Foxham
Encyclopedia
Foxham is a village in Bremhill
civil parish in Wiltshire
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Chippenham
and a similar distance north-west of Calne
.
built in the second half of the 17th century. It replaces an earlier manor house, from which part of a window-head survives in the north porch that was added in the 20th century.
of the parish of Bremhill and Highway by 1219. The present Church of England parish church
of Saint John the Baptist
was designed by the Gothic Revival architect
William Butterfield
and built in 1878-81. It includes a stained glass window made in about 1855 that was part of the east window of St Martin's parish church, Bremhill.
Foxham had a Wesleyan
chapel, but it has been closed and converted into a house.
in 1796 and had reached Foxham by December 1798, when Foxham locks
were under construction. By June 1800 the next section, from Foxham to Dauntsey
, was complete. The canal was completed to Abingdon
in September 1810.
The canal passed Foxham just east of Cadenham Manor. It brought coal from the Somerset coalfield
to Swindon
and Abingdon
. It declined after the Great Western Main Line
was completed in 1841. Traffic was minimal after an aqueduct at Stanley between Chippenham and Calne collapsed in 1901 and the canal was formally abandoned by an Act of Parliament in 1914.
The main line of the canal is now being restored. The section east of Foxham Top Lock is one of those whose restoration has now been completed.
, the Foxham Inn.
The Reading Room was built in 1986. It is Foxham's village hall
and also includes its Sub-Post Office.
Bremhill
Bremhill is a village located between Calne and Chippenham, Wiltshire. It is notable in particular as one of the termini of Maud Heath's Causeway. Chippenham is the other, the causeway passes through Langley Burrell en route. It was also the home of the notable poet, clergyman and critic, William...
civil parish in 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...
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Chippenham
Chippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
and a similar distance north-west of Calne
Calne
Calne is a town in Wiltshire, southwestern England. It is situated at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs hill range, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
.
Manor
Cadenham Manor is a house of five baysBay (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:...
built in the second half of the 17th century. It replaces an earlier manor house, from which part of a window-head survives in the north porch that was added in the 20th century.
Church and chapel
There is a record of Foxham being a chapelryChapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England, and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church...
of the parish of Bremhill and Highway by 1219. The present Church of England parish church
Church 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 John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
was designed by the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
and built in 1878-81. It includes a stained glass window made in about 1855 that was part of the east window of St Martin's parish church, Bremhill.
Foxham had a Wesleyan
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...
chapel, but it has been closed and converted into a house.
Canal
Construction of the Wilts & Berks Canal began at SemingtonSemington
Semington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is about south of Melksham and about northeast of Trowbridge.The parish includes the hamlets of Littlemarsh and Littleton....
in 1796 and had reached Foxham by December 1798, when Foxham locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
were under construction. By June 1800 the next section, from Foxham to Dauntsey
Dauntsey
Dauntsey is a small village in the county of Wiltshire in England. It gives its name to the Dauntsey Vale in which it lies and takes its name from Saxon for Dantes- eig, or Dante's island...
, was complete. The canal was completed to Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
in September 1810.
The canal passed Foxham just east of Cadenham Manor. It brought coal from the Somerset coalfield
Somerset coalfield
The Somerset Coalfield included pits in the North Somerset, England, area where coal was mined from the 15th century until 1973.It is part of a wider coalfield which covered northern Somerset and southern Gloucestershire. It stretched from Cromhall in the north to the Mendip Hills in the south, and...
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...
and Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
. It declined after 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...
was completed in 1841. Traffic was minimal after an aqueduct at Stanley between Chippenham and Calne collapsed in 1901 and the canal was formally abandoned by an Act of Parliament in 1914.
The main line of the canal is now being restored. The section east of Foxham Top Lock is one of those whose restoration has now been completed.
Amenities
Foxham has one 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...
, the Foxham Inn.
The Reading Room was built in 1986. It is Foxham's village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
and also includes its Sub-Post Office.