Bratton, Wiltshire

Bratton

War memorial, Bratton
Bratton
 Bratton shown within Wiltshire
Population 1,248 (in 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST914523
Unitary authorityWiltshire
Ceremonial countyWiltshire
RegionSouth West
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town WESTBURY
Postcode district BA13
Dialling code 01380
Police Wiltshire
Fire Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK ParliamentSouth West Wiltshire
WebsiteVillage
List of places
UK
England
Wiltshire

Coordinates: 51°16′12″N 2°07′26″W / 51.270°N 2.124°W / 51.270; -2.124

Bratton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire, about 2.5 miles (4 km) east of Westbury. The village lies under the northern slope of Salisbury Plain, on the B3098 Westbury – Market Lavington road.

History

The massive earthworks of the Iron Age hill fort known as Bratton Castle (or Bratton Camp) are within the parish.[2]

Bratton was a tithing of the ancient parish of Westbury until 1894, when it became a separate civil parish.[3]

The Stert and Westbury Railway was built across the parish in 1900. The local station was in the adjacent parish of Edington and was called Edington & Bratton; the station closed to passengers in 1952 and to goods in 1963, but the line remains open as part of the Reading to Taunton Line.

Religious sites

The Church of England parish church of St James has 14th-century origins and may be on the site of an earlier church. It was rebuilt in the 15th century; the chancel was rebuilt in 1854 by G.G. Scott, with further restoration by T.H. Wyatt in 1860.[4] The church is Grade II* listed.[5]

A Baptist chapel was built in 1734, enlarged in the 1780s and again in the next century, with the addition of a schoolroom. Pevsner describes the chapel as "externally a gem"[6] and it is Grade II* listed.[7] As of 2016 the chapel is still in use.[8]

A Methodist chapel was built in 1870 and closed in 1952; the building was demolished in 1957.[9]

Schools

A National School was built at Bratton in 1846 and enlarged in 1877.[10] Also around 1846, a British School was established.[11] In 1928 both schools closed and their pupils moved to a newly-built council school, which became Bratton Primary School and was extended in 1982.[12]

Landmarks

In the village
On Westbury Hill

Roughly a mile west of Bratton is a former Lafarge Cement factory, which was reduced to a distribution site in 2009.[18] The factory had a 400 feet (120 m) tall chimney, which was demolished in September 2016.[19]

Notable buildings

The Court House (15th and 17th centuries)[20] and Bratton House (1715 and 1826)[21] are Grade II* listed.

Amenities

The village has a Post Office and village shop, a village hall and a pub, The Duke.

Bratton Downs is a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Wiltshire Community History – Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Historic England. "Bratton Camp Iron Age hillfort (1013399)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "Victoria County History – Wiltshire – Vol 8 pp139-148 – Westbury: Introduction". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Church of St. James, Bratton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St James (1036509)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 139. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
  7. ↑ Historic England. "Baptist Chapel (1036507)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  8. ↑ "Bratton Baptist Church". Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Bratton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "National School, Bratton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  11. ↑ "British School, Bratton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Bratton Primary School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "R & J Reeves & Son - Bratton Iron Works". Bratton Village. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  14. ↑ http://www.cccbr.org.uk/rolls/cemeteries/details.php?cemName=Bratton,%20Wiltshire,%20St%20James%20the%20Great&cemID=45468&warID=1
  15. ↑ http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/45340
  16. ↑ http://www.whitehorsenews.co.uk/blog/2012/05/09/join-in-the-jubilee
  17. ↑ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Westbury_White_Horse_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1638378.jpg
  18. ↑ "Plans to demolish Lafarge Cement works in Westbury". BBC News: Wiltshire. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  19. ↑ Mackley, Stefan (18 September 2016). "Westbury chimney: Emotions run high following demolition". Wiltshire Times. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  20. ↑ Historic England. "The Court House (1193662)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  21. ↑ Historic England. "Bratton House (1036520)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.

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