Upavon
| Upavon | |
| Wiltshire | |
|---|---|
 Upavon church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU135550 |
| Location: | 51°17’38"N, 1°48’29"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,190 (2011) |
| Post town: | Pewsey |
| Postcode: | SN9 |
| Dialling code: | 01980 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Wiltshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Devizes |
| Website: | Upavon Parish Council |
Upavon is a rural village in Wiltshire. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain about four miles south of Pewsey, ten miles south-east of Devizes, and twenty miles north of the county's great cathedral city, Salisbury. The A345 and A342 roads run through the village.
History
The occupation of Upavon dates back to the Iron Age settlement at Casterley Camp which lies approximately a mile and a half west of the current village. The first mention of Upavon itself is in the Domesday Book as 'Oppavrene'; though there are no details it can be estimated that the village supported some 200 to 250 people[1] The Iron Age settlement of Chisenbury Camp also lies close by to the southeast.
The village prospered during the 12th and 13th centuries and started to develop features that are recognisable today. A large Norman church replaced the previous Saxon one, a manor house was built in the south of the village and a market square developed west of the church in the area that now lies between the two village pubs.
Military establishment
Upavon Airfield, now called Trenchard Lines, and previously RAF Upavon, is situated about a mile and a half east of Upavon village. The site was originally constructed around 1912 as a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) base, and became the home of the RFC Central Flying School on 19 June 1912, later to be the RAF Central Flying School upon formation of the Royal Air Force. Upavon is referred to as the birthplace where the Royal Air Force was formed.
Since 1993 the main function of the military base has changed, and it is now largely a Ministry of Defence administrative centre, and home to administrative headquarters of the Army. Today the airfield is still used by the RAF from time to time but is now most frequently associated with regular glider activity, with the only permanent RAF unit based there being No. 622 Volunteer Gliding Squadron, providing glider training to members of the Air Cadet Organisation. The Army Gliding Club also uses the airfield in co-operation with 622 VGS.
Churches
The parish church, the Church of St Mary is Grade I listed. It has a 13th-century tower and was restored in 1875 by Thomas Henry Wyatt.[2]
Upavon Baptist Chapel, named for the Cave of Adullam, was built in 1838.[3]
A Methodist church was built in 1966, replacing an earlier tin chapel. It closed around 2006.[4]
About the village
The village has two public houses, a corner shop, a petrol station and garage, a doctors' surgery, a small Hairdressers salon, and a village hall.
A school was built at Upavon in 1957, replacing a 19th-century building, to cater for children of RAF personnel; up to 200 pupils could be accommodated.[5] Pupil numbers declined as RAF activity reduced and fell further after 1993 when the station was transferred to the Army, leading to closure of the school in 2009.[6]
Service Children's Education has its headquarters in Trenchard Lines in Upavon.[7]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Upavon) |
- Upavon Parish Council
- "Upavon". Wiltshire Council. http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=229. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- No. 622 Volunteer Gliding Squadron
References
- ↑ "Upavon History". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom2.php?id=229. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1365553: Church of St Mary, Upavon
- ↑ "Strict Baptist Chapel, Cave of Adullam, Upavon". Wiltshire Council. http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getchurch.php?id=975. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ↑ "Primitive Methodist Chapel, Upavon". Wiltshire Council. http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getchurch.php?id=976. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ↑ A History of the County of Wiltshire - Volume pp 159-173: {{{2}}} (Victoria County History) – [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol10/pp159-173 British History Online}}
- ↑ "Upavon Primary School". Department for Education. http://www.education.gov.uk/edubase/establishment/summary.xhtml?urn=126230. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ↑ "Service Children’s Education Annual Report and Accounts 2012–2013" (Archive). Service Children's Education. PDF p. 3/62. Retrieved on 28 February 2015. "Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at Headquarters Service Children's Education, Trenchard Lines, Upavon, Wiltshire"
- A History of the County of Wiltshire - Volume : {{{2}}} (Victoria County History)
- Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, 1963; 1975 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09659-0