Rodborough

Rodborough is a civil parish in the district of Stroud, Gloucestershire, in Southwest England. It is directly south of the town of Stroud, north of the town of Nailsworth and north-west of the village of Minchinhampton. Until 1974 much of the parish was part of the Stroud Urban District Council and forms part of the Stroud urban area along with Stroud and Cainscross. The population taken at the 2011 census was 5,334. Built on a hill, Rodborough is located near Rodborough Common, a public recreation area popular with walkers. Most of the common land was donated to the National Trust in 1937 by Thomas Bainbrigge Fletcher (1878–1950), an entomologist. It is little known that this was dependent on a subscription fund of £700 being raised to pay for the maintenance and upkeep of the common.

Rodborough Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The parish has two primary schools, several public houses, a large hotel called The Bear of Rodborough Hotel and a community hall. It is home to the historic Winstones Ice Cream Factory. It has a large and active Christian community who attend the Church of England parish church of St. Mary Magdalene or Rodborough Tabernacle United Reformed Church, and its various clubs and societies include a football club, a Scout group and a mother and toddler network.

Rodborough is served by Rodborough Parish Council, Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council. The local newspaper is the Stroud News & Journal and the parish council also produces a quarterly newsletter called The Commoner.

For children there are several playgrounds in Rodborough and the community hall hosts a youth club every Friday night. Many activities are held there are guest speakers and cooking.

Governance
An electoral ward in the same name exists. All of this ward is within the civil parish and a reduced population therefore applies. At the 2011 Census it was 4,543 only.

Notable people
The Gothic Revival architect Benjamin Bucknall was born in Rodborough in 1833. He designed the uncompleted Woodchester Mansion and a number of houses and Roman Catholic churches and convents, particularly in Gloucestershire and South Wales. In later life he worked in Algiers. The Reverend Wilbert Awdry who wrote The Railway Series that inspired Thomas & Friends, moved to 30 Rodborough Avenue in 1965 and lived there until his death on 21 March 1997.