Nailsworth is a town and
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 ...
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, lying in one of the
Stroud Valleys
The Five Valleys are a group of valleys in Gloucestershire, England, which converge on the town of Stroud at the western edge of the Cotswolds. The Five Valleys are notable both for the landscape, which attracts visitors, and their role in indus ...
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 ...
, on the
A46 road
The A46 is a major A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway developmen ...
(the Roman
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road built in Britain during the first and second centuries AD that linked Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) in the southwest and Lindum Colonia (Lincoln) to the northeast, via Lindinis (Ilchester), Aquae Sulis ( Bath), Corini ...
), south of
Stroud
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021.
Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five ...
and about north-east of
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 ...
and
Bath. The parish had a population of 5,794 at the
2011 census.
History
Nailsworth in ancient times was a settlement at the confluence of the
Avening Valley
The Avening Valley is located in the South Cotswolds in England, running roughly east from Nailsworth
Nailsworth is a town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, lying in one of the Stroud Valleys in the Cotswolds, on the A46 road ...
and the
Woodchester Valley
Woodchester is a Gloucestershire village in the Nailsworth (or Woodchester) Valley, a valley in the South Cotswolds in England, running southwards from Stroud along the A46 road to Nailsworth. The parish population taken at the 2011 census w ...
, on the Nailsworth Stream, and from the 1st or 2nd centuries CE on the Roman Fosse Way. Among many notable historic medieval buildings in the area are
Beverston Castle
Beverston Castle, also known as Beverstone Castle or Tetbury Castle, was constructed as a medieval stone fortress in the village of Beverston, Gloucestershire, England. The property is a mix of manor house, various small buildings, extensive ...
and
Owlpen Manor
Owlpen Manor is a Tudor Grade I listed manor house of the Mander family, situated in the village of Owlpen in the Stroud district in Gloucestershire, England. There is an associated estate set in a valley within the Cotswold Area of Outstandi ...
.
In the modern era, Nailsworth was a small
mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe
Italy
* ''Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World Her ...
and centre for
brewing
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...
. It was connected directly to the UK national rail network between 1867 and 1947, as the terminus of the
Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway.
Amenities
These days Nailsworth is visited in the summer by walkers. It holds a
farmers' market
A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...
every fourth Saturday in the month. Local events such as the market and the Nailsworth Festival are still announced by a
town crier
A town crier, also called a bellman, is an officer of a royal court or public authority who makes public pronouncements as required.
Duties and functions
The town crier was used to make public announcements in the streets. Criers often dress ...
.
Over the past decade the small town centre has been reinvigorated. Besides numerous restaurants and cafes, it now contains a number of shops, including bakers, a delicatessen with a fishmonger, a hardware store, butchers, craft shops, bookshops, art galleries and a gardening shop. Nailsworth is a
Fairtrade Town
The Fair Trade Towns campaign is the result of a grass-roots citizens movement that started in the UK in 2001 (see below). It allows citizens to get together in order to self-proclaim their town (or other local geographical area) as a region that ...
and twinned with the French town of
Lèves
Lèves () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in Northern France.
Population
International relations
Lèves is twinned with the English town of Nailsworth, Gloucestershire.
See also
*Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department
The fol ...
, with which it enjoys an exchange visit in alternate years.
St George's Church
![St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/St._Georges_Nailsworth.jpg)
Built on the higher ground at the centre of town, St George's was consecrated in November 1900. Before 1895, the Church of England had provided for Nailsworth through several neighbouring parishes. The new church, which can now seat 500, was designed in the
Early English style by M. H. Medland of Gloucester. Lack of funds, however, meant that the church originally consisted only of a nave, aisles and south porch, without a chancel or tower. The large entrance was originally designed as a tower, but the elevated ground was found to be too unstable to support the weight, resulting in the unusual porch.
The clock tower was constructed on the steep grass bank by the church, known as the clock on stilts, before finding its final resting place some yards away, by the present-day Nailsworth roundabout. At that time it was hidden behind a shop that sold the hard-worked local mill wool. Those walking up the steps from Mortimer Gardens can still see two of what remains of the stilts which used to hold the clock.
The chancel, Lady Chapel, and vestries dedicated to the memory of those who died in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, were added in 1939. A church tower was never added. In 1980 a large extension to the vestries was accomplished, turning them into a parish room. The church has no churchyard.
Three of the
stained-glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
windows in the south aisle, depicting St Luke, St Paul and St Barnabas, are by
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lichg ...
