What is "barnwood"

Barnwood, in Gloucestershire, England is on the old Roman road that links the City of Gloucester with Hucclecote, Brockworth and Cirencester.

Barnwood was originally a small village. The Church of England parish church of St Lawrence, about two miles east of the city centre of Gloucester, is known for The Barnwood Guild of Church Bellringers, inaugurated in 1952. However, bell ringing has a long history in the Gloucester area and Barnwood had long been a part of it when its activities were disrupted by World War II.

Samuel and Anne Bubb, who were grandparents of the inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802–75), lived at Barnwood Manor House. Biographical notes of 1887 say that Sir Charles stated that he was born in the house and lived there as a young child, and this was the scene of some of his earliest experiments. In later years Wheatstone often returned to Barnwood. A local public house is named The Wheatstone Inn after him.

The architect Frederick S. Waller (1822–1905), sometime resident architect at Gloucester Cathedral, lived and died at Barnwood.

The Generation Design and Construction Division of the CEGB became the centre of a new office development when it moved here in the early 1970s. This then became the corporate headquarters of Nuclear Electric, and later the English offices of the (nominally Scottish-based) British Energy, which in 2009 became part of EDF Energy. Other major companies in Barnwood include Cheltenham & Gloucester and InterCall. There is also a Holiday Inn, Sainsbury's and Virgin Active in the area.

Barnwood Park Arts College is a girls' secondary school located in the area.