Aldbourne
Encyclopedia
Aldbourne is a village and civil parish about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Marlborough in Wiltshire
, England
. It is in a valley in the south slope of the Lambourn Downs, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
. From here an unnamed winterbourne
flows and joins the River Kennet
4 miles (6.4 km) south near the village of Ramsbury
.
of Saint Michael
overlooking the village green is medieval and a Grade I listed building. The nave
and aisles were built around 1200, although some earlier Norman arches and other traces remain. There are four arches on the north arcade
and three on the south. The chancel
is Early English, with north and south chapels, and a sanctuary with lancet window
s.
The Perpendicular Gothic three-stage tower was added in 1460. It is ashlar
, has angled buttresses and transomed
three-light bell openings, with gargoyle
s above. There are also transept
s with three-light windows, a tall south porch – originally two-storey – and a bay between the porch and south transept. There was also formerly a north porch. The external walls are of flint
and limestone
with some chequer work and sarsen
, and are crenellated
. The roofs are lead and slate
. The interior contains a number of monuments and monumental brass
es.
. Master-founders at Aldbourne included Robert Cor (active 1694-1724), William Cor (active 1696-1722), Oliver Cor (active 1725-27), John Cor (active 1728-50), John Stares (active 1744-46), Edward Read (active 1751-57), Edne Witts (active 1759-74), Robert Wells (I) (active 1760-81), Robert Wells (II) (active 1781-93), James Wells (active 1792-1826). Bells cast by the Wells family survive at parish churches including St. Nicolas', East Challow, All Saints', East Lockinge, All Saints', Faringdon
, St. Giles', Great Coxwell, St. Giles', Horspath, St. Peter's, Marsh Baldon, Holy Cross, Seend, St. James the Great, West Hanney and others.
about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-west of the village. It is not certain whether it was in fact a castle.
During the English Civil War
Prince Rupert
and his Cavaliers fought the Parliamentarian Army
in a skirmish at Aldbourne Chase
on the 18th September 1643, two days before the First Battle of Newbury
.
Easy Company
of the US Army
101st Airborne Division
was based at Aldbourne in the weeks before D-Day
. Easy Company was featured in the HBO series Band of Brothers.
In 1971 BBC Television
used Aldbourne extensively as a location for the village of Devil's End in its science fiction
drama Doctor Who
in a series called The Daemons. St Michael's parish church was destroyed at the climax of the series and one viewer wrote to complain about this wanton piece of destruction for the sake of drama, but the BBC had used a model for this special effect.
s: the Blue Boar and The Crown.
. This is said to have begun as an insult by the residents of nearby Ramsbury
, but it has been adopted as a badge of pride.
The Aldbourne Band is an award-winning brass band
that has won many national competitions.
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is in a valley in the south slope of the Lambourn Downs, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
North Wessex Downs AONB
The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire...
. From here an unnamed winterbourne
Winterbourne (stream)
A winterbourne is a stream or river that is dry through the summer months. A winterbourne is sometimes simply called a bourne, from the Anglo-Saxon for a stream flowing from a spring, although this term can also be used for all-year water courses....
flows and joins the River Kennet
River Kennet
The Kennet is a river in the south of England, and a tributary of the River Thames. The lower reaches of the river are navigable to river craft and are known as the Kennet Navigation, which, together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Thames, links the cities of Bristol...
4 miles (6.4 km) south near the village of Ramsbury
Ramsbury
Ramsbury is a village in Ramsbury and Axford civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. The village is in the Kennet Valley near the Berkshire boundary. The nearest towns are Hungerford about east and Marlborough about west. The much larger town of Swindon is about to the north.The civil...
.
Church of St Michael
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
overlooking the village green is medieval and a Grade I listed building. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and aisles were built around 1200, although some earlier Norman arches and other traces remain. There are four arches on the north arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
and three on the south. The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
is Early English, with north and south chapels, and a sanctuary with lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s.
The Perpendicular Gothic three-stage tower was added in 1460. It is ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
, has angled buttresses and transomed
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
three-light bell openings, with gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s above. There are also transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s with three-light windows, a tall south porch – originally two-storey – and a bay between the porch and south transept. There was also formerly a north porch. The external walls are of flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
with some chequer work and sarsen
Sarsen
Sarsen stones are sandstone blocks found in quantity in the United Kingdom on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent, and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Hampshire...
, and are crenellated
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
. The roofs are lead and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
. The interior contains a number of monuments and monumental brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
es.
Bell foundry
For at least 130 years Aldbourne had a bell foundryBellfounding
Bellfounding is the casting of bells in a foundry for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The process in Europe dates to the 4th or 5th century. In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in...
. Master-founders at Aldbourne included Robert Cor (active 1694-1724), William Cor (active 1696-1722), Oliver Cor (active 1725-27), John Cor (active 1728-50), John Stares (active 1744-46), Edward Read (active 1751-57), Edne Witts (active 1759-74), Robert Wells (I) (active 1760-81), Robert Wells (II) (active 1781-93), James Wells (active 1792-1826). Bells cast by the Wells family survive at parish churches including St. Nicolas', East Challow, All Saints', East Lockinge, All Saints', Faringdon
Faringdon
Faringdon is a market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. It is on the edge of the Thames Valley, between the River Thames and the Ridgeway...
, St. Giles', Great Coxwell, St. Giles', Horspath, St. Peter's, Marsh Baldon, Holy Cross, Seend, St. James the Great, West Hanney and others.
History
Lewisham Castle is a small medieval ringworkRingwork
A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles minus the motte...
about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-west of the village. It is not certain whether it was in fact a castle.
During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
and his Cavaliers fought the Parliamentarian Army
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
in a skirmish at Aldbourne Chase
Battle of Aldbourne Chase
The Battle of Aldbourne Chase, in 1643, was a battle of the First English Civil War, in which a flying column of Royalist troops, led by Prince Rupert, attacked the dangerously extended Parliamentarian troops of Essex's army at Aldbourne Chase in Wiltshire...
on the 18th September 1643, two days before the First Battle of Newbury
First Battle of Newbury
The First Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War that was fought on 20 September 1643 between a Royalist army, under the personal command of King Charles, and a Parliamentarian force led by the Earl of Essex...
.
Easy Company
E Company, 506th Infantry Regiment (United States)
Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles", is one of the most well-known companies in the United States Army. Their experiences in World War II are the subject of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers based on the book...
of the US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
was based at Aldbourne in the weeks before D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
. Easy Company was featured in the HBO series Band of Brothers.
In 1971 BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
used Aldbourne extensively as a location for the village of Devil's End in its science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
drama Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
in a series called The Daemons. St Michael's parish church was destroyed at the climax of the series and one viewer wrote to complain about this wanton piece of destruction for the sake of drama, but the BBC had used a model for this special effect.
Amenities
Aldbourne has two public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s: the Blue Boar and The Crown.
People
People from Aldbourne are nicknamed "Dabchicks", after the Little GrebeLittle Grebe
The Little Grebe , also known as Dabchick, member of the grebe family of water birds. At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.-Description:The Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed...
. This is said to have begun as an insult by the residents of nearby Ramsbury
Ramsbury
Ramsbury is a village in Ramsbury and Axford civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. The village is in the Kennet Valley near the Berkshire boundary. The nearest towns are Hungerford about east and Marlborough about west. The much larger town of Swindon is about to the north.The civil...
, but it has been adopted as a badge of pride.
The Aldbourne Band is an award-winning brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
that has won many national competitions.