Charfield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Charfield | |
  Charfield shown within Gloucestershire |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Unitary authority | South Gloucestershire |
| Ceremonial county | Gloucestershire |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE |
| Postcode district | GL12 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Northavon |
| List of places: UK • England • Gloucestershire | |
Charfield is a village in South Gloucestershire, England lying near the Little Avon River and south-west of the town of Wotton-under-Edge.
It is a medium sized village of about 2500 residents (2001 census), with three pubs (Pear Tree, Railway Tavern and The Plough Inn), a few shops such as a hair dressers and a local store/newsagents called Steve's Shop. Next door to the hairdressers there is a fitness suite which has recently been sold to a tradesman. It has two churches, a garage (not open Sundays) and a large Land Rover dealership (on the site of the former railway station). Opposite the railway tavern there is a petrol station and at the top near to the Pear Tree there is a Post office. There are 4 main housing areas called, Farm Lees, Longs View, Manor lane, and Woodlands. The school which has a good reputation has around 250 students and recently have opened a new play area. Near to the school there is a river. This river is actually in Huntingford and Damery. Near the north end of the town is the South Gloucestershire border with Gloucestershire, marked by Charlie and Archie Bennett's farm, and a mile or so from one of the local employers, Renishaw.
The Bristol-Birmingham main railway line runs through the village (part of the so-called "Cross Country Route (MR)"). Charfield railway station is currently disused, although discussions continue about the viability of re-opening it. The costs of re-opening would be shared between Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire Councils since, although the station would be in South Gloucestershire, the nearby town of Wotton-under-Edge would be a principal beneficiary.
The railway line also marks the division of the village between two totally different telephone areas (01453-54x based on Wotton-under-Edge, and 01454-26x based on Falfield). The village is on the outer limits of both areas and so was only recently able to get broadband.
Charfield railway disaster was a fatal train crash which occurred on 13 October 1928. The Leeds to Bristol LMS night mail train crashed under a road bridge near Charfield railway station after colliding with a shunting freight train. Gas used to light the carriages ignited, and four carriages were burnt out. Intense fire made identification of the dead, and even a complete body count, difficult. It is believed that 15 people died, including two victims whose identity was never established. According to local accounts, from 1929 and for some 20 years, an unknown woman dressed in black used to regularly visit the memorial to the crash. There is a memorial to remember those who lost their lives at the Old church where the two unknown are currently buried.
[edit] External links
- Charfield Community Website
- Charfield Parish Council Web Site
- Charfield Railway Disaster
- Account of 1928 disaster
- Railway Guard, victim of 1928 crash
- The Railways Archive summary of this accident
- See Backtrack 1990 Volume 4 Number 1 Letter.46 two views-on the 2 unknowns-one is that they were two survivors and another October 10, 1999 Volume 13 Number 10 is that the two unknowns were identifiable remains in two small boxes at [1]
- Two survivors of the 1928 Railroad crash
