Oldland Common

Oldland Common is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, on the outskirts of Bristol. It is in the civil parish of Bitton, approximately 8 miles between the centres of cities Bristol and Bath.Oldland Common is the birthplace of the famous astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell, and is home to the Sir Bernard Lovell secondary school, a designated language college opened by Lovell himself in 1972, once attended by England cricketer Marcus Trescothick and Millwall FC manager, and former Bristol Rovers FC player, Ian Holloway. Other schools in the village are St. Anne's Church of England Primary School (built in 1837 & initially called Oldland National School), Redfield Edge Primary School and Cherry Gardens Primary School.The village lies on the Avon Valley Railway, a three-mile long heritage railway, where it is served by Oldland Common railway station. It is part of the civil parish of Bitton which has a population of approx. 9,000 (according to the 2011 Census).Oldland Common was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. As was common in the surrounding area, the village was involved in the coal mining industry and had its own pit on Cowhorn Hill during the 1800s.