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Woolaston is an English village in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire in South West England. It lies on the north side of the Severn Estuary approximately 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the Welsh border at Chepstow and is surrounded by woodland and agricultural land.
At one time the parish of Woolaston stretched between the River Severn and the River Wye, but now it does not (though it is still quite large). It used to contain much of the area now in the Hewelsfield and Brockwier CP. The Woolaston parish contains many smaller hamlets.
[edit] The Village and its Inhabitants
The centre of population in Woolaston is around the Netherend area to the east of the parish, very close to Alvington. Here there is a thriving primary school, one of two pubs in the village, a small post office and a brand memorial hall. There was until recently a small shop, but it has now closed and is undergoing substantial re-devlopment. In bygone years there were several more shops, a blacksmith and more, but they are all long gone now as the character of the village changes. The village is well placed to serve the housing needs of those who work in the forest and also in Chepstow, Bristol, Newport and Cardiff. The agricultural population is becoming increasingly replaced by a newer population of office based professionals, many in the design, media, computer and communication industries based in Bristol and Cardiff.
[edit] Development of the Village
There are plans to develop the dairy into a small housing development. Recent developments have consolidated rather than expanded the village. If you travel north west from Netherend you pass a Methodist church, then Birchwood road, popular and largest housing estate in Woolaston, the 'Ring Fence' which is a small lane with a number of cottages along it, one of the village public houses, the 'Rising Sun' and the village allotments.
Woolaston Common is about 1 mile from the main A48 road and North of the main village. Here there is a small hamlet of houses. There is also an area of common ground which for the most part of the year is covered in bracken. Adjoining the common is also another hamlet called Sandtumps.
Woolaston Parish Church is about a mile south west of Netherend along the A48 towards Chepstow. It was threatened with closure in 2007 but at the final Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve it was announced the Church will be saved.
[edit] Hamlets/areas (no particular order):
- Netherend
- Woolaston Common
- High Woolaston
- Woolaston Woodside
- Woolaston Slade
- Common Wood
- Stroat
- Keynsham
- Plusterwine
- Brookend
- Smallbrook
- Clap-Y-Ates
- Clanna
Coordinates: 51°41'N 2°36'W? / ?51.683, -2.6
(Source: Wikipedia) |