Kemble, Gloucestershire

Kemble is a small village located in the civil parish of Kemble and Ewen. It is found in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. Though it used to be a part of Wiltshire, today it sits about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the town of Cirencester.

One special feature of Kemble is that it is the closest settlement to Thames Head, the very beginning or source of the River Thames. In 2020, the village had an estimated population of around 940 people. According to the census taken in 2011, the whole parish, which includes both Kemble and Ewen, was home to about 1,036 residents.

Governance

Kemble is part of an electoral ward called Kemble, which belongs to the Cotswold District Council. This ward stretches from Somerford Keynes in the south-east to Rodmarton in the north-west. In the 2011 census, the population of this ward was recorded as 1,955 people.

Church and history

Kemble was home to an old cemetery from the 7th century. Today, the village church has a door from the Norman time and a tower built in 1250, with a tall pointy top added in 1450. In 1872, the church was fully restored, and parts of a smaller church from nearby Ewen were moved here to create a new side area.

Kemble Church is part of a group called the Thameshead benefice, which includes churches from Kemble, Ewen, Poole Keynes, Somerford Keynes, Shorncote, Coates, Rodmarton, Sapperton, Tarlton, and Frampton Mansell. This group has worked together since 2001.

Air facilities

Cotswold Airport, once called Kemble Airport, is near the village. From 1966 to 1983, it was home to the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team. After they left for RAF Scampton, the US Air Force used the site for maintenance.

Today, the airfield serves light industry, flying clubs, and private plane owners. It hosts two air shows each year and is a place where old airplanes are stored or taken apart. A company called Delta Jets works on and flies historic jet planes, especially Hawker Hunters. The Bristol Aero collection had a museum there until May 31, 2012.

Aston Down airfield, about 3 miles away, was once an RAF base. Now, it is used for gliding by the Cotswold Gliding Club.

Amenities

Kemble has a railway station on the Golden Valley Line. Trains go east to Swindon and London Paddington, and west to Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa. Kemble once had more train lines, but they were removed in the 1960s.

The village has a primary school with about 100 students. There is also a pub called The Tavern near the station, and a shop that also serves as a post office.

Possible new town

In May 2024, the local government in Gloucestershire talked about building a new town near Kemble and Cirencester. They planned to build 23,000 homes there. But another local government group did not agree with these plans. By January 2025, nothing had been done to start building the new town.