View source for Chalford

{{Short description|Village in Gloucestershire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Tone|article|date=September 2022}}
{{POV|date=September 2022}}
}}
{{infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| official_name            = Chalford
| coordinates              = {{coord|51.72383|-2.14907|display=inline, title|format=dms}}
| population               = 6,215
| population_ref           = (parish, 2011 census)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11121775&c=Chalford&d=16&e=62&g=6427858&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1427637175699&enc=1|title=Parish population 2011|accessdate=29 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101535/https://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11121775&c=Chalford&d=16&e=62&g=6427858&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1427637175699&enc=1|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
| civil_parish             = Chalford
| shire_district           = [[Stroud (district)|Stroud]]
| shire_county             = [[Gloucestershire]]
| region                   = South West England
| constituency_westminster = [[Stroud (UK Parliament constituency)|Stroud]]
| post_town                = [[Stroud]]
| postcode_district        = GL6
| postcode_area            =GL
| dial_code                =01453
| os_grid_reference        = SO898028
| static_image_name        = Chalford.jpg
| static_image_caption     = Frome valley showing Chalford High Street
}}
'''Chalford''' is a large village in the [[River Frome, Stroud|Frome Valley]] of the [[Cotswolds]] in [[Gloucestershire]], England. It is to the southeast of [[Stroud, Gloucestershire|Stroud]] about {{convert|4|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} upstream.  It gives its name to Chalford [[Parish (country subdivision)|parish]], which covers the  villages of Chalford, Chalford Hill, France Lynch, [[Bussage]] and [[Brownshill dolmen|Brownshill]], spread over {{convert|2|sqmi|km2|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} of the Cotswold countryside. At this point the valley is also called the [[Five Valleys|Golden Valley]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.chalfordhill.org.uk/ |title=Chalford Hill parish website |access-date=20 July 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025071031/http://www.chalfordhill.org.uk/ |archive-date=25 October 2005 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Governance==
An [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]] in the same name exists. This ward covers a similar area to the parish but extends to the [[Brimscombe and Thrupp]] ward. The total population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 6,509.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/chalford-e05004385#sthash.1wI9dyZn.dpbs|title=Ward population 2011|accessdate=29 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402112234/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/chalford-e05004385#sthash.1wI9dyZn.dpbs|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
== History ==
The remains, and known sites of many [[tumulus|barrow]]s indicate that the plateau area of Chalford Hill, France Lynch and [[Bussage]] has been an area of continuous settlement for probably at least 4,000 years.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=3dYRr4NZdbAC&dq=long+barrows+in+bussage+gloucestershire&pg=PA230] The Vernacular Architecture and Buildings of Stroud and Chalford : Nigel McCullagh Paterson Pub. Trafford Publishing, 2006 {{ISBN|1-4120-9951-X}},</ref> [[Stone Age]] flints have been found in the area as well as the remains of a [[Roman villa|Roman Villa]]. Several of the place names in the area are also [[Anglo-Saxon]] in origin.
