Durrington, Wiltshire
Encyclopedia
Durrington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire
, England
. It is in the east of Salisbury Plain
, about 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Salisbury
, 30 miles (48.3 km) south of Swindon
and 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Stonehenge
. The toponym
is derived from the Old English words Deor (proper noun
), ing (people/tribe) and tun (farm/settlement), meaning "the farm of Deor's people".
The population figure of 7,182 recorded in the 2001 Census
includes people living in both the village and Larkhill
military camp, which is also in the civil parish.
, a Sainsbury's Local and also a Tesco
that opened in 2008. It has a Filling Station
with a small shop and repair yard. There is also the hardware shop Bits & Pieces, a furniture shop and several hairdressers and barber's shops. Palmer's paper shop in the middle of Durrington.
closed in 2005, but a new Post Point opened in the village hall in October 2010, however it does not including banking facilities. There are cashpoints at Sainsburys, Tesco and the petrol station.
(Reception to year 2); Durrington Church of England Junior School covers upper primary education
(years 3 to 6); and Avon Valley College
(formerly known as Upper Avon School), which was placed in special measures after a damning Ofsted
report in 2000 , covers secondary education
(years 7 to 11) and sixth form
(years 12 to 13).
s: The Plough and the Stonehenge Inn, at opposite ends of the village. There were also two licensed clubs: one was a snooker club the other remaining club is the working men's club. The snooker club closed at the beginning of 2010.
jumps and skateboarding
facilities.
existed by 1179, when it was confirmed to the Fontrevist
Amesbury Priory. The church is likely to have had a dedication but by 1763 it was unknown. The building's earliest surviving features include its Norman
south doorway and three-bay
late 12th century arcade
.
The chancel
was rebuilt in the 13th century and the Perpendicular gothic west window of the nave
was added in about 1500. In 1851 the church was rebuilt to designs by the Gothic Revival architect
J.W. Hugall
and dedicated to All Saints
. Hugall retained original features including the 13th century Norman lancet window
s on the south side of the chancel, and added the north aisle.
were recorded in the parish in 1783. An independent chapel had opened by 1824 and was rebuilt or altered in 1860. It may have been Wesleyan Methodist
in about 1880 but by 1899 it was Congregationalist. In 1905 it was replaced by a new chapel in Bulford Road, which since 1965 has been a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches
.
Additionally there is a small evangelical church called 'Durrington Community Church' which meets weekly in the Village Hall. This has been running since 1991.
Salisbury
to Swindon
road runs along the western side of the village, and the A303 trunk road
runs a mile to the south. Durrington is well served by buses, with regular services to Salisbury
, Amesbury
, and Pewsey
. The village falls into the northern district of Wilts & Dorset
, which runs route X5 through the village. The nearest rail stations are and on the West of England Main Line
and Wessex Main Line
to the south, and on the Great Western Main Line
to the north.
in the area. Through this, the parish population has grown to that of a town, mainly due to the presence of the Larkhill military camp
. However, the lack of a cohesive infrastructure means that this cannot be considered an urban development. Without the presence of the military
it is probable that the village would have developed into a medium sized village based around the Avon valley.
The civil parish has long east-west and short north-south axes, stretching from the downs west of the River Avon to the watershed
of the Avon and Till Rivers in the east. Most of it is chalk
downland
, but there is some alluvial gravel
deposited around the river. The village was formerly in two parts based around two manors
: East End and West End. The East End was in the vicinity of Bulford Road, while the West End was based at the High Street. These streets are aligned north and south and the church is set between them, in the north of the village. The East/West dichotomy was brought to an end with the construction of a large council estate centred around Coronation Road during the 1950s between the East and West Ends. Therefore, it would be better to say that the village is, nowadays, divided into a North End and South End: the North contains the old, pre-20th-century village, with expensive, mainly thatched houses, whereas the South contains the council houses (many of which are now privately owned).
sites: Durrington Walls
and Woodhenge
. There is little evidence of Saxon
occupation, but this may be because buildings and utensils of that time were made of wood, so little survives. The Domesday Book says that there were two estates in 1086, having land for one plough team and with 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of meadow. These two estates may represent the later two manors.
