Corsham
Encyclopedia
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire
, England
. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds
, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London
to Bristol
, between Bath (7.5 miles (12 km)) and Chippenham
(4.5 miles (7 km)).
Corsham was historically a centre for agriculture
and later the wool
industry, and remains a focus for quarrying Bath Stone
. It contains several notable historic buildings, such as the stately home
of Corsham Court
. In World War II
and the Cold War
, it became a major administrative and manufacturing centre for the Ministry of Defence
, with numerous establishments both above ground and in the old quarry tunnels. The early 21st century saw some growth in Corsham's role in the film industry.
as Cosseham; the letter 'R' appears to have entered the name later under Norman
influence (possibly caused by the recording of local pronunciation.), when the town is reported to have been in the possession of the Earl of Cornwall
. Corsham is recorded as Coseham in 1001, as Cosseha in 1086, and at Cosham as late as 1611 (on John Speed
's map of Wiltshire
). The Corsham area belonged to the King in Saxon times, the area at the time also had a large forest which was cleared to make way for further expansion.
There is evidence that the town had been known as "Corsham Regis" due to its reputed association with anglo-saxon
Ethelred of Wessex
, and this name remains as that of a primary school.
One of the towns that prospered greatly from Wiltshire
's wool
trade in mediæval times, it maintained its prosperity after the decline of that trade through the quarrying of Bath stone
, with underground mining works extending to the south and west of Corsham.
Numbers 94 to 112 of the High Street are Grade II* listed buildings known as the "Flemish Weavers Houses", however there is little cogent evidence to support this name and it appears more likely to derive from a handful of Dutch workers who arrived in the 17th century.
Corsham also contains the historic Georgian house, The Grove, opposite the high street, a typical example of classic Georgian architecture.
Corsham's small town centre includes the Martingate Centre, a late 20th century retail development, which also houses offices and a small teaching facility for Wiltshire College
, a further education
institution.
The stately home of Corsham Court
can also be found in the town centre. Standing on a former Saxon
Royal Manor
, it is based on an Elizabethan manor home from 1582. Since 1745, it has been part of the Methuen
estate. The house has an extensive collection of Old Masters, rooms furnished by Robert Adam
and Thomas Chippendale
, and parks landscaped by Capability Brown
and Humphry Repton
. The house is open to the public all year round excluding December and is famed locally for its peacocks
, which freely wander about the streets. The owner of Corsham Court in the mid-seventeenth century was the commander of the Parliamentarian New Model Army
in Wiltshire; his wife built what came to be known as the Hungerford Almshouses
in the centre of town.
Corsham is the site of the disused entrance to Tunnel Quarry, which used to be visible off Pockeredge Drive.
. Corsham also started a jazz
festival (separate from the town festival) in 2004, which included a performance by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra
. The event however was not as successful as the organizers would have hoped, bands across the seven venues had to compete with each other and turnout was lower than expected. In 2005 the festival was reduced to just two venues and a much reduced lineup. In 2006, the festival reduced in size once again, with only the Royal Oak Pub hosting the event, and the Stan Tracey Trio as principal headliners.
The local association football club, Corsham Town F.C.
, were founded in 1884. They finished first in the Western Football League Premier Division in 2007.
Wiltshire Police has a station in the town that is headed by a sergeant, and is a base for five local and rural neighbourhood policing teams.
of 1273 refers to a "William de Pikewicke".
Corsham was the inspiration for Charles Dickens
' novel The Pickwick Papers
; it is thought that he borrowed the name from Moses Pickwick, a coachman who was born in Pickwick, lived in the "Hare and Hounds" inn, and ran coaches between Bath and London.
Pickwick Manor was noted by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner
as an "unusually impressive example of a late 17th century manor house", having remnants of a 14th century wing. More recently it has been the residence of architect
Harold Brakspear
and his descendants.
Beechfield is a late Georgian
house in Middlewick Lane. It was extended in the early 1970s to provide additional accommodation The house itself was split into residential accommodation while part of the grounds were split off in 2002 under the auspices of the Town Council to provide a Nature Area where local flora and fauna can be seen.
Middlewick House was occupied by Camilla Parker Bowles and her husband between 1986 and 1995, when it was bought by Nick Mason
of Pink Floyd
.
Pickwick is also noted for "The Two Pigs", a real ale pub which is a Grade II listed building. Formerly named "The Spread Eagle", it is now known for hosting live music, but t the end of the nineteenth century - when Pickwick did not have a mortuary - corpses were laid out on the bar of the pub until they could be transferred to Corsham mortuary.
Corsham Town Council's civil parish boundaries include several neighbouring settlements:
Broadstone, Chapel Knap, Easton, Gastard, Hartham, Leafield, The Linleys, Neston, The Ridge, Thingley, part of Rudloe, and a small part of Chippenham
south of the A4 road.
Hartham Park is a Georgian estate that includes a rare stické
court.
Neston village was established around Neston Park
, a country estate
whose house was built c.1790. Neston Park is home of the Fuller family, who give their name to the Fuller, Smith and Turner
brewery in London, known for Fuller's London Pride cask ale
.
came into force on 1 January 1974, Corsham came within the areas of Wiltshire County Council
and North Wiltshire
District Council
, electing one county councillor and three district councillors from the Corsham and Lacock
division. On 1 April 2009, Wiltshire became a unitary authority
managed by Wiltshire Council
and the county's district councils were all merged into this body. From 2009, Corsham elects three councillors to the new authority, one from each of three new single-member electoral divisions:
Corsham's lowest level of government is Corsham Town Council, which was founded as a parish council in 1895. Although Corsham never had its own town charter, in May 2000 it became a town council
. There are currently twenty councillor
s, and the four council committees are
Corsham made headlines in April 2007 when a British National Party
candidate was elected unopposed to the council.
