Oldland Common

Oldland Common
Oldland Common
Oldland Common shown within Gloucestershire
Population 7,000 
OS grid reference ST674717
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BRISTOL
Postcode district BS
Dialling code 0117
Police Avon and Somerset
Fire Avon
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK Parliament

Oldland Common is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, on the outskirts of Bristol. It is in the civil parish of Bitton, approximately 8 miles between the centres of cities Bristol and Bath.

A view north along West Street, Oldland Common

Oldland Common is the birthplace of the famous astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell, and is home to the Sir Bernard Lovell secondary school, a designated language college opened by Lovell himself in 1972, once attended by England cricketer Marcus Trescothick and Millwall FC manager, and former Bristol Rovers FC player, Ian Holloway. Other schools in the village are St. Anne's Church of England Primary School (built in 1837 & initially called Oldland National School), Redfield Edge Primary School and Cherry Gardens Primary School.

The village lies on the Avon Valley Railway, a three-mile long heritage railway, where it is served by Oldland Common railway station. It is part of the civil parish of Bitton which has a population of approx. 9,000 (according to the 2011 Census).

Oldland Common was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. As was common in the surrounding area, the village was involved in the coal mining industry and had its own pit on Cowhorn Hill during the 1800s.

The largest place of worship in the village is St Anne's Church of England church. Its grounds contain a separate social area, the Orchard Rooms. Other local churches include the Oldland Methodist Church (shown in photograph above) and the small United Reformed Church.

The village is home to the 54th Kingswood (St Anne's) Scout Group.

On 30 October 2012, mobile phone operator EE launched their 4G signal for superfast internet in Bristol, meaning the village of Oldland Common is now connected to 4G. The 4G signal mast is situated at Redfield Hill in the village. 4G from Three, Vodafone and O2 is also now available in Oldland Common.

Transport

Oldland Common is served by bus company First West of England, which operates the following services through the village;

  • 19 between Bath and Cribbs Causeway via Kelston, Swineford, Bitton, Kingswood, Staple Hill, Downend, Bristol Parkway railway station and UWE
  • 19A between Bath and Cribbs Causeway via Saltford, Keynsham, Kingswood, Staple Hill, Downend, Bristol Parkway railway station and UWE
  • 42 between Bitton and Bristol City Centre via North Common, Kingswood and Lawrence Hill.

The nearest rail station is Keynsham railway station, which is 2.5 miles from the village. Direct services are available to Bath Spa railway station, allowing connections to the South and London, and Bristol Temple Meads railway station, allowing connections to the South West, London, the South Coast, Wales, the Midlands, Northern England, and Scotland.

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. This stretches north from Oldland Common to Bitton and had a population of 7685 at the time of the 2011 census.[1]

Sport and leisure

Oldland is home to the non-League football clubs Oldland Abbotonians F.C. in the Western Football League and Crown & Horseshoe F.C. in the Bath and District League.

Food, Public Houses & Shopping

The village has two public houses: The Crown and Horseshoe, and The Dolphin. The village previously had three, the third being The Cherry Tree, which is now being converted into flats. Oldland Common also has a Village Club.

Shops in Oldland Common include;

  • McColls (Westcourt Drive)
  • HRD Hardware Store (Westcourt Drive)
  • Tangled Hair Studio (Westcourt Drive)
  • The Dog Wash (West Street)
  • Just Kim - Hairdressing (High Street)
  • Premier Stores/Newsagent (High Street)
  • Oldfield Fish & Chips (High Street)
  • Taylor Dudley Pharmacy (High Street)
  • Oldland Common Post Office (High Street)
  • Golden Fish Bar (High Street)
  • Oldland Common Veterinary Surgery (High Street)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 20 March 2015.


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