West End manor was part of the King’s estate of Amesbury until 1120 but East End manor had different origins, being privately owned by Patrick de Salisbury
. At this time each manor was using the open field system
, but over time this system evolved into a two, and then a three, field system
. The population also began increasing and in 1377 there were 139 poll tax payers making Durrington one of the most populous villages in the hundred of Amesbury.
In 1399 the West End manor was given as an endowment of the newly created Winchester College
, and an excellent collection of documents on its management and usage has been preserved by the College. They have also provided the name for College Road.
In 1405 the Durrington Fire occurred, the cause of which is unknown. It is widely theorised that a lamp falling onto a bale of hay caused it to ignite, or possibly that a house fire got out of control. Whatever the cause, the fire resulted in the destruction of most of the West End because most of the houses were built in an unusually close proximity to one another. Many of the West End families were left homeless, but were generously compensated by Winchester College
.
The village remained a prosperous farming community although, apart from the church, there is little visual evidence before the 17th century. In 1610 East End Manor was extended with an east-west range, changing it into an L–shaped building. This new extension was used to shelter Catholic priests during the English Reformation
, with a number of priest holes being found here. There are 17th century houses of timber and cob, with thatched roofs, surviving in College Road, High Street and Church Street. In 1676 the population was said to be 334 people. Despite evidence of a substantial amount of building work, mainly farmhouses, in the 18th century the village did not really increase in size and remained concentrated around its two main streets.
One of the Salisbury Plain's last Great Bustard
s was shot in Durrington by a shepherd
in 1802. He gave it to a Mr Moore, who commissioned a painting of it by a Mr Dudman.
A second Durrington Fire occurred in 1921 when the thatch to the Old Rectory on Church Street caught fire, the wind took the embers over the Church tower landing on the thatched tied cottages to the south, razing most and leaving the remainder ruined. The Old Rectory was rebuilt under a tiled roof, and is now one of the villages more substantial houses. The cottages were removed and are now replaced by small number of residential mobile homes.
, which for a time served the needs of the whole of South Wiltshire's Jewish community. Their history in the village seems largely peaceful, however it is believed they were used as scapegoats for the 1405 fire, and the synagogue itself was burned down in anti-Jewish fervour following the revolutions of 1848
in mainland Europe
. The community left Durrington shortly after, citing the villagers' "inherent anti-Semitism
".
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 the east of Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
, about 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, 30 miles (48.3 km) south of Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
and 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
. The toponym
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
is derived from the Old English words Deor (proper noun
Proper noun
A proper noun or proper name is a noun representing a unique entity , as distinguished from a common noun, which represents a class of entities —for example, city, planet, person or corporation)...
), ing (people/tribe) and tun (farm/settlement), meaning "the farm of Deor's people".
The population figure of 7,182 recorded in the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
includes people living in both the village and Larkhill
Larkhill
Larkhill is a garrison town in the civil parish of Durrington, Wiltshire, England. It is a short distance west of Durrington village proper and north of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. It is about north of Salisbury....
military camp, which is also in the civil parish.
Shops
The village has three small convenience stores: a Co-operativeThe Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
, a Sainsbury's Local and also a Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
that opened in 2008. It has a Filling Station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
with a small shop and repair yard. There is also the hardware shop Bits & Pieces, a furniture shop and several hairdressers and barber's shops. Palmer's paper shop in the middle of Durrington.
Banking
No bank branches remain in the village. The Post OfficePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
closed in 2005, but a new Post Point opened in the village hall in October 2010, however it does not including banking facilities. There are cashpoints at Sainsburys, Tesco and the petrol station.
Education
The village has three schools providing all levels of compulsory education. Durrington All Saints Infant School covers lower primary educationPrimary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
(Reception to year 2); Durrington Church of England Junior School covers upper primary education
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
(years 3 to 6); and Avon Valley College
Avon Valley College
Avon Valley College is a comprehensive school in Durrington, Wiltshire. Over its history it has been known as Durrington Senior School, Durrington Secondary Modern School, Durrington Comprehensive School and Upper Avon School.-History:...
(formerly known as Upper Avon School), which was placed in special measures after a damning Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report in 2000 , covers secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
(years 7 to 11) and sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
(years 12 to 13).
Public houses
There are 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 Plough and the Stonehenge Inn, at opposite ends of the village. There were also two licensed clubs: one was a snooker club the other remaining club is the working men's club. The snooker club closed at the beginning of 2010.
