Leonard Stanley

Leonard Stanley, or Stanley St.Leonard, is a village and parish in Gloucestershire, England, 95 miles (150 km) west of London and 3.5 miles (5.5 km) southwest of the town of Stroud. Situated beneath the Cotswold escarpment overlooking the Severn Vale, the surrounding land is mainly given over to agricultural use. The village is made up of some 600 houses and has an estimated population of 1,545 as of 2019. The hamlet of Stanley Downton lies less than a mile to the north and lies within the parish. In 1970, the village was twinned with the commune of Dozulé in the Calvados region of Normandy, northern France. Originally a Saxon village, a priory dedicated to St. Leonard was founded in c.1130.  As the village grew, Leonard Stanley developed into a busy weaving and agricultural centre with inns, a marketplace, and two annual fairs.  Whilst agricultural usage continues, in recent years the village has become a dormitory village for the nearby towns and cities. The last village shop and post office closed in the early 2000s. Local Geography The underlying geology of the area is blue lias that was laid down during the Jurassic and Triassic periods. The parish is roughly triangular in shape. The northern boundary runs along the southern branch of the River Frome at a level of 100 feet (30 m). The Bitton Brook runs northward towards the River Frome and forms a shallow combe in the north part of the parish. To the south the tip of the parish rises up to 650 feet (200 m) at Sandford's Knoll.  A nature reserve, Five Acre Grove, lies to the west of the village. It is designated as a Key Wildlife Site.