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Edf Energy Nuclear Generation Limited, Barnwood". Cylex. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Barnwood Park". Barnwood Park. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Gloucester: Hospitals Pages 269-275 A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4, the City of Gloucester". British History Online. Victoria County History. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Barnwood Arboretum LNR". Woodland Trust. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Barnwood Arboretum & Park". Friends of Barnwood Arboretum & Park. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  9. ^ Graham, Richard (1 May 2024). "What's happening to the Walls Club in Barnwood?".
  10. ^ Council, Tewkesbury Borough (10 October 2023). "Barnwood Utd AFC to manage Coopers Edge sports hub".
  11. ^ Jackson, Roger (22 July 2025). "Barnwood United are full of optimism ahead of the new season".
  12. ^ "Clubs Directory - Gloucestershire Northern Senior League". www.gnslweb.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Stroud & District Football League - Handbooks". www.stroudleague.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Barnwood United | Search | Full-Time | The Football Association". fulltime.thefa.com. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Charles Wheatstone and the Concertina". Concertina History. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  16. ^ Gloucestershire Records Office reference GAL/N1
  17. ^ Brodie, Antonia; Felstead, Alison; Franklin, Jonathan; Pinfield, Leslie; Oldfield, Jane, eds. (2001). Directory of British Architects 1834–1914, L–Z. London & New York: Continuum. p. 902. ISBN 082645514X.
  18. ^ "Gloucester Rural Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Population statistics Barnwood CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
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