Wick, Gloucestershire
Encyclopedia
Wick is a village in South Gloucestershire
, England.
It is situated on the A420 between Bristol
and Chippenham
, south of the Cotswolds
. The River Boyd
flows through the old village, with its watermeadows facing St. Bartholomew's Church. As well as the church, the village has several shops, The Carpenters Arms
and Rose & Crown public houses, a village hall, and a primary school. Nearby Blue Lodge was once the home of Black Beauty author Anna Sewell
and Tracy Park
on the Bath Road (now a golf
club called The Park) was thought to be the inspiration for Black Beauty's Birtwick Park. The picturesque Golden Valley is well known for walking, birding and equestrian
activity. It was described by the poet John Dennys
of Pucklechurch in his work of 1613 "The Secrets of Angling", the earliest English poetical treatise on fishing:
ists. Adjacent to Golden Valley is the historic Bury Manor guest house. Residents who live in the outskirts of the village are said to be at 'the end of their Wick
'.
A few miles outside the town up the Bath Road, there is a local legend of Hangman's Hill, which is often linked with strange paranormal activity. There is a certain spot along the road whereby stationary cars will seemingly get 'pulled' up the hill by an unseen force .
Local legend has it that a Highwayman used to rob the travellers coming into and out from nearby Bath and that he was caught and hanged from the tree he used to attack the unwary travellers from.
Wick Quarry, owned by CEMEX
, is an operational limestone quarry and also a birdwatching site.
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.
It is situated on the A420 between 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 Chippenham
Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
, south of the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. The River Boyd
River Boyd
The River Boyd is a river of some in length which rises near Dodington in South Gloucestershire, England. It is a tributary of the Bristol Avon, running in a southerly direction and joining near Bitton. The flow rate at Bitton is an average...
flows through the old village, with its watermeadows facing St. Bartholomew's Church. As well as the church, the village has several shops, The Carpenters Arms
Carpenter Arms
Carpenters Arms is a common British pub name.The Carpenters Arms are today an unrelated series of public houses informally referred to as "Pubs" within the United Kingdom. Historically the first such named "Carpenter Arms" was based on a forfeit Carpenter Coat of Arms patent and supported by the...
and Rose & Crown public houses, a village hall, and a primary school. Nearby Blue Lodge was once the home of Black Beauty author Anna Sewell
Anna Sewell
Anna Sewell was an English novelist, best known as the author of the classic novel Black Beauty.-Biography:Anna Mary Sewell was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England into a devoutly Quaker family...
and Tracy Park
Tracy Park
Tracy Park, Bath Road, Wick, South Gloucestershire, a former private estate, is now a golf club.Tracy Park is thought to be the inspiration for Birtwick Park, home of Black Beauty in the book by Anna Sewell. The author spent part of her life at nearby Blue Lodge....
on the Bath Road (now a golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
club called The Park) was thought to be the inspiration for Black Beauty's Birtwick Park. The picturesque Golden Valley is well known for walking, birding and equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
activity. It was described by the poet John Dennys
John Dennys
John Dennys poet and fisherman was the pioneer of Angling poetry in England. His only work "The Secrets of Angling" was the earliest English poetical treatise on fishing, first published in 1613 in London...
of Pucklechurch in his work of 1613 "The Secrets of Angling", the earliest English poetical treatise on fishing:
The authorship of the poem was a mystery for many years, having been published anonymously, and it was partly due to his mention of the rocks of Wick that he was finally identified. The Golden Valley is also a favorite destination for hot air balloon
And thou sweet Boyd that with thy watry sway
Dost wash the cliffes of Deington and of Weeke
And through their Rockes with crooked winding way
Thy mother Avon runnest soft to seek.
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
ists. Adjacent to Golden Valley is the historic Bury Manor guest house. Residents who live in the outskirts of the village are said to be at 'the end of their Wick
Wick
Wick may refer to:* David Wicks, fictional character from a British soap opera. Not to be confused with David Wicks, American comedian/actor.* Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp...
'.
A few miles outside the town up the Bath Road, there is a local legend of Hangman's Hill, which is often linked with strange paranormal activity. There is a certain spot along the road whereby stationary cars will seemingly get 'pulled' up the hill by an unseen force .
Local legend has it that a Highwayman used to rob the travellers coming into and out from nearby Bath and that he was caught and hanged from the tree he used to attack the unwary travellers from.
Cemex
CEMEX is the world's largest building materials supplier and third largest cement producer. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey, Mexico...
, is an operational limestone quarry and also a birdwatching site.