Ashchurch
| Ashchurch | |
|---|---|
 Church of St. Nicholas | |
  Ashchurch Location withinGloucestershire | |
| Population | 6,064 (2001 census) |
| OS grid reference | SO9233 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
Ashchurchis a village and formercivil parish,now in the parish ofAshchurch Rural,in theTewkesburydistrict, in the county ofGloucestershire,England, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town ofTewkesbury,11 mi (18 km) southwest ofEvesham,10 mi (16 km) north ofCheltenham,13 mi (21 km) north-north-east ofGloucesterand 10 mi (16 km) south ofPershore.
History
[edit]The toponym is first recorded in 1287, in the formAsschirche,meaning "church near the ash-tree".[1]
In the Middle Ages Ashchurch was part of the parish of Tewkesbury, but after thedissolution of the monasteriesin the 16th century became a separate parish.[2]It was a large parish, including the village of Ashchurch and the settlements ofNorthway,Aston Cross,Aston on Carrant,PamingtonandNatton.The parish became acivil parishin 1866. The parish once extended even further west to include the area called Newtown, but this was transferred to Tewkesbury in 1931. From 1935 until 1 April 1974, Ashchurch was part of the Cheltenham Rural district, then was incorporated into the new Tewkesbury district.
At the2001 UK censusthe parish had a population of 6,064. Ashchurch civil parish was abolished on 1 April 2008 when its area was divided between the new civil parishes of Northway andAshchurch Rural.[3]
Railway
[edit]The village is served byAshchurch for Tewkesbury railway stationon the Birmingham to Bristol main line, opened by theBirmingham and Gloucester Railwayon 24 June 1840, later a part of theMidland Railwayand later still theLMS.This was once a railway centre of some importance, as it was thejunctionfor two branches, one each side of the main line:
- TheEveshamline served Evesham,AlcesterandRedditchbefore re-joining the main line atBarnt Green,nearBromsgrove.This line closed between Evesham and Redditch on 15 October 1962 due to poor condition of the track, while Ashchurch to Evesham followed on 17 June 1963.
- The line to Tewkesbury,Upton-upon-SevernandMalvern,closed beyond Upton on 1 December 1952, Ashchurch toUpton on Severnfollowing on 14 August 1961. At this time Ashchurch station was renamed Ashchurch for Tewkesbury, but closed in November 1971. It reopened on 1 June 1997. There used to be a connecting curve linking the two branches, crossing the main line on the level just north of the station, creating a layout which may have been unique in Britain, but this curve closed in December 1957. There was an extensive goods yard to the south, and to the north-west a large grain store.
The remains of the old line are still apparent, with much of its infrastructure in existence. The old connecting curve and the two branches it served can clearly be traced on a map, with much of the Ashchurch to Tewkesbury line now being used as aSegregated Cycle Pathand footpath.
Road
[edit]The village is connected to Tewkesbury via theA46 roadandEvesham.The village is also east of Junction 9 (known as Ashchurch Interchange) of theM5 Motorway.Ashchurch is also connected toCheltenhamandBishops Cleevevia both the M5 andA435 road.
MoD Ashchurch
[edit]DE&S Ashchurch,known locally as "Ashchurch Camp", is the UK MOD's primary vehicle storage and distribution site for all types of armoured andsoft skinned vehicles,together with Royal Engineer bridges, boats and construction plant. The Centre is the only vehicle depot in the UK using Controlled Humidity Environments (CHE) for long-term vehicle storage.[4]
In March 2012, the UK MOD'sDefence Infrastructure Organisation,confirmed its intention to consult publicly on proposals to redevelop 'MOD Ashchurch' for creation of a sustainablemixed use development,likely to include new homes, community and local retail facilities, primary school, employment uses and open space. However, this was later reversed, and the site will remain open for the foreseeable future.[5]
References
[edit]- ^Watts, Victor, ed. (2010), "Ashchurch",The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names,Cambridge University Press,ISBN9780521168557
- ^C. R. Elrington, ed. (1968)."Parishes: Ashchurch".Victoria County History.A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 8.pp. 172–188.Archivedfrom the original on 24 April 2018.Retrieved23 April2018.
- ^The Tewkesbury (Parishes) Order 2007Archived2012-03-14 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Homes on Ashchurch Army camp site looking likely".Gloucestershire Echo.15 March 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 18 March 2012.Retrieved21 March2012.
- ^"Military base near Tewkesbury to get £270m revamp and stay open until at least 2040".Gloucestershire Live. 25 June 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 28 December 2020.Retrieved7 February2021.
External links
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