St Briavels
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St Briavels is a medium sized village in the extreme west of Gloucestershire, on the border between England and Wales. It is roughly equidistant from the Welsh market towns of Chepstow and Monmouth. The nearest town on the English side is Coleford.
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[edit] History
The village has a history dating back many centuries. Its most prominent feature, a medieval castle, dates back to the time of King John, who built it as a hunting lodge in the 13th century. The castle is now used as a youth hostel.
Across the road from the castle sits St. Mary's Church, which dates from roughly the same time.
The village was a hamlet until the Industrial Revolution, when iron ore located in the Forest of Dean, and the mining that resulted, led to the area becoming more economically important. The village expanded during this period and some miners' cottages (which date from more recent times) can still be seen on East Street.
The 19th century saw further expansion, although the village was some miles away from the nearest railway, which ran along the base of the Wye Valley.
The village remained economically vibrant until the 1970s. At this time, it supported a village shop, post office, two pubs, a restaurant, a butcher's shop, a hardware shop, and a small supermarket. However, the construction of a new mini-bypass which took traffic around the centre of the village and through a new housing estate, and the increasing popularity of cars which made access to local towns with more facilities increasingly easy, meant that some of the villages shops closed. As of 2006, the last remaining shop in the village (Burley's) closed.
[edit] The village today
The general character of the village is typified by a mid-nineteenth century core, complemented to the east by a large number of houses built during the 1970s. To the west, Cinder Hill drops off sharply into the valley, which has now been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Although many residents now no longer work in the area the village retains a relatively vibrant community, centred around the village school and the assembly rooms. There is an annual Summer Fete (also known as 'The Carnival') which attracts large crowds.
There is also a pretty gothic congregational church in the village of the 1870's.
[edit] The Carnival
Although actually more of a fête, the annual event is locally known as St. Briavels Carnival or simply 'The Carnival.'
The Carnival is usually held in the second Saturday in June, on the Recreation Ground; and is run by the 'carnival committee' - a sub-committee of the playing fields committee. Meetings are held by the committee a few months prior to the event. The carnival is organised and run by volunteers.
The carnival starts around 2pm where floats and fancy dress contestants congregate around the village green. An impartial judge is selected by the committee, and is usually someone from outside or new to the village. Previous judges have included the current reverend (the year when he was new to the village.)
There used to be around four floats however that number has recently risen to five due to the participation of Key Stage 2 at the local school.
Floats include:
- St. Briavels School
- St. Briavels Infants
- St. Briavels Juniors
- St. Briavels Playgroup
- Carnival Queen Float
The floats then process through the village, finally parking at the bottom of the recreation ground. The carnival then begins. The carnival features many men and women in funny clothes...
[edit] The surrounding area
Upper Meend and Lower Meend are locales situated on the west of the village on the slope leading down to the valley floor. Nearby hamlets and settlements include St. Briavels Common (which has not been common land since the Enclosure Acts but retains its name), Cold Harbour (a name derived from a corruption of the French, "cul d'arbre", meaning "forested hill"), Mork, the Hudnalls, and Triangle, which lies towards Brockweir. The villages of Llandogo, Penalt and Whitebrook lie on the Welsh side of the valley.
At the base of the valley, Bigsweir is the site of one of the world's first iron bridges.
To be classed as a true forester, with the benefits that bestows, you must have been born within the ancient administrative area of the Hundred of St Briavels
