Pilning
Encyclopedia
Pilning is a village in South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, in South West England.-History:The district was created in 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished, by the merger of former area of the districts of Kingswood and Northavon...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, close to Redwick and Severn Beach
Severn Beach
Severn Beach is a village on the mouth of the river Severn in South Gloucestershire, England. A riverside footpath, which is part of the Severn Way, leads beneath the Second Severn Crossing bridge...

. Pilning is close to the busy M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...

, M49
M49 motorway
The M49 motorway is a 5 mile motorway west of Bristol, England, that forms a shortcut between the M5 motorway and the Second Severn Bridge on the M4 motorway. It was constructed in 1996, at the same time as the bridge and is unique as it is only accessible from other motorways...

 and A403
A403 road
The A403 is a road in the United Kingdom that starts at junction 1 of the M48 at Aust and leads to Avonmouth in Bristol. It is important as a major route for the industries there, allowing easy travel access to Wales and South and East England....

 as well as a railway line running through it, with a minor station
Pilning railway station
Pilning railway station is a small railway station at Pilning, South Gloucestershire, England. It is the last station on the English side before the Severn Tunnel through to Wales....

. Nevertheless, it is a village filled with history and many sights.

Because of the close proximity of the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...

 and the English Stones
English Stones
English Stones is a rocky outcrop in the Severn Estuary between Caldicot, Monmouthshire and Severn Beach. It is exposed at low tide, and because of this and the fact it is a rare spot of solid land in the highly tidal estuary, it has long been considered at a location to build barrages, dams or...

 section of the river bed, Pilning has found itself the ideal place to make both a substantial railway tunnel and motorway bridge. The Severn Tunnel
Severn Tunnel
The Severn Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn....

 opened in 1885 and the Second Severn Crossing
Second Severn Crossing
The Second Severn Crossing is a bridge which carries the M4 motorway over the River Severn between England and Wales, inaugurated on 5 June 1996 by HRH The Prince of Wales to augment the traffic capacity of the original Severn Bridge built in 1966...

 opened in 1996.

The parish church of St Peter was completed in 1855 (consecrated 9 August), the principal architect was Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt was an Irish British architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870-73 and awarded their Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1873...

 and H. Crisp it also has a late 20th century south extension in same style. It is a grade II listed building.

Pilning has an annual Carnival and family fun night. It is also fortunate to have its very own amateur dramatic society "The Village Players".

External links

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