Bagendon Draft 1.0
VCH Gloucestershire: Volume XVI, Bagendon Draft 1.0 BAGENDON THE VILLAGE OF BAGENDON is situated 21 km. (13 miles) south-east of Gloucester and 5 km. (3 miles) north of Cirencester. The parish lies within the valley of the river Churn, which forms part of its eastern boundary, whilst the village lies across one of the river’s tributaries. Although the parish was the site of a significant prehistoric settlement, the ditches of which have divided Bagendon from the neighbouring estate of North Cerney since at least the 9th century, the medieval and modern village has never been populous. The construction of a turnpike between Cirencester and Cheltenham accelerated development along its course, spurring the fringe of Bagendon to acquire a suburban quality during the 20th century. Nevertheless, the abiding characteristic of the parish remains rural and agricultural, with only the ancient mill providing any significant industrial activity before recent times. LANDSCAPE, SETTLEMENT AND BUILT CHARACTER BOUNDARIES The parish measured 1,106 a. in 1792,1 and still in 1841, recalculated to 1,146 a. in 1891.2 The parish is long and narrow in shape, measuring almost 5 km. (c.3 miles) from north to south and 1½ km. (c.1 mile) across from east to west, although in places it contracts to less than 500 m. (c.546 yds) in width. The boundaries of the parish were depicted on the enclosure map of 1792,3 and for much of their length they follow clear topographical features such as roads and waterways. To the east and north, the boundary is defined by the river Churn, its tributary the Bagendon brook, a road running north from the brook to Woodmancote, and a lane running south-west to the brook.
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