Bitton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming par ...

in England, to the east of the Greater Bristol area on the

River Boyd The River Boyd is a river of some in length which rises near Dodington, Gloucestershire, Dodington in South Gloucestershire, England. It is a tributary of the River Avon (Bristol), Bristol Avon, running in a southerly direction and joining near ...

. It is in

. The parish of Bitton has a population of 9,307, and apart from the village itself, includes Swineford, Upton Cheyney, Beach, Oldland Common, North Common and part of Willsbridge.

Governance

An electoral ward with the same name exists. This ward does not cover as much of the outskirts of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

as the parish. The total population of the ward taken at the 2011 census is 3,509.

Transport

The A431 road runs through the village. Beyond Bitton the road routes north-west to Willsbridge and south-east to Kelston. The heritage

Avon Valley Railway The Avon Valley Railway (AVR) is a three-mile-long heritage railway based at Bitton station in South Gloucestershire, England, between Bristol and Bath and is operated by a local group: The Avon Valley Railway Company Ltd. The railway follows th ...

is based at Bitton railway station. The

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

Bristol and Bath Railway Path runs alongside the railway. Bus Routes 19, 37, 441, 443 and 684 run down the A431 and go towards

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and

bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

City Centres and suburbs.

Sport

Bitton A.F.C. Bitton Association Football Club is a football club based in the South Gloucestershire suburb of Bitton, in England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County Football Association, they are currently members of the and play at the Recreation Gro ...

are the local football team and Bitton CC are the local cricket team. They both play at the Recreation Ground, immediately south of the A431, just west of the village. Bitton Road Runners is a running club based in the east of Bristol which caters for all running abilities. Founded in 1986 to help people better enjoy the sport of running, it is a thriving club with over 300 members in both junior and senior sections.

Notable people

H. T. Ellacombe Henry Thomas Ellacombe or Ellicombe (1790-1885), was an English divine and antiquary. He was the inventor of an apparatus to allow a single ringer to ring multiple bells. Life Ellacombe was born in 1790, the son of the Rev. William Ellicombe, re ...

, the inventor of the Ellacombe apparatus used for bell-ringing, was curate from 1817 to 1835, and vicar from 1835 to 1850. His son

H. N. Ellacombe Henry Nicholson Ellacombe (1822–1916) was a British plantsman and author on botany and gardening. Life Ellacombe, the son of Henry Thomas Ellacombe, was born at Bitton, Gloucestershire in 1822. He attended Bath Grammar School and Oriel Coll ...

, vicar from 1850 to 1916, was active in the 1860s in the distribution of the robust, large, early-flowering

snowdrop ''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single ...

Galanthus nivalis ''Galanthus nivalis'', the snowdrop or common snowdrop, is the best-known and most widespread of the 20 species in its genus, '' Galanthus''. Snowdrops are among the first bulbs to bloom in spring and can form impressive carpets of white in areas ...

'' 'Atkinsii' "''that grew at the south wall in his garden in Bitton.''"Page 65 of Stern F C, ''Snowdrops and Snowflakes – A study of the Genera Galanthus and Leucojum'', The

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

, 1956 Bitton is the birthplace of author Dick King Smith and actress Richenda Carey, and was home to television presenter

Noel Edmonds Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English television presenter, radio DJ, writer, producer, and businessman. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented ...

. Also Harold Crofton Sleigh the founder of H.C.Sleigh Shipping Company & Golden Fleece Petroleum Company,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

, Australia, lived in Belmont House with his parents, in 1881.

Bibliography

Ellacombe, Henry Thomas ''History of the Manor of Bitton'', 1869. Ellacombe, Henry Thomas ''History of the Parish of Bitton'', 1881.

References

External links

Parish Council website

Parish Church of St Mary's, Bitton

Website of Bitton Road RunnersLocal History Group (Bitton Parish History Group)
{{Authority control Villages in South Gloucestershire District Civil parishes in Gloucestershire