Wanborough, Wiltshire
Encyclopedia
Wanborough is a village and civil parish in the borough of Swindon
, Wiltshire
. The village is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southeast of Swindon town centre. The parish includes the hamlet
of Foxhill, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of the village.
settlement, Durocornovium
, slightly northwest of the current village, at a road junction mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary
. Being the last vicus
on Ermin Street
before the scarp
slope of the Marlborough Downs, Durocornovium was a site where horses were watered before the steep climb off the Oxfordshire plain.
Wanborough was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles as Wôdnes-beorg which later became Wodnesborough before becoming Wanborough.
Wanborough is just off the Ridgeway National Trail. Development in a strip along the road frontages characterised the village, which reached maximum development in the 4th century.
of Saint Andrew
is unusual in having a spire at one end and a tower at the other. There are only three parish church
es with this feature in the UK. The others are at nearby Purton
, Wiltshire and Ormskirk
, Lancashire
.
and shop
. The village has six public houses: The Black Horse; The Brewers Arms; The New Calley Arms; The Cross Keys; The Harrow; and The Plough.
Foxhill had one public house, The Shepherd's Rest which has re-opened as a restaurant serving Indian cuisine and renamed "The Burj".
There is a monthly farmers market in the village hall on the 3rd Saturday of every month, except August where is replaced by the Wanborough Show
Wanborough has a primary school
Redlands Airfield
is a base for microlight aviation and skydiving parachute
training.
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...
, 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 village is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southeast of Swindon town centre. The parish includes the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Foxhill, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of the village.
History
There was a RomanRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
settlement, Durocornovium
Durocornovium
Durocornovium was a Roman town situated on the Roman road between Corinium Dobunnorum and Calleva Atrebatum . In many ways Durocornovium was a typical small Roman town, and visitors to Corbridge at Hadrian's Wall in the north of England can get a sense of the claustrophobic conditions the town...
, slightly northwest of the current village, at a road junction mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary
Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another...
. Being the last vicus
Vicus (Rome)
In ancient Rome, the vicus was a neighborhood. During the Republican era, the four regiones of the city of Rome were subdivided into vici. In the 1st century BC, Augustus reorganized the city for administrative purposes into 14 regions, comprising 265 vici. Each vicus had its own board of...
on Ermin Street
Ermin Street
Ermin Street or Ermin Way is one of the great Roman roads of Britain. It runs from Gloucester via Cirencester to Silchester . Much of it is now covered by the modern A417, A419 and B4000 roads....
before the scarp
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
slope of the Marlborough Downs, Durocornovium was a site where horses were watered before the steep climb off the Oxfordshire plain.
Wanborough was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles as Wôdnes-beorg which later became Wodnesborough before becoming Wanborough.
Wanborough is just off the Ridgeway National Trail. Development in a strip along the road frontages characterised the village, which reached maximum development in the 4th century.
Parish church
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Andrew
St Andrew's Church, Wanborough
-External links:...
is unusual in having a spire at one end and a tower at the other. There are only three parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es with this feature in the UK. The others are at nearby Purton
Purton
Purton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire. The civil parish includes the village of Purton Stoke and the hamlets of Bentham, Hayes Knoll, Restrop and Widham....
, Wiltshire and Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
Amenities
The village has a small post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and shop
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
. The village has six public houses: The Black Horse; The Brewers Arms; The New Calley Arms; The Cross Keys; The Harrow; and The Plough.
Foxhill had one public house, The Shepherd's Rest which has re-opened as a restaurant serving Indian cuisine and renamed "The Burj".
There is a monthly farmers market in the village hall on the 3rd Saturday of every month, except August where is replaced by the Wanborough Show
Wanborough has a primary school
Redlands Airfield
Redlands Airfield
Redlands Airfield is an unlicenced private airfield in Wanborough, east of Swindon, Wiltshire, a few miles from junction 15 of the M4. Redlands Airfield has been operating since 1990 after being granted planning permission by Swindon Borough Council for a microlight flying club and school...
is a base for microlight aviation and skydiving parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
training.