The first official census
of 1801 showed Corsham having 2,402 inhabitants, while the most recent of 2001 lists 10,780. No census was taken in 1941 due to the Second World War, but the rise in population (from 3,754 in 1931 to 9,268 in 1951, a rise of 147%) is attributable to the influx of military personnel. The increase shown for 1840 is due the influx of stone workers and the arrival of the Great Western Railway
.
The 2001 census demographics of the SN13 postcode area, of which Corsham comprises the major part, do not differ markedly from national figures; the unemployment rate is 2.0 per cent compared to a national 3.2 per cent, and there is a marginally higher rate of retirees (at 23.3 per cent as against 22 per cent). 23 per cent of adults are educated to degree level, against a national average of 20 per cent.
, which maintains seven primary schools and one secondary school
.
The primary schools, catering for students up to age 11 are
during the time of Henry I
(1068–1135) as an alien priory
. An unnamed prior
was referred to in 1201, but the priory itself had become inactive by 1294 and its lands passed to The Crown
and eventually to King's College, Cambridge
. The site later became that of a Georgian house, which is now The Heywood School.
.
Corsham is connected to Bradford on Avon
by the B3109 road, to Melksham
by the B3353, and to Chippenham
and Bath by the A4 Bath Road, a former turnpike from London
to Bristol
.
Four public car parks in the town centre are operated by North Wiltshire
District Council for a small fee.
Bus
companies, including Coachstyle, Faresaver and FirstGroup plc
, operate local services, as well as buses to all nearby towns.
The Great Western Main Line
railway from London to Bristol passes through Corsham, though the local station
closed in the 1960s.
Nearby stations, and most passenger trains, are operated by First Great Western
. Some local services call at the nearest station at Melksham
(4.5 miles, 7.2 km) while Chippenham station
(4.7 miles, 7.5 km) offers frequent express services and connections.
The eastern portal of Box Tunnel
, built as the longest railway tunnel of its time, by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
for the Great Western Railway
, is at Hudswell on the western edge of the town.
Corsham Railway Cutting
carries the main line westward through Corsham to Box Tunnel; in 1971 6.6 hectares (16.3 acre) of land in the cutting were designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
for notable geology
.
, France since 1981, and has an active twinning association. Corsham holds an annual twinning event in which musical and charity events occur, accompanied by French food and wines. There is also a boules
competition for the Peter Henderson trophy which is named in memory of a local doctor and former chairman of the twinning association. As part of the 2008 event, a mock Storming of the Bastille
was staged to celebrate Bastille Day
, Corsham Town Hall standing in for the Paris
ian prison.
has operated a number of locations in the vicinity of Corsham since the First World War and employs approximately 2,000 people:
The Rudloe Site was formerly RAF Rudloe Manor
, which was established during the Second World War as a non-flying station for administrative and command & control purposes. It was home to HQ Number 10 Fighter Group, RAF Regional Command, Headquarters RAF Police & Security Services, No 1 Signals Unit, Controller Defence Communications Network and 1001 Signals Unit. By 1998 it had become mostly administrative, housing the RAF Provost and Security Services, which dealt with security and criminal investigation services, the Defence Communication Services Agency, while the detachment of 1001 Signals Unit of the RAF remained. It closed as an operational site in about 2000.
RAF Rudloe Manor was the location of Headquarters Southern Area Royal Observer Corps
from 1952 until 1980 when it was relocated to Lansdown near Bath. Co-located with the ROC was Headquarters Southern Sector United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
responsible for the now defunct Four-minute warning in the event of nuclear attack during the Cold War
.
in 1937 and became the Royal Naval Stores Depot, Copenacre. It closed on 30 September 1995.
The Copenacre Site closed in January 2011 and was put up for sale.
was a development of the Bath stone
quarries for defence purposes, originally intended for the underground manufacture of engines for the Hawthorn aeroplane by the Bristol Aeroplane Company
and includes the Central Government War Headquarters
, variously known as "Turnstile" or "Burlington", and the Central Ammunition Depot.
Joint Service Unit
Services Cotswold Centre
HMS Royal Arthur
Skynet
The UK military communications satellite constellation called Skynet
, a PFI
arrangement, is controlled by contractor, Paradigm Services, from the location of the former 1001 SU Det on Skynet Drive. The ground segments in support of the constellation are located at Bordon
, Hampshire
and Colerne Airfield
, Colerne
, Wiltshire (formerly RAF Oakhanger
and RAF Colerne
.)
Others
A number of defence-related contractors are either co-located or in the vicinity of the MOD sites, such as Chemring Energetics UK Limited and Serco Defence, Science and Technology.
continues in Corsham on a smaller scale than previously. Hanson plc
operates Hartham Park Quarry in the Hudswell district, southwest of Pickwick, and Monk's Park Quarry near Gastard.
Disused quarries have been redeployed for other purposes; apart from defence usage, there is a wine storage facility
at Eastlays, near Gastard, and storage of magnetic media for off-site data protection
at Neston.
. Underground scenes from the first episode of Blake's Seven were filmed at Eastlays, and disused tunnels form part of the studio complex of Corsham Media Park, a specialist business park that opened in 2001 adjacent to RAF Rudloe Manor
.
Period drama location filming occurs in Corsham, as in neighbouring Lacock
and Atworth
parishes. Neston Park
hosted major outdoor film sets for the 2008 BBC television adaption
of Lark Rise to Candleford
, and the BBC also filmed scenes for a 2008 version of Tess of the D'Urbervilles
in Church Street and Corsham Court
grounds.
Corsham Court
has also been used as a period location in productions such as Barry Lyndon
(1975), The Remains of the Day
(1993), A Respectable Trade (1997) and Wives and Daughters
(1999).
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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...
. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, between Bath (7.5 miles (12 km)) and Chippenham
Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
(4.5 miles (7 km)).
Corsham was historically a centre for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and later the wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
industry, and remains a focus for quarrying Bath Stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
. It contains several notable historic buildings, such as the stately home
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
of Corsham Court
Corsham Court
Corsham Court is an English country house in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul...
