Highnam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Highnam | |
  Highnam shown within Gloucestershire |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Shire county | Gloucestershire |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GLOUCESTER |
| Postcode district | GL2 |
| Dialling code | 01452 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Tewkesbury |
| List of places: UK • England • Gloucestershire | |
Highnam is a small village on the outskirts of the city of Gloucester. It is three miles northwest of the city on the A40, on its way to Ross, west of Alney Island and Over Bridge.
Highnam was originally made up of farm land, one of the reasons for some street names (Brimsome Meadow, Poppy Field, Stoney Field, Long Field, Peters Field, Williams Orchard, etc.). As a village, Highnam is fairly small, containing a few social amenities. Its contents 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.
Wealthy artist Thomas Gambier Parry purchased the Highnam Court estate in 1837. He remodelled the Court and laid out landscaped gardens. He built the Holy Innocents Church (1849-51) described by John Betjeman as "The most complete Victorian Church in this country". The grade I listed church forms an ensemble with its listed Church Lodge, Rectory, Memorial Hall and Old Schoolhouse on the edge of the park of Highnam Court.
His son, the composer Hubert Parry, 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.
Aside from buildings, it is home to both football and cricket teams and also Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Brownies groups. A new feature in 2007 was the addition of a Youth Café.
Highnam also has woods named after the village to the west and Lassington Woods to the east of the village.
