Wikipedia

Biddestone

Biddestoneis a village and formercivil parish,now in the parish of Biddestone and Slaughterford,[2]in northwestWiltshire,England, about 3 miles (5 km) west ofChippenhamand 2 miles (3.2 km) north ofCorsham.The parish includes the smaller settlement ofSlaughterford.

Biddestone
Biddestone's largevillage green
Biddestone is located in Wiltshire
Biddestone
Biddestone
Location withinWiltshire
Population498 (in 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST863735
Civil parish
  • Biddestone and Slaughterford
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCHIPPENHAM
Postcode districtSN14
Dialling code01249
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteParish Council
List of places
UK
England
Wiltshire
51°27′36″N2°11′53″W/ 51.460°N 2.198°W/51.460; -2.198

Geography

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TheBybrook Riverforms the western boundary of the parish, while the northern boundary follows approximately the Bristol to Chippenham road, now theA420.

The parish is just inside the eastern boundary of theCotswoldsArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty.Sites of Special Scientific Interest includeHoneybrook FarmandColerne Park and Monk's Wood,both near Slaughterford.

History

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A settlement atBedestone,with four households, was recorded inDomesday Bookin 1086.[3]

TheGrade II* listedManor House (at the southeast entrance to the village)[4]and Manor Farmhouse[5]are from the 17th century, as are Pool Farmhouse[6]and Elm Cottage[7](both south of the village green). Willow House, north of the green, is dated 1730: a three-storey house with a formal five-bay south front.[8]

Local government

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The civil parish elects aparish council.It is in the area ofWiltshire Councilunitary authority,which is responsible for all significant local government functions.

The parish of Biddestone was formed on 25 March 1885 fromBiddestone St PeterandBiddestone St Nicholas.[9]On 1 April 1934, the parish of Slaughterford was abolished and its area added to Biddestone;[10]at the 1931 census, a population of 67 had been recorded for Slaughterford[10]and 420 for Biddestone.[11]On 1 July 2022, the merged parish was renamed "Biddestone and Slaughterford".[12]

Religious sites

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Parish church

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St Nicholas' Church

TheChurch of England parish churchof St Nicholas isGrade I listed.[13]

It was built in the 12th century in rubble stone, on the foundations of an older church;[14]the south door (with a pair of columns, and a cross in thetympanum) and two windows in the chancel survive from that period, while the rest of the building dates from the 13th and 14th centuries.[15]The east gable of the nave has a 13th-century bell-turret described as "remarkable" byNikolaus Pevsner.[16][13]

Apart from changes to the windows and the 15th-century rebuilding of the chancel arch and addition of a short octagonal stone spire to the bell-turret, the church was unaltered until the mid-19th century. Then the roofs were renewed and stone from the demolition of St Peter's church was used to extend the chancel to form asanctuary.[14]The nave was restored in 1900.[14]

The stone font with zigzag decoration is from the 12th century, and the eroded or defaced heads at the corners of its base may be 13th-century.[15]The panelled west gallery on thin iron columns is from the late 17th century, and thebox pewsare from c.1800.[13]

Sometime before 1953, the benefice was united with Slaughterford.[17]Today the parish is part of the Bybrook Benefice, a group of ten rural parishes.[18]

Others

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South door of St Nicholas' Church

A church of St Peter, on the eastern side of the village, was demolished in 1846. Possibly ofSaxonorigin and larger than St Nicholas', it had been rebuilt in 1430.[19]Its bell-cote was acquired byG. P. Scropeand made into a garden seat at his house,Castle Combe Manor.[20]

BiddestoneBaptistchapel, dated 1832 and formerly known as Ebenezer Chapel, is Grade II listed.[21]By 2009 it had fallen into disuse.

A small Methodist chapel stands at the northern extreme of the village, at the junction with Slaughterford Road. By 2009 this too was disused; records survive for the period 1960–1979.[22]

Slaughterford has its own church, also dedicated to St Nicholas, and had aQuakermeeting house.

Amenities

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The village has onepub,the White Horse. The Crown Inn atGiddeahallon the A420 is just outside the parish.

