User talk:Norm/Thornbury

Thornbury is a historical market town in South Gloucestershire, 11 miles north of Bristol, with a population of around 12,000 people. It is twinned with Bockenem in Germany. South Gloucestershire council headquarters is in Thornbury. It is a Britain in Bloom award winning town and also has its own competition, Thornbury in Bloom.

The west front of Thornbury Castle. The castle was begun in 1511 as a home for Edward Stafford, third Duke of Buckingham. The two intricate red-brick chimneys were built in 1514. Work stopped in 1521 when the Duke was executed. The castle is now a 26 room luxury hotel and restaurant

Thornbury town pump (no longer functional)

The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, the parish church of Thornbury. Building started in 1340, with major additions in 1500, 1848 and 1988. Today, the church is in full use for worship, Baptism, Confirmation, Marriages and Funerals and other events.

History

Thornbury's history dates back to around the 9th century, with a settlement of "Thornbyrig". The Domesday Book noted a village called "Turneberie" that had 103 residents.

The town charter was created in 1252. The 750th anniversary was recently celebrated, with a "750" flower bed planted on Grovesend Road. St Mary's church is the oldest surviving building in the town.

Thornbury once had a railway line and station. The remains of the railway are now housing and industrial estates, a bypass road and a long footpath. More remains of the line can be found at Tytherington quarry around one mile from the north of the town.

Thornbury used to have a bustling market, however the site closed down in the late 1990's. Recently, a smaller market on another site was set up in a car park near the United Reform Church. The older site remains derelict but there are plans to sell the land for housing devleopment.

Amenities

Thornbury features a high street, a shopping centre, two supermarkets and many smaller shops around the town. The town has 5 churches: St Mary's church, Christ the King, The Methodist church, United Reform Church and Hackett Church.

Industries

An Industrial estate is located to the south of the town. One of the biggest industries there is Essilor, a company who manufactures lenses for glasses.

Major roads in Thornbury

B4061

The B4061 starts on an A38 junction at Alveston and goes through Thornbury, Morton and eventually forks off leading to either Milbury Heath or Whitfield near Falfield. The road has many names on various sections

High Street

The High Street has many shops and places of historical interest such as the Bristol and West house, the old police station and town hall.

Bristol road

Others

Midland and Morton way. The fast backbone roads of Thornbury. Seperated by a roundabout, these roads connect the North and the South of Thornbury.

Gillingstool Grovesend road. Long straight road that leads from the A38 to the Town Centre.
Castle Street.
The Plain

Education

There are several schools in Thornbury. The two most notable are Gillingstool Primary which dates back to the 1800's (known for its school bell) and the former grammar school (Thornbury Grammar School), which is now a sixth form centre for Castle School, Thornbury's secondary school. Other schools include Crossways, New Siblands, Christ the King, St Marys, Shelings and Manorbrook.

Tourist Attractions

Thornbury's best known famous attraction is its castle (now a hotel). St Mary's church is near the castle.

The town pump has been sited on a small roundabout at the bottom of the high street. It has a distinctive sign saying "To Gloucester" with a pointing hand. The original pump was infamously removed in 1924 due to its state and it was considered a "road hazard" by the council. In 1984 a new one was built and was painted gold in 2002 to celebrate the golden jubilee.

A footpath called Streamside Walk, which starts at Gillingstool primary school, passes over several roads and bridges, passes Thornbury hospital, Manorbrook primary school and on to the north of Thornbury where the stream carries on beyond the town. There is also another, less well known stream that runs through the north east of Thornbury and merges at an old mill.

Other attractions include the Munday Playing Fields Filnore Woods, Armstrong and Cossham halls, Thornbury Museum and the borough stone, which was replaced in 1997. Recently a heritage trail was set up offering information signs about historical places of interest.

Famous residents

Pictures of Thornbury

[1]Thornbury Castle, seen from the top of St Mary’s Church tower on a church open day
[2]The Castle roof (the two brick chimneys are dated at 1514)
[3]Detail of the two chimneys, showing remarkable brick sculturing
[4] The interior of St Mary’s Church (the parish church of Thornbury)
[5] Detail of the intricate stonework at the top of St Mary’s church tower
[6] The Council offices (Thornbury lies within South Gloucestershire)
[7]The lower end of High Street and the pump (surrounded by flowers, on the right)
[8]The pump
[9]The Barrel public house in St Mary's Shopping Centre
[10]St Mary’s Shopping Centre

External Links

de:Thornbury (South Gloucestershire)