Tetbury

Tetbury is a town and civil parish located in Cotswold (district), Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 according to the 2001 census.

In the Middle Ages, Tetbury became the most important market for Cotswold wool and yarn. At this time, the Tetbury Woolsack Races, in which competitors must carry a 60 pound sack of wool up a steep hill, were founded and are still contested annually.

Notable buildings in the town include the market hall, built in 1655 and the late-eighteenth century Gothic revival parish church of St Mary the Virgin, and much of the rest of the town centre, dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Other attractions include the Police Bygones Museum. Nearby, Chavenage House, Highgrove House and Westonbirt Arboretum lie just outside the town.

Area setting

Tetbury is situated in a topopgraphic setting of gently rolling hills primarily used for farmland, including grazing of sheep and grain production. Prehistorically the location is associated with proximity to a major east west trade or drovers trail, which would account for its early importance as a wool trade centerC.M. Hogan, ''History and archtecture of Calcot Manor, prepared for Calcot Manor by Lumina technologies, Aberdeen, UK, July, 2005. Nearby to the west is Beverston Castle and Calcot Manor, an ancient monastery appendage.

Schools

The town has two schools, St Mary's Primary School and Sir William Romney's School, a secondary school which specialises in creative arts. Sir William Romney's recently announced that it would be closing its Sixth Form centre, meaning students wishing to sit A-Levels now have to travel to Cirencester or Stroud.

Some Tetbury children travel further afield, with students at the two grammar schools, Marling School for boys and Stroud High School for girls, both in Stroud, and some at the comprehensive Deer Park School in Cirencester.

Hospital

Tetbury Hospital is a privately-run hospital which lives off a combination of government funding and charitable donations. The hospital, which homes a Minor Injuries Unit, has been improved in recent years, although it was recently announced that beds at the site will be cut. The nearest Accident and Emergency Department is in Cirencester.

Shopping

The centre of Tetbury

Tetbury is nationally renowned for its antique shops, boasting a large number on and near Long Street. Its vast array of antique shops make it a regular stop-off for coach tours through the Cotswolds. The town centre also has a number of banks, estate agents and a branch of the famous auction house, Bonhams.

Following lengthy discussion and a number of altered plans, a Tesco supermarket was opened a quarter of a mile from the town centre in July 2002. Despite fears that the supermarket would threaten the existence of the town's main shopping streets, the majority of businesses have survived, although the number of food-selling shops in the town has fallen.

Food and Drink

The town has a large number of pubs and hotels, including The Priory Inn, The Ormond at Tetbury, and The Snooty Fox. The award-winning Trouble House is just outside the town.

Administration

Most of Tetbury falls in the Tetbury parish, although some of the northern parts of the town are officially in Tetbury Upton. The Town Council sits in the centre of Tetbury.

Tetbury is in the Cotswold district, and amentities are run by Cotswold District Council. Gloucestershire County Council is also responsible for parts of the town.

Nationally, Tetbury is in the Cotswold constituency, and has been represented in Parliament by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative) since 1997. He currently has a majority of nearly 10,000 over the Liberal Democrats.

Famous local residents

Present

*HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, lives at Highgrove, near Tetbury
*Anne Hooper, journalist, author and counsellor
*Jake Meyer, youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest

Past

*Brian Trubshaw, first British test-pilot of Concorde, died 2001
*Laurens van der Post, owned a nearby farm in the 1930s, died 1996
*Cecil "Sam" Cook, Gloucestershire cricketer and umpire, died 1996
*Robert Crowley, stationer, poet and Protestant clergyman in the 16th Century

Location

The parish church is located at Ordnance Survey mapping six-figure grid reference ST 890930

Nearby places

*Nailsworth - 5 miles north-west
*Kemble - 6 miles north-east
*Stroud - 8 miles north-west
*Cirencester - 10 miles north-east
*Chippenham - 13 miles south
*Gloucester - 15 miles north
*Swindon - 17 miles south-east
*Cheltenham - 18 miles north
*Bristol - 20 miles south-west
*Birmingham - 60 miles north
*London - 90 miles east

(Distances are 'as the crow flies', and not by road)

Transport links

Tetbury has bus services which run to many local towns, although the regularity of the services is often considered to be poor. The nearest train station is at Kemble, while the nearest major airport is at Bristol and general aviation uses Kemble Airfield.

Tetbury sits on the A433 route, with easy access to the M4 and M5 motorways.