Great Somerford
Encyclopedia
Great Somerford is a village within Dauntsey Vale
, Wiltshire
, England
, situated next to the river Avon. It lies approximately 85 miles (136.8 km) west of London and 12 miles (19.3 km) west of Swindon
.
The village was once served by a railway station, on the Malmesbury to Dauntsey branch
of the Great Western Main Line
. The station, then known simply as "Somerford", was opened with the line in 1877, and a goods facility added in January 1879. In January 1903 a station on the Wootton Bassett to Badminton line was opened at nearby Little Somerford, and the station at Great Somerford renamed "Great Somerford" for clarity; the Little Somerford route was much more popular, and rail traffic through Great Somerford declined steeply. The station there was downgraded to "Great Somerford Halt" in May 1922; by the time it closed altogether (along with the rest of the Malmesbury branch) in 1933 it was averaging one passenger per two trains.
. It has a large events room to the rear of the pub and is host to several village skittles teams.
Skittles Teams
Pillbox #1
The first pillbox is facing the river and a disused railway. In 2007 The pillbox was graffitied severely and stayed that way for some time until the end of 2007 when the Parish Council re-painted the pillbox a khaki white.
Pillbox #2
The second pillbox is on the edge of a medium sized field next to the Avon River. There has been no damage to this pillbox, though in torrential rain it does tend to flood.
Pillbox #3
The third pillbox is situated along the left of Dauntsey Road opposite a small cottage. Recently the pillbox has been cleared of the covering thornbush as the 2008 Dauntsey Horse Trials took place.
constituency for elections to the House of Commons; the member of parliament is James Gray.
Dauntsey Vale
The Dauntsey Vale is a geographical feature in the north of the English county of Wiltshire.It is characterised by a wide flat clay flood plain of the upper reaches of the Bristol Avon river, which divides the Cotswolds to the west with the chalk downland of east and south Wiltshire to the east.It...
, 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...
, situated next to the river Avon. It lies approximately 85 miles (136.8 km) west of London and 12 miles (19.3 km) west 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...
.
Amenities
- Church of St. Peter & St. Paul
- Fourways Store & Post Office
- Volunteer Inn
- Walter Powell Church of England Community Primary School
- Walter powell Pre-school
- Methodist Church
- Great Somerford Free Gardens, including allotments and the Jubilee Garden
The village was once served by a railway station, on the Malmesbury to Dauntsey branch
Malmesbury branch
The Malmesbury branch was a six and a half mile long single track branch railway line that ran from Dauntsey railway station on the Great Western Main Line to via one intermediate station, .-History:...
of 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...
. The station, then known simply as "Somerford", was opened with the line in 1877, and a goods facility added in January 1879. In January 1903 a station on the Wootton Bassett to Badminton line was opened at nearby Little Somerford, and the station at Great Somerford renamed "Great Somerford" for clarity; the Little Somerford route was much more popular, and rail traffic through Great Somerford declined steeply. The station there was downgraded to "Great Somerford Halt" in May 1922; by the time it closed altogether (along with the rest of the Malmesbury branch) in 1933 it was averaging one passenger per two trains.
The Volunteer Inn
Since 2007 the Volunteer Inn has been owned by local brewer, Arkell'sArkell's Brewery
Arkell's is an English brewery located in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire. The brewery has been owned by members of the Arkell family since its establishment in 1843. It is Swindon's oldest established company...
. It has a large events room to the rear of the pub and is host to several village skittles teams.
Clubs and societies
- Great Somerford Bell Ringers
- Coffee Pots
- SFA-Somerford Fishing Association
- Great Somerford Football Club
- Somerfords Garden Club (meets in Little Somerford Village Hall on the 3rd Thursday of most months)
- Great Somerford Bee-Keepers
Skittles Teams
- Press Gang
- Somerford Show
- The Volunteer
- Old C(offin D)odgers
- Trouble & Strife
- Somerford Teens
- Cupid Stunts
- Has Beens
World War II pillboxes
In total there are three remaining World War 2 pillboxes in the village.Pillbox #1
The first pillbox is facing the river and a disused railway. In 2007 The pillbox was graffitied severely and stayed that way for some time until the end of 2007 when the Parish Council re-painted the pillbox a khaki white.
Pillbox #2
The second pillbox is on the edge of a medium sized field next to the Avon River. There has been no damage to this pillbox, though in torrential rain it does tend to flood.
Pillbox #3
The third pillbox is situated along the left of Dauntsey Road opposite a small cottage. Recently the pillbox has been cleared of the covering thornbush as the 2008 Dauntsey Horse Trials took place.
Political representatives
Great Somerford falls within the North WiltshireNorth Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Wiltshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was known as Chippenham.- Boundaries :As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire...
constituency for elections to the House of Commons; the member of parliament is James Gray.
External links
- Arkell's BreweryArkell's BreweryArkell's is an English brewery located in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire. The brewery has been owned by members of the Arkell family since its establishment in 1843. It is Swindon's oldest established company...
- The Volunteer - The Francis Frith photographic collection
- Photographs at the Geograph grid reference photography project – http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/ST9682http://www.geograph.org.uk/browse.php?p=164998
- Parish Council page at the North Wiltshire District Council website
- NWDC Conservation Area Description, October 2005 (PDF) Retrieved 25 March 2007.
- Church of St. Peter & St. Paul
- Village Design Statement
- A Vision of Britain Through Time – A vision of Britain between 1801 and 2001. Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
- GENUKI – UK & Ireland Genealogy