Bowden Hill
| Bowden Hill | |
| Wiltshire | |
|---|---|
 Church of St Anne, Bowden Hill | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST9367 |
| Location: | 51°24’-0"N, 2°6’0"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | SN15 |
| Dialling code: | 01249 |
| Local Government | |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Chippenham |
Bowden Hill is a village in Wiltshire, three and a half miles south of Chippenham and a mile east of Lacock. The village consists of no more than about 50 houses, a pub, and a small industrial estate.
Name
Bowden Hill was historically called 'Bowdon Hill' according to early maps.[1] There are a number of theories around how the village got its name. One has it that the name comes from the Old English words 'boga ('bow') indicating 'bow shaped', and 'dun' meaning hill. Alternative theories suggest the name comes from the Old English bold ('building') or botl (meaning 'dwelling'), so 'hill slope on which are dwellings'. Another theory from 'Wiltshire Collections' by Aubrey and Jackson suggests that the name means 'the winding hill'.[2]
Location
Bowden Hill sits on the side of a hill and rises up from the River Avon, at an elevation of 165 feet, to its peak at 565 feet above sea level. The village has views to the south and south-west of the river's flood plain and is surrounded by a mixture of woodlands and agricultural land.
Bowden Hill borrows many of its facilities from the nearby village of Lacock and lacks such amenities such as a school or post office. The village encompasses the small hamlet of Bewley Common and enjoys a relatively sparse population density due to its designation as a conservation area.
Parish church
In 1849, Bowden Park was bought by John Gladstone, brother of the Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, and in 1856 he had the parish church of Saint Anne built to celebrate the birth of a son into the Gladstone family. The architect was Samuel Burleigh Gabriel of Bristol who designed the nave and chancel in the Early English Gothic style but gave the northeast tower Norman details and a German Romanesque roof.[3]
The parish of Lacock was split and the new parish of Bowden Hill served around 300-400 people, but the two parishes were reunited in 1958.[4] Today services are held at St. Anne's on the first Sunday of each month.
About the village
Conduit House
Sitting in the common land in the village is a small building which was used as a supply of water for the nearby Lacock Abbey. Built in the 16th century, this small, square building still supplies water to the abbey albeit through a modern water pipe.
The original conduit house was built in around 1280 when Willian Bluet of Bewley Court granted Beatrice, Abbess of Lacock, the right to operate a watercourse on his land to serve the nunnery. This original building was replaced by the owner of the abbey, William Sharington, after its dissolution. The new building is built of limestone and has a steep roof, reaching 15 feet high, constructed of interlocking stone slabs.
Bowden Park
One of largest landmarks in Bowden Hill is the Bowden Park estate which has an 18th-century building designed by James Wyatt. Bowden Park is shrouded by the slope of the hill as well as much of the surrounding woodland. The home was the seat of the former chairman of the General Electric Company, Arnold Weinstock. His closure of the nearby Melksham GEC factory caused local workers to climb the hill and protest outside the property.
Spye Park
Spye Park is on the edge of Bowden Hill and is not strictly part of the village. Although the main part of Spye Park belongs to the village of Bromham, Bowden Park houses the entrance to the park. The village contains the sixteenth century gatehouse to the park.
References
- ↑ Wiltshire Community History - maps of Lacock and surrounding area
- ↑ Notes on Wiltshire names
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, 1963; 1975 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09659-0page 119
- ↑ Wiltshire Community History page about St Anne's Church