. 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...
and the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, it became a major administrative and manufacturing centre for the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, with numerous establishments both above ground and in the old quarry tunnels. The early 21st century saw some growth in Corsham's role in the film industry.
History
Corsham apparently derives its name from Cosa's hām, "ham" being Old English for homestead, or village. The town is referred in the Domesday bookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Cosseham; the letter 'R' appears to have entered the name later under Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
influence (possibly caused by the recording of local pronunciation.), when the town is reported to have been in the possession of the Earl of Cornwall
Earl of Cornwall
The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne.-Earl of Cornwall:...
. Corsham is recorded as Coseham in 1001, as Cosseha in 1086, and at Cosham as late as 1611 (on John Speed
John Speed
John Speed was an English historian and cartographer.-Life:He was born at Farndon, Cheshire, and went into his father's tailoring business where he worked until he was about 50...
's map of 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...
). The Corsham area belonged to the King in Saxon times, the area at the time also had a large forest which was cleared to make way for further expansion.
There is evidence that the town had been known as "Corsham Regis" due to its reputed association with anglo-saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
Ethelred of Wessex
Ethelred of Wessex
King Æthelred I was King of Wessex from 865 to 871. He was the fourth son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex...
, and this name remains as that of a primary school.
One of the towns that prospered greatly from 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...
's wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
trade in mediæval times, it maintained its prosperity after the decline of that trade through the quarrying of Bath stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
, with underground mining works extending to the south and west of Corsham.
Numbers 94 to 112 of the High Street are Grade II* listed buildings known as the "Flemish Weavers Houses", however there is little cogent evidence to support this name and it appears more likely to derive from a handful of Dutch workers who arrived in the 17th century.
Corsham also contains the historic Georgian house, The Grove, opposite the high street, a typical example of classic Georgian architecture.
Features
Wiltshire College
Wiltshire College is a tertiary college of education founded in 2002 by the merger of Chippenham Technical College, Lackham College and Trowbridge College. Consolidation will be completed with the merger of Salisbury College, which commenced in January 2008...
, a further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
institution.
The stately home of Corsham Court
Corsham Court
Corsham Court is an English country house in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul...
can also be found in the town centre. Standing on a former Saxon
History of Anglo-Saxon England
Anglo-Saxon England refers to the period of the history of that part of Britain, that became known as England, lasting from the end of Roman occupation and establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 5th century until the Norman conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror...
Royal Manor
Royal Manor
A royal manor is an area of land in the United Kingdom owned by the Crown, such as the Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the Prince of Wales, a Duke/Duchess, or a Lord. One such example is the Isle of Portland in Dorset....
, it is based on an Elizabethan manor home from 1582. Since 1745, it has been part of the Methuen
Baron Methuen
Baron Methuen, of Corsham in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1838 for the former Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and Wiltshire North, Paul Methuen. His grandson, the third Baron , was a distinguished soldier. His son, the fourth Baron,...
estate. The house has an extensive collection of Old Masters, rooms furnished by Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
and Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director...
, and parks landscaped by Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
and Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...
. The house is open to the public all year round excluding December and is famed locally for its peacocks
Peafowl
Peafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female...
, which freely wander about the streets. The owner of Corsham Court in the mid-seventeenth century was the commander of the Parliamentarian New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
in Wiltshire; his wife built what came to be known as the Hungerford Almshouses
Hungerford Almshouses
The Hungerford Almshouses in Corsham, Wiltshire, England were built in 1668 for Lady Margaret Hungerford of Corsham Court. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
in the centre of town.
Corsham is the site of the disused entrance to Tunnel Quarry, which used to be visible off Pockeredge Drive.
Community
The town has its own festivalFestival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
. Corsham also started a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
festival (separate from the town festival) in 2004, which included a performance by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra
National Youth Jazz Orchestra
The National Youth Jazz Orchestra is a British jazz orchestra founded in 1963 by Bill Ashton.Based in Westminster, London, NYJO started life as the London Schools' Jazz Orchestra and evolved into becoming the national orchestra...
. The event however was not as successful as the organizers would have hoped, bands across the seven venues had to compete with each other and turnout was lower than expected. In 2005 the festival was reduced to just two venues and a much reduced lineup. In 2006, the festival reduced in size once again, with only the Royal Oak Pub hosting the event, and the Stan Tracey Trio as principal headliners.
The local association football club, Corsham Town F.C.
Corsham Town F.C.
Corsham Town F.C. is a football club based in Corsham, Wiltshire, England, that competes in the Western Football League. The manager of the club is Trevor Rawlings.-History:...
, were founded in 1884. They finished first in the Western Football League Premier Division in 2007.
Wiltshire Police has a station in the town that is headed by a sergeant, and is a base for five local and rural neighbourhood policing teams.
Pickwick
Pickwick itself was once a separate settlement and now forms the north-western part of the town. The name derives from Anglo-Saxon pic (meaning a peak or pointed hill) and wic (village). The Wiltshire Hundred RollHundred Rolls
The Hundred Rolls are a census of England and parts of what is now Wales taken in the late thirteenth century. Often considered an attempt to produce a second Domesday Book, they are named for the hundreds by which most returns were recorded....
of 1273 refers to a "William de Pikewicke".
Corsham was the inspiration for Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' novel The Pickwick Papers
The Pickwick Papers
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is the first novel by Charles Dickens. After the publication, the widow of the illustrator Robert Seymour claimed that the idea for the novel was originally her husband's; however, in his preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens strenuously denied any...
; it is thought that he borrowed the name from Moses Pickwick, a coachman who was born in Pickwick, lived in the "Hare and Hounds" inn, and ran coaches between Bath and London.
Pickwick Manor was noted by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
as an "unusually impressive example of a late 17th century manor house", having remnants of a 14th century wing. More recently it has been the residence of architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Harold Brakspear
Harold Brakspear
Sir Harold William Brakspear was a noted restoration architect and archaeologist.He restored a number of ancient and notable buildings, including*Bath Abbey*Windsor Castle*Brownston House, Devizes....
and his descendants.
