Alvington
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Alvington is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England, situated on the A48 road, six miles north-east of Chepstow in Wales. The parish has a total population of 484.
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[edit] History of Alvington
Alvington was one of a number of hamlets dotted along the River Severn, following the former Roman military road leading from Newnham to Chepstow. The best early record of Alvington is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 (the result of William the Conqueror’s land survey following the Norman invasion of England in 1066) as a Lordship under the name ‘Alwintune’ in the county of Herefordshire. During the 12th century, Alvington joined Gloucestershire as part of the ‘Bledisloe hundred’, and became a separate parish. During the late Middle Ages Alvington parish and manor were under the ownership of Llanthony Priory (in Gloucester) which was dissolved in 1539. The lord of the manor’s seat was situated in Clanna Falls around one mile from the village. In its history Alvington, has variously boasted two smithies, a small brewery, a small engineering works and several shops.
[edit] Society and amenities
Alvington’s population had varied somewhere between 300 and 500 since the mid nineteenth-century. During the 1960s the development of a council estate increased the size of the village. The village lies at the edge of the Forest of Dean, which was once an important coal producing area. There is a strong agricultural influence in the village today, although historically this would have been more evident and many of the population now work outside of the village and its immediate surroundings. There used to be a village school in Alvington dating back to around 1850, however the last remnants of what became Alvington C of E School closed in 1958.
Today, Alvington has little in the way of shops and villagers have to travel to the nearby town of Lydney for most services beyond those served by the local petrol station, which acts as the village shop and Post Office. In contrast to this scarcity in shops there are three public houses in Alvington: The Blacksmith’s Arms; The Globe Inn; and The Swan Inn. The Globe Inn dates back to around 1805. The Blacksmith’s Arms dates back the late nineteenth-century in a building that was formerly a smithy (hence the pub’s current name). The Swan Inn lies on the border of Alvington and neighbouring Woolaston.
[edit] St. Andrew’s Church
Built by Llanthony Priory around 1140, the church was originally named St. Mary’s, until it took its current name of St. Andrew’s in 1523. In 1858 the church underwent substantial restoration leaving only one small Norman window to reveal its Norman origins. St. Andrew’s, Alvington is in the Parish of Woolaston and Alvington, in the Deanery of Forest South under the Diocese of Gloucester. Woolaston’s local church is also called St. Andrew’s. St. Andrew’s, Alvington is found on Church Lane and a village hall was built nearby in 1924.
[edit] Transport
Alvington lies on the A48 road, which runs from Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales, to Gloucester, England. The village can be reached by buses departing Lydney (heading south) and Chepstow (heading north) on service 73. The nearest train stations can also be found in Lydney (on local trains from Gloucester) and Chepstow on more regular national routes.
[edit] Politics
Alvington is represented by the county councillor for Tidenham division and the two district councillors for Alvington, Aylburton and West Lydney ward on Forest of Dean District Council. The Forest of Dean District (created in 1974) lies in the county of Gloucestershire. The local Member of Parliament (MP for Forest of Dean constituency) is Mark Harper MP (Conservative Party), elected 5th May 2005 with a majority of 2,049. Mr. Harper (currently a shadow minister for defence) replaced Diana Organ (Labour Party), who left parliament on April 11, 2005 and did not run for re-election.
[edit] Sport
Alvington and Woolaston Cricket Club was founded in 1983, originally playing at Woolaston Primary School, they now play their home fixtures in Alvington. The club competes in the K. W. Bell Forest League and the Forest Mid-Week League.
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