Lechlade

Lechlade
Town
St Lawrence's seen across the Thames
Lechlade is located in Gloucestershire
Lechlade
Lechlade
Location within Gloucestershire
Population2,850 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSU2199
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLechlade
Postcode districtGL7
Dialling code01367
PoliceGloucestershire
FireGloucestershire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteLechlade-on-Thames official website
List of places
UK
England
Gloucestershire
51°41′56″N 1°41′31″W / 51.699°N 1.692°W / 51.699; -1.692

Lechlade (/ˈlɛld/) is a town at the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England, 55 miles (89 km) south of Birmingham and 68 miles (109 km) west of London. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable, although there is a right of navigation that continues south-west into Cricklade, in the neighbouring county of Wiltshire. The town is named after the River Leach that joins the Thames near the Trout Inn and St. John's Bridge.

The low-lying land is alluvium, Oxford Clay and river gravels and the town is surrounded by lakes created from disused gravel extraction sites, forming parts of the Cotswold Water Park; several have now been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and nature reserves. Human occupation dates from the neolithic, Iron Age and Roman periods and it developed as a trading centre served by river, canal, roads and railway, although the station closed in 1962.

The Anglican Church of St Lawrence is a Grade I listed building dating from the 15th century. The development of the nearby RAF Fairford and RAF Brize Norton after World War II contributed to the expansion of the town.

  1. ^ "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 24 March 2015.