Barnwood

Barnwood, in Gloucestershire, England is situated on the old Roman road that connects the City of Gloucester with Hucclecote, Brockworth and Cirencester. Barnwood was originally a small village and St Lawrence Church, which is situated about two miles east of the city centre of Gloucester, is a traditional Church of England parish stone building known for The Barnwood Guild of Church Bellringers, inaugurated in 1952. However, bell ringing has a long history in the Gloucester area and Barnwood had long been a part of it when its activities were disrupted by World War II. Further up the same Roman road is the village of Hucclecote which is next in line to Brockworth where many famous aircraft have been produced in the past. The inventor, Sir Charles Wheatstone was born on 6 February 1802, at Barnwood Manor House. There now is a local pub (The Wheatstone Inn) named after him. The Generation Design and Construction Division of the CEGB became the centre of a new office development when it moved there in the early 1970s. This then became the corporate headquarters of Nuclear Electric, and later the English offices of the (nominally Scottish-based) British Energy. Other major companies in Barnwood include Capita, Cheltenham & Gloucester, Defra, Highways Agency, Holiday Inn, InterCall, Sainsbury's and Virgin Active to name a few.

Arboretum
Barnwood Arboretum is set on the grounds of the Barnwood House Hospital which was closed in 1968 and finally demolished in 2000. The arboretum consists of an enclosed woodland area that is cared and conserved for by Gloucester City Council in conjunction with the Friends of Barnwood Arboretum(FOBA). The Arboretum's main entrance is located off Church Lane, Barnwood and provides its visitors with various habitats, for example, grassland and wetland, and is set amongst a collection of mature native and exotic specimen trees.

Recently
River (Wotton Brook) that flows adjacent to Barnwood Arboretum Barnwood arboretum has benefited from improved access, information boards and tree identifications. FOBA also organise a wide range of events throughout the year to encourage local citizens to use the area in an educational manner. They have their own web site at http://barnwoodarboretumpark.yolasite.com/