Semington
Encyclopedia
Semington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire
, England
. The village is about 2 miles (3 km) south of Melksham
and about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Trowbridge
.
The parish includes the hamlets of Littlemarsh and Littleton.
The village has two locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal
, and is the start of the disused Wilts and Berks Canal
.
Littlemarsh is south of Semington, along the old course of A350 road. Littleton is no longer populated, and the only area currently designated as belonging to Littleton is the roundabout
at the A350 and A361 road
crossing.
crosses marshy ground on an embankment on the northern edge of the village.
The two Semington locks
were built between 1794 and 1802 under the supervision of the engineer John Rennie
and this stretch of the canal is now administered by British Waterways
. They have a combined rise/fall of 16 ft 1 in (4.9 m).
The two locks at Semington are known as Buckley's (numbered 15) and Barrett's (16).
Next to the locks is the point at which the Wilts & Berks Canal left the Kennet and Avon. The Wilts & Berks is disused but the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is restoring it. East of the locks, the canal travels across the 2004 Semington Aqueduct, built to allow the A350 road to bypass Semington village. Another aqueduct carries the canal over Semington Brook.
The canal, towpath and adjacent hedges are good for wildlife and in August 2007 water voles were seen.
which followed the path of the canal. Semington was designated as a centre of resistance: extensive anti-tank ditches were constructed to the east, south, and west of the village, these were overlooked by a number of pillboxes
. The defences were constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations
.
The Church of England parish church
of St George is a grade II listed building. It has a garden fête
every summer in the gardens of the manor house
.
Semington has a pub
, The Somerset Arms, which is popular with canal travellers, and a number of other small businesses as a lunch or dinner venue and to hold meetings and events. The pub has just re-opened with new owners. About 1 km north of the village is Hampton Park West business park, which includes the large corporate headquarters of companies such as G-Plan
, Avon Rubber plc and a large Wiltshire Police operations centre.
Community:
History:
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...
. The village is about 2 miles (3 km) south of Melksham
Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...
and about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
.
The parish includes the hamlets of Littlemarsh and Littleton.
The village has two locks on 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...
, and is the start of the disused Wilts and Berks Canal
Wilts and Berks Canal
The Wilts & Berks Canal is a canal in the historic counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire, England, linking the Kennet and Avon Canal at Semington, near Melksham, to the River Thames at Abingdon. The North Wilts Canal merged with it to become a branch to the Thames and Severn Canal at Latton near...
.
Geography
Within the village there are over 500 houses, a primary school, a village hall, public tennis courts and a park for children.Littlemarsh is south of Semington, along the old course of A350 road. Littleton is no longer populated, and the only area currently designated as belonging to Littleton is the roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
at the A350 and A361 road
A361 road
The A361 is a major road in England and at is the longest 3 digit A road in the UK. It runs south from Ilfracombe on the north Devon coast to Barnstaple, turning south-east to Tiverton then, after a break , north east from Taunton in Somerset through Street and Glastonbury, past Frome and then...
crossing.
History
Canals
The Kennet and Avon CanalKennet 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...
crosses marshy ground on an embankment on the northern edge of the village.
The two Semington locks
Semington Locks
The Semington Locks are situated at Semington, Wiltshire on the Kennet and Avon Canal, England.Both the locks at Semington were built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury...
were built between 1794 and 1802 under the supervision of the engineer John Rennie
John Rennie
-People:* John Rennie the Elder , engineer * Sir John Rennie the Younger , engineer * John Rennie , naval architect...
and this stretch of the canal is now administered by British Waterways
British Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
. They have a combined rise/fall of 16 ft 1 in (4.9 m).
The two locks at Semington are known as Buckley's (numbered 15) and Barrett's (16).
Next to the locks is the point at which the Wilts & Berks Canal left the Kennet and Avon. The Wilts & Berks is disused but the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is restoring it. East of the locks, the canal travels across the 2004 Semington Aqueduct, built to allow the A350 road to bypass Semington village. Another aqueduct carries the canal over Semington Brook.
The canal, towpath and adjacent hedges are good for wildlife and in August 2007 water voles were seen.
World War II
During the Second World War, Semington was on GHQ LineGHQ Line
The GHQ Line was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during World War II to contain an expected German invasion.The British Army had abandoned most of its equipment in France after the Dunkirk evacuation...
which followed the path of the canal. Semington was designated as a centre of resistance: extensive anti-tank ditches were constructed to the east, south, and west of the village, these were overlooked by a number of pillboxes
British hardened field defences of World War II
British hardened field defences of World War II were small fortified structures constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations. They were popularly known as pillboxes by reference to their shape.-Design and development:...
. The defences were constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations
British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
.
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 St George is a grade II listed building. It has a garden fête
Fête
Fête is a French word meaning festival, celebration or party, which has passed into English as a label that may be given to certain events.-Description:It is widely used in England and Australia in the context of a village fête,...
every summer in the gardens of the manor house
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...
.
Economy
Public 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 Somerset Arms, which is popular with canal travellers, and a number of other small businesses as a lunch or dinner venue and to hold meetings and events. The pub has just re-opened with new owners. About 1 km north of the village is Hampton Park West business park, which includes the large corporate headquarters of companies such as G-Plan
G-Plan
G-Plan was a pioneering range of furniture in the United Kingdom, produced by E Gomme Ltd of High Wycombe.In 1943, during World War II, furniture was part of rationing in the United Kingdom; the Board of Trade set up the Utility scheme which limited costs and the types of furniture on sale. A small...
, Avon Rubber plc and a large Wiltshire Police operations centre.
Notable residents
- Thomas HellikerThomas HellikerThomas Helliker was a figure in early English trade union history who was hanged, aged 19, for his alleged role in machine-breaking at a Wiltshire woollen mill...
(1784–1803), trade union martyr, executed for rôle in burning Semington mill - Isaac GulliverIsaac GulliverThe name of three generations of Gullivers from Semington in Wiltshire, England during the 18th and early 19th century; Isaac Gulliver was so successful as a smuggler on the south coast that he came to control its length from Lymington on The Solent in Hampshire, through Dorset to Torbay on the...
(1745–1822), smuggler
External links
Canal:- West Wilts Branch of The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust
- National Cycle Route 4 – Severn & Thames; more info at waterscape
- waterscape.com – Official Kennet and Avon Canal information
- Visit K&A – Kennet & Avon Canal Rural Transport Partnership
- Kennet & Avon Trade Association
Community:
- www.semington-village.co.uk — Unofficial village website; includes parish council minutes and voluntary organisations
History:
- Semington at Wiltshire Community History from Wiltshire County CouncilWiltshire County CouncilWiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
- http://www.wiltshirepast.net/ – Wiltshire Victoria County HistoryWiltshire Victoria County HistoryThe Wiltshire Victoria County History is an encyclopaedic history of the county of Wiltshire in England. It forms part of the overall Victoria County History of England founded in 1899 in honour of Queen Victoria...