Beechfield is a late Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
house in Middlewick Lane. It was extended in the early 1970s to provide additional accommodation The house itself was split into residential accommodation while part of the grounds were split off in 2002 under the auspices of the Town Council to provide a Nature Area where local flora and fauna can be seen.
Middlewick House was occupied by Camilla Parker Bowles and her husband between 1986 and 1995, when it was bought by Nick Mason
Nick Mason
Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
.
Pickwick is also noted for "The Two Pigs", a real ale pub which is a Grade II listed building. Formerly named "The Spread Eagle", it is now known for hosting live music, but t the end of the nineteenth century - when Pickwick did not have a mortuary - corpses were laid out on the bar of the pub until they could be transferred to Corsham mortuary.
Neighbouring villages
Broadstone, Chapel Knap, Easton, Gastard, Hartham, Leafield, The Linleys, Neston, The Ridge, Thingley, part of Rudloe, and a small part of Chippenham
Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
south of the A4 road.
Hartham Park is a Georgian estate that includes a rare stické
Stické
Stické is a racquet sport invented in the late 19th century merging aspects of real tennis, racquets, and lawn tennis...
court.
Neston village was established around Neston Park
Neston Park
Neston Park is an English country house and estate, 2 miles south of Corsham, Wiltshire, in the village of Neston. The name of the village comes from the name of the house.The house was built just after 1790....
, a country estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
whose house was built c.1790. Neston Park is home of the Fuller family, who give their name to the Fuller, Smith and Turner
Fuller, Smith and Turner
Fuller's Brewery is a regional brewery founded in 1845 at the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, West London.It has an estate of over three hundred public houses.-History:...
brewery in London, known for Fuller's London Pride cask ale
Cask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
.
Local government
When the Local Government Act 1972Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
came into force on 1 January 1974, Corsham came within the areas of Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
and North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire was a local government district in Wiltshire, England, formed on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, and Malmesbury along with Calne and Chippenham Rural District, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Rural District and Malmesbury Rural District...
District Council
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
, electing one county councillor and three district councillors from the Corsham and Lacock
Lacock
Lacock is a village in Wiltshire, England, 3 miles from the town of Chippenham. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust, and attracts many visitors by virtue of its unspoiled appearance.-History:...
division. On 1 April 2009, Wiltshire became a unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
managed by Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
and the county's district councils were all merged into this body. From 2009, Corsham elects three councillors to the new authority, one from each of three new single-member electoral divisions:
- Corsham Pickwick and Rudloe,
- Corsham Town, and
- Corsham Without and Box Hill (which includes neighbouring LacockLacockLacock is a village in Wiltshire, England, 3 miles from the town of Chippenham. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust, and attracts many visitors by virtue of its unspoiled appearance.-History:...
and part of BoxBox, WiltshireBox is a village located in Wiltshire, England, about east of Bath and west of Chippenham. It is quite a large parish with several settlements, apart from the village of Box, within its boundaries....
.)
Corsham's lowest level of government is Corsham Town Council, which was founded as a parish council in 1895. Although Corsham never had its own town charter, in May 2000 it became a town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
. There are currently twenty councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s, and the four council committees are
- Finance and General Purposes - general policy, finances, Christmas lights and "Corsham in Bloom"
- Leisure - children's play areas, recreation grounds and allotmentsAllotment (gardening)An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
- Amenities - Town Hall maintenance, cemetery, footpaths etc.
- Planning - the council is not itself the planning authority for Corsham but makes recommendations to Wiltshire Council on applications.
Corsham made headlines in April 2007 when a British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
candidate was elected unopposed to the council.
Population and demographics
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 1801 showed Corsham having 2,402 inhabitants, while the most recent of 2001 lists 10,780. No census was taken in 1941 due to the Second World War, but the rise in population (from 3,754 in 1931 to 9,268 in 1951, a rise of 147%) is attributable to the influx of military personnel. The increase shown for 1840 is due the influx of stone workers and the arrival of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
.
The 2001 census demographics of the SN13 postcode area, of which Corsham comprises the major part, do not differ markedly from national figures; the unemployment rate is 2.0 per cent compared to a national 3.2 per cent, and there is a marginally higher rate of retirees (at 23.3 per cent as against 22 per cent). 23 per cent of adults are educated to degree level, against a national average of 20 per cent.
Education
The education authority for Corsham and its surrounding area is Wiltshire County CouncilWiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
, which maintains seven primary schools and one secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
.
The primary schools, catering for students up to age 11 are
- Box Church of England Primary School, High Street, Box. Founded in 1875 as an elementary board schoolSchool board (England & Wales)School boards were public bodies in England and Wales between 1870 and 1902, which established and administered elementary schools.School boards were created in boroughs and parishes under the Elementary Education Act 1870 following campaigning by George Dixon, Joseph Chamberlain and the National...
, it now has about 170 pupils. - Corsham Primary School, split between Pound Pill, and Broadwood Avenue, Corsham, was formed from the origins of Lady Methuen’s School for Girls (founded 1816), The National School for Girls (c.1840s) and Corsham British School For Boys (c. 1840). These schools came under the aegis of the Corsham School Board in 1893 and were finally merged in 1923. It now provides for about 540 students.
- Corsham Regis School, Kings Avenue, Corsham, opened in 1943 for the children of incoming military workers. It became specifically a junior school in 1955 when older children transferred to the Corsham Secondary Modern School, and now has about 180 students. It has 7 classrooms and a nursery called ABC.
- Lypiatt Primary School near Neston, to the south of Corsham itself, and was opened in 1951 to cater for children of Ministry of Defence employees; it now has about 16 students.
- Neston Primary School, Church Rise, Neston, was founded in 1861 as Corshamside School. It now provides for about 170 students.
- Shaw Church of England (Controlled) Primary School in Corsham Road, Shaw, MelkshamMelkshamMelksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...
