Henfield, Gloucestershire
Encyclopedia
Henfield is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire
, England
between Coalpit Heath
and Westerleigh
, adjoining the hamlet of Ram Hill
immediately to the north.
The closure of the Frog Lane Pit at Coalpit Heath
in 1949 represented a step change in the area and Henfield reverted to its agricultural roots, a quiet clustered hamlet surrounded by pastoral agricultural land. There were new additions at that time with the introduction of Henfield Village Hall and a little ribbon development along the convergent minor roads. The area was peaceful in the 1950s and early 1960s with little in the way of noise and light pollution. The construction of the M4 Motorway
to the south of the hamlet in the late 1960s began to change the character of the area and with the expansion of Bristol
and Yate
, Henfield has lost its tranquillity and adopted a new role as a commuter satellite to the main urban areas. At the same time the character of the landscape has changed with dairy farming being replaced by new uses in particular "horsiculture" and the manicured landscape of the Kendleshire Golf Course.
However, with a rich heritage and reminders of its links with the past, such as Bitterwell Lake, the hamlet retains an important sense of community.
Within Henfield itself there were 4 mines operational in the early nineteenth century:
For the nearby Ram Hill Engine Pit, Ram Hill Colliery
, Churchleaze No. 1 Pit and Churchleaze No. 2 Pit see Ram Hill
.
The underground map of around 1850 shows that the underground roads of the nearby Ram Hill Colliery
and Churchleaze pits on Ram Hill
joined together with those of the Serridge Engine and New Engine pits.
to the River Avon and this section of the Dramway was completed and in use by July 1832. The Ram Hill Colliery
was the northern terminus of the Dramway and to the south of Bitterwell Lake there was also a southern spur to New Engine Pit which could also have served the other 3 pits in the nearby vicinity.
This early tramway scheme was designed to provide cheap and easy transport from the mines of Coalpit Heath
to the wharves on the Avon at Keynsham
which supplied both Bristol
and Bath. The Dramway was built as a single track railway, built to a standard 4 ft 8in gauge, with passing places along the route. The whole length of the railway was built on a down hill gradient dropping 225 ft along the route. It lasted only nine years before a steam railway connected the pits.
(GWR) were keen to build a 7 ft gauge line from Bristol
to Gloucester
. The Bristol and Gloucester Company under the influence of the GWR started to convert the 4 ft 8in tramway to a 7 ft railway on the 5th June 1844 and this was completed by the 9th July. However the colliery owners at Coalpit Heath still had the right to transport their coal in 4 ft 8in trucks and the section of Dramway from Bitterwell Lake to Mangotsfield North Junction was the first dual gauge railway in the country. Another twist was that the line was sold to the Midland Railway
in 1845 rather than to the GWR.
In the 1st edition (1881) Ordnance Survey Map it shows that the southern branch of the railway line finishes at the New Engine Pit at Henfield, the centre branch having served Ram Hill Colliery
. In around 1860 a northern branch was constructed near Boxhedge Farm that served the new Frog Lane Colliery at Coalpit Heath
. In the 1860s the area would have been a very busy industrial scene, as is suggested by the adjacent woodland at "Branch Pool Wood". Following the closure of the New Engine Pit towards the end of the nineteenth century, railway infrastructure at Henfield remained in the form of railway sidings and engine shed. These served the Frog Lane Colliery until its closure in 1949. Some dilapidated built remnants of the railway remain including the old engine shed at New Engine Yard and weighbridge house near Boxhedge Farm.
and Ram Hill. This man-made lake is now used as a fishing lake and is owned by Westerleigh
Parish Council. It was acquired by the Parish Council in 1930 having formerly been part of land owned by the Coalpit Heath Colliery Company. In the past the lake was used to soak the pit props for the mine, and more recently for bathing, fishing, model yachting and boat hire. The lake is over 3 acres in extent and at the time of purchase was surrounded by numerous stone and tiled buildings and two detached cottages with gardens.
