Wall painting, Teddington Church - geograph

Teddington is a village and

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

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.

Population

The village had a population of less than 300, of which the majority were professional commuters and elderly pensioners. The population increased to 393 at the 2011 census. It has an archaic water pump, a

village hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...

and some property dating from the 18th century and earlier. Nearby is the "''Teddington Hands''"

pub 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 ...

, the name of which refers to the crossroads sign that was renovated as part of the 2000 Millennium celebrations. Opposite the pub and outside a Texaco service station is a standing stone of purportedly mystical significance and is believed to be over 2,000 years old.

History

The village dates from the 8th century. The Teddington Hands Inn (nearby but not in the village) was originally known as the Cross Hands Inn and the name change only took place in the late 1980s after construction of the Teddington Hands Roundabout which realigned the Stow road away from the side of the premises due to a high volume of serious road traffic accidents. The area gets its name from the historic fingerpost which formerly stood at the crossroads but now stands adjacent to the entrance to the pub. The finger post is a

listed structure In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. During the

Second World War 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 ...

an American military base was in the field to the rear of the pub and

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He rei ...

the heavyweight boxer fought an exhibition match in the field and all the surrounding villagers were invited.

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

also entertained troops in an adjacent field and visited the pub for refreshments prior to going to

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 ...

to perform a further concert. The following day he left from a nearby airfield for France. He and the plane he was travelling in was never seen again. The current theory being is small plane was hit by bombs discharged from returning allied bombers over the channel. So the Teddington Hands Inn is possibly the last pub Glenn Miller ever visited.

Sights

The village has an ancient church that is thought to date from the 12th century. The interior wall has a partially faded mural of

the Lion and the Unicorn The Lion and the Unicorn are symbols of the United Kingdom. They are, properly speaking, heraldic supporters appearing in the full royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. The lion stands for England and the unicorn for Scotland. The combinati ...

that dates from the second half of the 17th century. It also contains an arch sourced from Hailes Abbey after the latter was destroyed following the dissolution of the monasteries.

Surrounding area

The villages of Teddington and Alstone, separated by the tiny hamlet of Bengrove lie in gently rolling countryside near the foot of the Cotswold escarpment, almost equidistant from the towns of Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Evesham. Each a distinct community but their proximity to each other and their small size, a combined adult population of almost 330, means that the people who live here join together for social occasions and religious observances. Teddington and Alstone now lie in the

Anglican Diocese of Worcester The Diocese of Worcester forms part of the Church of England (Anglican) Province of Canterbury in England. The diocese was founded around 679 by St Theodore of Canterbury at Worcester to minister to the kingdom of the Hwicce, one of the many ...

, although they have been part of Gloucestershire since 1932, falling within the borough and Parliamentary constituency of Tewkesbury. The existence of this parish began when the standing stone was founded and was thought to bring good-natured happenings and luck. Travellers came into the area looking to see the stone until there was a whole community of travellers and settlers. After a few years there were thriving businesses and schools worthy for education of children. Even today people moving house or coming into retirement like to travel to Teddington for its famous brews and the "mystical significance" of the standing stone.

References

External links