, takes pupils from Corsham. Founded in the 1840s, it expanded over the years as an elementary school until 1953, when a secondary school opened in Melksham and Shaw became a primary school. It now has about 185 students. - St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Lacock Road, Corsham, opened in 1966 and now has about 200 pupils.
- The Corsham SchoolThe Corsham SchoolThe Corsham School is an Arts College and large secondary school & academy in Corsham, Wiltshire, England. It has 1387 students enrolled, with over 200 in the sixth form facility.-Background:...
, The Tynings, is Corsham's only secondary schoolSecondary schoolSecondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
; it was opened in 1972 as a comprehensive schoolComprehensive schoolA comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
and is now a specialist Visual Arts and Maths and Computing College with approximately 1400 students. Catering for students from 11 to 18, its DCSFDepartment for Children, Schools and FamiliesThe Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...
educational statistics are generally better than for Wiltshire as a whole. Its most recent OfstedOfstedThe Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
inspection, in 2009, assessed it as Outstanding in most areas.
- The Heywood Preparatory School, Priory Street, is an independent schoolIndependent schoolAn independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
providing education from ages 3 to 11, and has about 190 pupils. It achieved a favourable assessment when last inspected in June 2008, being described as "successful in meeting its aims and outstandingly so in many areas. It meets the needs of all pupils who are well educated in the widest sense". Itis located on two acres of property in the centre of Corsham, near Corsham CourtCorsham CourtCorsham Court is an English country house in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul...
, and was first mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday BookDomesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as a priory donated to an order of monks.The building itself is a Grade II Georgian building built in Bath stoneBath StoneBath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
in 1776, later additions include a barn, used as a dining room and later a science block and multi-functional performance hall built in the previous decade. The school is owned by Michael and Pamela Hall, who are the bursar and headteacher respectively who bought it in 1993. The school was rated 95th in The Sunday Times Good Schools Guide, previously it was 115th.
Churches
Corsham Priory was referred to in 1336 as having been given to Marmoutier AbbeyMarmoutier Abbey (Tours)
Marmoutier Abbey, also known as the Abbey of Marmoutier , was an early monastery outside Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France. In its later days it followed the Benedictine order as an influential monastery with many dependencies....
during the time of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
(1068–1135) as an alien priory
Alien priory
Alien priories were religious establishments in England, such as a monastery or convent, which were under the control of another religious house outside of England...
. An unnamed prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
was referred to in 1201, but the priory itself had become inactive by 1294 and its lands passed to The Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
and eventually to King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. The site later became that of a Georgian house, which is now The Heywood School.
Anglican
The town and surrounding villages are within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of BristolDiocese of Bristol
The Diocese of Bristol is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. It is based in the city of Bristol and covers South Gloucestershire and parts of north Wiltshire to Swindon...
.
- The Church of St Bartholomew is of SaxonHistory of Anglo-Saxon EnglandAnglo-Saxon England refers to the period of the history of that part of Britain, that became known as England, lasting from the end of Roman occupation and establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 5th century until the Norman conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror...
origin; it lies between the High Street and Corsham CourtCorsham CourtCorsham Court is an English country house in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul...
. The fabric has been extended numerous times since its foundation, and in 1810 the spireSpireA spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
was removed as a danger but not replaced until 1874. In the north chancel chapel, the large altar tomb of Thomas TropenellThomas TropenellThomas Tropenell, sometimes Tropenelle and Tropnell , was an English lawyer and landowner in Wiltshire in the west of England.He acquired large estates, built Great Chalfield Manor, and compiled the Tropenell Cartulary....
is shared with his first wife, Agnes.
- The Church of St. John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, Gastard dates back to 1428 but the current building only to 1912. It is built in the gothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. - The Church of St. PhilipPhilip the ApostlePhilip the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia....
and St. James, Neston is part of the parish of Neston. Opened in 1866, its architecture is early English constructed of local stoneBath StoneBath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
.
Roman Catholic
- St. PatrickSaint PatrickSaint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
's Roman Catholic Church was originally Pickwick School, then a glove factory, before becoming a gas maskGas maskA gas mask is a mask put on over the face to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Some gas masks are also respirators, though the word...
factory during the Second World War. It was converted into a church to provide for incoming military workers. It did not have a resident priest between the ReformationEnglish ReformationThe English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
and 1957.
Free Church
- The BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Chapel, Moor Green, was founded in 1833.
- The Congregational Church, Pickwick Road, originally met in a malthouseBreweryA brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
, and a new building was commenced in 1790. In 1971 it closed and is now used for offices.
- Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Velly, was founded in 1857.
- Ebenezer Chapel, Priory Street, was formed in 1822/3 when some members of the Congregational ChurchCongregational churchCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
split over doctrine. The present building opened in 1829 and has been extended since then.
- Monk's Lane Chapel, built in 1662, was formerly a QuakerReligious Society of FriendsThe Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
meeting-house and was transferred to the Congregational churchCongregational churchCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in 1690.
- The Particular Baptist Chapel, Pound Pill dates back to about 1824.
- The BrethrenOld German Baptist BrethrenOld German Baptist Brethren descend from a pietist movement in Schwarzenau, Germany, in 1708, when Alexander Mack founded a fellowship with seven other believers. They are one of several Brethren groups that trace themselves to that original founding body...
met in several locations, beginning in the mid nineteenth century at Pockeridge Lodge, moving to Neston, while another group met in Pickwick. By 1903, both were meeting in Neston and in 1925 they bought the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Station Road.
- Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Pickwick Road, replaced a cottage in Easton, and a house in Middlewick Lane, before the present chapel was built in 1903.
- Zion Hill Baptist Chapel was built in 1859 by a group who separated from the Priory Street Ebenezer Chapel.
Transport
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
by the B3109 road, to Melksham
Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...
by the B3353, and to Chippenham
Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
and Bath by the A4 Bath Road, a former turnpike from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
Four public car parks in the town centre are operated by North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire was a local government district in Wiltshire, England, formed on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, and Malmesbury along with Calne and Chippenham Rural District, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Rural District and Malmesbury Rural District...
