Chipping Sodbury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chipping Sodbury | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Population: | 5,066 | |
| Ordnance Survey | ||
| OS grid reference: | ST726822 | |
| Administration | ||
| District: | South Gloucestershire | |
| Region: | South West England | |
| Constituent country: | England | |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom | |
| Other | ||
| Ceremonial county: | Gloucestershire | |
| Historic county: | Gloucestershire | |
| Services | ||
| Police force: | Avon and Somerset | |
| Fire and rescue: | {{{Fire}}} | |
| Ambulance: | Great Western | |
| Post office and telephone | ||
| Post town: | BRISTOL | |
| Postal district: | BS37 | |
| Dialling code: | 01454 | |
| Politics | ||
| UK Parliament: | Northavon | |
| European Parliament: | South West England | |
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Chipping Sodbury is a market town in South Gloucestershire, England, founded in the 12th century by William Crassus. The small villages of Old Sodbury and Little Sodbury are nearby. At the 2001 census the population of Chipping Sodbury was 5,066, but in the last two or three decades the town has become part of a much larger built-up area due to the rapid expansion of nearby Yate. At the census the combined population of Yate and Chipping Sodbury was 26,855.
In the 18th century Edward Jenner started his medical training in Sodbury, observing people catching cowpox, and then not catching smallpox.
East of the town is a railway tunnel under the Cotswolds, 2 miles 924 yards (4.06 km) long, which was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1902. The Chipping Sodbury tunnel is notorious for flooding in wet weather, often leading to disruption of services on the main railway line to and from South Wales. Chipping Sodbury had a railway station from 1903 to 1961. Yate station, on the Bristol to Birmingham main line, originally closed in January 1965 but reopened in May 1989.
Chipping Sodbury supposedly has the widest street of any town in England, though Stockton-on-Tees is another strong contender for that distinction.
The current mayor is the honourable Paul Robins.
The name Chipping Sodbury is considered humorous by those unfamiliar with it. Locals often call it "Sodding Chipbury". The name is believed to have inspired "Effing Sodbury", a place name associated with the satirical pseudo-newspaper The Framley Examiner
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[edit] The Placename
Its name is recorded in Anglo-Saxon (in the dative case) as Soppanbyrig = "Soppa's fort". "Chipping" means that a market was held there.
[edit] Famous Inhabitants
- J. K. Rowling - the town is often cited as the birthplace of Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling; in fact she was born in nearby Yate, though the two towns are joined.
- RC "Jack" Russell - the former England cricket wicket keeper and artist.
- Edward Jenner - discoverer of the cure for smallpox.
[edit] Gallery
 The wide main street of Chipping Sodbury. Cars are parked where market stalls would once have been. |
 Chipping Sodbury high street |
Fanmoue Inhabitants
[edit] External links
- Yate and Chipping Sodbury Guide - A Guide to Chipping Sodbury and Yate
- Chipping Sodbury Cricket Club
- History - The History of Chipping Sodbury
- South Gloucestershire Council
- Sodbury Players - Amateur dramatics group
- Local Events - Events in Chipping Sodbury
- BS37.com, Local Info - Local information
