Barford St Martin, a Wiltshire

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...

 village with 467 adult residents, is situated about two miles from Wilton

Wilton, Wiltshire

Wilton is a town in Wiltshire, , England, with a rich heritage dating back to the Anglo-Saxons. Today it is dwarfed by its larger and more famous neighbour, Salisbury, but still has a range of notable shops and attractions, including Wilton House.The confluence of the rivers Wylye and Nadder is at...

, on the junction of the A30

A30 road

The 284 miles A30 road from London to Land's End, historically known as the Great South West Road used to provide the most direct route from London to the south west; more recently the M3 motorway and A303 road performs this function for much of the route and only parts of A30 now retain trunk...

 and the B3089. Barford is known as one of the Nadder Valley villages, named for the River Nadder

River Nadder

The River Nadder is one of the chalk stream rivers of southern England, much sought after by fly fishermen because of its clear waters and abundance of brown trout. It is one of the main tributaries of the River Avon, rising from a number of springs and small streams at Donhead St. Mary in south...

 which flows through the village.

History

The history of Barford can be traced back to the 11th Century. There is reference to Barford in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

 compiled in 1085/1086.

On the 4th of November, 1729, a whirlwind struck the village. Houses were unroofed and trees blown down.

The Church

The church of St Martin is an ancient building of stone in Early English and Perpendicular

Perpendicular

In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...

 styles. There has been a church here since the 13th century and it was named for St Martin, by 1304, to distinguish it from a similar parish near Downton

Downton

-Places:*Downton, Hampshire, England*Downton, Herefordshire, England*Downton, Powys, Wales*Downton, Shropshire, England*Downton, Wiltshire, England*Downton *Downton, Devon, England...

. The building has a central embattled tower within which hangs a peal of six bells. The 4 heavier bells date from the middle of the 18th century and the 2 lighter bells are from the turn of the 20th century. The church is overseen by The Parochial Church Council. The vicar

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 also has responsibility for three other parishes close by.

Community and government

Barford has an active Parish Council who are determined to improve facilities and the visual appearance of the village. The local school with its "Feed my lambs" logo was built in 1854 and closed at the end of 2006, village children now travel to Wilton

Wilton

- England :*Wilton, Cumbria, a place in the county of Cumbria*Wilton, Herefordshire, a village in south Herefordshire*Wilton, North Yorkshire, a place in the county of North Yorkshire*Wilton, Redcar and Cleveland, a place in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland...

. The old school is now used for a preschool playgroup.
Much of the surrounding farm land is owned by the Wilton Estate.

Countryside Unit at Dairy Lane

The Countryside Unit at Dairy Lane is owned by Alabaré Christian Care Centres. The land used to be part of a farm, but now serves as a teaching facility for homeless and other disadvantaged people including those suffering and recovering from mental health illnesses. Skills such as woodworking, arts & crafts, and agriculture are taught there.

Attractions and accommodations

Attractions of interest include a Grade I listed preaching cross

Preaching cross

A preaching cross is a cross, sometimes surmounting a pulpit, erected out of doors to designate a preaching place.In Britain and Ireland, many free-standing upright crosses – or high crosses – were erected. Some of these crosses bear figurative or decorative carvings, or inscriptions in runes...

 and the Grade I listed church of St Michael.

There is also an 17th century pub called The Barford Inn located in Barford, formerly known as The Green Dragon. The Wiltshire Yeomanry dedicated a tank to this pub during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, with "The Green Dragon" on one Side and "Barford St Martin" on the other.

External links

• Parish Council website