Hallen is a village in
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, Kingswood, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke. The southern p ...
, England, just north of the
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
city boundary. It is southwest of
Easter Compton, northeast of
Avonmouth and northwest of
Henbury. The village lies at the edge of the
Severn floodplain, sandwiched between the
M49 and
M5 motorways. It is sometimes claimed that the name "Hallen" is from the Welsh for salt, 'halen', or from an Anglo-Saxon word of the same meaning, however, 16th century spellings (e.g. Hallyende) make it clear that this is not the case; the name is apparently Middle or Early Modern English from 'hall' (hall) or 'hale' (nook, corner, stretch of alluvial land) + 'ende' (end).
For administrative purposes Hallen is a
ward in the
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Almondsbury
Almondsbury () is a large village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on the A38 road in the Avon Green Belt north of Bristol city centre. It is adjacent to junction 16 of the M5 motorway and Almondsbury Interc ...
, although it is some 5 miles from the village of Almondsbury. Historically it was in the large parish of Henbury, and was transferred to Almondsbury in 1935 when most of Henbury was absorbed into Bristol.
The
Henbury Loop railway line passes the village to the south. When the line was opened in 1910 the village was served by
Hallen Halt station, but the halt closed in 1915.
The loop construction made a railway embankment along one side of the village. It was during the excavation that a natural water spring was blocked. This destroyed the watercress fields that used to be a major income for the village.
A large underground petroleum storage facility was built into the hillside behind the village during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, to provide protection from German bombing. The facility is still in use today.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Hallen was a popular stop off point for travellers making their way from the South West to the
Aust Ferry, which would cross the River Severn to Wales. There were three inns in the village, one with its own brewery. The brewery structure is still visible today attached to the last remaining pub, The King William IV.
The village retains some old world charm in places (War Memorial and Oakhill Lane cottages), but has been bisected by the M5 motorway which has left it somewhat desolate.
Sport and leisure
Hallen has a
Non-League football club
Hallen A.F.C. who play at The Hallen Centre.
References
External links
Notable people
* Lee Fairman, chairman of
Hallen AFC.
{{South Gloucestershire
Villages in South Gloucestershire District