Hallen is a village in

South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...

, England, just north of the

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

city boundary. It is southwest of

Easter Compton Easter Compton is a village in the civil parish of Almondsbury, South Gloucestershire, England. It is situated at the bottom of a hill (known as ''Blackhorse Hill'') near Junction 17 of the M5 Motorway on the B4055 road. The village is only 1.5 ...

, northeast of

Avonmouth Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, facing two rivers: the reinforced north bank of the final stage of the Avon which rises at sources in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset; and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuar ...

and northwest of

Henbury Henbury is a suburb of Bristol, England, approximately north west of the city centre. It was formerly a village in Gloucestershire and is now bordered by Westbury-on-Trym to the south; Brentry to the east and the Blaise Castle Estate, Blaise Ha ...

. The village lies at the edge of the

Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

floodplain, sandwiched between the M49 and M5 motorways. It is sometimes claimed that the name "Hallen" is from the Welsh for salt, 'halen', or from an Anglo-Saxon word of the same meaning, however, 16th century spellings (e.g. Hallyende) make it clear that this is not the case; the name is apparently Middle or Early Modern English from 'hall' (hall) or 'hale' (nook, corner, stretch of alluvial land) + 'ende' (end). For administrative purposes Hallen is a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Almondsbury Almondsbury () is a large village near junction 16 of the M5 motorway, in South Gloucestershire, England, and a civil parish which also includes the villages of Hortham, Gaunt's Earthcott, Over, Easter Compton, Compton Greenfield, Hallen and ...

, although it is some 5 miles from the village of Almondsbury. Historically it was in the large parish of Henbury, and was transferred to Almondsbury in 1935 when most of Henbury was absorbed into Bristol. The Henbury Loop railway line passes the village to the south. When the line was opened in 1910 the village was served by Hallen Halt station, but the halt closed in 1915. The loop construction made a railway embankment along one side of the village. It was during the excavation that a natural water spring was blocked. This destroyed the watercress fields that used to be a major income for the village. A large underground petroleum storage facility was built into the hillside behind the village during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, to provide protection from German bombing. The facility is still in use today. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Hallen was a popular stop off point for travellers making their way from the South West to the

Aust Ferry Aust Ferry or Beachley Ferry was a ferry service that operated across the River Severn between Aust and Beachley, both in Gloucestershire, England. Before the Severn Bridge opened in 1966, it provided service for road traffic crossing between ...

, which would cross the River Severn to Wales. There were three inns in the village, one with its own brewery. The brewery structure is still visible today attached to the last remaining pub, The King William IV. The village retains some old world charm in places (War Memorial and Oakhill Lane cottages), but has been bisected by the M5 motorway which has left it somewhat desolate.

Sport and leisure

Hallen has a

Non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

club Hallen A.F.C. who play at The Hallen Centre.

References

External links

Notable people

* Lee Fairman, chairman of Hallen AFC. {{South Gloucestershire Villages in South Gloucestershire District