Minchinhampton
Minchinhampton shown within Gloucestershire
OS grid reference	SO871008
Parish	Stroud
District	Stroud
Shire county	Gloucestershire
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STROUD
Postcode district	GL6
Police	Gloucestershire
Fire	Gloucestershire
Ambulance	Great Western
European Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Stroud
List of places: UK • England • Gloucestershire

Coordinates: 51°42′21″N 2°11′10″W / 51.705783, -2.185981

The parish church, Minchinhampton, with its unusual "coronet" tower

Minchinhampton is located on a hill top 4 miles south-south-east of Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, in the Cotswolds. History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Gloucester postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Badminton, Berkeley, Blakeney, Cheltenham, There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Gloucestershire Constabulary is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the Non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire in England The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the County of Gloucestershire, England The Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS is UK National Health Service (NHS trust providing emergency and non emergency South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Stroud is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities, Towns and Villages in the County of Gloucestershire, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring Stroud is a Town and Civil parish in the County of Gloucestershire, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland See also Cotswold The Cotswolds is a range of Hills in west-central England, sometimes called the "Heart of England" The town is an ancient market town dating back to pre-1400. The town is twinned with Nkokoto, in Tanzania. Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya ^[1]

Nearby is Minchinhampton Common, a recreation area for walkers and golfers. Common land (a common) is a piece of land owned by one person but over which other people can exercise certain traditional rights such as allowing their livestock to graze The Common is also used as grazing land for the cows of local farmers in the summer. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family On the Common are long parallel ditches and mounds which formed part of a large Iron Age fort. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for There are good views from the Common west over the Severn estuary into Wales, and east to the Golden Valley and further into the Cotswolds. The Bristol Channel ( Môr Hafren) is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset The River Frome, once also known as the Stroudwater, is a small river in Gloucestershire, England See also Cotswold The Cotswolds is a range of Hills in west-central England, sometimes called the "Heart of England"

The main street in Minchinhampton has a few small shops and cafes, no Post Office and the Crown Inn. The main square has an early Market House, where a market is held every Thursday. ^[2]

The spire of the parish church of the Holy Trinity was pulled down for safety reasons in 1863 and now the stub has been completed with a "coronet" structure. A parish church, in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a Parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches

Minchinhampton was both the birthplace and country residence of Joanna Trollope. Joanna Trollope OBE (born December 9, 1943, in her grandfather's rectory in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire) is an English

Minchinhampton is close to Gatcombe Estate, the home of the Princess Royal, which hosts the Gatcombe Horse Trials in late summer each year. Gatcombe Park is the private country home of Anne Princess Royal, situated in England between the Gloucestershire villages of Minchinhampton Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically awarded by a British Monarch to his or her eldest daughter Eventing is an equestrian event which comprises Dressage, cross-country and Show-jumping. The twice-yearly craft fair at Gatcombe and summer visit of Gifford's Circus also add to Minchinhampton's appeal. Gifford's Circus is a traditional English Circus which tours the West Country every summer ^[3]

Minchinhampton is also close to the former Ministry of Defence airfield, Aston Down, now used for gliding. Aston Down is a former Royal Air Force airfield near Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, South West England. Gliding is a Recreational activity and competitive Sport in which pilots fly un-powered aircraft known as Gliders or sailplanes The surrounding land and hangars are owned by the development firm Leda Properties. In 2005, following a Freedom of Information request, the local newspaper revealed that Aston Down is contaminated with arsenic, hydrocarbons and radium. ^[4] Since the site is located above a vulnerable aquifer, local residents have formed a