Wootton Rivers
| Wootton Rivers | |
| Wiltshire | |
|---|---|
 St Andrew's church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU197631 |
| Location: | 51°22’1"N, 1°43’5"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 228 (2011) |
| Post town: | Marlborough |
| Postcode: | SN8 |
| Dialling code: | 01672 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Wiltshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Devizes |
Wootton Rivers is a small village in the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire, about three miles north-east of Pewsey and four miles south of Marlborough. During the 20th century its population halved and most of its facilities closed.
The parish includes the hamlet of Cuckoo's Knob.
History
The name 'Wootton River's was in use in the 14th century.[1] 'Wootton' means 'wood farmstead' and 'Rivers' was the surname of the lords of the manor.[2]
The population of the parish peaked at 470 in 1841, and has remained below 300 since 1921. A gazetteer of 1872 mentioned that there was then a post-office, an iron foundry and an agricultural implement factory in the village and that the church ran a national school.[3] The school opened in 1845 and closed in 1979 owing to falling numbers of pupils.[4] Most of the village was designated a conservation area in 1975 and contains some 25 buildings dating from before 1800. Remaining amenities include a village hall[5] and a pub, the Royal Oak, housed in a 16th-century building.[6]
Parish church
The parish church of St Andrew dates from the 14th century and was restored in 1861 by George Edmund Street. It is Grade II* listed.[7][8]
The church has a wooden steeple with an unusual clock made by a local craftsman in 1911 to commemorate the coronation of George V.[2] One of its three faces has the letters GLORY.BE.TO.GOD instead of numerals. Its chiming mechanism is like that of a musical box and plays six distinct tunes.[9]
Manor Farmhouse
Manor Farmhouse is of the 15th century[10] and Brimslade Farmhouse of the 16th century.[11] Both are Grade II* listed.
Canal and railway
The Kennet and Avon Canal was built close to the southern end of Wootton Rivers village around 1807 and was opened fully in 1810. Wootton Rivers Lock had a keeper's house and an associated wharf. The canal was restored in the 1970s and the lock was reopened in 1973. In 1988 the lock was part of the location for a BBC television comedy series, The River.[12]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Wootton Rivers) |
References
- ↑ A History of the County of Wiltshire - Volume pp 229-236: {{{2}}} (Victoria County History) – British History Online
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Wootton Rivers". Wiltshire Council. http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=257. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ↑ Quoted in visionofbritain.org.uk History of Wootton Rivers
- ↑ "Wootton Rivers C. of E. School". Wiltshire Council. http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getschool.php?id=1480. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ↑ Leighton, Barry (6 December 2012). "Devizes MP Claire Perry joins celebrations with Sixties theme". This is Wiltshire. http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/10094221.50th_birthday_for_Wootton_Rivers_village_hall/. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ↑ "The Royal Oak at Wootton Rivers". http://wiltshire-pubs.co.uk/. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1193633: Church of St Andrew, Wootton Rivers
- ↑ Wiltshire Community History: Church of St. Andrew, Wootton Rivers
- ↑ Lovelock, Yann, "Clock Watching with the Family", Lovelock Lines #7, October 2008, pp.9-11
- ↑ National Heritage List 1035779: Manor Farmhouse
- ↑ National Heritage List 1035724: Brimslade Farmhouse
- ↑ Stuart Fisher, The Canals of Britain: The Comprehensive Guide