The name Chalford may be derived from ''Calf'' ('Way') ''Ford'', or possibly from the [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|cealj}}, or 'Chalk', and ''Ford'' (river crossing point). There were two ancient crossings at Chalford apart from the [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] from which the village was named: Stoneford, recorded from the later 12th century, was the crossing-point of a track up Cowcombe hill on the line of the later [[Cirencester]] [[toll road|turnpike]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=19016 |title=British History Online |access-date=15 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516201016/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=19016 |archive-date=16 May 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> and by 1413 another track crossed into [[Minchinhampton]] by Stephen's bridge at Valley Corner.<ref>A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 11: Bisley and Longtree Hundreds (1976)</ref>
Chalford Hill is a recent title for the western end of the hill: Its original name was Chalford Lynch. "Lynch" ([[lynchet]] in modern English){{efn|Both forms derive from the [[Old English|Anglo-Saxon]] {{lang|ang|hlinc}}.}} means a cultivated [[terrace (agriculture)|terrace]] following the contours of a hill. Chalford Lynch and its extension France Lynch originated in the late 16th century as collections of stone cottages many built illegally on the peripheries of Bisley common as the mill expansion in the valley outstripped accommodation space in the valley.<ref>Ralph Bigland 1791: Historical Monumental and Genealogical Connections Relative to the County of Gloucester</ref> Many dwellings in France Lynch and Chalford Hill only became legitimate at the time of the parliamentary enclosures in 1869.<ref>Gloucestershire records office; Parliamentary Bisley Inclosures: 1869, Q/RI 22</ref>
The settling of displaced [[Flemish people|Flemish]] [[Huguenot]] [[weaver (occupation)|weaver]]s in the 17th and 18th centuries brought quality silk and woollen cloth manufacturing to the valley. Some say that they gave their name to the neighbouring village of France Lynch. It is more likely that the name comes from a non-conformist chapel, France Meeting that was displaced from the village in the valley to the Lynches above.<ref>France Congregational Church, Chalford: Story of 257 years, 1662-1919 Paperback – 1919:by Herbert W Gurd. France Congregational Church.</ref> At this point the Golden Valley is narrow and deep so many weavers' cottages were built clinging to the sides of the hills, giving the village an [[History of the Alps|Alpine]] air. It is sometimes still referred to as the 'Alpine village'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cotswoldcanals.com/t&s_way.htm |title=Cotswold Canals Trust - T&S Way |accessdate=2008-09-27 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203845/http://www.cotswoldcanals.com/t%26s_way.htm |archivedate=11 May 2008 |df=dmy }} Cotswolds Canal Trust</ref> As the paths on the hillsides were too narrow for more conventional forms of transport donkeys were used to carry groceries and other goods to houses, this tradition continuing until as recently as the 1950s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wiles |first1=David |title=Chalford to get its donkey |url=https://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/2036371.chalford-to-get-its-donkey/ |access-date=7 July 2020 |work=Stroud News |date=12 February 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=One Year On: Teddy, the Chalford donkey |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/one-year-on-teddy-the-chalford-donkey-8gqv7r7q8pc |access-date=7 July 2020 |work=Sunday Times |date=21 December 2008}}</ref>
Chalford expanded rapidly with the opening of the [[Thames and Severn Canal]] in 1789 and the village became one of the centres for the manufacture of [[broadcloth]] and badger pelt farms. Its wealthy [[Cloth merchant|clothiers]] lived close to their mills and built many fine houses which survive to this day.
== Architecture ==
[[File:Drystone.jpg|thumb|left|Dry stone wall in Chalford Hill]]
In common with other towns and villages in the area, buildings are generally constructed of [[Cotswold stone]], with local fields enclosed by [[dry stone|dry stone walling]]. The area is designated as an [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] and the village itself is a designated [[conservation area]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Chalford Parish Design Statement |url=https://www.stroud.gov.uk/media/1022574/chalford-village-design-statement-2019.pdf |publisher=Chalford Parish Council |access-date=30 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030142742/https://www.stroud.gov.uk/media/1022574/chalford-village-design-statement-2019.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Chalford is noted for two fine [[Arts and Crafts Movement|Arts and Crafts movement]] churches. Christ Church ([[Church of England]]) contains work by [[Norman Jewson]], William Simmonds,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oakridgecommunityarchives.org/items/show/412 |title=William and Eve Simmonds, between them : Artist, Carver / Sculptor, Photographer, Embroiderer, Book Illustrator, Marionette Maker and Puppet Master · Oakridge Community Archives |publisher=Oakridgecommunityarchives.org |date= |access-date=2018-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219111138/http://oakridgecommunityarchives.org/items/show/412 |archive-date=19 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Peter Waals]], [[Barnsley brothers|Edward Barnsley]], Norman Bucknell,<ref>{{cite web |author=Mary Greensted |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/mar/08/obituaries.mainsection |title=Obituary: Norman Bucknell &#124; From |work=The Guardian |date= 8 March 2006|access-date=2018-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219094959/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/mar/08/obituaries.mainsection |archive-date=19 February 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> amongst other distinguished artists and craftsmen working in the Cotswold tradition. The [[St Mary of the Angels Church, Brownshill|Church of Our Lady of the Angels]] ([[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]), Brownshill, by [[W. D. Caroe]] (1930), contains outstanding [[stained glass]] by [[Douglas Strachan]]. France Lynch, part of the civil parish but a separate ecclesiastical parish has a splendid listed church, St John the Baptist, built by [[George Frederick Bodley]] who went on to build [[Washington National Cathedral]] in Washington DC.
