Liddington
Encyclopedia
Liddington is a village near Swindon
in Wiltshire
, England. The settlement lies south east of Swindon town, close to the M4 motorway
, junction 15 of which is about 1.5 kilometres away via the B4192 - known as Purley Road where it passes through Liddington village.
The parish as a whole has been an area of settlement since the earliest times. The ancient Ridgeway
traverses the parish just north of the village and the Iron Age hill-fort known as Liddington Castle
overlooks the present-day village. Liddington is recorded in the late Saxon period, around 940 AD. The Domesday Book
of 1086 refers to the settlement as Ledentone. Records indicate that Liddington was a fairly prosperous parish in the 14th century Population of the parish was 454 in 1841 but gradually declined thereafter
This is the control bunker for a WWII 'Starfish' bombing decoy site. 'SF' - standing for 'Special Fire'. This would have been used to control fires which would have acted as a decoy to enemy planes targeting the town of Swindon to the north.
The bunker consisted of two rooms off a central passage. That on the right housed generators. The control room was on the left, with a hatch in the concrete roof. At the end of the corridor someone has drawn a large swastika and the name 'Hitler'.
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
in 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...
, England. The settlement lies south east of Swindon town, close to the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
, junction 15 of which is about 1.5 kilometres away via the B4192 - known as Purley Road where it passes through Liddington village.
The parish as a whole has been an area of settlement since the earliest times. The ancient Ridgeway
The Ridgeway
thumb|right|thumb|The ancient tree-lined path winds over the downs countrysideThe Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road...
traverses the parish just north of the village and the Iron Age hill-fort known as Liddington Castle
Liddington Castle
Liddington Castle, locally called Liddington Camp, is a late Bronze Age and early Iron Age hill fort in the English county of Wiltshire....
overlooks the present-day village. Liddington is recorded in the late Saxon period, around 940 AD. The Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
of 1086 refers to the settlement as Ledentone. Records indicate that Liddington was a fairly prosperous parish in the 14th century Population of the parish was 454 in 1841 but gradually declined thereafter
'Starfish' Decoy Control Bunker on Liddington Hill
This is the control bunker for a WWII 'Starfish' bombing decoy site. 'SF' - standing for 'Special Fire'. This would have been used to control fires which would have acted as a decoy to enemy planes targeting the town of Swindon to the north.
The bunker consisted of two rooms off a central passage. That on the right housed generators. The control room was on the left, with a hatch in the concrete roof. At the end of the corridor someone has drawn a large swastika and the name 'Hitler'.