Biddestone
Encyclopedia
Biddestone is a small, rural and rather picturesque Cotswold
village
in north west Wiltshire
, England
, with a population of 457 in 2001. It is situated near Castle Combe
, Corsham
, Giddeahall and Chippenham
.
Biddestone has a small Norman
church (St. Nicholas's), two pubs (the Biddestone Arms, and the White Horse) and a duck pond
situated in a green at the centre of the village. There are also two smaller chapel
s, both of which are closed. There is also a sports ground where football, cricket
and tennis
are played. This ground is home to Biddestone Football Club
, a Western Football League
team. A new village hall was opened on this site in 2003.
The settlement dates from Saxon
times, though most buildings are from the late 18th century. Towards the edges of the village, the buildings tend to be from the 20th century.
Local industry
is mainly agricultural
, however most working residents commute to neighbouring towns. As public transport
is limited to an infrequent bus
service, most travel by car
. There is plenty of bed and breakfast
accommodation in the village, providing a source of tourism.
The village primary school closed in 1998. Children now travel to By Brook Valley CE Primary School in nearby Yatton Keynell
. This was built to amalgamate the small primary schools in Biddestone, Yatton Keynell, Castle Combe and Nettleton. As such, its catchment area
includes Biddestone. Declining rural population during the 20th century meant that Biddestone School had only around 30 pupils for many years, making its closure inevitable. There are also several primary schools in neighbouring Corsham which some children may attend. The nearest secondary school
s are in Corsham and Chippenham. There is no longer a shop in the village; this closed at around the same time as the school.
Biddestone is located just inside the eastern boundary of the Cotswolds
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
.
The village is represented in parliament by James Gray and in Wiltshire Council
by Jane Scott
, both Conservatives
.
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in north west 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...
, 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...
, with a population of 457 in 2001. It is situated near Castle Combe
Castle Combe
Castle Combe is a small village in Wiltshire, England, with a population of about 350. It is renowned for its attractiveness and tranquillity, and for fine buildings including the medieval church. The 14th century market cross, erected when the privilege to hold a weekly market in Castle Combe was...
, Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
, Giddeahall and Chippenham
Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
.
Biddestone has a small Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
church (St. Nicholas's), two pubs (the Biddestone Arms, and the White Horse) and a duck pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
situated in a green at the centre of the village. There are also two smaller chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s, both of which are closed. There is also a sports ground where football, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
are played. This ground is home to Biddestone Football Club
Biddestone F.C.
Biddestone F.C. are a football club based in Biddestone, near Corsham, Wiltshire, England. Biddestone Football Club has been in existence since the 1920s and the modern day team was established in 1976 as a social team, which competed in the Chippenham & District Sunday League.They played in the...
, a Western Football League
Western Football League
The Western Football League is a football league in the south west of England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and parts of South Wales...
team. A new village hall was opened on this site in 2003.
The settlement dates from Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times, though most buildings are from the late 18th century. Towards the edges of the village, the buildings tend to be from the 20th century.
Local industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
is mainly agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, however most working residents commute to neighbouring towns. As public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
is limited to an infrequent bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service, most travel by car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
. There is plenty of bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
accommodation in the village, providing a source of tourism.
The village primary school closed in 1998. Children now travel to By Brook Valley CE Primary School in nearby Yatton Keynell
Yatton Keynell
Yatton Keynell is a village in Wiltshire, England. It is located about five miles west of Chippenham, and about five miles to the east of the border with South Gloucestershire, on the B4039 road via Castle Combe...
. This was built to amalgamate the small primary schools in Biddestone, Yatton Keynell, Castle Combe and Nettleton. As such, its catchment area
Catchment area (human geography)
In human geography, a catchment area is the area and population from which a city or individual service attracts visitors or customers. For example, a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eligible to attend a local school...
includes Biddestone. Declining rural population during the 20th century meant that Biddestone School had only around 30 pupils for many years, making its closure inevitable. There are also several primary schools in neighbouring Corsham which some children may attend. The nearest secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s are in Corsham and Chippenham. There is no longer a shop in the village; this closed at around the same time as the school.
Biddestone is located just inside the eastern boundary of the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
.
The village is represented in parliament by James Gray and in Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
by Jane Scott
Jane Scott (politician)
Jane Antoinette Scott OBE is an English Conservative politician, Leader of the former Wiltshire County Council from 2003 to 2009 and of its successor the new Wiltshire Council from June 2009....
, both Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.