It is difficult to establish when precisely the lake was excavated but it was after 1845 as it does not appear on the Westerleigh Tithe Map 1845 and before 1881 as it is clearly shown on the 1st edition (1881) Ordnance Survey Map. There is also uncertainty about the functions of Bitterwell Lake in relation to the mines at Henfield. It may have supplied reservoir water for the mine engines. Sluices regulated water in the lake and within living memory the overflow went to The Clamp, another reservoir pond that had been constructed near the Serridge Pit.
In the 1930s Bitterwell Lake received wide coverage in the newspapers that it was the home of Tarzan who lived in a tree-house and climbed like a monkey.
An example is provided by The Mercury, in Hobart
, Tasmania
, that reported on the 10th October 1934 that in the woods around Bitterwell Lake, near Bristol, is a man aged 20, who lives in the tree tops wearing only a leopard skin. His name is Bernard Skuse but he is known to his friends as Tarzan.
"That's my favourite tree" he told the "Daily Express" Bristol correspondent pointing out the tallest of a number of trees clustering round the lake. He was at the top in ten seconds swinging through the branches of adjacent trees to reach it.
He lives in an eyrie among the leaves which he built himself. It has a wooden floor and a thatched roof. His explanation of his predilection for this mode of life is: "I like it so I do it."
He is bronzed with a perfectly proportioned muscular body. He explained that his feet are rather flat, which makes climbing easy. When not at work he hunts with a spear, a knife and a bow and arrow. When he feels hot he dives into the lake."
Nowadays Bitterwell Lake is solely used for fishing but at the same time represents an important local amenity for the surrounding area. A record 8.5 lb eel was caught at Bitterewell Lake in 1922. This held the national record for almost half a century.
The Hall has been modernised and is now known as the Henfield Social Club and is available for hire for a range of activities and private functions.
Westerleigh Parish Council has 9 elected members. Matters that have been under recent consideration at Henfield include:
The hamlet is within an area defined as Green Belt and is located within the Forest of Avon area. There are also Major Recreational Routes in the hamlet.
Westerleigh Vale and Oldland Ridge - The Study indicates that Ram Hill and Henfield, a colliery settlement, are small dispersed/linear and clustered hamlets respectively, consisting of a mix of, Pennant sandstone with more recent render and brick buildings, focused around a convergence of minor roads and lanes. Around the two settlements are scattered farms.
The area of Ram Hill and Henfield comprises a largely strong, irregular rural framework with areas of woodland, mixed overgrown/clipped hedgerows supplemented with wire fences, defining regular shaped fields. The clustered settlement pattern and non-agricultural activities such as storage compounds, are reasonably well integrated as a result of this framework. Horse paddocks are however locally evident where hedgerows have become replaced with fences. Associated ad hoc home-made stables are also evident and atypical of a rural landscape. Large modern agricultural sheds are prominent within older farm complexes within this area.
The small scale settlement at Ram Hill and Henfield is largely well integrated within the framework of hedgerow trees and woodland. The area has a generally tranquil character, although the presence of stables and fences associated with the increase in land use change to "horsiculture". modern large farm buildings and storage compounds, can detract from this, visually eroding the rural character and resulting in removal or fragmentation of hedgerows. In places the recreational pressure for "horsiculture" with the associated infrastructure of stables, access tracks, exercise areas, jumps and floodlighting. can result in a marked change in landscape character.
Frome Valley - The Study indicates that the Kendleshire Golf Course retains most of the former agricultural hedgerows and tree structure amongst fairways and greens. However the Golf Course introduces a different landscape structure compared with the adjacent agricultural landscape. A more open landscape structure of mown fairways, low mounding, remnant hedgerows and hedgerow trees and young planting is evident. The new planting measures will in time provide a new landscape structure and help integrate this land-use change with its surroundings.
There are no Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the hamlet.
