Oldbury-on-Severn is a small village near the mouth of the

River 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 ...

in the

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 ...

district of the county of

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 ...

in the west of

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 ...

. The parish, which includes the village of Cowhill had a population at the 2011 census of 780. It is home to the nearby

Oldbury nuclear power station Oldbury nuclear power station is a Magnox nuclear power station undergoing decommissioning. It is located on the south bank of the River Severn close to the village of Oldbury-on-Severn in South Gloucestershire, England. The ongoing decommi ...

, a

Magnox Magnox is a type of nuclear power/production reactor that was designed to run on natural uranium with graphite as the moderator and carbon dioxide gas as the heat exchange coolant. It belongs to the wider class of gas-cooled reactors. The n ...

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

which opened in 1967 and ceased operation on 29 February 2012. The area has been considered for nuclear 'new build' totalling some 3000MWe of capacity – either two or three PWRs. This would be more than the river flow could provide cooling for and so natural-draught cooling towers with a possible height of 200m have been postulated as necessary (- the existing station is 54m high). Village attractions include a footpath near the river, a pub known as the ''Anchor Inn'' plus the village hall and two churches. It is also the home of Thornbury Sailing Club. The parish church is dedicated to St Arilda, a local saint and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

whose origins may lie in the fourth or fifth century. The church is on a small hill (35m asl at ST609919) and is an excellent viewpoint, and, for river travellers, waymark.

References

External links

Oldbury on Severn Community WebsiteOldbury-on-Severn.com
(accommodation)
Oldbury nuclear power station Stakeholder GroupThornbury Sailing Club
Populated places on the River Severn Villages in South Gloucestershire District Civil parishes in Gloucestershire {{SouthGloucestershire-geo-stub