Bratton, Wiltshire
| Bratton | |
 War memorial, Bratton |
|
  Bratton |
|
| Population | 1,248 (in 2011)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST914523 |
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WESTBURY |
| Postcode district | BA13 |
| Dialling code | 01380 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | South West Wiltshire |
| Website | Village |
Coordinates: 51°16′12″N 2°07′26″W / 51.270°N 2.124°W
Bratton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire, about 2.5 miles (4 km) east of Westbury. The village lies under the northern slope of Salisbury Plain, on the B3098 Westbury - Market Lavington road.
History
The massive earthworks of the Iron Age hill fort known as Bratton Castle (or Bratton Camp) are within the parish.[2]
Bratton was a tithing of the ancient parish of Westbury until 1894, when it became a separate civil parish.[3]
The Stert and Westbury Railway was built across the parish in 1900. The local station was in the adjacent parish of Edington and was called Edington & Bratton; the station closed to passengers in 1952 and to goods in 1963, but the line remains open as part of the Reading to Taunton Line.
Religious sites
The Church of England parish church of St James has 14th-century origins and may be on the site of an earlier church. It was rebuilt in the 15th century; the chancel was rebuilt in 1854 by G.G. Scott, with further restoration by T.H. Wyatt in 1860.[4] The church is Grade II* listed.[5]
A Baptist chapel was built in 1734, enlarged in the 1780s and again in the next century, with the addition of a schoolroom. Pevsner describes the chapel as "externally a gem"[6] and it is Grade II* listed.[7] As of 2016 the chapel is still in use.[8]
A Methodist chapel was built in 1870 and closed in 1952; the building was demolished in 1957.[9]
Schools
A National School was built at Bratton in 1846 and enlarged in 1877.[10] Also around 1846, a British School was established.[11] In 1928 both schools closed and their pupils moved to a newly-built council school, which became Bratton Primary School and was extended in 1982.[12]
Landmarks
- In the village
- A commemorative plaque, complete with industrial cog and brick wall, unveiled in 1993 for the R & J Reeves & Sons Iron Works.[13]
- A war memorial in the form of a step-based wheel cross.[14]
- On Westbury Hill
- The Battle of Ethandun Memorial – a large sarsen stone summounting a base of cemented pebbles, unveiled in 2000.[15]
- The Queen Elizabeth II golden jubilee beacon placed in 2002.[16]
- A topograph overlooking the Lafarge cement works chimney dating from 1968.[17]
- Westbury White Horse – hill figure
- Bratton Castle – Iron Age hillfort
Roughly a mile west of Bratton is the Lafarge Cement Works with its 400ft chimney.[18][19] The iron works in Bratton too had a much smaller, but still large chimney.[20] There is sometimes confusion over the two when concerning the "Bratton Chimney".
Notable buildings
The Court House (15th and 17th centuries)[21] and Bratton House (1715 and 1826)[22] are Grade II* listed.
Amenities
The village has a Post Office and village shop, a village hall and a pub, The Duke.
Bratton Downs is a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Notable residents
- Rev. George Whitaker (1811-1882), clergyman and educator
- Sir Horace Seymour (1885–1978), British diplomat, Ambassador to China
- Major General Sir Jeremy Moore (1928–2007), Commander of British land forces during the Falklands War, lived in the village for over 20 years until his death
- Jack Lauterwasser (1904–2003), cyclist, silver medal winner at the 1928 Olympics, Amsterdam.
See also
References
- ↑ "Wiltshire Community History - Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
- ↑ Historic England. "Bratton Camp Iron Age hillfort (1013399)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 8 pp139-148 - Westbury: Introduction". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ "Church of St. James, Bratton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ Historic England. "Church of St James (1036509)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 139. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
- ↑ Historic England. "Baptist Chapel (1036507)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ "Bratton Baptist Church". Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ "Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Bratton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ "National School, Bratton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ "British School, Bratton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ "Bratton Primary School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ http://www.brattonvillage.org/reeves_ironworks.htm
- ↑ http://www.cccbr.org.uk/rolls/cemeteries/details.php?cemName=Bratton,%20Wiltshire,%20St%20James%20the%20Great&cemID=45468&warID=1
- ↑ http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/45340
- ↑ http://www.whitehorsenews.co.uk/blog/2012/05/09/join-in-the-jubilee
- ↑ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Westbury_White_Horse_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1638378.jpg
- ↑ http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/8948138.Plan_to_light_up_Westbury_chimney/
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10337822
- ↑ http://www.brattonvillage.org/reeves_ironworks.htm
- ↑ Historic England. "The Court House (1193662)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ Historic England. "Bratton House (1036520)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
External links
Media related to Bratton, Wiltshire at Wikimedia Commons