Tuffley is a suburb of Gloucester, in the county of Gloucestershire. Recorded as Tuffley, Tufley, Tufly, Tuffel, Tuffill and possibly others, this suburb was once a village mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Tuffelege', which suggests a meaning of Tuffa's farm, with Tuffa being an Anglo-Saxon personal name. To this was added the suffix 'leah,' meaning a fenced enclosure or farm.[2]
In 1891 the parish had a population of 872.[3] On 9 November 1900 the parish was abolished and became part of Gloucester, Whaddon and Quedgeley.[4]
In 1900, Lower Tuffley was moved into the parish of Quedgeley.[5]
There are two public houses in the Tuffley area, the Pike and Musket and the Fox and Elm. There are two libraries, a community centre, a sports centre, and a shopping centre.[citation needed]
Sport
Tuffley Rovers F.C., a football team based in the ward, were formed in 1929 and play at Glevum Park in Gloucester operating five Saturday adult sides, a veterans team and a full youth section. Their best result in the FA Cup was a 2nd qualifying round defeat in 1999–2000 to Lymington & New Milton, while they reached the 2nd round in the FA Vase in the 1994–95 season.[6]
1963 aircraft incident
Site of 1963 crash
Vickers VarsityG-APAZ, of Smiths Aviation of Bishop's Cleeve, crashed on the morning of March 27 1963, and landed on top of a house on 189 Tuffley Avenue, known as 'Longmead'.[7] The aircraft narrowly missed the Ribston Hall High School, a girls grammar school, by only feet.[8]
Both pilots were killed
26 year old Kelston Thomas of Bristol, who was to marry 23 year old Margaret Clements of Failand on Saturday March 31 1963; he was living at Charlton Kings.
38 year old Russell Palmer of Up Hatherley, a former wartime bomber pilot. He was found strapped in his seat.[9] He had attended Northgate Grammar School in Ipswich, and married Daphne Durrant in September 1951,[10] with two sons.[11]
The crash was caused by the accidentally switching off the fuel to an engine.[12]
