Birdlip is a village in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, in the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty south of

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

and south east of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

History

Some fine pre-Roman bronze art, including the famous Birdlip Mirror, from around AD 50, was found at Barrow Wake near Birdlip. The village was once on the main road between Gloucester and Cirencester, now the

A417 The A417 is a main road in England running from Streatley, Berkshire to Hope under Dinmore, Herefordshire. It is best known for its section between Cirencester and Gloucester where it has primary status and forms part of the link between the m ...

. The building of a bypass, which opened in December 1988, moved the main route away from the village. Black Horse Ridge is a 17th-century building that until 1900 was a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

.Verey, 1970, page 112 A lodge adjacent to Black Horse Ridge was designed by

Richard Pace Richard Pace (c. 148228 June 1536) was an English clergyman and diplomat of the Tudor period. Life He was born in Hampshire and educated at Winchester College under Thomas Langton. He attended the universities of Padua and Oxford. In 1509, ...

and built in 1822. Birdlip's remaining pub is The Royal George Hotel, which was built in the 19th century. Birdlip House is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

house built late in the 18th century. The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

Saint Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

burned down in 1897, and was replaced in 1957 by a new church designed by the architect Harold Stratton-Davis. It was a small tin church with green painting. On 31 December 2022, the 200-year old Air Balloon pub closed for the final time before demolition for upgrade work on the

A417 road The A417 is a main road in England running from Streatley, Berkshire to Hope under Dinmore, Herefordshire. It is best known for its section between Cirencester and Gloucester where it has primary status and forms part of the link between the ma ...

Amenities

Birdlip has a community primary school. Birdlip is on the

Cotswold Way The Cotswold Way is a long-distance footpath, running along the Cotswold Edge escarpment of the Cotswold Hills in England. It was officially inaugurated as a National Trail on 24 May 2007 and several new rights of way have been created. His ...

, a National Trail running along the edge of The Cotswolds AONB. The view from

Barrow Wake Barrow Wake is a scenic view in Gloucestershire, near Birdlip, England. Barrow Wake was used as the location for the music video "Wytches" by Pagan Rock Band Inkubus Sukkubus Inkubus Sukkubus are an English goth and pagan band, formed in 1 ...

viewpoint in the village takes in much of the Vale of Gloucester. Located next to the primary school is Birdlip and Brimpsfield Cricket Club (BBCC). The club has three senior teams, playing on Wednesdays and Saturdays. BBCC is famous for once fielding a team made entirely of members of the Partridge family. Birdlip had an infamous " Dogging Area" at the Barrow Wake viewpoint.

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External links

{{authority control Villages in Gloucestershire Cotswold District