Beanacre

Beanacre
Church of St. Barnabas
Beanacre  Beanacre shown within Wiltshire
OS grid reference	ST904660
Civil parish	Melksham Without
Unitary authority	Wiltshire
Ceremonial county	Wiltshire
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Melksham
Postcode district	SN12
Dialling code	01225
Police	Wiltshire
Fire	Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Chippenham
List of places UK England Wiltshire

Coordinates: 51°23′35″N 2°08′24″W / 51.393°N 2.140°W

Beanacre is a small village in Wiltshire, England, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Melksham on the A350 towards Chippenham. It is in the civil parish of Melksham Without. The Bristol Avon passes to the east of the village where a stream from Sandridge joins it.

History

Beanacre is first mentioned in the 13th century.^[1] Earlier spellings of Bennecar or Benecar are shown on Andrews' and Dury's maps of 1773 and 1810. It is probably the oldest settlement in the parish of Melksham Without and was owned by Amesbury Abbey. It seems to have grown up clustered around the Old Manor, although none of the other houses now existing precede the 17th century. Since then, the village has expanded northwards.^[2]

In 1848 the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway company built their line close to the west side of Beanacre, to link the Swindon-Bath line (near Chippenham) with Westbury via Melksham and Trowbridge; the line was handed over to the Great Western Railway in 1850 and is still in use.^[3] From 1905 to 1955 there was a small station, Beanacre Halt, on the outskirts of the village on the road towards Whitley. The halt was designed to provide local services using steam railmotors.^[4]

Notable buildings

Beanacre Old Manor is from the 14th century, with later renovation and additions including a chapel of c. 1500, and is Grade I listed.^[5] Pevsner describes the house as "a most interesting survival".^[6] Not far away is Beanacre Manor, c. 1600 with a 17th-century dairy, and Grade II* listed.^[7]

Beechfield House was built c. 1870 for Richard Keevil, a local gentleman farmer. It is now a hotel.^[8]

Religious sites

The Anglican Church of St Barnabas was built in 1886, in 13th-century style, and is a chapel of ease for the parish church of St Michael at Melksham; the 14th-century font came from there.^[9][10]

A Baptist chapel was built in 1846 and closed in 1967.^[11]

References

1. "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 7 pp99-121 - Parishes: Melksham". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
2. "Melksham Without". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire County Council. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
3. Phillips, Derek (1994). The Story of the Westbury to Weymouth Line. Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 0-86093-514-0.
4. Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press. p. 13. ISBN 1904349331.
5. Historic England. "Beanacre Old Manor (1021755)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
6. Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 106. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
7. Historic England. "Beanacre Manor with dairy (1364152)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
8. Historic England. "Beechfield House (1194649)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
9. Historic England. "Church of St Barnabas, Melksham Without (1285597)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
10. "Church of St. Barnabas, Beanacre, Melksham Without". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
11. "Beanacre Baptist Chapel, Melksham Without". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 27 December 2015.

External links

• "Melksham Without". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
• Media related to Beanacre at Wikimedia Commons