After initially changing in Henfield Village Hall the club acquired the former Bitterwell Lake Model Yacht Club premises and converted them to changing rooms. The club unfortunately folded in 1972 after losing the use of their ground which was situated on agricultural land adjoining the Village Hall and old Railway Line. The land is now used as horse paddocks and the only reminder of the former football club is an old training floodlight which overlooks the Village Hall car park and the Newman Field amenity area next to Bitterwell Lake that Percy Bennett created so that youngsters could still have an area to play football. For a number of years this area, which was donated to Westerleigh
Parish Council by Jo Newman, was used for organised small-sided football matches.
Henfield Youth AFC at one time ran two sides and a considerable number of players passed through the club's ranks over the 12-year period. They included:
For a short period the club formed a sister club called Bitterwell Rangers AFC that played in the Bristol & District Sunday League.
.
The Hollows & Ruffet Courses were opened in the summer of 1997 to much acclaim. Designed by Adrian Stiff, the courses were set into the rolling Frome valley with plenty of water and an exciting combination of holes from the forgiving to the challenging. In the summer of 2002 the two courses were joined by the Badminton Course, designed by Peter McEvoy to follow the same lines but with his very own twist.
In addition there is the Academy Course which is a six hole, par three practice course. There are also two putting greens, either side of the clubhouse. Built at the same time, and to the same standards, as the greens on the championship course, the putting greens show the same level of maturity, matching the conditions of the main greens.
There is also a practice range, two bars, a restaurant and a function room.
Older children attend The Ridings Federation Winterbourne International Academy
.
service operated by Wessex Connect
:
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, in South West England.-History:The district was created in 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished, by the merger of former area of the districts of Kingswood and Northavon...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
between Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath is a small village in the parish of Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, England, south of Yate and east of Frampton Cotterell in South Gloucestershire.-Background:...
and Westerleigh
Westerleigh
Westerleigh is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England near the edge of the Cotswold hills. The village is located between Yate and Bristol, nearby villages include Nibley, Wapley, Iron Acton, Coalpit Heath and Codrington.-Background:...
, adjoining the hamlet of Ram Hill
Ram Hill
Ram Hill is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England. It is located between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh and adjoins the hamlet of Henfield immediately to the south...
immediately to the north.
Background
Henfield is a small hamlet that has seen considerable land use change over the recent centuries moving from a traditional agricultural landscape to an active coal mining area by the beginning of the nineteenth century. The noise and pollution associated with mining and railway operations would have been constant. Population would have increased at that time supported by the introduction of new miner's cottages by the Coalpit Heath Colliery Company. The closure of New Engine Pit, the remaining mine, before the end of the nineteenth century represented change but with railway sidings and engine shed at New Engine and the movement of labour to the nearby Parkfield and Frog Lane Pits, the industrial nature of the area was maintained to well into the twentieth century.The closure of the Frog Lane Pit at Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath is a small village in the parish of Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, England, south of Yate and east of Frampton Cotterell in South Gloucestershire.-Background:...
in 1949 represented a step change in the area and Henfield reverted to its agricultural roots, a quiet clustered hamlet surrounded by pastoral agricultural land. There were new additions at that time with the introduction of Henfield Village Hall and a little ribbon development along the convergent minor roads. The area was peaceful in the 1950s and early 1960s with little in the way of noise and light pollution. The construction of the M4 Motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
to the south of the hamlet in the late 1960s began to change the character of the area and with the expansion of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Yate
Yate
Yate is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, at the southwest extremity of the Cotswold Hills, 12 miles northeast of the city of Bristol. At the 2001 census the population was 21,789. The town of Chipping Sodbury is continuous with Yate to the east...
, Henfield has lost its tranquillity and adopted a new role as a commuter satellite to the main urban areas. At the same time the character of the landscape has changed with dairy farming being replaced by new uses in particular "horsiculture" and the manicured landscape of the Kendleshire Golf Course.
However, with a rich heritage and reminders of its links with the past, such as Bitterwell Lake, the hamlet retains an important sense of community.
