ABSTRACT

Valleys, Stroud started life as a textile town of woollen mills powered by its fast-running rivers and supplied by Cotswold sheep from the encircling hills. It was known for the production of military uniforms of Stroudwater Scarlet and its reputation drew Huguenots and later Jews fleeing persecution and bringing with them skills in tailoring and the cloth industries. To get the town’s produce to market and to import coal for the new-fangled steam engines, an Act of Parliament was obtained in 1730 to make the River Frome (or Stroudwater) navigable over the 12 miles to the Severn Estuary. However, the mill owners objected to the canalisation of the river that they used for power and the canal wasn’t completed until 1779. Then in 1820 the Kennet and Avon Canal opened and in 1845 the Great Western Railway. However, by then the Industrial Revolution had long left Stroud behind. This historic dithering stands in stark contrast the ‘Stroud way’ that characterises the town today. When the Academy of Urbanism assessment team visited as part of the awards process, they were told that there is a certain mindset in the town that just gets things done in the face of opposition or indifference. Today Stroud is a town of 32,000 people and sits within its steep valleys surrounded by the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its historic community of stubborn mill owners has been supplanted by incomers attracted by its beautiful setting and the easy links to London. This is a mix that we see in a number of the towns that have been nominated for the Academy awards. Professional people, often from elsewhere, many retired with time on their hands, have applied their considerable skills and experience to campaigning and practical projects that have transformed the town. This has made Stroud into what the London Evening Standard called, rather unfairly, ‘Notting Hill with wellies’. A good example of this is the Springhill Cohousing scheme visited by the Academy team. This scheme of 35 homes built around a common house, where communal meals are cooked three times a week, was started in 2000 by David and Helen Michael. They had moved from London a few years earlier and had started looking for a site for what would be the first new-build cohousing scheme in the UK. This independent spirit is typical of Stroud and can perhaps be dated to the mid 1970s and campaigns by locals against Gloucester County Council’s plans for a new ring road. A little later proposals to demolish 18th-century buildings in the heart of the town led to

rooftop protests and a High Court battle, out of which emerged the Stroud Preservation Trust. The Trust took on 32 High Street, which had been threatened by roadworks but turned out to be a medieval hall and the oldest structure in the town. It has been converted into three shop units, offices and a courtyard. The Trust have since completed the renovation of Withey’s Yard, Cainscross Toll House, Arundel Mill House, the Anti-Slavery Arch and the Brunel Goods Shed. This is just one of many campaigns in the town. In 1989 a midnight operation to fell 13 trees for another road scheme was thwarted following a stand off that lasted until dawn. In 2000 locals prevented the demolition of the landmark Paul Hill Building, later selling enough community shares to take an option on the building and pass it on to a developer. Since then there has been a long list of remarkable achievements by the community,

from the annual fringe festival with over 400 free events over the August Bank Holiday to the International Textile Festival. It includes practical initiatives like the evening bus services to take young people to the cinema and clubs, the restoration of the canal, the farmers’ market, Made in Stroud initiatives, artists’ studios and support for local shops. It seems at times that the Stroud community is actively involved in almost every aspect of the life of the town and can overcome most problems and ensure the provision of many facilities that would be inconceivable in other places. The ‘Proud to be Stroud’ label seems to be completely justified and there is an obvious sense of civic pride throughout the town.