Youth football is active through the Churchdown Panthers, who play mostly in the Cheltenham FA league. The Chosen Hill Former Pupils rugby club first team plays in the South West League and has an active youth section. Prior to the First World War, a golf course operated between the railway line and Churchdown Hill, with a club house adjacent on Pirton Lane. The area is now open farmland. Also a bowling green which is part of the Churchdown Club. Churches See also List of churches in Gloucestershire Churchdown has three Church of England Churches: St John's, St Andrew's and St Bartholomew's. There is also the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour on Cheltenham Road East, and Churchdown Methodist Church on Chapel Hay Lane. St Bartholomew's is on the top of Churchdown Hill, built upon the site of a pre-Christian, Iron Age settlement. Historic buildings Churchdown has several interesting old structures including the Old School House on The Green, where the first village school was held, Ye Old House on Sandfield Road (thought to have been built in the 16th century), Dunstan Cottage in Chapel Hay Lane and The Cottage on Oldbury Orchard. On The Green stands a house where Beatrix Potter stayed, when she visited Gloucester in 1901, hence her famous story The Tailor of Gloucester. Other information The village has two main rows of shops and two pubs - the Hare and Hounds near St John's, and the Old Elm near St Andrew's. There is also a Social Club (Churchdown Club) located in Church Road where games of bowls skittles and tennis take place, and Churchdown Community Centre on Parton Road which houses Churchdown Social Club, and in which various functions are held and skittles on two alleys. Composer Herbert Howells dedicated his Piano Quartet "to the hill at Chosen and Ivor Gurney who knows it", referring to Churchdown Hill. The hill was also the direct inspiration for his 'Chosen Tune', dedicated to his fiancee who lived at Churchdown. Publications "Churchdown Gloucester - Official Guide" 1 363642002X5 hardback, also paperback, 1975, "by order of the Parish Council", Forward Publicity Ltd, no author marked, copy held at Churchdown library "The Story of Churchdown", Gwen Waters, , Gloucester Reprints, 1999 References External links MyChurchdown Online Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Woodland Trust World Gazetteer on Innsworth and Churchdown Churchdown Parish Council Villages in Gloucestershire Borough of Tewkesbury