About the Villages

Overview

Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath are villages in South Gloucestershire situated about 8 miles to the north-east of Bristol. Frampton Cotterell developed as a settlement along the banks of the River Frome from which it takes part of its name. Coalpit Heath, as its name suggests, was originally a coal mining community though little sign remains today of its industrial past.

The two villages have gradually merged into one community, though Coalpit Heath is mostly in the civil parish of Westerleigh. The boundary between the parishes runs through the middle of the residential area and some streets considered locally to be part of the village of Coalpit Heath lie within the Frampton Cotterell civil parish. To further add to the confusion, the ecclesiastical parish of St Saviour's Church, Coalpit Heath includes part of the village of Frampton Cotterell!

On the map, the Frampton Cotterell parish boundary is shown (approximately) in red. For anyone interested in seeing the boundaries in detail, a large scale map showing the civil parish boundaries is displayed in the Brockeridge Centre in Woodend Road.

Village Scenes shows some views of the villages and surrounding countryside.

Further Information

Village Action together with the Local History Society has produced a Heritage Walks booklet which describes seven walks around the villages and the local countryside and contains a wealth of historical information about the area.  Meanwhile, the Hatters' Trail booklet contains further information about Frampton's role in the English hatting industry and takes you on walks around some of the remaining historical sites.

The Heritage Walks booklet was revised and reprinted in 2023 and copies can be acquired from the Brockeridge Centre or by contacting us while stocks last.  Unfortunately printed copies of the Hatter's Trail booklet have completely sold out and are no longer available in printed form. However you are welcome to download it using the above links: 

The Local History Society has produced two books containing a photographic record of the history of Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath. These are available via Amazon.

Further descriptions of Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath can be found in Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia.

The Know Your Place Project contains fascinating historical maps of the area.