St. Aidans Research

 Week 02

ST. AIDANS RESEARCH

Sophie Wiseman

• Around 1828, the area was still remote due to the newly spreading of Cheltenham. We can observe that the quadrate road system stems from this time as the area that is now ‘village road,’ was simply long straight roads with right-angled bends. 

• Also, around 1828, ‘Arle’ was the name for the overall manorial estate and included ‘Fiddlers Green’ and ‘Ashters Way’. (Ashters way to now be identified as Hesters Way – associated with ash trees) 

• Railway lines to be installed in 1835- 1840. (Before only a horse-drawn tramline was present to transport coal and stone between Cheltenham and Gloucester). 

• From the 1960’s when ‘Fiddler’s Field’ was in complete existence, the land management ensured that the land was divided into 5m strips wide and 200m long, since some areas of ridges and furrows can be seen such as Arle Manor. 

• Arle Farm – as of 1939/1940, 200 acres of the estate were sold to The Cheltenham Borough Council. In February 1986, the farmhouse was demolished due to it being unsafe and by 1996 the outbuildings were razed to the ground.  

• Hope Farm – is still a working farm and owned by the Theyer Family (bought in 1942) 

• Hesters Way Farm – converted into 2 houses in 1920 and stopped farming when it was repurchased and became the Hesters Way Housing Estate. 

• Schools – 1930s no school present. Monkscroft Secondary School was Approved for building in 1954/55, but was demolished in 1990s. 1959, Arle School was opened and renamed Kingsmead in 1995. Cheltenham Grammar School has been in existence since 1574. Monkscroft Junior, Hesters Way Junior and Arthur Dyer Schools are also still relevant.  

• On moodle: