Figheldean
| Figheldean | |
 Figheldean main street, 2007 |
|
  Figheldean |
|
| Population | 628 (in 2011)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SU153473 |
| Civil parish | Figheldean |
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Salisbury |
| Postcode district | SP4 |
| Dialling code | 01980 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Devizes |
| Website | Figheldean Valley of the Wild Fowl |
Coordinates: 51°13′N 1°46′W / 51.22°N 1.77°W
Figheldean /faɪlˈdiːn/ is a village and civil parish on the River Avon, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of Amesbury in Wiltshire, England.
Figheldean parish extends 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the village towards Tidworth as far as Devil's Ditch and 3 miles (4.8 km) westwards beyond Larkhill towards Shrewton as far as Robin Hood's Ball. The parish includes the hamlets of Ablington and Alton. Approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north is Netheravon and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south is Durrington. The A345 main road between Salisbury and Marlborough passes through the parish to the west of the village.
Figheldean is situated on Salisbury Plain, which supports many nationally rare species and is the largest area of unimproved chalk grassland in northern Europe.
A fair is held yearly at the Figheldean field and regularly attracts 2,000—3,000 people. There is a dinner-and-dance held on the Friday night before the fair to help raise funds for the parish.
History
People have been living in the area for at least 6,000 years, and the parish contains archaeological sites such as long barrows and Roman villas. The earliest record of Figheldean is in the Domesday Book of 1086 in which the village is called Fisgledene.
Notable people
The football player George Marks was born in Figheldean and played for Arsenal from 1936 to 1946 before later playing for Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City and Reading.
Notable buildings
The Anglican Church of St Michael and All Angels is Grade II* listed[2][3] and is first mentioned in Henry I's charter granting its lands and revenues to the cathedral at Old Sarum.
Figheldean House[4] is the oldest building in the village. It was owned by the Army for their Brigadier Generals and was subsequently sold to a private owner.
Aviation operations and training
Netheravon Airfield is in the parish of Figheldean, to the east of the Avon. Following the establishment of Army flying training at nearby Larkhill and Upavon in 1910 the training areas to the east of Choulston camp were established as the first operational flying station for Army use during 1912, initially for balloon operations but later for fixed wing aircraft. In 1914 the Royal Flying Corps undertook a concentrated period of tactical development at Netheravon, shortly before the declaration of the First World War. The site became a training establishment then known as No8 Training Depot Station, and continued to operate as such until transferred to the Royal Air Force on its creation in 1918, as RAF Netheravon. Going through a series of name changes it became No. 1 Flying Training School in December 1919.
During the First World War Netheravon was also a location used to establish new squadrons prior to their transfer to mainland Europe, and after the formation of the RAF became home to a bomber squadron. The school continued to operate from Netheravon until disbandment in 1931. Rotary wing trials were undertaken at Netheravon in 1933. Flying training recommenced at RAF Netheravon in 1938 for four years, when the site was transferred to Army Cooperation Command and supported glider operations and glider troop training.
Following the Second World War RAF Netheravon continued to be used, briefly, for transport aircraft; the DC3 Dakota but due to limitations in the infrastructure transferred to the RAF Police for use as a depot and training school, with aviation operations playing a minor part. The RAF Police left the site in 1963 whereupon it became a transit camp for units operating on Salisbury Plain Training Area until 1966 when it became an Army Air Corps site as AAC Netheravon, known as Airfield Camp.
Units of the Army Air Corps had been operating from Netheravon from 1962, having decanted from nearby AAC Middle Wallop, with a diverse range of units later regularised as 7 Army Aviation Regiment.
The airfield is claimed to be the longest continuously operated airfield in the world and was operated by 7 Regt AAC(V) of the Army Air Corps as AAC Netheravon from 1995 until the regiment's disbandment in 2009.
Airfield Camp closed in 2012 with the remaining units moving to nearby Trenchard Lines at Upavon.
The camp is also used as a parachute centre, on weekdays for the Joint Services Parachute Centre (JSPC) and at the weekends for the Army Parachute Association (APA).
The Officers' Mess and Quarters built in 1914 at Airfield Camp, later RAF Netheravon, are within the parish and are Grade II* listed.[5]
References
- ↑ "Wiltshire Community History - Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ↑ Historic England. "List entry - Church of St Michael and All Angels, Figheldean (1131027)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ↑ "Wiltshire Community History - Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Figheldean". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ↑ "Wiltshire Community History - Figheldean". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ↑ Historic England. "Officers' Mess and Quarters, Airfield Camp, Figheldean (1284240)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
External links
Media related to Figheldean at Wikimedia Commons