Prestbury, Gloucestershire

Prestbury

The Burgage (road), Prestbury
Prestbury
Prestbury shown within Gloucestershire
Population 6,981 
OS grid reference SO971239
Civil parish
  • Prestbury
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town CHELTENHAM
Postcode district GL52
Dialling code 01242
Police Gloucestershire
Fire Gloucestershire
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England

Prestbury is a medium-sized village near the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. It is on the outskirts of Cheltenham, and forms part of the borough of Cheltenham, despite retaining its own parish council as a civil parish. It is part of the Tewkesbury parliamentary constituency.

The parish of Prestbury had a population of 6,981 according to the 2011 census.[1]

History

The name of the village means "Priests fortified place", from Anglo-Saxon preost and burh, possibly from a fortified manor house belonging to the Bishop of Hereford in the 13th century. The settlement is mentioned as Preosdabyrig in 899-904. Prestbury is listed in the 1086 Doomsday 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.[2]

The village became eclipsed by Cheltenham following the end of the medieval 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.[2]

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).[3] The memorial was severely damaged in October 2011 in an act of vandalism when the column was toppled to the ground and smashed.[4]

There are claims that Prestbury is the most haunted village in England,[5] and one of the most haunted in Britain.[6]

Prestbury Rovers Reserves FC also put Prestbury back on the map in the 2017/2018 season, winning the County Cup and Cheltenham Division Four in an historic season for the black and blue army. Their attacking style of play and total football earned plaudits from across the country, including Gotherington FC legend Geoff Munro, who claimed they had played some of the best football he had ever seen.

Amenities

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.

A further village pub, located on the Prestbury Road is the Sudeley Arms. This has been a pub since 1826, and was the residence of the oldest landlady at the time, Ma (Matilda) Craddock, who ran the pub at least until she was 96 years of age, having run it by herself for 43 years after the untimely death of her husband, who had been the landlord for 4 years prior.[7] 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.

References

  1. ↑ "Prestbury (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Gloucestershire Historic Towns Survey: Prestbury". Archived from the original on 3 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "Prestbury War Memorial". remembering.org.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  4. ↑ "Prestbury war memorial in Gloucestershire vandalised". BBC News. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Simpson, Jacqueline; Westwood, Jennifer (2008). The Penguin Book of Ghosts: Haunted England. Penguin. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-14-192074-0.
  6. ↑ Karl, Jason (2007). An Illustrated History of the Haunted World. New Holland Publishers. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-84537-687-1.
  7. ↑ http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66385
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