Coal Mines
Henfield is situated near the centre of the North Bristol Coal Field, this area at one time having been a prolific coal mining community. Coal had been mined in this area since the fourteenth century and most likely even earlier. However it was Sir Samuel Astry, Lord of the Manor of Westerleigh c1680 who started mining on a grander scale and his descendants, or their business partners, continued to be connected with the Coalpit Heath Colliery Company.Within Henfield itself there were 4 mines operational in the early nineteenth century:
- Serridge Engine Pit - was sunk in 1785 and located near to Serridge House. This mine was linked by an early tramway to the old Ram Hill pit.
- Orchard (or Middle Wimsey) Pit - was opened in the late eighteenth century and was active at the time the Dramway was completed in 1832 but was superseded by the New Engine Pit soon afterwards.
- No. 11 Pit - little is know of this pit other than its location south of the above pits.
- New Engine Pit was sunk around 1824 and was the only one of the Henfield pits that was still operational after 1867. It had a depth of 502 ft 10ins which at that time was recorded as the deepest shaft sunk in the trough of Coalpit Heath. In the mid-nineteenth century New Engine Pit was the main pit for the Coalpit Heath group of mines. Most coal for this area was drawn from this pit, the other shafts being kept open for pumping and ventilation. On the New Engine Pit site today there are the remains of a horse gin and an engine house, while the area itself is called New Engine. In 1930 it was recorded that there was an 1832 Acraman steam engine at the New Engine colliery site that was being used to drive a saw mill. However there is no trace of this engine today.
For the nearby Ram Hill Engine Pit, Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery, Ram Hill, Coalpit Heath, Bristol was sunk sometime between 1820 and 1830. It was owned by the Coalpit Heath Company, which included Sir John Smyth as a shareholder...
, Churchleaze No. 1 Pit and Churchleaze No. 2 Pit see Ram Hill
Ram Hill
Ram Hill is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England. It is located between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh and adjoins the hamlet of Henfield immediately to the south...
.
The underground map of around 1850 shows that the underground roads of the nearby Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery, Ram Hill, Coalpit Heath, Bristol was sunk sometime between 1820 and 1830. It was owned by the Coalpit Heath Company, which included Sir John Smyth as a shareholder...
and Churchleaze pits on Ram Hill
Ram Hill
Ram Hill is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England. It is located between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh and adjoins the hamlet of Henfield immediately to the south...
joined together with those of the Serridge Engine and New Engine pits.
Dramway
In the Railway Act of 1828, parliament granted permission to the Avon and Gloucester Railway Company to build a Dramway (horse drawn railway) from Ram HillRam Hill
Ram Hill is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England. It is located between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh and adjoins the hamlet of Henfield immediately to the south...
to the River Avon and this section of the Dramway was completed and in use by July 1832. The Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery, Ram Hill, Coalpit Heath, Bristol was sunk sometime between 1820 and 1830. It was owned by the Coalpit Heath Company, which included Sir John Smyth as a shareholder...
was the northern terminus of the Dramway and to the south of Bitterwell Lake there was also a southern spur to New Engine Pit which could also have served the other 3 pits in the nearby vicinity.
This early tramway scheme was designed to provide cheap and easy transport from the mines of Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath is a small village in the parish of Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, England, south of Yate and east of Frampton Cotterell in South Gloucestershire.-Background:...
to the wharves on the Avon at Keynsham
Keynsham
Keynsham is a town and civil parish between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, south-west England. It has a population of 15,533.It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham, which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne....
which supplied both Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Bath. The Dramway was built as a single track railway, built to a standard 4 ft 8in gauge, with passing places along the route. The whole length of the railway was built on a down hill gradient dropping 225 ft along the route. It lasted only nine years before a steam railway connected the pits.
Railway
Soon after the horse drawn tramway was in operation pressure built up to convert the line to accommodate steam driven locomotives as the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) were keen to build a 7 ft gauge line from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
to Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. The Bristol and Gloucester Company under the influence of the GWR started to convert the 4 ft 8in tramway to a 7 ft railway on the 5th June 1844 and this was completed by the 9th July. However the colliery owners at Coalpit Heath still had the right to transport their coal in 4 ft 8in trucks and the section of Dramway from Bitterwell Lake to Mangotsfield North Junction was the first dual gauge railway in the country. Another twist was that the line was sold to the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
in 1845 rather than to the GWR.
In the 1st edition (1881) Ordnance Survey Map it shows that the southern branch of the railway line finishes at the New Engine Pit at Henfield, the centre branch having served Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery, Ram Hill, Coalpit Heath, Bristol was sunk sometime between 1820 and 1830. It was owned by the Coalpit Heath Company, which included Sir John Smyth as a shareholder...
. In around 1860 a northern branch was constructed near Boxhedge Farm that served the new Frog Lane Colliery at Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath is a small village in the parish of Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, England, south of Yate and east of Frampton Cotterell in South Gloucestershire.-Background:...
. In the 1860s the area would have been a very busy industrial scene, as is suggested by the adjacent woodland at "Branch Pool Wood". Following the closure of the New Engine Pit towards the end of the nineteenth century, railway infrastructure at Henfield remained in the form of railway sidings and engine shed. These served the Frog Lane Colliery until its closure in 1949. Some dilapidated built remnants of the railway remain including the old engine shed at New Engine Yard and weighbridge house near Boxhedge Farm.
Bitterwell Lake
Bitterwell Lake, also referred to as Bitterwell Pond, is situated near the junction of roads leading to Coalpit HeathCoalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath is a small village in the parish of Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, England, south of Yate and east of Frampton Cotterell in South Gloucestershire.-Background:...
and Ram Hill. This man-made lake is now used as a fishing lake and is owned by Westerleigh
Westerleigh
Westerleigh is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England near the edge of the Cotswold hills. The village is located between Yate and Bristol, nearby villages include Nibley, Wapley, Iron Acton, Coalpit Heath and Codrington.-Background:...
Parish Council. It was acquired by the Parish Council in 1930 having formerly been part of land owned by the Coalpit Heath Colliery Company. In the past the lake was used to soak the pit props for the mine, and more recently for bathing, fishing, model yachting and boat hire. The lake is over 3 acres in extent and at the time of purchase was surrounded by numerous stone and tiled buildings and two detached cottages with gardens.
It is difficult to establish when precisely the lake was excavated but it was after 1845 as it does not appear on the Westerleigh Tithe Map 1845 and before 1881 as it is clearly shown on the 1st edition (1881) Ordnance Survey Map. There is also uncertainty about the functions of Bitterwell Lake in relation to the mines at Henfield. It may have supplied reservoir water for the mine engines. Sluices regulated water in the lake and within living memory the overflow went to The Clamp, another reservoir pond that had been constructed near the Serridge Pit.
In the 1930s Bitterwell Lake received wide coverage in the newspapers that it was the home of Tarzan who lived in a tree-house and climbed like a monkey.
An example is provided by The Mercury, in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, that reported on the 10th October 1934 that in the woods around Bitterwell Lake, near Bristol, is a man aged 20, who lives in the tree tops wearing only a leopard skin. His name is Bernard Skuse but he is known to his friends as Tarzan.
"That's my favourite tree" he told the "Daily Express" Bristol correspondent pointing out the tallest of a number of trees clustering round the lake. He was at the top in ten seconds swinging through the branches of adjacent trees to reach it.
He lives in an eyrie among the leaves which he built himself. It has a wooden floor and a thatched roof. His explanation of his predilection for this mode of life is: "I like it so I do it."
He is bronzed with a perfectly proportioned muscular body. He explained that his feet are rather flat, which makes climbing easy. When not at work he hunts with a spear, a knife and a bow and arrow. When he feels hot he dives into the lake."
Nowadays Bitterwell Lake is solely used for fishing but at the same time represents an important local amenity for the surrounding area. A record 8.5 lb eel was caught at Bitterewell Lake in 1922. This held the national record for almost half a century.
