Avening is a village 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 the

Cotswold district Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region. Its main town is Cirencester. Other notable towns include Tetbury, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold and Chipping Campden. Nota ...

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, about north of

Tetbury Tetbury is a town and civil parish inside the Cotswold district in England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in ...

. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,094, decreasing to 1,031 at the 2011 census. Nearby is

Gatcombe Park Gatcombe Park is the country residence of Anne, Princess Royal, between the villages of Minchinhampton (to which it belongs) and Avening in Gloucestershire, England. Built in the late 18th century to the designs of George Basevi, it is a ...

, the home of the

Princess Royal Princess Royal is a substantive title, style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a United Kingdom, British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of th ...

. __NOTOC__

History

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 ...

, Avening lay on the

GHQ Line The GHQ Line (General Headquarters Line) was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during World War II to contain an expected German invasion. The British Army had abandoned most of its equipment in France after the Dunkirk evacuation. It ...

. Extensive anti-tank ditches were constructed to the south and southeast, and were overlooked by a number of pillboxes. The defences were constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations.

Governance

Avening has a Parish Council consisting of nine elected or

co-opted Co-option (also co-optation, sometimes spelt coöption or coöptation) has two common meanings. It may refer to the process of adding members to an elite group at the discretion of members of the body, usually to manage opposition and so maintai ...

members. 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 ward stretches from ''Avening'' in the west to

Long Newnton Long Newnton is a small village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England (historically in Wiltshire), lying on the B4014 road between Malmesbury (2 km NW) and Tetbury (5 km S). It is near the SW end of the Cotswolds. The population ...

in the south east. The total population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 1,930.

Religious sites

The Anglican Church of the Holy Cross was built in late 11th century. It is a grade I

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 ...

Famous residents

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...

(1905–1990). Film director, producer, screenwriter, actor. Buried in Holy Cross Church. The gravestone was designed by his son Columba who appeared in some of his film

* Pamela Brown (actress), Pamela Brown (1917–1975). Enigmatic RADA trained actor, Pamela spent her last days with Michael Powell at the cottage in Avening which they both loved. Also buried in Holy Cross Church * Lindsey Merrison (born 1959). Anglo-burmese film director and producer has a cottag

*Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham and Lady Lee lived at Old Quarries, a grade II listed building. *The now disbanded Clogging dance group Roughshod Appalachian Cloggers and their band The Cotswold Mountain Boys originated from Avenin

They were well known around the local area and in the UK folk festival circuit. They appeared on The Michael Barrymore show in 199

https://archive.today/20130628032251/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/534194?view=credit]. * John Sirgood (1822–1885). Christian

fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

lay preacher Lay preacher is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presidi ...

, and founder of the

Society of Dependants The Society of Dependants were a Christian sect founded by John Sirgood in the mid-nineteenth century. Their stronghold was in West Sussex and Surrey where they formed co-operatives in some villages. They were widely known as "Cokelers", a nickna ...

was born in Avening. * Caroline Playne (1857-1948), historian and anti-war activist, was born in Avening.

Related place names

Avening is also the name of a rural community immediately south of

Creemore Creemore () is a former village, now part of Clearview, Ontario, Clearview Township, located in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It lies approximately north of Toronto, 40 minutes west of Barrie, and 20 minutes south of Collingwood, Ontario, Col ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, on the Mad River. One of its pioneers was Frederick C. Thornbury, who built a grist mill and a sawmill in the Ontario community in 1860, and named the settlement "after his native place in England".''Places in Ontario: Their Name Origins and History'', Part I, by Nick and Helma Mika, Mika Publishing Company, Belleville, Ontario, 1977, p 111.

References

Notes

General references

External links

Avening Parish Council
*
Stroud Voices (Avening filter) - oral history site
{{authority control Villages in Gloucestershire Cotswold District