Woolaston
| Woolaston | |
|---|---|
 Woolaston village |
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 Woolaston
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| Woolaston shown within Gloucestershire | |
| Population | 1,206 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SO594003 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Lydney |
| Postcode district | GL |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Woolaston is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire in South West England. It lies on the north side of the Severn Estuary approximately 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the Welsh border at Chepstow and is surrounded by woodland and agricultural land.
The centre of population in Woolaston is around the Netherend area to the east of the parish, very close to Alvington. Here there is a thriving primary school, two pubs, a small post office (within the village shop) and a new memorial hall, [1] a popular skate park and a community orchard. The small shop has undergone substantial re-development and is under local ownership. Changing patterns of employment and home occupation have changed the character of rural villages in this area. In bygone years there were several more shops, a blacksmith and more, but they are all long gone now as the character of the village changes. Today a substantial proportion of the village commute because the village is well placed to serve the housing needs of those who work in the Forest of Dean and also in Chepstow, Bristol, Newport and even as far as Cardiff and even London. An increasing proportion of the village's residents, repeating something of the pattern of history, are working from home, however, nowadays they are supported by network technologies rather than the fields or local industries. The older agricultural population is becoming increasingly replaced by a newer population of office based professionals, many working in of for the design, media, computer and communication industries based in the cities of Bath, Bristol and Cardiff and Newport. A well regarded village school continues to thrive and has a reputation for its art and the academic attainment of its pupils.
At one time the parish of Woolaston stretched between the River Severn and the River Wye, but now it does not (though it is still quite large). It used to contain much of the area now in the Hewelsfield and Brockweir civil parish. The Woolaston parish contains many smaller hamlets including Netherend, Woolaston Common, High Woolaston, Woolaston Woodside, Woolaston Slade, Common Wood, Lancaut, Stroat, Keynsham, Plusterwine, Brookend, Smallbrook, Clap-Y-Ates and Clanna.
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