Village Hall
Henfield Village Hall - Parish Council records indicate that deeds were received in 1948 for land next to Bitterwell Lake to be used for a new village hall for the residents of the Henfield and New Engine. By the 1960s the village hall represented an important facility in the small community with Saturday dances, whist drives, youth club meetings, jumble sales as well as being a setting for the annual village shows.The Hall has been modernised and is now known as the Henfield Social Club and is available for hire for a range of activities and private functions.
Recreation ground and play facilities
Newman Field - This small recreation area is located next to the Village Hall and Bitterwell Lake. The land was donated by Jo Newman to the community in 1974.Village Shop
The community no longer has a village shop but in the past in the 1960s a small store was run by Mrs Tovey.Governance
The two tiers of local government that are responsible for administering Henfield are:- South Gloucestershire Council
- Westerleigh Parish Council
Westerleigh Parish Council has 9 elected members. Matters that have been under recent consideration at Henfield include:
- condition of the Boat Shed at Bitterwell Lake
- play area at Newman Field
Planning
In the adopted South Gloucestershire Local Plan Henfield does not have a Defined Settlement Boundary boundary on the Proposals Map and there are no sites allocated for new residential development.The hamlet is within an area defined as Green Belt and is located within the Forest of Avon area. There are also Major Recreational Routes in the hamlet.
Landscape
Within the South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment SPD the hamlet of Henfield is within an area defined as:Westerleigh Vale and Oldland Ridge - The Study indicates that Ram Hill and Henfield, a colliery settlement, are small dispersed/linear and clustered hamlets respectively, consisting of a mix of, Pennant sandstone with more recent render and brick buildings, focused around a convergence of minor roads and lanes. Around the two settlements are scattered farms.
The area of Ram Hill and Henfield comprises a largely strong, irregular rural framework with areas of woodland, mixed overgrown/clipped hedgerows supplemented with wire fences, defining regular shaped fields. The clustered settlement pattern and non-agricultural activities such as storage compounds, are reasonably well integrated as a result of this framework. Horse paddocks are however locally evident where hedgerows have become replaced with fences. Associated ad hoc home-made stables are also evident and atypical of a rural landscape. Large modern agricultural sheds are prominent within older farm complexes within this area.
The small scale settlement at Ram Hill and Henfield is largely well integrated within the framework of hedgerow trees and woodland. The area has a generally tranquil character, although the presence of stables and fences associated with the increase in land use change to "horsiculture". modern large farm buildings and storage compounds, can detract from this, visually eroding the rural character and resulting in removal or fragmentation of hedgerows. In places the recreational pressure for "horsiculture" with the associated infrastructure of stables, access tracks, exercise areas, jumps and floodlighting. can result in a marked change in landscape character.
Frome Valley - The Study indicates that the Kendleshire Golf Course retains most of the former agricultural hedgerows and tree structure amongst fairways and greens. However the Golf Course introduces a different landscape structure compared with the adjacent agricultural landscape. A more open landscape structure of mown fairways, low mounding, remnant hedgerows and hedgerow trees and young planting is evident. The new planting measures will in time provide a new landscape structure and help integrate this land-use change with its surroundings.
Biodiversity
Two areas of Broadleaved Woodland in Henfield are identified by South Gloucestershire Council as Sites of Nature Conservation Importance:- Martin Croft Brake
- Branch Pool Wood
There are no Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the hamlet.
Henfield Youth AFC
Henfield Youth AFC was a football club based in the hamlet that was formed in 1960 by a group of local youngsters and their friends. At the outset the club played friendly matches before joining the Bristol Church of England League in 1961. Under the guidance of Percy Bennett (Chairman), Herbert Livall (Secretary) and Alan Parker (Treasurer) the club progressed from Division 4 to Division 1 of the Church of England League before spending their last few seasons in Division 2.After initially changing in Henfield Village Hall the club acquired the former Bitterwell Lake Model Yacht Club premises and converted them to changing rooms. The club unfortunately folded in 1972 after losing the use of their ground which was situated on agricultural land adjoining the Village Hall and old Railway Line. The land is now used as horse paddocks and the only reminder of the former football club is an old training floodlight which overlooks the Village Hall car park and the Newman Field amenity area next to Bitterwell Lake that Percy Bennett created so that youngsters could still have an area to play football. For a number of years this area, which was donated to Westerleigh
Westerleigh
Westerleigh is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England near the edge of the Cotswold hills. The village is located between Yate and Bristol, nearby villages include Nibley, Wapley, Iron Acton, Coalpit Heath and Codrington.-Background:...
