Atworth

Atworth is a village and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. The village is on the A365 road between Melksham and Box, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Melksham and 4 miles (6 km) northeast of Bradford on Avon. The hamlet of Purlpit lies east of Atworth village, and in the south of the parish are the small village of Great Chalfield and the hamlet of Little Chalfield.

Atworth

Bradford Road, Atworth
Atworth
Location within Wiltshire
Population1,321 (in 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST865660
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMELKSHAM
Postcode districtSN12
Dialling code01225
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteParish Council

The Roman road from Silchester to Bath forms the northern boundary of the parish, and to the south of it is the settlement of Beardwell.

History

The present-day civil parish of Atworth was created in 1884 from four former parishes or tithings.

Atworth

Atworth was a tithing in the northeast of the large ancient parish of Bradford on Avon. This land forms the northern half of the modern parish, with the Roman road from Silchester to Bath as its northern boundary.[2]

A Roman villa (excavated in 1937 and 1971) was a short distance northwest of the present village of Atworth.[3] Poplar Farmhouse is from the 15th century[4] and Manor Farmhouse is from the early 18th century.[5]

Great Chalfield

Great Chalfield (or East Chalfield), to the south of Atworth, was a separate parish until 1884.[6] Great Chalfield Manor was built in the 15th century.

Little Chalfield

Little Chalfield (or West Chalfield) was a separate manor and, in the 14th and 15th centuries, a separate parish. There was a church or chapel, recorded in conveyances up to 1701, but then lost without trace. Little Chalfield became an extra-parochial area until the civil parish of Little Chalfield with Cottles was created in 1857.[6] Little Chalfield Manor is from the early 19th century.[7]

Cottles

Cottles (or Atworth Cottles) was part of the ancient parish of Bradford, then became extra-parochial until 1857. There is no present-day settlement but the name continues in Cottles Wood and Cottles House, a 16th-century building occupied since 1939 by Stonar School.

Geography

The South Brook, a small tributary of the Bristol Avon, passes close to Atworth and through Purlpit. Chalfield Brook, another tributary, passes both Chalfields and forms part of the southern boundary of the parish.

The Neston Park estate extends south into Atworth parish.

Religious sites

The Church of England parish church of St Michael and All Angels has a tower from 1451 which stands next to an 1832 building by H.E. Goodridge. The church is Grade II* listed.[8] There has been a church on this site since the 11th century.[2][9]

Atworth Independent Chapel was built in the 1790s.[2][10] It is affiliated to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.[11]

A Baptist church, Ebenezer Church, was opened at Atworth in 1864 and closed in 1979.[12]

All Saints church at Great Chalfield Manor is Grade I listed and dates from the 14th century.

Amenities

Atworth has a primary school called Churchfields, The Village School[13] (not to be confused with Churchfields Academy, Swindon). The school building dates from 1828; until 1953 the school took pupils of all ages. Following the closure in 2006 of small schools at Monkton Farleigh and South Wraxall, the school has two sites: Atworth and Monkton Farleigh.[14]

Stonar School at Cottles Park is an independent school for boarding and day pupils of all ages.

Atworth has a pub, the White Hart.

Landmarks

At least three village pumps survive.[15]

References
  1. "Wiltshire Community History - Census". Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  2. "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 7 pp4-51 - Parishes: Bradford-on-Avon". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  3. Historic England. "Roman villa (site of), Atworth (207925)". PastScape. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  4. Historic England. "Poplar Farmhouse, Atworth (1250571)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  5. Historic England. "Manor Farmhouse, Atworth (1263123)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  6. "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 7 pp59-66 - Parishes: Great Chalfield". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  7. Historic England. "Little Chalfield Manor (1263050)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  8. Historic England. "Church of St Michael and All Angels, Atworth (1250853)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  9. "Church of St. Michael, Atworth". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  10. "Independent Chapel, Atworth". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  11. "Atworth Independent Church". FIEC. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  12. "Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Atworth". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  13. "Churchfields, The Village School". Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  14. "Churchfields, The Village School, Atworth". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  15. "Atworth". villagepumps.org.uk. R.K. Williams. Retrieved 6 September 2015.

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