Alvington is a village and
civil parish in the
Forest of Dean in
Gloucestershire, England, situated on the
A48 road, six miles north-east of
Chepstow in
Wales. The parish had a total population of 506 at the
2011 census.
History of Alvington
Alvington was one of a number of
hamlets dotted along the
River Severn, following the former
Roman road
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
leading from
Newnham on Severn to Chepstow. The manor of Alvington is recorded in the
Domesday Book of 1086 under the name ‘Alwintune’, then part of the Herefordshire hundred of Bromsash, held by
Turstin FitzRolf. During the 12th century, Alvington joined Gloucestershire as part of the
Bledisloe hundred, and became a separate parish. During the
late Middle Ages Alvington parish and
manor
Manor may refer to:
Land ownership
*Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England
*Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism
*Man ...
were under the ownership of
Llanthony Priory (in
Gloucester) which was dissolved in 1539. The lord of the manor's seat was situated in Clanna Falls around one mile from the village. In its history Alvington, has variously boasted two smithies, a small brewery, a small engineering works and several shops.
[
]
Society and amenities
Alvington's population had varied somewhere between 300 and 500 since the mid-19th century. During the 1960s the development of a council estate increased the size of the village. The village lies at the edge of the Forest of Dean, which was once an important coal-producing area. There is a strong agricultural influence in the village today, although historically this would have been more evident and many of the population now work outside of the village and its immediate surroundings.
There used to be a village school in Alvington dating back to around 1850, however the last remnants of what became Alvington Church of England School closed in 1958.[
Today, Alvington has little in the way of shops and villagers have to travel to the nearby town of Lydney for most services beyond those served by the local petrol station, which acts as the village shop. There are three public houses in Alvington: The Blacksmith's Arms; The Globe Inn (which reopened in November 2014); and The Swan Inn (currently closed but having renovations). The Globe Inn dates back to around 1805. The Blacksmith's Arms dates back the late nineteenth-century in a building that was formerly a smithy (hence the pub's current name). The Swan Inn (now the Swan House Tea Rooms) lies on the border of Alvington and neighbouring Woolaston (also classed as Colne Valley), and once contained a mill in its early days.][
]
St. Andrew’s church
Built by Llanthony Priory around 1140, the church was originally named St. Mary's, until it took its current name of St. Andrew
Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...
’s in 1523. In 1858 the church underwent substantial restoration leaving only one small Norman architecture window to reveal its Norman origins. St. Andrew's, Alvington is in the Parish of Woolaston and Alvington, in the Deanery of Forest South under the Diocese of Gloucester. St. Andrew's, Alvington is found on Church Lane and a village hall was built nearby in 1924.
Transport
Alvington lies on the A48 road, which runs from Chepstow in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
, Wales, to Gloucester, England. The nearest railway stations can also be found in Lydney (on local trains from Gloucester) and Chepstow on more regular national routes. The Stagecoach West number 24 bus serves the village on its Chepstow to Cinderford route from Mondays to Saturdays.
Politics
Alvington is represented by the county councillor for Tidenham division and the two district councillors for Alvington, Aylburton and West Lydney ward in the Forest of Dean District Council. The Forest of Dean is represented in Parliament by Mark Harper MP ( Conservative Party).
Sport
Alvington and Woolaston Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
Club was founded in 1983, originally playing at Woolaston Primary School, they now play their home fixtures in Alvington. The club competes in the K. W. Bell Forest League and the Forest Mid-Week League. Alvington football team reformed in 2016 after 40 years.
Paranormal activity
The village has been at the centre of a number of paranormal claims in recent years. In 2009 local resident David Crook claimed to have spotted bright lights in the sky above the playing fields. The lights burned brightly in the sky to such an extent that David rushed into the village, knocking on doors, to warn local residents.
The lights turned out to be a child up a tree with a torch. But David to this day still claims it was aliens.
References
External links
Information on upcoming events and latest news in Alvington
Alvington and Woolaston Cricket Club fixture list
For photos of Alvington and surrounding area on geograph
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Forest of Dean
Villages in Gloucestershire