District Council for a small fee.
Bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
companies, including Coachstyle, Faresaver and FirstGroup plc
FirstGroup plc
FirstGroup plc is a public transport company, registered in Scotland at its headquarters in Aberdeen, operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Canada and the United States...
, operate local services, as well as buses to all nearby towns.
The Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
railway from London to Bristol passes through Corsham, though the local station
Corsham railway station
Corsham railway station served the town of Corsham in Wiltshire, England. The station was on the main Great Western Railway line from London to Bristol and was opened when the Chippenham to Bath section opened in June 1841....
closed in the 1960s.
Nearby stations, and most passenger trains, are operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
. Some local services call at the nearest station at Melksham
Melksham railway station
Melksham railway station serves the town of Melksham in Wiltshire, England. It is on the branch line from Chippenham to Trowbridge that was originally part of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway, absorbed in 1850 by the Great Western Railway. The station opened with the original section of the...
(4.5 miles, 7.2 km) while Chippenham station
Chippenham railway station
Chippenham railway station serves the market town of Chippenham in Wiltshire, England. The station is on the Great Western Main Line, in between and , and is served by First Great Western main line services between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington, and a smaller First Great Western local...
(4.7 miles, 7.5 km) offers frequent express services and connections.
The eastern portal of Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through Box Hill, and is one of the most significant structures on the Great Western Main Line...
, built as the longest railway tunnel of its time, by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
for the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, is at Hudswell on the western edge of the town.
Corsham Railway Cutting
Corsham Railway Cutting
Corsham Railway Cutting is a 6.6 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire, notified in 1971.-Sources=* :External links*...
carries the main line westward through Corsham to Box Tunnel; in 1971 6.6 hectares (16.3 acre) of land in the cutting were designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
for notable geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
.
Town twinning
Corsham has had a twinning relationship with the town of JargeauJargeau
Jargeau is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.It lies about south of Paris.-External links:*...
, France since 1981, and has an active twinning association. Corsham holds an annual twinning event in which musical and charity events occur, accompanied by French food and wines. There is also a boules
Boules
Boules is a collective name for games played with metal balls.Two of the most played boule games are pétanque and boule lyonnaise. The aim of the game is to get large, heavy balls as close to the 'jack' as you can. It is very popular especially in France, but also Italy, where it may often be seen...
competition for the Peter Henderson trophy which is named in memory of a local doctor and former chairman of the twinning association. As part of the 2008 event, a mock Storming of the Bastille
Storming of the Bastille
The storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. While the prison only contained seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint...
was staged to celebrate Bastille Day
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...
, Corsham Town Hall standing in for the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian prison.
Defence
The Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
has operated a number of locations in the vicinity of Corsham since the First World War and employs approximately 2,000 people:
Basil Hill site
The Basil Hill Site is in Park Lane and comprises the former Basil Hill Barracks; approximately 800 personnel are employed there, rising to 2,100 in 2010 as part of a major modernisation programme named "Corsham New Environment". It is home to the Directorate of Information Systems and Services (DISS) and also houses the Global Operations Security Control Centre (GOSCC). Completion of Corsham New Environment will see the Rudloe and Copenacre sites relinquished by the Ministry of Defence.Rudloe Manor site
RAF Rudloe Manor
RAF Rudloe Manor, formerly RAF Box, was a Royal Air Force station located north-east of Bath, United Kingdom between the towns of Box and Corsham, in Wiltshire...
, which was established during the Second World War as a non-flying station for administrative and command & control purposes. It was home to HQ Number 10 Fighter Group, RAF Regional Command, Headquarters RAF Police & Security Services, No 1 Signals Unit, Controller Defence Communications Network and 1001 Signals Unit. By 1998 it had become mostly administrative, housing the RAF Provost and Security Services, which dealt with security and criminal investigation services, the Defence Communication Services Agency, while the detachment of 1001 Signals Unit of the RAF remained. It closed as an operational site in about 2000.
RAF Rudloe Manor was the location of Headquarters Southern Area Royal Observer Corps
Royal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
from 1952 until 1980 when it was relocated to Lansdown near Bath. Co-located with the ROC was Headquarters Southern Sector United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation was a British civilian organisation operating between 1957 and 1992 to provide the authorities with data about nuclear explosions and forecasts of likely fallout profiles across the country in the event of war.The UKWMO was established and...
responsible for the now defunct Four-minute warning in the event of nuclear attack during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Copenacre site
The Copenacre Site was originally an underground stone quarry below land formerly part of the Hartham estate; this was taken over by the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
in 1937 and became the Royal Naval Stores Depot, Copenacre. It closed on 30 September 1995.
The Copenacre Site closed in January 2011 and was put up for sale.
Hawthorn site
HawthornHawthorn, Wiltshire
Hawthorn is the location of a number of defence related underground facilities in the vicinity of Corsham, Wiltshire. Specifically the Hawthorn site was the location of an above-ground bunker used for the planning of satellite communications support to the United Kingdom's armed forces worldwide. ...
was a development of the Bath stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
quarries for defence purposes, originally intended for the underground manufacture of engines for the Hawthorn aeroplane by the Bristol Aeroplane Company
Bristol Aeroplane Company
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aero engines...
and includes the Central Government War Headquarters
Central Government War Headquarters
The Central Government War Headquarters is a complex built underground as the United Kingdom's Emergency Government War Headquarters - the hub of the country's alternative seat of power outside London during a nuclear war or conflict with the Soviet Union...
, variously known as "Turnstile" or "Burlington", and the Central Ammunition Depot.
Other units
Corsham Computer CentreJoint Service Unit
- Provides administrative support & facilities management in all three locations. In 2006 a Private Finance InitiativePrivate Finance InitiativeThe private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
contract was let to Inteq for the renewal and expansion of the Basil Hill and Rudloe Site facilities, valued at around £800m.
Services Cotswold Centre
- A welfare service in Neston offering temporary accommodation for services families who require it, and has 63 family units. It also has a medical centre and other amenities.
