Matson, Gloucester

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MAN 18.220 ALX300 22378 on a Stagecoach West service 1 to Gloucester City at the Matson terminus with sheep grazing nearby

Matson is a suburb in the City of Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England.

History[]

Unlike neighbouring villages, such as Brookthorpe and Upton St Leonards, Matson is not mentioned in the Domesday Book. It appears to have been a part of Kings Barton at the time of the survey. The origins of the name are unclear but early versions recorded include Matesknolle, Mattesdune and Matesden[1] and it is likely that the names refer to Robinswood Hill,[1] a large hill which lay entirely within the ancient parish of Matson and on the flanks of which the village lies.

It has been suggested that iron ore was mined from Robinswood Hill in Saxon times[1] although there is little evidence for this. A spring called the Red Well rising just above Matson is ferruginous in nature.

Matson House, a large manorial house, was the headquarters of King Charles during the Siege of Gloucester.[2] It subsequently became the property of Major General William Selwyn in 1679.[3] It is now (2017) the Selwyn Care Home.

1950s to present[]

Today, Matson is best known for the council estate that was built in the village after the Second World War. Parmjit Dhanda, former MP for Gloucester (2001-2010), lived in Matson with his family. Matson contains a ski slope, a pub, a shopping parade, doctor's surgery, Neighbourhood Project and several churches.

Matson police station was closed in 1994.[4] In 2009 plans were revealed for the construction of a new motorway service station.[5] Following the planning process and a judicial review[6] Gloucester services was built near Matson with the northbound services opening on May 7, 2014[7] and the southbound services due to open in May 2015.[7]

Matson is bordered primarily by Robinswood Hill, a large hill that rises to 283 metres above sea level. Much of Matson is built on the sides of the hill, which features the .

In 2017, Matson was the site of a near-fatal "hit and run" incident.[8] Local resident Delroy Nelson bought a car so that he could drive over his former partner in an attempt to kill her. The incident was motivated by Mr Nelson being denied access to a sum of criminal proceeds that had been kept in a shared bank account.

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge named his "expensive" curry sauce after the sauce that he used to buy from his local chipshop on the Matson estate.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c The History of the County of Gloucester. Rudge, Thomas. page 171. 1803
  2. ^ 16th Century Gloucester
  3. ^ N.M. Herbert, ed. (1988). "Matson". A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4: The City of Gloucester. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  4. ^ "Design and Access Statement 19 Underhill Road, Matson, Gloucester, GL4 6HB" (PDF). Gloucester Council. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  5. ^ New service station plan for M5
  6. ^ Challenge to M5 motorway service area thrown out by High Court Archived 2013-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b Take a look around the new M5 motorway Gloucester Services Archived 2014-05-05 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Hawkins, John (9 June 2017). "Murderer freed from life sentence for frenzied knife attack on ex-partner tried to kill new girlfriend when she rejected him". Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  9. ^ Brown, Mark (9 October 2019). "Chef Tom Kerridge says £32.50 fish and chips 'easily justifiable'". London. Retrieved 9 October 2019.

Coordinates: 51°50′N 2°13′W / 51.833°N 2.217°W / 51.833; -2.217

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