Tidworth

Tidworth
Wiltshire, Hampshire
St Mary's Church
Location
Grid reference:	SU3645
Location:	51°14’6"N, 1°39’54"W
Data
Population:	9,500
Post town:	Tidworth
Postcode:	SP9
Dialling code:	01980
Local Government
Council:	Wiltshire
Parliamentary constituency:	Devizes

Tidworth is a garrison town in south-eastern Wiltshire, with a growing civilian population. At the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain, it is on the border with Hampshire; South Tidworth and Tidworth Barracks lie in Hampshire but the modern heart of the town is in Wiltshire. The town is approximately 10 miles west of Andover, 12 miles south of Marlborough, 24 miles south of Swindon, 15 miles north by north-east of Salisbury and six miles east of Amesbury. Its population is approximately 9,500.

The town

Its situation near the A303 and the M3 motorway, place Tidworth within commuting distance of London, even for Wiltshire.

Tidworth has a small commercial area, containing two supermarkets, two hairdressing salons, two veterinary surgeries and various takeaway outlets. This area is based upon Station Road (so named because there was once a railway station there). At the base of this hill is a dental surgery (completed in 2005) which serves Tidworth and the surrounding area (approx. 5,000 people).

History

Tidworth is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Todeorde, in the Andover Hundred of Hampshire. It was once the family home of the Studd family. On John Speede's maps (1611), the town is referred to as Tudworth, North Tudworth belonging to Amesbury Hundred of Wiltshire, and South Tudworth to Andover Hundred in "Hamshire".

Military

In recent years the population of Tidworth has increased in both the civilian and military communities. Tidworth is home to the 1st Mechanised Brigade's headquarters as well as its affiliated Armoured, Signals and Logistics Corps units. The most significant increase has been within the military community, many units are being relocated to Tidworth as the Army centralises its forces around its major training areas such as Salisbury Plain.

The barracks at Tidworth are named after battles in India and Afghanistan (for example Aliwal, Assaye, Bhurtpore, Candahar, Delhi and Lucknow).

Churches

St Mary's Church in South Tidworth (Hampshire) was built in 1878. It is a Grade I listed building now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church was built, of rock faced brown stone, in a Gothic Revival style, by John Johnson, with work supervised by G. H. Gordon, for Sir John Kelk of the Kelk Baronets, near the site of an older mediæval parish church. The chancel is 28 feet by 17 feet and the nave 43 feet by 17 feet. There are also north and south aisles and a north vestry and a south porch. The interior includes carvings and polished marble shafts in the columns of the arcade piers. The chancel floor is laid with Italian mosaic. There is also a silver chalices and patens of 1837 and 1877 and a silver-gilt flagon of 1869. The communion table and stone carvings were built by Farmer & Brindley. The church was declared redundant in 1972 and passed to the Redundant Churches Fund, which became the Churches Conservation Trust, in 1973.

Tidworth Garrison Golf Club was constructed in 1904 initially for use by army officers. It was established in 1908 and gradually made available to all ranks and civilians. In 2000 it became a limited company.

Outside links

• Tidworth Festival
• Tidworth Polo Club
• Tedworth Hunt
• The Wellington Academy
• Tidworth Garrison Golf Club