HMS Royal Arthur
- This was a Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
training establishment; during the Second World War it had been based at a ButlinsButlinsButlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
holiday camp at IngoldmellsIngoldmellsIngoldmells is a coastal village, civil parish and resort in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, on the A52.-Geography:In terms of villages it is relatively large, and receives a lot of tourism yearly due its close position to Skegness. Most housing is found in the west of the...
, near SkegnessSkegnessSkegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
, but moved to Corsham in 1947.
Skynet
The UK military communications satellite constellation called Skynet
Skynet (satellites)
Skynet is a family of military satellites, now operated by Paradigm Secure Communications on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence, which provide strategic communication services to the three branches of the British Armed Forces and to NATO forces engaged on coalition tasks.-Skynet 1:There were two...
, a PFI
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
arrangement, is controlled by contractor, Paradigm Services, from the location of the former 1001 SU Det on Skynet Drive. The ground segments in support of the constellation are located at Bordon
RAF Oakhanger
RAF Station Oakhanger was a Royal Air Force station in Hampshire split over three operational sites with accommodation in nearby Bordon. The main site and operations centre was near the village of Oakhanger with two other sites nearby...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and Colerne Airfield
Colerne Airfield
Colerne Airfield , formerly known as RAF Colerne, is located at Colerne, Wiltshire, England.By October 1940 RAF Colerne was still partly in the course of construction being a fighter station for the defence of Bristol. At that date the contractors were still building and the ground was a quagmire...
, Colerne
Colerne
Colerne is a village and civil parish in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, midway between Bath and Chippenham in Wiltshire, England. It has an elevated position above sea level and overlooks the Box Valley to the south...
, Wiltshire (formerly RAF Oakhanger
RAF Oakhanger
RAF Station Oakhanger was a Royal Air Force station in Hampshire split over three operational sites with accommodation in nearby Bordon. The main site and operations centre was near the village of Oakhanger with two other sites nearby...
and RAF Colerne
RAF Colerne
RAF Colerne now known as Colerne Airfield or AEF Colerne is a former World War II RAF Fighter Command and Bomber Command airfield located on the outskirts of the village of Colerne, Wiltshire...
.)
Others
A number of defence-related contractors are either co-located or in the vicinity of the MOD sites, such as Chemring Energetics UK Limited and Serco Defence, Science and Technology.
Quarries
Underground extraction of Bath StoneBath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
continues in Corsham on a smaller scale than previously. Hanson plc
Hanson plc
Hanson plc is a British based international building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. Traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index for many years, the company was acquired by a division of German rival Heidelberg Cement in August 2007.-History:Hanson...
operates Hartham Park Quarry in the Hudswell district, southwest of Pickwick, and Monk's Park Quarry near Gastard.
Disused quarries have been redeployed for other purposes; apart from defence usage, there is a wine storage facility
Wine cellar
A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae or plastic containers. In an active wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system. In contrast, passive wine cellars are not...
at Eastlays, near Gastard, and storage of magnetic media for off-site data protection
Off-site Data Protection
In computing, off-site data protection, or vaulting, is the strategy of sending critical data out of the main location as part of a disaster recovery plan. Data is usually transported off-site using removable storage media such as magnetic tape or optical storage...
at Neston.
Film and television
Another use for the quarries is the film industryFilm industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
. Underground scenes from the first episode of Blake's Seven were filmed at Eastlays, and disused tunnels form part of the studio complex of Corsham Media Park, a specialist business park that opened in 2001 adjacent to RAF Rudloe Manor
RAF Rudloe Manor
RAF Rudloe Manor, formerly RAF Box, was a Royal Air Force station located north-east of Bath, United Kingdom between the towns of Box and Corsham, in Wiltshire...
.
Period drama location filming occurs in Corsham, as in neighbouring Lacock
Lacock
Lacock is a village in Wiltshire, England, 3 miles from the town of Chippenham. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust, and attracts many visitors by virtue of its unspoiled appearance.-History:...
and Atworth
Atworth
Atworth is a village and a Civil Parish in Wiltshire, England. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,280. The village is about three miles northwest of Melksham and nine miles east from Bath.-Film industry:...
parishes. Neston Park
Neston Park
Neston Park is an English country house and estate, 2 miles south of Corsham, Wiltshire, in the village of Neston. The name of the village comes from the name of the house.The house was built just after 1790....
hosted major outdoor film sets for the 2008 BBC television adaption
Lark Rise to Candleford (TV series)
Lark Rise to Candleford is a British television costume drama series, adapted by the BBC from Flora Thompson's trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the English countryside, published between 1939 and 1943. The first episode aired on 13 January 2008 on BBC One and BBC HD in the UK. In the...
of Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. They were written by Flora Thompson and first published together in 1945...
, and the BBC also filmed scenes for a 2008 version of Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, also known as Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman, Tess of the d'Urbervilles or just Tess, is a novel by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1891. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British...
in Church Street and Corsham Court
Corsham Court
Corsham Court is an English country house in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul...
grounds.
Corsham Court
Corsham Court
Corsham Court is an English country house in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul...
has also been used as a period location in productions such as Barry Lyndon
Barry Lyndon
Barry Lyndon is a 1975 British-American period romantic war film produced, written, and directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray which recounts the exploits of an 18th century Irish adventurer...
(1975), The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day (film)
The Remains of the Day is a 1993 Merchant Ivory film adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, Mike Nichols and John Calley. It starred Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton with James Fox,...
(1993), A Respectable Trade (1997) and Wives and Daughters
Wives and Daughters
Wives and Daughters is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the Cornhill Magazine as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866...
(1999).
Notable people
- Felix AylmerFelix AylmerSir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television.-Early life and career:...
(1889–1979), Actor. President of Equity 1950-1969 - Jennifer BiddallJennifer BiddallJennifer Biddall is an English actress who played the part of Jessica Harris in Hollyoaks from 2005 to 2008.She was born in Bath, Somerset and grew up in Corsham, Wiltshire. Before studying at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, she travelled around the Greek islands...
