Highnam is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

on the outskirts of the city of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. It is three miles northwest of the city on the A40, on the way to

Ross Ross may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ross (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan Places Antarctica * Ross Sea ...

, west of Alney Island and

Over Bridge Over Bridge, also known as Telford's Bridge, is a single span (architecture), span stone arch bridge spanning the canalised West Channel of the River Severn near Gloucester, England. It links Over, Tewkesbury, Over to Alney Island. Although the ...

. It is connected by Segregated Bicycle Paths via

and Alney Island to

. The parish includes the villages of Lassington and

Over Over may refer to: Places *Over, Cambridgeshire, England * Over, Cheshire, England **Over Bridge * Over, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, England * Over, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England * Over, Seevetal, Germany Music Albums * ''Ov ...

. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,014, reducing to 1,916 at the 2011 census. At the 2021 census it had increased to 2,141. Highnam was originally made up of farm land, which explains some of its street names (Brimsome Meadow, Poppy Field, Stoney Field, Long Field, Peters Field, Williams Orchard, et al.). As a village, Highnam is fairly small, containing few social amenities. These include the Church of the Holy Innocents, a school (Highnam C of E Primary), a village hall, a day nursery, a village shop and a doctor's surgery. The Arnold family were Lords of the Manor in the sixteenth century- the best known member of the family is Sir Nicholas Arnold (died 1580),

Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...

. The wealthy artist and collector

Thomas Gambier Parry Thomas Gambier Parry, J.P., D.L., (22 February 1816 – 28 September 1888) was a British artist and art collector. He is best remembered for his development of the Gambier Parry process of fresco painting, and for forming the significant co ...

purchased the

Highnam Court Highnam Court is a Grade I listed country house in Highnam, Gloucestershire, England, constructed in the 17th century. The estate passed from the Cooke family to the Guise baronets, Guise family and, in the mid-19th century, was purchased by a mem ...

estate in 1837. He remodelled the Court and laid out the Highnam Court gardens; he was one of the first to make a pinetum. Highnam Court gardens are now open to the public. His son, the composer

Hubert Parry Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet (27 February 1848 – 7 October 1918), was an English composer, teacher and historian of music. Born in Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is ...

, learnt to play the organ in the church. Highnam has an eighteen-hole golf course and a large business park just outside the main village. The village is home to both football and cricket team
Highnam Court Cricket Club
and also has Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Brownies groups. A new feature in 2007 was the addition of a Youth Café.

Highnam Woods Highnam Wood is a nature reserve located in Gloucestershire and established by the RSPB to protect bird species in the region. A two-kilometre nature trail passes through the park, giving tourists a view of Britain's rarest breeding woodpecker ...

to the west of the village are managed by the

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

, and Lassington Wood is to the east of the village.

Holy Innocents Church

The church of the Holy Innocents, Highnam was constructed between 1849 and 1851 at the request of

in memory of his first wife and those of his children who died at an early age. The church was designed by

Henry Woodyer Henry Woodyer (1816–1896) was an English architect, a pupil of William Butterfield and a disciple of A. W. N. Pugin and the Ecclesiologists. Life Woodyer was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, in 1816, the son of a successful, highly resp ...

in a Gothic style. Gambier-Parry adorned the whole of the chancel, including the roof, and much of the nave with frescoes using a new " spirit fresco" method he adapted from his study of Italian

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

painters. The church has been described by Sir

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...

as "The most complete Victorian Church in this country". In

Simon Jenkins Sir Simon David Jenkins FLSW (born 10 June 1943) is a British author, a newspaper columnist and editor. He was editor of the ''Evening Standard'' from 1976 to 1978 and of ''The Times'' from 1990 to 1992. Jenkins chaired the National Trust f ...

' book ''England's Thousand Best Churches'', Holy Innocents was rated in the "Top 100" with four stars. A major restoration of the church and frescoes was completed in 1994. The

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

church forms an ensemble with its listed Church Lodge, Rectory, Memorial Hall and Old Schoolhouse on the edge of the park of Highnam Court. Although unringable, the tower contains the world's heaviest

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

of three bells, cast by Charles & George Mears in 1850.

Governance

The village falls in the 'Highnam with Haw Bridge'

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

. This ward starts in the north at Forthampton and stretches south to

Minsterworth Minsterworth is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the border of the City of Gloucester, on the north bank of the River Severn (effectively on the western side of the river) and on the A48 road between Gloucester and Chepstow. ...

. The total ward population at the 2011 census was 4,206.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Gloucestershire Civil parishes in Gloucestershire Borough of Tewkesbury

Holy Innocents Church

Governance

See also

References

External links