Ram Hill
Encyclopedia
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. In the Mudge Map 1815, Ram Hill was known as Nutridge Hill, and was linked to Westerleigh
by Broad Lane and to Mays Hill by Frog Lane.
The closure of Ram Hill Colliery
and Churchleaze Pits in the 1860s represented change but the new branch line to the Frog Lane Pit along with the movement of labour to the pit and the nearby Parkfield Colliery would have ensured that the industrial nature of the area was maintained to well into the twentieth century. In 1903 the new Great Western Railway
direct route from Badminton to South Wales
and the railway sidings at Coalpit Heath Railway Station would also have had an impact.
The closure of the Frog Lane Pit at Coalpit Heath
in 1949 represented a step change in the area and Ram Hill reverted to its agricultural roots, a dispersed linear settlement, adjoining the London to South Wales railway, surrounded by pastoral agricultural land. There were new additions at that time with further ribbon development consolidating the 1920s/30s "plotlands" developments along the convergent minor roads. Another addition was the introduction of a caravan site at Greenacres.
Ram Hill was peaceful in the 1950s and early 1960s without extensive noise and light pollution. The construction of the M4 Motorway
to the south of Henfield
in the late 1960s began to change the character of the area and the increasing encroachment of night-time lights highlighted the continuing expansion of Bristol
and Yate
. In time Ram Hill has lost its rural 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".
Ram Hill is situated near the centre of the North Bristol Coal Field, this area at one time having been a 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 Ram Hill itself there were four mines operational in the early nineteenth century:
For the nearby Serridge Engine Pit, Orchard (or Middle Wimsey) Pit, No. 11 Pit and New Engine Pit see Henfield
.
The underground map of around 1850 shows that the underground roads of the Ram Hill Colliery
and Churchleaze pits on Ram Hill joined together with those of the Serridge Engine and New Engine pits in Henfield
.
was the northern terminus of the Dramway and to the south of Bitterwell Lake there was also a southern spur to New Engine Pit in Henfield
.
This early tramway scheme was designed to provide 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 Pit at Coalpit Heath
. This line remained operational for almost 90 years until the closure of the mine in 1949.
The South Wales Main Line
was re-routed following the opening of the Severn Tunnel
in 1886. The new route was established in 1903 with the building of what is often known as the Badminton Line. This involved the construction of about 33 miles of new track, part of which skirted Ram Hill and Coalpit Heath
. The Great Western Railway
purchased the land at the Ram Hill Colliery
site in 1898 and a deep railway cutting was created immediately north of the former mine. To the west the Coalpit Heath Railway Station was opened and goods yard sidings established. The station fell victim to Dr Beeching's cuts and was closed in the 1960s.
.
The hamlet is well served with footpaths and cycleways.
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, a colliery settement, and Henfield 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 hegerow 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 change in landscape character.
There are no Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the hamlet.
but has relocated to Serridge Lane where a clubhouse has been created which includes social facilities and a skittle alley. The club is a family orientated club running three Senior sides on Saturdays in the Bristol and District Leagues and a Sunday side in the Village Cricket League.
The club also provides facilities for young players to learn and play the game of cricket within their Youth section. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire Cricket Board
, Bristol & District Cricket Association and Bristol Youth Cricket League.
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...
. It is located 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:...
and adjoins the hamlet of Henfield
Henfield, Gloucestershire
Henfield is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh, adjoining the hamlet of Ram Hill immediately to the north.-Background:...
immediately to the south. In the Mudge Map 1815, Ram Hill was known as Nutridge Hill, and was linked 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:...
by Broad Lane and to Mays Hill by Frog Lane.
Background
Ram Hill 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 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 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 in the 1860s represented change but the new branch line to the Frog Lane Pit along with the movement of labour to the pit and the nearby Parkfield Colliery would have ensured that the industrial nature of the area was maintained to well into the twentieth century. In 1903 the new Great Western Railway
Great 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...
direct route from Badminton to South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
and the railway sidings at Coalpit Heath Railway Station would also have had an impact.
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 Ram Hill reverted to its agricultural roots, a dispersed linear settlement, adjoining the London to South Wales railway, surrounded by pastoral agricultural land. There were new additions at that time with further ribbon development consolidating the 1920s/30s "plotlands" developments along the convergent minor roads. Another addition was the introduction of a caravan site at Greenacres.
Ram Hill was peaceful in the 1950s and early 1960s without extensive 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 Henfield
Henfield, Gloucestershire
Henfield is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh, adjoining the hamlet of Ram Hill immediately to the north.-Background:...
in the late 1960s began to change the character of the area and the increasing encroachment of night-time lights highlighted the continuing 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...
. In time Ram Hill has lost its rural 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".
Coal mines
Within Ram Hill itself there were four mines operational in the early nineteenth century:
- Ram Hill Engine Pit was an older pit that lay 300 yards downhill to the west of the Ram Hill CollieryRam Hill CollieryRam 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...
. The pit shaft had a depth of 510 ft and the 1772 map records that a early pumping beam engine operated in the pit. According to MJH Southway (1971) the engine at this site had a 7 ft stroke, working 8 strokes per minute and raising 28 gallons per stroke by means of an 11” pump lifting 224 gallons per minute.