(b. 1980), actress, best known as Jessica HarrisJessica HarrisJessica Florida Harris is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jennifer Biddall. She debuted on-screen during episodes airing in October 2005. Biddal decided to leave the serial in 2007, Jessica last appeared in 2008 and Biddall has since admitted she...
in HollyoaksHollyoaksHollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill... - Camilla Parker Bowles (b. 1947), and her first husband Andrew Parker BowlesAndrew Parker BowlesBrigadier Andrew Henry Parker Bowles OBE is a retired British Army officer. He is the former husband of the Duchess of Cornwall , who is now married to the Prince of Wales....
- Harold BrakspearHarold BrakspearSir Harold William Brakspear was a noted restoration architect and archaeologist.He restored a number of ancient and notable buildings, including*Bath Abbey*Windsor Castle*Brownston House, Devizes....
(1870–1934), restoration architect and archæologist, lived at Pickwick Manor and Parkside in High Street - Robert BrianRobert BrianRobert Brian from Corsham, Wiltshire, UK is a professional jazz and rock drummer and session musician, most notably for Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees.-Life and works:...
(b.1970), drummer and session musician, most notably for Siouxsie SiouxSiouxsie SiouxSiouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",... - Revd Richard EnraghtRichard William EnraghtRichard William Enraght SSC was an Irish-born Church of England priest of the late nineteenth century. He was influenced by the Oxford Movement and was included amongst the priests commonly called “Second Generation” Anglo-Catholics.Fr...
(1837–1898), religious controversialist, curate of St Bartholomew's Church, Corsham, 1861–1864 - Sir Gabriel Goldney, 1st Baronet of Beechfield (1813–1900), MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for ChippenhamChippenhamChippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
, and the Goldney BaronetsGoldney BaronetsThe Goldney Baronetcy, of Beechfield in the Parish of Corsham and Bradenstoke Abbey in the Parish of Lyneham, both in the County of Wiltshire), was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 11 May 1880 for Gabriel Goldney, Conservative Member of Parliament for Chippenham... - Edward HastedEdward HastedEdward Hasted was the author of a major county history, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent .-Life:...
(1732–1812), historian, master of Corsham Almshouse - Elizabeth HurleyElizabeth HurleyElizabeth Jane Hurley is an English model and actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s. In 1994, as Grant became the focus of worldwide media attention due to the global box office success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hurley accompanied him to the film's Los...
(b. 1965), actress, attended St Patrick's Primary School, 1973-74 - Nick MasonNick MasonNicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
(b. 1944), musician, Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially... - Baron MethuenBaron MethuenBaron Methuen, of Corsham in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1838 for the former Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and Wiltshire North, Paul Methuen. His grandson, the third Baron , was a distinguished soldier. His son, the fourth Baron,...
, family seat is Corsham CourtCorsham CourtCorsham Court is an English country house in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul... - Gavin SchmidtGavin SchmidtGavin A. Schmidt is a climatologist and climate modeler at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. He works on the variability of the ocean circulation and climate, using general circulation models . He has also worked on ways to reconcile paleo-data with models...
, climatologist, GISSGoddard Institute for Space StudiesThe NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies , at Columbia University in New York City, is a component laboratory of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Earth-Sun Exploration Division and a unit of The Earth Institute at Columbia University... - Rini TempletonRini TempletonLucille Corinne Templeton , better known as "Rini" Templeton, was an American graphic artist, sculptor, and political activist. She was most active in Mexico and the Southwestern United States, although she also volunteered in Cuba and Nicaragua after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution and the...
(1935–1986), artist, studied at Bath Academy in Corsham c. 1956 - Michael TippettMichael TippettSir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music...
(1905–1998), composer, lived at Parkside in High Street, 1960-70
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See also
Neighbouring civil parishes (anticlockwise from the north):- BiddestoneBiddestoneBiddestone is a small, rural and rather picturesque Cotswold village in north west Wiltshire, England, with a population of 457 in 2001. It is situated near Castle Combe, Corsham, Giddeahall and Chippenham....
– small village north of Hartham - ColerneColerneColerne is a village and civil parish in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, midway between Bath and Chippenham in Wiltshire, England. It has an elevated position above sea level and overlooks the Box Valley to the south...
– medium-sized village northwest of Corsham and Pickwick - BoxBox, WiltshireBox is a village located in Wiltshire, England, about east of Bath and west of Chippenham. It is quite a large parish with several settlements, apart from the village of Box, within its boundaries....
– village west of Corsham; parish includes part of Rudloe - AtworthAtworthAtworth is a village and a Civil Parish in Wiltshire, England. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,280. The village is about three miles northwest of Melksham and nine miles east from Bath.-Film industry:...
– Neston Park Estate extends south beyond Atworth village - LacockLacockLacock is a village in Wiltshire, England, 3 miles from the town of Chippenham. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust, and attracts many visitors by virtue of its unspoiled appearance.-History:...
– historic village and abbey, largely owned by the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, east of Gastard - ChippenhamChippenham, WiltshireChippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
and Chippenham WithoutChippenham WithoutChippenham Without is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, created as a separate entity from the parish of Chippenham by the Local Government Act 1894 and largely consists of the farmland from the west of Chippenham to Biddestone...
parishes – market town northeast of Easton
Further reading
- McCamley, Nick (2000) Secret underground cities : an account of some of Britain's subterranean defence, factory and storage sites in the Second World War, Pen and Sword Books Ltdhttp://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/product.php?productid=188&cat=0&page=1, ISBN 0-85052-733-3
External links
- Corsham Town Council
- Corsham at Wiltshire Community History from Wiltshire County CouncilWiltshire County CouncilWiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
- Historic Corsham photos at BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Wiltshire - Subterranea Britannica – entry on the Corsham bunkers
- Wiltshire's Secret Underground City: Burlington Articles, interactive map and video tour from BBC Wiltshire