Condicote
Village in Gloucestershire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Condicote is a small village in Gloucestershire, England, near the A424 road and about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Stow-on-the-Wold.
| Condicote | |
|---|---|
Church of St Nicholas | |
  Condicote Location within Gloucestershire | |
| Population | 125 |
| OS grid reference | SP1528 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Cheltenham |
| Postcode district | GL54 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
In 2023 the village had a population of 125.[2]
Condicote was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. There were fifteen households, and four estates, of which the tenants-in-chief were the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Worcester, William Breakwolf and Durand of Gloucester.[3]
The green is at the centre of the village, with the Church of St Nicholas on its north side. Roads run north-east and south-east towards Longborough and Stow-on-the-Wold respectively. About 300 yards (270 m) to the west is the Roman road Icknield Street. Its course is broken between where more recent roads reach it from north-west and south-west of the village.[4]
The Victoria County History notes that the village is not associated with any famous people or events, and remarks: "Its remoteness and its physical conditions are of the kind to have made the life of the community as uneventful as it was austere."[4]
Church
The Church of St Nicholas, in the Diocese of Gloucester,[5] is situated on the north side of the green, and dates from the 12th century; it is a Grade II* listed building. It is built of rubble with Cotswold stone. The 12th-century south doorway is ornamented with a tympanum and an arch of two orders, the outer with chevrons. Inside, there is a nave and chancel. The pointed chancel arch, which may have been rebuilt, has chevron decorations on the west side.[4][6]
The church was remodelled in the 15th century. Restoration in 1888, by Mark Hookham of Stow-on-the-Wold, included the south porch and the bellcote above the gable at the west end.[4][6]
Wayside cross and holy well
At the west side of the green is a wayside cross, marking a holy well. It is a Grade II listed building, and is a scheduled monument. It probably dates from the late 14th century or early 15th century. There are three stone steps; above is the shaft of a cross, erected in 1864, and the finial, fitted in the mid 1970s. The well, on the east side of the cross, is covered by stone slabs.[7][8] Until mains water came to the village in 1937 it was the chief supply of water. Before 1700 until the mid 19th century, there was a pond on the south side of the green, filled by the spring. The well was fitted with a pair of doors before 1868, and a pump was installed by 1882, which was still there in 1960.[4]
Prehistoric sites
A bowl barrow lies north-west of the village, near Icknield Street and just below the crest of a north-east facing hillside. It is a scheduled monument. It measures 30 metres (98 ft) north to south and 33 metres (108 ft) east to west, and is about 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in) high.[9]
Condicote Camp, a short distance east of the village, is a circular earthwork, thought to be for ritual purposes rather than for defence, enclosing about 4 acres (1.6 ha). The road to Longborough passes through it. It can now barely be discerned; in the early 19th century its banks were too steep to be easily climbed. Eubury Camp, north-east of the village, is a hillfort enclosing about 8 acres (3.2 ha). It has been eroded by ploughing. Both date from the Iron Age,[4] and are scheduled monuments.[10][11]
