Stoke Gifford | |
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St Michael's Church |
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Stoke Gifford shown within Gloucestershire | |
Population | 15,494 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | ST621799 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BRISTOL |
Postcode district | BS34 |
Dialling code | 01454, 0117 |
Police | Avon and Somerset |
Fire | Avon |
Ambulance | South Western |
EU Parliament | South West England |
UK Parliament | |
Stoke Gifford is a large dormitory village, and parish in South Gloucestershire, England, in the northern suburbs of Bristol. It had around 11,000 residents at the 2001 census, increasing to 15,494 at the 2011 census. It is home to Bristol Parkway station, on the London-South Wales railway line, and the Bristol offices of Aviva which took over Friends Life in 2015, Hewlett Packard and The University of the West of England. The parish includes neighbouring Little Stoke, Harry Stoke and Stoke Park. The parish borders Filton, to the south-west, Patchway to the north west, Bradley Stoke to the north and Winterbourne and Hambrook to the east. To the south Stoke Gifford is served by the Bristol Ring Road, south of this a large green area known as the 'Green Lung' stretches to the inner city area of St Werburgh's.
Following the Norman Invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror gave the manor of Stoke Gifford to Osbern Giffard, one of his generals. ). Giffard himself was a native of Longueville-le-Giffard, Normandy, now known as Longueville-sur-Scie, which is where the 'Gifford' suffix of the name derives from. The 'Stoke' suffix may come from the Stoke Brook, 'Stoke' may also be a reference to the Saxon word 'Stoche' meaning 'property of or dependent farmstead'. Bradley Stoke and Stoke Lodge, both 20th Century estates were also given the name. Extensive histories of Stoke Gifford can be found on Adrian Kerton's web pages and the website of Southern Brooks Archaeology.