[[File:Christchurch Chalford.jpg|thumb|left|Christ Church, Chalford]] [[File:Chalfordroundhouse.jpg|thumb|right|Round house at Chalford]]
One of the most distinctive, and most photographed, features of the village is the Round House. It was built by the Thames and Severn Canal Company as a [[lengthman]]'s cottage and is one of five along the [[Thames and Severn Canal]].<ref name=Guide>Chalford Guide. Pub. Chalford Parish Council 1990</ref> (The others are at Coates, Cerney Wick, [[Marston Meysey]] and Inglesham.) A notable feature is that access is by way of steps up to the first floor as the ground floor would have originally been stabling for a horse. Apart from a relatively short break in the 1950s when it was a museum it has fulfilled its function as a private residence, which it continues to do to this day.
Directly opposite the Round House is Chalford Place, a Grade II* [[listed building]] built on the site of the original home of the ''de Chalkfordes'' who are mentioned in documents as early as 1240.<ref name=Guide/> The house, formerly known as the Companys Arms, is one of the earlier houses in the valley. Built as a mill owner's house it became an inn in the 19th century. It owed its name Companys Arms to the [[East India Company]] for which the mills of Chalford supplied much of its cloth. It remained an inn until the 1960s when it reverted to its former name of Chalford Place.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=3dYRr4NZdbAC&dq=chalford+place&pg=PA303] The Vernacular Architecture and Buildings of Stroud and Chalford : Nigel McCullagh Paterson
Pub. Trafford Publishing, 2006 {{ISBN|978-1-4120-9951-6}}</ref>
The house lay derelict for many years until it was recently purchased and is now being restored by the artist [[Damien Hirst]].
===Surviving mills in Chalford parish===
* St Mary's Mill
* Clayfields/Ballingers Mill
* Iles Mill
* Belvedere Mill
* Bliss Mills (Bliss, New, Mugmore, Spring and Wood.) Now part of the Chalford industrial estate.
* Woolings Mill (including Sevilles upper mill.)
* Smart Mill (formerly known as Stoneford, Bidmeads, Hoptons and Halliday Mill.)
* Valley or Morton's Mill
The mill race of Ashmeads Mill remains; the mill itself was demolished in the early 1900s.
===Notable former mill owners' houses===
* Brookside
* Belvedere Mill House
* Chalford Place
* Chestnut House (Smarts Mill House)
* Green Court
* Old Valley Inn (formerly Clothier's Arms)
* Sevilles House
* Springfield House
* St Mary's Mill House
* Vale House
===Listed buildings===
* Grade II*: Chalford Place, St John the Baptist, St Mary's House, Wing Cottage<ref name="listed">{{Cite web |url=http://www.stroud.gov.uk/info/listed_buildings/chalford.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723134425/http://www.stroud.gov.uk/info/listed_buildings/chalford.pdf |url-status=dead |title=Stroud District Council |archive-date=23 July 2011}}</ref>
* Grade II: Baptist Chapel, [[St Mary of the Angels Church, Brownshill|Church of St Michael and All Angels]], Christ Church, France Congregational Church and Hall<ref name="listed"/>
== Modern Chalford ==
In February 2008, Chalford hit the headlines when a community plan to reintroduce donkeys as a way of carrying shopping up the steep, narrow hills became public.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/chalfords-donkey-derby-780514.html |title=Chalford's Donkey Derby |newspaper=The Independent |date=October 23, 2012}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} </ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7232281.stm |title=Shoppers seek donkey for bag help |website=[[BBC News]] |date=7 February 2008 |access-date=26 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080210194232/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7232281.stm |archive-date=10 February 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=
UK village wants to bring back the donkey|date=January 30, 2009  |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/258778/UK-village-wants-to-bring-back-the-donkey |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=Stuff | location=New Zealand }}</ref>
On 5 September 2009 Chalford Community Stores allowed customers to purchase shares in the business. The store,
which has been running with the aid of a volunteer workforce since 2003, is now affiliated with the independent organisation Co-operatives UK, making the share issue possible.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mystroud.net/news.asp?intent=viewstory&newsid=20154 |title= Residents snap up hundreds of pounds of shares in village shop |date=8 September 2009 |website=www.mystroud.net  |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723215446/http://www.mystroud.net/news.asp?intent=viewstory&newsid=20154 |archive-date=23 July 2011}}</ref> On 4&nbsp;March 2012 the store and the donkey were featured in an episode of [[Countryfile]]. The store prospered within the local church hall but returned to the High Street in May 2014 and now thrives in the former Seventh Day Adventist Hall. This was made possible by a second community share issue which raised in excess of £50,000 alongside a bank loan and various grants.
