CHISELDON

'Chiseldon' is a village in the borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, United Kingdom. Pop. c 3000.
The village lies on the edge of the Marlborough Downs, a mile south of junction 15 of the M4 motorway, on the A346 between Swindon and Marlborough. The hamlets of Draycot Foliat, Hodson, Badbury and Liddington are nearby, and the village of Wroughton is around two miles to the west.
Chiseldon Primary School is located in the village and has some 300 Pupils, most of them from the village itself. The Holy Cross Church is also located in Chiseldon. The Church, built in the thirteenth century is currently run by the Reverend Roger Powell as are the Churches in Ogbourne St. George and Ogbourne St. Andrew. The village also has a surgery, as well as two Hotels, an ESSO Petrol Station, and various other businesses. The engineering consultancy firm Halcrow Group Ltd operates from Burderop Park, located in the parish.
There are two pubs in the village, The Elm Tree and The Patriot Arms. The Elm Tree Pub was originally a thatched beer house and was constructed in 1845. The pub was named after the elm tree that was located on the village green until the 1970s.

Contents

History

Religion

The Parish

Local businesses

External links

History

Settlements in the area date back to prehistoric and Roman times, but Chiseldon itself was started by the Saxons. The village was included in the Domesday Book and was called Chiseldene at the time. At one point the nearby hamlet Draycot Foliat was larger than Chiseldon. Chiseldon lies on one of the country's oldest highways, the Icknield Way, although this section of the road is more commonly known as The Ridgeway.
A Midland and South Western Junction Railway line was constructed in 1881 and ran through the centre of the village until 1961.
During World War II there was an American army camp near the village.

Religion

Most of the population are members of the Church of England although other
denominations of Christianity exist. The Parish Church has a dwindling regular attendance and many
more attend on special occasions. The most notable of other Christian denominations
present is Methodism, and there is a small community of Methodists in the village. The Methodists previously had a 19th century built Church in the village, but was sold in 2006 due to low finances, low attendance, and uk government regulations requiring them to build a ramp, which the church could not afford. The methodists now use the Anglican Church hall for services, having been given permission by the church there.
Some villagers adhere to other major religions, although they are limited to a few families.
The Parish of Chiseldon is within the Church of England Diocese of Salisbury, unlike the rest of the borough of Swindon, which is within the Diocese of Bristol, but like the rest of Wiltshire.

The Parish

The Parish of Chiseldon encompasses not only the village but also the neighboring hamlets of Coate, Draycot Foliat and Hodson.
Draycot Foliat once had its own Church and Parish in the Mediæval period, but in 1571 the Bishop of Salisbury ordered the Church in Draycot to be demolished, as neither Chisy nor Draycot could sustain their own rectors any longer. As Chiseldon was the larger, Draycot was incorporated into its Parish, and the materials from the Church in Draycot were used to repair the church in Chiseldon.

Local businesses

Local shops declined in the 20th century, like in many other villages, due to more people shopping in larger towns (Swindon) rather than in the village. Current local shops include Chaplins (a small newsagents), a hairdressers and a small supermarket (that offers many commodities and is larger than Chaplins or any other store in Chiseldon). The store was an old army barracks later converted into a shop. Until recently it was a SPAR convenience store but is now part of the 'Premier' chain. Previous local businesses included a chip shop, which was run by a coal miner, whose customers apparently used to find traces of coal in their chips. Many other non-shop businesses survive.

External links

★ Satellite photo from Google Maps

★ The Patriot Arms

★ The Elm Tree

★ Chiseldon Bells

★ Chiseldon Domesday Book Record