- Ram Hill CollieryRam Hill CollieryRam 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...
site lies beside the LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to South WalesSouth WalesSouth Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
rail line and stands on British Rail land near the Ha' Penny Bridge. The pit was 558 ft deep and was abandoned around 1860. A number of remains are discernible on the ground including the horse gin, the shaft and the tramway lines finishing at an arch. In 2006 the Ram Hill Colliery site was designated by English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Scheduled Ancient MonumentScheduled Ancient MonumentIn the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.
- Churchleaze No. 1 Pit lay beside the Dramway where it crosses Serridge Lane (previously known as Churchleaze). The mine site was clearly visible in the 1960s but was "tidied up" by a local farmer and now apart from a declivity in the ground no traces of the pit remain.
- Churchleaze No. 2 Pit lay to the south of Pit No. 1, adjoining Henfield Road.
For the nearby Serridge Engine Pit, Orchard (or Middle Wimsey) Pit, No. 11 Pit and New Engine Pit see Henfield
Henfield, Gloucestershire
Henfield is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh, adjoining the hamlet of Ram Hill immediately to the north.-Background:...
.
The underground map of around 1850 shows that the underground roads of 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...
and Churchleaze pits on Ram Hill joined together with those of the Serridge Engine and New Engine pits in Henfield
Henfield, Gloucestershire
Henfield is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh, adjoining the hamlet of Ram Hill immediately to the north.-Background:...
.
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 Hill to the River Avon and this section of the Dramway was completed and in use by July 1832. The Ram Hill CollieryRam 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 in Henfield
Henfield, Gloucestershire
Henfield is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh, adjoining the hamlet of Ram Hill immediately to the north.-Background:...
.
This early tramway scheme was designed to provide 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.
Railways
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 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:...
. This line remained operational for almost 90 years until the closure of the mine in 1949.
The South Wales Main Line
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line , originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain...
was re-routed following the opening of the Severn Tunnel
Severn Tunnel
The Severn Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn....
in 1886. The new route was established in 1903 with the building of what is often known as the Badminton Line. This involved the construction of about 33 miles of new track, part of which skirted Ram Hill and 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:...
. The Great Western Railway
Great 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...
purchased the land at 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...
site in 1898 and a deep railway cutting was created immediately north of the former mine. To the west the Coalpit Heath Railway Station was opened and goods yard sidings established. The station fell victim to Dr Beeching's cuts and was closed in the 1960s.
Community facilities
Being a small hamlet Ram Hill does not have its own community facilities although the social facilities are available at Coalpit Heath Cricket Club in Serridge Lane. Social and recreational facilities are provided at Henfield Village Hall, Bitterwell Lake and the Newman Field amenity area in the adjoining hamlet of HenfieldHenfield, Gloucestershire
Henfield is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh, adjoining the hamlet of Ram Hill immediately to the north.-Background:...
.
The hamlet is well served with footpaths and cycleways.
Governance
The two tiers of local government responsible for administering Ram Hill:- South Gloucestershire Council
- Westerleigh Parish Council
Planning
In the adopted South Gloucestershire Local Plan Ram Hill 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 Ram Hill is within an area defined as:Westerleigh Vale and Oldland Ridge - The Study indicates that Ram Hill, a colliery settement, and Henfield 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 hegerow 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 change in landscape character.
Biodiversity
One area of Broadleaved Woodland at Ram Hill is identified by South Gloucestershire Council as a Site of Nature Conservation Importance:- Martin Croft Brake
There are no Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the hamlet.
Sport and Recreation
Coalpit Heath Cricket Club
Coalpit Heath Cricket Club, situated in Serridge Lane (formerly known as Chuchleaze) at Ram Hill, has well over 100 years of history. It was based for many years at the recreation ground at 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:...
but has relocated to Serridge Lane where a clubhouse has been created which includes social facilities and a skittle alley. The club is a family orientated club running three Senior sides on Saturdays in the Bristol and District Leagues and a Sunday side in the Village Cricket League.
The club also provides facilities for young players to learn and play the game of cricket within their Youth section. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire Cricket Board
Gloucestershire Cricket Board
The Gloucestershire Cricket Board is the governing body for all recreational cricket in the historic county of Gloucestershire.From 1999 to 2003 the Board fielded a team in the English domestic one-day tournament, matches which had List-A status....
, Bristol & District Cricket Association and Bristol Youth Cricket League.
Mafeking Hall
This Scout Hall is located at Serridge Lane, Ram Hill and is run by the Cotswold Edge District Scout Council. Both the Hall and Tullett Field are available for hire.Economy
- Ram Hill Business Park - At the old Coalpit Heath Railway Station and associated goods yard sidings a small business park has been created.
Education
The hamlet is served by The Manor C of E Primary School, Coalpit Heath, a primary school 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
Ram Hill 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....
:
- 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...
- Ram Hill - 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)
Notable former resident
- 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 holds a similar position at Plymouth Argyle.