Parish Council by Jo Newman, was used for organised small-sided football matches.
Henfield Youth AFC at one time ran two sides and a considerable number of players passed through the club's ranks over the 12-year period. They included:
- Gordon BennettGordon Bennett (football)Gordon Bennett is the Head of Youth Development at League Two side Plymouth Argyle.Earlier in his career, Bennett was Chief Executive of Bristol Rovers and Norwich City F.C. His time at Carrow Road was significant enough that in 2003, he was made an inaugural member of the Norwich City Hall of...
- who was Chief Executive of Bristol Rovers, Norwich City F.C.Norwich City F.C.Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
and Aberdeen F.C.Aberdeen F.C.Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
and more recently has been Head of Youth Development at Stoke City and currently holds a similar position at Plymouth Argyle. - Howard RadfordHoward RadfordWilliam Howard Radford , known by his middle name Howard, is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in The Football League for Bristol Rovers for eleven years between 1951 and 1962....
- the former Bristol Rovers goalkeeper played occasional matches for Henfield as an outfield player and scored a hat-trick in an evening Berkeley Hospital Cup match.
For a short period the club formed a sister club called Bitterwell Rangers AFC that played in the Bristol & District Sunday League.
The Kendleshire Golf Club
This parkland course is located five minutes from the M32, to the north east of BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
The Hollows & Ruffet Courses were opened in the summer of 1997 to much acclaim. Designed by Adrian Stiff, the courses were set into the rolling Frome valley with plenty of water and an exciting combination of holes from the forgiving to the challenging. In the summer of 2002 the two courses were joined by the Badminton Course, designed by Peter McEvoy to follow the same lines but with his very own twist.
In addition there is the Academy Course which is a six hole, par three practice course. There are also two putting greens, either side of the clubhouse. Built at the same time, and to the same standards, as the greens on the championship course, the putting greens show the same level of maturity, matching the conditions of the main greens.
There is also a practice range, two bars, a restaurant and a function room.
Education
The hamlet is served by The Manor C of E Primary School, Coalpit Heath, a primary school currently catering for pupils aged 5–11.Older children attend The Ridings Federation Winterbourne International Academy
The Ridings High School
The Ridings' Federation Winterbourne International Academy, formerly The Ridings High School, is a large secondary school located in the village of Winterbourne in South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, England.-History:...
.
Transport
Henfield is served by one busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service operated by Wessex Connect
Wessex Connect
Wessex Connect was founded in Bristol by Rotala, through its subsidiary company Flights Hallmark, to provide Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council with an alternative to the near monopoly currently held in the city by FirstGroup....
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- 686: Chipping SodburyChipping SodburyChipping Sodbury is a market town in the county of South Gloucestershire, south-west England, founded in the 12th century by William Crassus . The villages of Old Sodbury and Little Sodbury are nearby...
- YateYateYate is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, at the southwest extremity of the Cotswold Hills, 12 miles northeast of the city of Bristol. At the 2001 census the population was 21,789. The town of Chipping Sodbury is continuous with Yate to the east...
- Henfield - MangotsfieldMangotsfieldMangotsfield is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, situated north of the Bristol suburb of Kingswood, bounded to the north by the M4 motorway and to the east by the Emersons Green housing estate....
- KingswoodKingswood, South GloucestershireKingswood is an urban area in South Gloucestershire, England, bordering the City of Bristol to the west. It is located on both sides of the A420 road, which connects Bristol and Chippenham and which forms the high street through the principal retail zone...
(supported by South Gloucestershire Council)