. Three others depict St
Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester (1197 – 3 April 1253), also known as Richard de Wych, is a saint (canonized 1262) who was Bishop of Chichester.
In Chichester Cathedral a shrine dedicated to Richard had become a richly decorated centre of pilgrimag ...
,
St George
Saint George (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin language, Latin: Georgius, Arabic language, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christians, Christian who is venerated as a sa ...
and
St Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...
. A further window, by Herbert Bryans, shows Anna the Prophetess (''Luke'' 2:36–38) The East window was designed by Peter Strong and installed in 1977. On the west wall is a mural painted by Sir Oliver Heywood in 1985, showing community life in the town.
[
]
Christ Church and Tabernacle Church
The Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
chapel at Shortwood was rebuilt in 1837. Despite emigration of over 80 members to Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
1838–1840, the adult congregation was at least 1,000 in 1851. In 1864 a dispute over a new minister led to the secession of some members, who opened a new chapel in 1868, in Bristol Road. This was known as Nailsworth Tabernacle Church. In 1910 the community rejoined the original Baptist church.
In 1967 the Shortwood congregation united with the Forest Green Congregationalists
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
to form a new Christ Church, Nailsworth. Services alternated for some years with the Lower Forest Green Chapel, but the chapel in Newmarket Road, after modernisation, became the permanent place of worship in 1972. In that year Christ Church joined the new United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers.
Origins and history
The United Reformed Church resulte ...
, though retaining links with the Baptist Union. It had a membership of 147 in 1973.
Governance
An electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
in the same name exists. This mainly covers Nailsworth, but also stretches south to Horsley. The total ward population at the 2011 census was 6,614.
Twinned
Nailsworth is twinned with Lèves
Lèves () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in Northern France.
Population
International relations
Lèves is twinned with the English town of Nailsworth, Gloucestershire.
See also
*Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department
The fol ...
, France.
On November 27, 2019, Nailsworth signed a Friendship Agreement with the Village of Perry, New York, United States of America.
Sport and recreation
Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers Football Club are a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team compete in , the third tier of the English football league system, and have played their home games at The New Lawn since ...
is the premier football club in Nailsworth and plays in the EFL League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
at The New Lawn
The New Lawn, also known as The Bolt New Lawn for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. It has been the home stadium of League One club Forest Green Rovers since 2006. During the 2007–08 season the stadium ...
stadium in Forest Green, after winning the 2017 National League Play-off Final and subsequently being promoted from League 2 in May 2022. In doing so, it made Nailsworth the smallest settlement ever to host an English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
team. The town also 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, Shortwood United F.C.
Shortwood United Football Club is a football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The club are currently members of the and play at the Meadowbank Ground.
History
Established in 1900, in Shortwood, Nailsworth. The club was promo ...
at the Meadowbank Ground in Shortwood. It plays in the , part of the tenth tier of the English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
.
Notable people
In birth order:
* Mary Deverell (1731–1805), sermon writer, poet and playwright, died here.
*Joseph Edkins
Joseph Edkins (19 December 1823 – 23 April 1905) was a British Protestant missionary who spent 57 years in China, 30 of them in Beijing. As a Sinologue, he specialised in Chinese religions. He was also a linguist, a translator, and a philolo ...
(1823–1905), translator and missionary to China, was born here.
*W. H. Davies
William Henry Davies (3 July 1871 – 26 September 1940) was a Welsh poet and writer, who spent much of his life as a tramp or hobo in the United Kingdom and the United States, yet became one of the most popular poets of his time. His themes inc ...
(1871–1940), Newport-born tramp poet, lived here from the mid-1920s until his death.
* John Furnival (1933–2020), artist of visual
The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (the ...
and concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
poetry who lived most of his life near Nailsworth.
* Michael Bichard, Baron Bichard (born 1947), civil servant, is from Nailsworth.
*Pete Reed
Peter K. Reed OBE (born 27 July 1981) is a retired British Olympic rower. Reed is a three-times Olympic gold medallist – earning gold in the Men's coxless four at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and then a gold medal in the Men's eight at the 2 ...
(born 1981), Olympic rower, was brought up in Nailsworth.
See also
* Moschatel Press
References
External links
Nailsworth Town Council web site
BBC archive film of Nailsworth from 1985
Stroud Voices (Nailsworth filter) – oral history site
*
*
{{Authority control
Towns in Gloucestershire