Dilton Marsh
| Dilton Marsh | |
 Village centre |
|
  Dilton Marsh |
|
| Population | 1,934 (in 2011)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST850498 |
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WESTBURY |
| Postcode district | BA13 |
| Dialling code | 01373 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | South West Wiltshire |
Coordinates: 51°14′56″N 2°12′50″W / 51.249°N 02.214°W
Dilton Marsh is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, in the south-west of England.
Location
Its closest town is Westbury, with which it is partly contiguous to the east. To the west is the Somerset town of Frome, the garrison town of Warminster is to the south-east, and Wiltshire's county town of Trowbridge is to the north. The Somerset border is approximately 1.5 miles to the west.
Features
The village High Street is 2 km (2187 yd) long. In the centre of the village is the distinctive Holy Trinity Church. This Anglican church was built in 1844 in a somewhat unusual neo-Romanesque style by Thomas Henry Wyatt. The village also has a primary school, a public house (the Prince of Wales), a post office, grocery shop, fish & chip shop and farm shop/garden centre & cafe (Fairfield Farm College).
Governance
The village forms part of 'Ethandune' electoral ward. This ward passes to the north of Westbury, then visits Bratton before finishing in Coulston. The total population of the ward as at the 2011 census was 4,526.[2]
Transport links
At the eastern end of the village is Dilton Marsh Railway Station, a simple railway platform on the regional line. It is the subject of the John Betjeman poem Dilton Marsh Halt. This is a request stop which means you have to ask the conductor to stop there, when you want to get on a train there you hold your hand like you are yelling for a taxi - you will have to pay on board as there are no facilities to pay at the platform.
In the past passengers were directed to the 7th house up the hill, Holmdale, where tickets could be bought from Mrs H. Roberts acting as a ticket agent for British Rail. [3]
History
The original settlement, Old Dilton, some 2.5 km (1.6 mi) south of the present village centre at grid reference ST860490, now consists of a couple of farm houses and the beautiful St Mary's Church (with a triple-decker pulpit and box pews). As fewer workers were needed in the local woollen industry, with the introduction of greater mechanisation, many moved to the common land of the drained marsh on the northern side of the ridge. By the early nineteenth century, Dilton Marsh had outgrown the older settlement.
At the end of the 19th century, it was noticed that the Westbury Sheep Fair in September caused low attendance at local schools, including that at Dilton Marsh.[4]
Notable Residents
Hilary Fairfield - Sister of the Bishop of St Albans; Alan Smith (bishop)
References
- ↑ "Wiltshire Community History - Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ↑ "Ethandune ward 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2015".
- ↑ "Tickets "Up the Hill"". Railway Magazine 115 (821): 517. September 1969.
- ↑ "Wiltshire Community History - County School, Dilton Marsh". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dilton Marsh. |
- The Villages of Dilton and Dilton Marsh - local history website
- Dilton Marsh website
- Fairfield Farm College Farm Shop & Cafe
- Map sources for Dilton Marsh