Northavon was a district in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

county of Avon Avon () was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England that existed between 1974 and 1996. The county was named after the River Avon, which flows through the area. It was formed from the county boroughs of Bristol and Bat ...

from 1974 to 1996. The district was formed by the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

on 1 April 1974 as part of a reform of local authorities throughout

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 ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. Under the reorganisation, the area surrounding the cities of Bath and Bristol was formed into a new county of "Avon", named after the

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

that ran through the area. The county was divided into six districts, one of which was formed from the areas of Sodbury Rural District (except the parish of Alderley) and most of

Thornbury Rural District Thornbury Rural District was a rural district council centred on Thornbury in the south of Gloucestershire. It was originally formed as a Poor Law Union on 5 April 1836 with 26 Guardians representing the 21 parishes in the Union and the Guardian ...

(16 out of 21 parishes) 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 ...

. The name "Northavon" was invented in 1973, simply denoting the district's position in the county. In 1991 the county boundaries of Avon and Gloucestershire were realigned. The main effect of the change was that the

Hillesley and Tresham Hillesley and Tresham is a civil parish in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire, England. It had a population of 591 according to the 2001 census, decreasing to 391 at the 2011 census. The parish contains the villages of Hillesley and Tresh ...

area was transferred from Northavon to the neighbouring District of Stroud in

. Following a review by the Local Government Commission for England, both the County of Avon and District of Northavon were abolished on 1 April 1996. Northavon was merged with the neighbouring Borough of Kingswood to form the unitary authority of

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 ...

Northavon Northavon was a district in the English county of Avon from 1974 to 1996. The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974 as part of a reform of local authorities throughout England and Wales. Under the reorganisation, ...

was a parliamentary constituency. It was abolished ahead of the 2010 general election, with the area being split between the constituencies of Filton and Bradley Stoke and Thornbury and Yate.

Premises

In 1986 Northavon District Council built a civic centre on Castle Street in Thornbury, at the corner with Stokefield Close. The building remained the council's meeting place and main offices until the council's abolition in 1996. The building was subsequently used by South Gloucestershire Council until 2013. The building has since been demolished and Alexandra Lodge, a development of retirement homes, built on the site.

References

{{Former non-metropolitan districts of England South Gloucestershire District Avon (county) History of Gloucestershire Former non-metropolitan districts of Avon

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References