Bridstow 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 ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

, England, 2 km (1.2 miles) west of

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 10,978 in 2021. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the River Wye and on the northern edge of the Fore ...

and 17 km (10.6 miles) south-east of

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

. The parish is bounded to the east and south by the

River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...

. The

A40 road The A40 is a trunk road which runs between London and Goodwick (Fishguard), Wales, and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road (A40) in all legal documents and Acts. Much of its length within England has been superseded by motorw ...

linking the M50 motorway to

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

runs through the parish, crossing the Wye at Bridstow Bridge. The parish had a population of 906 in the

2011 UK census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

, and an estimated population of 941 in 2018.

Heritage

The largest village in the parish is Wilton, site of 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 ...

Wilton Castle and Wilton Bridge. The ''Liber Llandavensis'' (Book of Llandaff) records that in 1066, Herewald,

Bishop of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's cathedra, seat is in the Llandaff Cathedral, Cathedral Chu ...

, appointed Guollguinn as priest there. Wilton (as Wiltone) and Ashe Ingen (as Ascis) appear in the 1086

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

, dedicated to St Bridget, has a tower in the Perpendicular style. The rest of the exterior was rebuilt in 1862 to a design by Thomas Nicholson. The stained glass is by Charles Kempe.

1870s

Writing in 1870–1872, John Marius Wilson's ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' described Bridstow as "a parish in Ross district, Hereford; on the River Wye, adjacent to the Monmouth and Hereford railway, 1 mile W by N of Ross. Post Town, Ross. Acres, 2,199. Real property, £5,506. Pop., 717. Houses, 143. Wilton Castle here is an old seat of the Lords Grey de Wilton, burnt in the civil wars, and now an ivy-clad ruin. The living is a vicarage in the

Diocese of Hereford The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England, and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales. The cathedral i ...

. Value, £276.* Patron, the Bishop of Hereford."

Amenities

Bridstow CE Primary School is a Voluntary Aided Church of England co-educational school for pupils between 4 and 11 years old. In May 2016, the school entered into a "soft federation" agreement with the school at Brampton Abbotts, under which the two schools share a principal and some other functions. Retail, medical and other facilities are available at

(1½ miles, 2.5 km). Accommodation is available at Bridstow Guest House, a converted Victorian house. The village also has a village hall.

Transport

Bridstow has daytime bus services towards

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 ...

and

.Bus Times. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
/ref> The nearest mainline railway stations are at

(14 miles, 23 km) and

(18 miles, 29 km). The A49 and A40 pass nearby, with links to the M50 motorway.

References

External links

Bridstow
GENUKI genealogy web portal
List of monuments in the parishBridstow page on ONS website
{{authority control Villages in Herefordshire Civil parishes in Herefordshire