Pewsey
Encyclopedia
Pewsey is a large village, often considered a small town, at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey
in Wiltshire
about 80 miles (128.7 km) 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 Reading to Taunton line
. For this reason Pewsey is popular as a location with commuters.
era the Manor
of Pewsey belonged to the Duchess of Somerset
. Several of the village's houses were built in this era: the timber framed
cruck
house at Ball Corner, Bridge Cottage on the Avon
and the Court House by the Church.
In 1764 the founder of the Methodist movement John Wesley
(1703–1791) preached at Pewsey's Church of England parish church
. The rector
at that time, Joseph Townsend, was responsible for building of the first bridge over the River Avon.
The Kennet and Avon Canal
reached Pewsey in 1810. Of more significant lasting effect for the village was the arrival of the Great Western Railway
in 1862 which allowed fast travel to London and to the West of Pewsey.
In 1898 Pewsey Carnival
was first held, a tradition that flourishes today, a fortnight of events, including The Feaste, culminating in an Illuminated Procession in mid to late September.
A prominent statue of King Alfred the Great
, the former Anglo Saxon King of Wessex
and a local landowner, stands in the middle of the village.
hill figure
is located on a steep slope of Pewsey Hill about a mile south of the village and can be viewed from several places in the surrounding area.
It was cut in 1937 and is one of the smaller Wiltshire white horses. It replaces an earlier one which was possibly cut in 1785.
It can be seen from Milk Hill, the location of the bigger Alton Barnes White Horse.
and, as such, offers a wide range of activities for its small size. Such as ballooning, shooting, climbing, gliding, Martial Arts, angling, paragliding and many other leisure activities.
Vale of Pewsey
The Vale of Pewsey or Pewsey Vale is an area of Wiltshire, England to the east of Devizes and south of Marlborough, centred on the town of Pewsey.-Geography:...
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 80 miles (128.7 km) west of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It is well connected to London, the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
being close to the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
and the A303. Also, the village is served by Pewsey railway station
Pewsey railway station
Pewsey railway station is a railway station in the village of Pewsey in the county of Wiltshire in England. The station is on the Berks and Hants line and is served by intercity services operated by First Great Western to and from the West Country. The average journey time to London Paddington from...
on the Reading to Taunton line
Reading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
. For this reason Pewsey is popular as a location with commuters.
History
Archaeological excavations on Pewsey Hill show evidence of a settlement in the 6th century. In the TudorTudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
era the Manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Pewsey belonged to the Duchess of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. Several of the village's houses were built in this era: the timber framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
cruck
Cruck
A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which supports the roof of a building, used particularly in England. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally bent, timber beams that lean inwards and form the ridge of the roof. These posts are then generally secured by a...
house at Ball Corner, Bridge Cottage on the Avon
River Avon, Hampshire
The River Avon is a river in the south of England. The river rises in the county of Wiltshire and flows through the city of Salisbury and the county of Hampshire before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour in the county of Dorset....
and the Court House by the Church.
In 1764 the founder of the Methodist movement John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
(1703–1791) preached at Pewsey's 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:...
. The rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
at that time, Joseph Townsend, was responsible for building of the first bridge over the River Avon.
The Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
reached Pewsey in 1810. Of more significant lasting effect for the village was the arrival of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
in 1862 which allowed fast travel to London and to the West of Pewsey.
In 1898 Pewsey Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
was first held, a tradition that flourishes today, a fortnight of events, including The Feaste, culminating in an Illuminated Procession in mid to late September.
A prominent statue of King Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
, the former Anglo Saxon King of Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
and a local landowner, stands in the middle of the village.
Pewsey White Horse
The Pewsey white horseWhite Horse
- Mythology and symbolism :* White horse * White horse of Kent, a heraldic symbol- Coat colors :* Gray , most common white horse coat only becoming white at maturity* White , horse coat/skin mostly lacking in pigmentation...
hill figure
Hill figure
A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of geoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and rubble made from material brighter than the natural...
is located on a steep slope of Pewsey Hill about a mile south of the village and can be viewed from several places in the surrounding area.
It was cut in 1937 and is one of the smaller Wiltshire white horses. It replaces an earlier one which was possibly cut in 1785.
It can be seen from Milk Hill, the location of the bigger Alton Barnes White Horse.
Education
- Pewsey has one state secondary school, Pewsey Vale SchoolPewsey Vale SchoolPewsey Vale School is a small, mixed comprehensive school located in Pewsey, Wiltshire for children aged 11–16. It currently has around 386 pupils on its roll. The school holds specialist Arts College status....
, a specialist Arts CollegeArts CollegeArts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...
. - St. Francis School, an independent preparatory school, is just outside the village.
Amenities
PACT - Pewsey Area Community Trust - is a group of local people and organisations supported by the County and Parish Councils who are interested in improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of the Pewsey area. The group has its own constitution and can apply for funding from various bodies to carry out projects which will achieve the group's goals or to deliver the objectives stated in the Pewsey Community Area Plan.Notable residents
- Elinor GoodmanElinor GoodmanElinor Mary Goodman is a UK journalist, best known as Political Editor of Channel 4 News from 1988 to 2005. She was educated at the Manor House School, an independent school in Surrey, England....
, former Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
Political Editor, lives in nearby Oare. - Shelley RudmanShelley RudmanShelley Rudman is a British Olympic athlete. She won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in skeleton; the only medal for Great Britain at the games...
, winner of the silver medal in the skeleton bobSkeleton (sport)Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
, Britain's only medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. - Zoë WanamakerZoe WanamakerZoë Wanamaker, CBE is an American-British actress. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company; in films, including the Harry Potter series; and in a number of television productions, including a long-time role as Susan Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life and family:Wanamaker was...
, actress.
Culture and sport
Pewsey is the centre of activity for many of the smaller villages in and around the Vale of PewseyVale of Pewsey
The Vale of Pewsey or Pewsey Vale is an area of Wiltshire, England to the east of Devizes and south of Marlborough, centred on the town of Pewsey.-Geography:...
and, as such, offers a wide range of activities for its small size. Such as ballooning, shooting, climbing, gliding, Martial Arts, angling, paragliding and many other leisure activities.
External links
- Historic Pewsey Photos at BBC Wiltshire
- Day Out: The Vale of Pewsey - A 30 minute BBC TV programme made in 1984 of a day spent exploring Pewsey Vale
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Pewsey and surrounding area