Berwick St John
| Berwick St John | |
| Wiltshire | |
|---|---|
 St John the Baptist parish church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST947223 |
| Location: | 51°0’0"N, 2°4’37"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 332 (2011) |
| Post town: | Shaftesbury |
| Postcode: | SP7 |
| Dialling code: | 01747 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Wiltshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
South West Wiltshire |
| Website: | Berwick St John |
Berwick St John is a village and parish in the Chalk Hundred of Wiltshire, about five miles east of Shaftesbury in Dorset.
The parish includes the Ashcombe Park estate, part of the Ferne Park estate, and most of Rushmore Park (since 1939 the home of Sandroyd School).
Geography
The parish is at the head of the Ebble valley, in the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Winklebury Hill overlooks the village. In the extreme west of the parish, Win Green hill, at 909 ft, is the highest point of Cranborne Chase. The southern part of the parish is forested and includes a golf course.
History
The area has several prehistoric sites, including a Bronze Age settlement near Rushmore.[1]
Part of Wilton Abbey's Chalke estate from the 10th century, the parish was established by the 13th century. Manors of the parish included Berwick St John, Rushmore, Bridmore, Upton Lucy and Ashcombe.[2]
The Old Rectory is from the early 19th century.[3]
In the 19th century Augustus Pitt Rivers inherited the Rushmore estate and excavated many nearby archaeological sites.
Religious sites
The Church of England parish church of St John the Baptist was built in the 14th century but heavily restored in 1861 under the direction of the Gothic-revival architect Henry Woodyer.[4][5] It has stained glass windows that have been attributed to Hardman & Co.[6] The building is Grade-II listed.[7]
The tower has a ring of six bells. Robert I Wells of Aldbourne cast the second, third and tenor bells in 1767. Robert II Wells cast the fifth bell in 1788. John Warner & Sons of Cripplegate cast the treble and fourth bells in 1885.[8]
St John's parish is a member of the Benefice of Chalke Valley.[9]
Ebenezer Baptist Chapel was built in 1828 and closed in 1984.[10] A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1875 and closed sometime before 1964.[11]
Amenities
The village has a pub, the Talbot Inn, which dates from the mid-17th century.[12]
There is no primary school. A school which was built in 1835 took children of all ages until 1935; it was closed in 1963.[13]
Sandroyd School, at Rushmore House, is an independent school for children aged 3–13.
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1020962: South Lodge camp
- ↑ "Victoria County History – Wiltshire – Vol 13 pp16-27: Berwick St. John". University of London.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1249867: Old Rectory, Berwick St John
- ↑ Pevsner & Cherry 1963, p. 108.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1130720: Church of St John
- ↑ Pevsner & Cherry 1963, p. 109.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1130720: Church of St John
- ↑ Dawson, George (5 December 2013). "Berwick St John S John". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Central Council for Church Bell Ringers. http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?searchString=Berwick+St+John&Submit=+Go+&DoveID=BERWICKSJO. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ↑ Archbishops' Council. "Benefice of Chalke Valley (Team Ministry)". A Church Near You. Church of England. http://www.achurchnearyou.com/benefice.php?B=34/071DK. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ↑ "Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Berwick St. John". Wiltshire Council. http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getchurch.php?id=1479. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ↑ "Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Berwick St. John". Wiltshire Council. http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getchurch.php?id=1480. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1184015: Talbot Inn, Berwick St. John
- ↑ "Berwick St. John Church of England School". Wiltshire Council. http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getschool.php?id=1437. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
Sources
- Crowley, D.A. (ed.); Freeman, Jane; Stevenson, Janet H. (1987). A History of the County of Wiltshire. Victoria County History. 13: South-west Wiltshire: Chalke and Dunworth hundreds. London: Oxford University Press for the University of London Institute of Historical Research. pp. 16–27. ISBN 978-0197227695. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=116108.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Berwick St John) |
- "Berwick St. John". Wiltshire Council. http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=17. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- Berwick St John village website