Leisure
The village has a swimming pool and fitness centre, which is next to the secondary school. There is also a recreation ground with football pitch, two tennis courts, a park, BMXBicycle motocross
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
jumps and skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
facilities.
Church of England
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:...
existed by 1179, when it was confirmed to the Fontrevist
Fontevraud Abbey
Fontevraud Abbey or Fontevrault Abbey is a religious building hosting a cultural centre since 1975, the Centre Culturel de l'Ouest, in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. It was founded by the itinerant reforming preacher Robert of Arbrissel, who had just created a...
Amesbury Priory. The church is likely to have had a dedication but by 1763 it was unknown. The building's earliest surviving features include its 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...
south doorway and three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
late 12th century 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....
.
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...
was rebuilt in the 13th century and the Perpendicular gothic west window of 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...
was added in about 1500. In 1851 the church was rebuilt to designs by the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
J.W. Hugall
John West Hugall
John West Hugall, FRIBA, was a British Gothic Revival architect. His dates of birth and death are unknown.-Career:Hugall's works span the period 1848-78. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1871....
and dedicated to All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
. Hugall retained original features including the 13th century Norman 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 on the south side of the chancel, and added the north aisle.
Congregational
Durrington had a small Presbyterian congregation in the 1660s and 1670s. No nonconformistsNonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
were recorded in the parish in 1783. An independent chapel had opened by 1824 and was rebuilt or altered in 1860. It may have been Wesleyan Methodist
Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was the name used by the major Methodist movement in Great Britain following its split from the Church of England after the death of John Wesley and the appearance of parallel Methodist movements...
in about 1880 but by 1899 it was Congregationalist. In 1905 it was replaced by a new chapel in Bulford Road, which since 1965 has been a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches
Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches
The Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches is an association of around 125 independent local churches in the UK, each practising congregationalist church governance...
.
Additionally there is a small evangelical church called 'Durrington Community Church' which meets weekly in the Village Hall. This has been running since 1991.
Roman Catholic
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Roman Catholic church was opened in 1960 and was still open in 1995. It has since been closed.Transport
The A345A345 road
The A345 is a secondary A road in Wiltshire, England running from Salisbury to Marlborough ending at a roundabout leading to the High Street and the A4....
Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
to Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
road runs along the western side of the village, and the A303 trunk road
A303 road
The A303 is a 92-mile long trunk road in England. It is the main road between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon. The M3, the A303 and the A30 together make up one of the main routes from London to South West England, running from London to Land's End in Cornwall...
runs a mile to the south. Durrington is well served by buses, with regular services to Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, Amesbury
Amesbury
Amesbury is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is most famous for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is in its parish, and for the discovery of the Amesbury Archer—dubbed the King of Stonehenge in the press—in 2002...
, and Pewsey
Pewsey
Pewsey is a large village, often considered a small town, at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire about west of London. It is well connected to London, the West Country and Wales being close to the M4 motorway and the A303. Also, the village is served by Pewsey railway station on the...
. The village falls into the northern district of Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset is a bus company in England covering Poole, Bournemouth, East Dorset, South Wiltshire and West Hampshire. Its local headquarters is in Poole, but it is owned by the Go-Ahead Group, a major UK transport group....
, which runs route X5 through the village. The nearest rail stations are and on the West of England Main Line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
and Wessex Main Line
Wessex Main Line
The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth.- Places served :The places served are listed below.*Bristol*Keynsham*Oldfield Park*Bath...
to the south, and on the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
to the north.
Geography
The development of the village throughout the 20th century has been shaped by the presence of the militaryBritish Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
in the area. Through this, the parish population has grown to that of a town, mainly due to the presence of the Larkhill military camp
Larkhill
Larkhill is a garrison town in the civil parish of Durrington, Wiltshire, England. It is a short distance west of Durrington village proper and north of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. It is about north of Salisbury....
. However, the lack of a cohesive infrastructure means that this cannot be considered an urban development. Without the presence of the military
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
it is probable that the village would have developed into a medium sized village based around the Avon valley.
