Yatesbury
Encyclopedia
Yatesbury is a village adjacent to Cherhill
, 1 mile north of the A4 road between Calne
and Marlborough in Wiltshire
, England
. Yatesbury forms part of The Oldbury Benefice, which comprises the five parishes of Cherhill
, Compton Bassett
, Heddington
, Calstone
Wellington and Yatesbury.
, RAF Yatesbury continued operations in the interwar years before again taking on a major role in World War II
. From 1936 onwards, RAF Yatesbury and RAF Compton Bassett
were major Radio and Radar Training Schools, RAF Townsend a satellite landing ground and RAF Cherhill was 27 Group Headquarters Technical Training Command. It is the oldest air base in the whole of Europe and is the only air base in the world that is still is such good condition.
In the village church there are reminders of its military past, with a small number of war graves from both major conflicts.
After closure, the Radar and Wireless training school transferred to RAF Locking
. The aircraft hangars and air strip, although now farmland, can still be seen from the A4. The buildings, site and surrounding area were featured in the video to the 1988 No.1 hit song "Doctorin' the Tardis" by The Timelords. Planning has been granted to convert the air base into residential flats, however, due to the current economic climate work has stopped on the conversion until the economy has improved.
The Granary at Manor Farm, Yatesbury, was restored by the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust
in 2006–2007.
Famous former residents include singer/songwriter/author Julian Cope
, who lived in the village until 2006. He has referenced the town in the song 'My Wall' in which he collaborated with the American drone metal band Sunn 0))).
www.rafyatesbury.webs.com Information about the history of RAF Yatesbury
Cherhill
Cherhill is a village in Wiltshire, England located on the A4 road between Calne and Marlborough and about west of London.- Overview :Cherhill is known for the Cherhill White Horse cut into the chalk hillside in 1780, the Landsdowne obelisk on the Cherhill Downs, and the crop circles that appeared...
, 1 mile north of the A4 road between 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....
and Marlborough 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...
, 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...
. Yatesbury forms part of The Oldbury Benefice, which comprises the five parishes of Cherhill
Cherhill
Cherhill is a village in Wiltshire, England located on the A4 road between Calne and Marlborough and about west of London.- Overview :Cherhill is known for the Cherhill White Horse cut into the chalk hillside in 1780, the Landsdowne obelisk on the Cherhill Downs, and the crop circles that appeared...
, Compton Bassett
Compton Bassett
Compton Bassett is a village in Wiltshire between Calne and Cherhill with a population of approximately 250. It is a largely rural village with several farms, a church, a pub and a shop.-Midge Mather Incident:...
, Heddington
Heddington
Heddington is a village near to Calne in Wiltshire, forming part of The Oldbury Benefice, which comprises the 5 parishes of Cherhill, Compton Bassett, Heddington, Calstone Wellington and Yatesbury....
, Calstone
Calstone
Calstone is a settlement near Calne in Wiltshire, England, forming part of the Oldbury Benefice, which comprises the five parishes of Cherhill, Compton Bassett, Heddington, Calstone Wellington and Yatesbury.-External links:...
Wellington and Yatesbury.
RAF Yatesbury
First opened as an air base in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, RAF Yatesbury continued operations in the interwar years before again taking on a major role in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. From 1936 onwards, RAF Yatesbury and RAF Compton Bassett
RAF Compton Bassett
RAF Compton Basset was an RAF base situated in Wiltshire, England.-Operational base:First opened as an air base in World War I, like RAF Yatesbury it continued operations in the interwar years before again taking on a major role in World War II...
were major Radio and Radar Training Schools, RAF Townsend a satellite landing ground and RAF Cherhill was 27 Group Headquarters Technical Training Command. It is the oldest air base in the whole of Europe and is the only air base in the world that is still is such good condition.
In the village church there are reminders of its military past, with a small number of war graves from both major conflicts.
After closure, the Radar and Wireless training school transferred to RAF Locking
Raf locking
RAF Locking was a Royal Air Force base at Locking just outside Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England.Slightly north of the base is the site of Locking Castle a motte and bailey castle on Carberry Hill...
. The aircraft hangars and air strip, although now farmland, can still be seen from the A4. The buildings, site and surrounding area were featured in the video to the 1988 No.1 hit song "Doctorin' the Tardis" by The Timelords. Planning has been granted to convert the air base into residential flats, however, due to the current economic climate work has stopped on the conversion until the economy has improved.
Present
Yatesbury today has a population of approximately 150 people. Whilst having no shops or amenities, the village is on major cycle route (Sustrans route 4) and is often passed through by cyclists and walkers. The John Stewart (Village) hall (Situated next to All Saints church in the centre of the village) has recently been extended with the addition of a toilet block and disabled access.The Granary at Manor Farm, Yatesbury, was restored by the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust
Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust
The Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust is a charitable organization which works to preserve the architectural heritage of Wiltshire, in the West of England.-History:...
in 2006–2007.
Famous former residents include singer/songwriter/author Julian Cope
Julian Cope
Julian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
, who lived in the village until 2006. He has referenced the town in the song 'My Wall' in which he collaborated with the American drone metal band Sunn 0))).
External links
- yatesbury.org - Information about the history of RAF Yatesbury
- Proposed development of RAF Yatesbury
www.rafyatesbury.webs.com Information about the history of RAF Yatesbury