Tutshill is a village within the parish of
Tidenham
Tidenham () is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean of west Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the Welsh border. Tidenham is bounded by the River Wye (which forms the Welsh border) to the west and the River Severn to the south. Offa ...
in the
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the n ...
,
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. It is located on the eastern bank of the
River Wye
The River Wye (; cy, Afon Gwy ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of Wal ...
, which forms the boundary with
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
at this point and which separates the village from the town of
Chepstow
Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western ...
. The village of
Woodcroft adjoins Tutshill to the north, and across the
A48 road to the south is the village of
Sedbury
Sedbury is a village in the Forest of Dean district of west Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the eastern bank of the River Wye, facing the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire . The village is in the parish of Tidenham. It had a populatio ...
. A short walk over the river is
Chepstow railway station
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = 2022 at Chepstow station - platform 2.JPG
, caption = Chepstow station in June 2022
, borough = Chepstow, Monmouthshire
, country ...
on the
Gloucester–Newport line
The Gloucester–Newport line is a railway line that runs along the west bank of the River Severn in the United Kingdom between Gloucester and Newport.
Originally part of the South Wales Railway on the main route from London before the constru ...
.
History
![Tutshill](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Tutshill.jpg)
The name derives from the ruined "tut", a local term for
watchtower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
, on top of the hill overlooking the
River Wye
The River Wye (; cy, Afon Gwy ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of Wal ...
and its ancient crossing point at Castleford. and also having a distant view 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 ...
and estuary. The tower is of uncertain date, and has been suggested as either an
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
watchtower linked to
Chepstow Castle
Chepstow Castle ( cy, Castell Cas-gwent) at Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Located above cliffs on the River Wye, construction began in 1067 under the instruction of the Norman L ...
, or a later
windmill
A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...
. A windmill overlooking the Wye above Chapelhouse Wood is recorded in 1584.
[Look Out Tower](_blank)
Pastscape, retrieved 19 April 2013 It may have been later adapted as a
folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings.
Eighteenth-cent ...
, leading to a local tradition that the ruined mill had been a look-out tower.
Tutshill was once common land in "Bishton tithing" to the south of Tidenham Chase.
[Tidenham including Lancaut: Introduction](_blank)
Victoria County History The only house near the crossroads at Tutshill before the 19th century was apparently Tutshill Farm recorded from 1655.
After the town of Chepstow developed and a bridge was built over the Wye, the main road between Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire followed the steep hill directly up the river bank between the bridge and Tutshill – now a footpath linking Chepstow to the
Offa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path ( cy, Llwybr Clawdd Offa) is a long-distance footpath loosely following the Wales–England border. Officially opened on 10 July 1971, by Lord Hunt, it is one of Britain's National Trails and draws walkers from throughout th ...
– until a new road looping around Castleford Hill was opened in 1808. This road carried traffic between the two counties until a new bridge was built at Chepstow in 1988, whereupon Tutshill was bypassed.
The expansion of Tutshill had begun by 1828 when building-plots north-east of the crossroads were sold, and by 1843 there were houses extending along the roads to the north and east with the Cross Keys Inn at the corner.
By 1856 Tutshill was already a minor centre with two public-houses, a shop, a post office, a solicitor's office, and a private school.
By this time the growing population of the Tutshill and
Woodcroft area of the parish was recognized by the building of a church and a school on the road between the two hamlets. The church, dedicated to St. Luke, is a Gothic stone building comprising a nave with a bellcot at the south-eastern corner, a chancel, and a north aisle added in 1872.
[Tidenham including Lancaut: Churches](_blank)
Victoria County History There was another period of expansion in the late 19th century and early years of the 20th, and there was a major increase in the population in the middle years of the 20th century when new housing-estates were built.
There was a railway station,
Tutshill Halt, near Tutshill which was closed in 1959.
Today many of the residents commute to nearby cities such as Bristol, Bath, Cardiff or Gloucester.
Schools
Tutshill Church of England Primary School is located in the village and caters for children from the ages of 4 to 11.
In addition, Dean Close St. John's is an independent
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
day and
boarding preparatory school with all-year round day nurseries and a "pre-prep" for children under the age of eight. Founded in 1923, the school is situated in grounds overlooking Chepstow Castle.
J. K. Rowling
![Church Cottage, Tutshill](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Church_Cottage%2C_Tutshill.jpg)
The village was the childhood home, from the age of nine in 1974, of the author
J. K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and Philanthropy, philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to ...
. She attended Tutshill Church of England Primary School before moving on at the age of eleven to the nearby
Wyedean School
Wyedean School and Sixth Form Centre is a secondary school with academy status in Sedbury, Gloucestershire, England, just across the border from Chepstow, Wales. Wyedean School was rated 'Good' by OfSTED in Jan 2018. The school is close to the ...
in Sedbury. Her childhood home,
Church Cottage, a mid-19th century
Gothic-style Grade II listed building
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 ...
designed by the architect
Henry Woodyer
Henry Woodyer (1816–1896) was an English architect, a pupil of William Butterfield and a disciple of A. W. N. Pugin and the Ecclesiologists.
Life
Woodyer was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, in 1816, the son of a successful, highly resp ...
, was put up for sale in 2011.
The character
Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. He is an exceptionally skilled wizard whose sarcastic, controlled exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. A Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraf ...
in the ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' books was partly based on Sylvia Morgan, a teacher at her primary school, and on one of her teachers at Wyedean School,
John Nettleship
John Lawrence Nettleship (1 August 1939 – 12 March 2011) was a British schoolteacher who taught chemistry at Wyedean School, Gloucestershire. His pupils there included Joanne Rowling, and he has been stated to be a major inspiration for the c ...
. In the book ''
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the seventh and final novel of the main ''Harry Potter'' series. It was released on 21 July 2007 in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publi ...
'', a passage is set in the
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the n ...
, where
Harry
Harry may refer to:
TV shows
* ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin
* ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons
* ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
,
Hermione
Hermione may refer to:
People
* Hermione (given name), a female given name
* Hermione (mythology), only daughter of Menelaus and Helen in Greek mythology and original bearer of the name
Arts and literature
* ''Cadmus et Hermione'', an opera by ...
and
Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
are camping and discover the
Sword of Gryffindor where it has been hidden by Snape. Tutshill is also the home of a fictional professional
Quidditch
Quidditch is a fictional sport invented by author J.K. Rowling for her fantasy book series ''Harry Potter''. It first appeared in the novel ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997). It is a dangerous but popular sport played by witc ...
team operating within the
Harry Potter universe
The Wizarding World (previously known as J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World) is a fantasy media franchise and shared universe, shared fictional universe centred on the ''Harry Potter'' novel series by J. K. Rowling. A series of Film, films have b ...
. The Tutshill Tornados are one of thirteen fictional Quidditch teams that play in the professional Quidditch League of Britain and Ireland that was established in 1674. The team players wear sky-blue robes emblazoned with a double "T" in dark blue on the chest and back. In the early 20th century the fictional team set a British and Irish record by winning the League Cup five times in a row.
References
External links
*
Photos of Tutshill and surrounding area on Geograph Gallery of listed buildings at and around Tutshill
{{authority control
Villages in Gloucestershire
Chepstow
Tidenham