The civil parish has long east-west and short north-south axes, stretching from the downs west of the River Avon to the watershed
Water divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
of the Avon and Till Rivers in the east. Most of it is chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
, but there is some alluvial gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
deposited around the river. The village was formerly in two parts based around two manors
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
: East End and West End. The East End was in the vicinity of Bulford Road, while the West End was based at the High Street. These streets are aligned north and south and the church is set between them, in the north of the village. The East/West dichotomy was brought to an end with the construction of a large council estate centred around Coronation Road during the 1950s between the East and West Ends. Therefore, it would be better to say that the village is, nowadays, divided into a North End and South End: the North contains the old, pre-20th-century village, with expensive, mainly thatched houses, whereas the South contains the council houses (many of which are now privately owned).
History
The area had been occupied since Neolithic times but not necessarily continuously. The parish contains two important NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
sites: Durrington Walls
Durrington Walls
Durrington Walls is the site of a large Neolithic settlement and later henge enclosure located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. It is 2 miles north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury...
and Woodhenge
Woodhenge
Woodhenge is a Neolithic Class I henge and timber circle monument located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England. It is north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury.-Discovery:...
. There is little evidence of Saxon
History of Anglo-Saxon England
Anglo-Saxon England refers to the period of the history of that part of Britain, that became known as England, lasting from the end of Roman occupation and establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 5th century until the Norman conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror...
occupation, but this may be because buildings and utensils of that time were made of wood, so little survives. The Domesday Book says that there were two estates in 1086, having land for one plough team and with 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of meadow. These two estates may represent the later two manors.
West End manor was part of the King’s estate of Amesbury until 1120 but East End manor had different origins, being privately owned by Patrick de Salisbury
Patrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Patrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Salisbury was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, and the uncle of the famous William Marshal.His parents were Walter of Salisbury and Sibilla de Chaworth. Before 1141, Patrick was constable of Salisbury, a powerful local official but not a nobleman...
. At this time each manor was using the open field system
Open field system
The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in some places, particularly Russia and Iran. Under this system, each manor or village had several very large fields, farmed in strips by individual families...
, but over time this system evolved into a two, and then a three, field system
Crop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation confers various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals...
. The population also began increasing and in 1377 there were 139 poll tax payers making Durrington one of the most populous villages in the hundred of Amesbury.
In 1399 the West End manor was given as an endowment of the newly created Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, and an excellent collection of documents on its management and usage has been preserved by the College. They have also provided the name for College Road.
In 1405 the Durrington Fire occurred, the cause of which is unknown. It is widely theorised that a lamp falling onto a bale of hay caused it to ignite, or possibly that a house fire got out of control. Whatever the cause, the fire resulted in the destruction of most of the West End because most of the houses were built in an unusually close proximity to one another. Many of the West End families were left homeless, but were generously compensated by Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
.
The village remained a prosperous farming community although, apart from the church, there is little visual evidence before the 17th century. In 1610 East End Manor was extended with an east-west range, changing it into an L–shaped building. This new extension was used to shelter Catholic priests during the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, with a number of priest holes being found here. There are 17th century houses of timber and cob, with thatched roofs, surviving in College Road, High Street and Church Street. In 1676 the population was said to be 334 people. Despite evidence of a substantial amount of building work, mainly farmhouses, in the 18th century the village did not really increase in size and remained concentrated around its two main streets.
One of the Salisbury Plain's last Great Bustard
Great Bustard
The Great Bustard is in the bustard family, the only member of the genus Otis. It breeds in southern and central Europe, where it is the largest species of bird, and across temperate Asia...
s was shot in Durrington by a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
in 1802. He gave it to a Mr Moore, who commissioned a painting of it by a Mr Dudman.
A second Durrington Fire occurred in 1921 when the thatch to the Old Rectory on Church Street caught fire, the wind took the embers over the Church tower landing on the thatched tied cottages to the south, razing most and leaving the remainder ruined. The Old Rectory was rebuilt under a tiled roof, and is now one of the villages more substantial houses. The cottages were removed and are now replaced by small number of residential mobile homes.
Judaism
John Burgess states that a small community of Jews settled in the East Side of the village shortly before the Durrington Fire and records of their descendents can be found up to the 19th Century. They built a synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, which for a time served the needs of the whole of South Wiltshire's Jewish community. Their history in the village seems largely peaceful, however it is believed they were used as scapegoats for the 1405 fire, and the synagogue itself was burned down in anti-Jewish fervour following the revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
in mainland Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The community left Durrington shortly after, citing the villagers' "inherent anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
".