== Notable residents ==
Notable residents include [[James Bradley]], the third [[Astronomer Royal]], who died in Chalford in 1762, and the 19th-century sculptor [[John Thomas (sculptor)|John Thomas]]. [[Henry Cooper]] lived in the village as a child, after being evacuated to Chalford during the Second World War.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Boxing-legend-Cooper-s-Stroud-links/story-11871596-detail/story.html |url-status=dead |title=Boxing legend lived in Stroud, Gloucestershire |website=This is Gloucestershire |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912153733/http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Boxing-legend-Cooper-s-Stroud-links/story-11871596-detail/story.html |archive-date=12 September 2012}}</ref> The artist [[Damien Hirst]] has a studio in the village. [[Robin Janvrin, Baron Janvrin|Lord Janvrin]], former Private Secretary to [[Elizabeth II]], maintains a house in the village and on his retirement was gazetted as Baron Janvrin of Chalford Hill, on 10 October 2007. The Public Relations guru [[Mark Borkowski]] lives at Oakridge.
==Brownshill==
The sub-village of Brownshill is home to the Monastery of Our Lady and St Bernard, a community of eight [[Bernardine Cistercians of Esquermes|Bernardine Cistercian]] nuns.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brownshill |url=http://www.bernardine.org/brownshill-about-us/ |publisher=Bernadine Cistercians of Esquermes|access-date=23 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315070409/http://www.bernardine.org/brownshill-about-us/ |archive-date=15 March 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> There is a sister community at the [[Monastery of Our Lady of Hyning]] at [[Warton, Lancaster|Warton]], near [[Carnforth]].
[[St Mary of the Angels Church, Brownshill|St Mary of the Angels]] is a small Roman Catholic church built at Brownshill in the 1930s with funds from two former nurses, Bertha Kessler and Katherine Hudson. The architect was [[W. D. Caroe]], with windows by [[Douglas Strachan]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Brownshill St Mary of the Angels, Chalford, Glos|url=http://www.friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/CMSMS/index.php?page=brownshill|publisher=Friends of Friendless Churches|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806023230/http://www.friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/CMSMS/index.php?page=brownshill|archive-date=6 August 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
== Golden Valley ==
{{main|River Frome, Stroud#Golden Valley}}
The valley from Chalford to Stroud, known as the Golden Valley, is one of Stroud's [[Five Valleys]]; it carries the [[Golden Valley line|Stroud-Swindon railway]] (known informally as the Golden Valley line) and the [[Thames and Severn Canal]] towards the [[Cotswolds]].
== See also ==
* [[Aston Down]] airfield across the Golden Valley from Chalford
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=33em}}
== External links ==
{{Commons category|Chalford}}
* [http://www.chalfordhill.org.uk/photos.htm Chalford Hill]
* [http://www.chalfordhill.org.uk/history.htm Chalford Hill - Brief History]
* [https://chalford.stroudvoices.co.uk  Stroud Voices (Chalford filter) - oral history site]
*{{Cite web |title=When the Trains Stopped at Chalford - by Geoffry Dearmer · Oakridge Archives |url=https://oakridgearchives.omeka.net/items/show/493 |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=oakridgearchives.omeka.net}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Villages in Gloucestershire]]
[[Category:Stroud District]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Gloucestershire]]