Hardwicke, Stroud

Hardwicke
Saint Nicholas's Church, Hardwicke
Hardwicke is located in Gloucestershire
Hardwicke
Hardwicke
Location within Gloucestershire
Population4,395 (2021 Census)[1]
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGloucester
Postcode districtGL2
PoliceGloucestershire
FireGloucestershire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Gloucestershire
51°48′50″N 2°17′5″W / 51.81389°N 2.28472°W / 51.81389; -2.28472

Hardwicke is a large village on the A38 road 7 km south of the city of Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. Despite its proximity to Gloucester, the village comes under Stroud Council.[2][3] The population of the village taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011 was 3,901.[4]

With its name deriving from the Old English heorde wic, "herd [tending] settlement", farming is still the major industry of the parish. Hardwicke was once renowned for its cider and cheese,[3] this may have led to its survival during the battle for Gloucester in the Civil War – neither side wanted to damage a source of much appreciated sustenance.

Though there is a typical village green and pond on Green Lane, along with some of the village's oldest cottages, there was never a distinct centre to the village and other parts have a distinct "Victorian" feel. Added to this are the newer developments of the 1970s and 1980s, which have gradually become contiguous with the Quedgeley district of Gloucester to the north.

The village had three public houses, 'The Pilot' (on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal),[5] 'The Cross Keys' (now demolished) 'The Morning Star' (now a private house, Morning Star Cottage) next door to 'The Starting Gate' (formerly 'The Morning Star', on Bristol Road (B4008)). The latter has now closed and been refitted and opened as a One Stop in 2015.[6] There is also a branch of The Royal British Legion, a village hall and a shop.[7]

In the centre of the village is the Hardwicke Parochial School, a Church of England school that teaches children from the ages of four to eleven.[8]

Planning proposals have been put forward to Stroud District Council to build 1200 new dwellings on the South side of the parish.[9]

  1. ^ "Hardwicke". City population. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Hardwicke". stroud.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Hardwicke: Introduction". British History Online. 1972. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  4. ^ "Parish population 2011". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  5. ^ "The Pilot Inn". The Pilot Inn. Archived from the original on 16 March 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  6. ^ "New village shop will open in Hardwicke after troubles". The Citizen. 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Hardwicke Village Hall". Hardwicke Village Hall. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Hardwicke Parochial Primary School". Hardwicke Parochial Primary School. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Planning Proposal". Stroud District Council. Retrieved 23 August 2020.[permanent dead link‍]