There is no primary school; most children travel to By Brook Valley CE Primary School in nearbyYatton Keynell,which was built to amalgamate the small primary schools in Biddestone, Yatton Keynell,Castle CombeandNettleton.The school at Biddestone, which also served Slaughterford, was built in 1844 and enlarged in 1875, and took children of all ages until 1945. It was closed in 1998 owing to falling pupil numbers.[23]

Honeybrook Farm,in the Bybrook valley in the west of the parish, is abiological Site of Special Scientific Interest.[24]

Sports clubs

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The Cricket Club, based at the village hall, plays in the Gloucestershire & Wiltshire division. It was established in 1949 and in 2024 is celebrating its 75th year. It has three senior league teams, a senior team named "The Swingers", women's and girls' teams, as well as a junior section.[25]

The Tennis Club has four floodlit courts. They play in the Chippenham and District tennis league, entering both men's and women's A, B and C teams.[26]

The newest sports club in the village is Biddestone Boules. Following years of running the September Biddy Boules competition, in 2023 a permanentboulespitch was built at the rear of the village hall.[27]

Events

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A traditional English fete is held on The Green in Biddestone, every year on the third Saturday in June.

A music festival called Biddstock was founded in 2015 byMatt Powelland Gordon Stanley, and is held at the village playing fields. The festival raised over £27,000 for local good causes from the first four biannual events.[28]The 2024 edition is on 6 July.[29]

Biddstock 6th July 2024 music festival poster

Film location

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Biddestone was a filming location for the TV filmAgatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death(2014),[30]and forThe Christmas Candle(2013).[31]

References

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  1. ^"Wiltshire Community History – Census".Wiltshire Council.Retrieved25 September2015.
  2. ^"Biddestone and Slaughterford".Mapit.Retrieved4 July2023.
  3. ^Biddestonein theDomesday Book
  4. ^Historic England."The Manor House and barn, Chippenham Lane, Biddestone (1363596)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved29 September2015.
  5. ^Historic England."Manor Farmhouse, Corsham Road, Biddestone (1198858)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved29 September2015.
  6. ^Historic England."Pool Farmhouse, The Green, Biddestone (1022837)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved29 September2015.
  7. ^Historic England."Elm Cottage, The Green, Biddestone (1283626)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved23 April2016.
  8. ^Historic England."Willow House with gate piers and walls (1022836)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved7 December2021.
  9. ^"Chippenham Registration District".UKBMD.Retrieved6 July2023.
  10. ^ab"Biddestone CP: Relationships and changes".A Vision of Britain through Time.University of Portsmouth.Retrieved29 August2023.
  11. ^"Biddestone CP: Total Population".A Vision of Britain through Time.University of Portsmouth.Retrieved29 August2023.
  12. ^"Wiltshire Registration District".UKBMD.Retrieved28 August2023.
  13. ^abcHistoric England."Church of St Nicholas, Biddestone (1198839)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved29 September2015.
  14. ^abc"St Nicholas' Church, Biddestone".Wiltshire Community History.Wiltshire Council.Retrieved29 September2015.
  15. ^ab"St Nicholas, Biddestone, Wiltshire".The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland.King's College London.Retrieved7 December2021.
  16. ^Orbach, Julian;Pevsner, Nikolaus;Cherry, Bridget(2021).Wiltshire.The Buildings Of England. New Haven, US and London:Yale University Press.p. 137.ISBN978-0-300-25120-3.OCLC1201298091.
  17. ^"No. 39747".The London Gazette.6 January 1953. p. 171.
  18. ^"St Nicholas, Biddestone".Bybrook Benefice.28 February 2015.Retrieved7 December2021.
  19. ^"St Peter's Church, Biddestone".Wiltshire Community History.Wiltshire Council.Retrieved29 September2015.
  20. ^Historic England."Bellcote to east side of Italian Garden of Manor House Hotel (1283574)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved7 December2021.
  21. ^Historic England."Biddestone Baptist Chapel (1363601)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved29 September2015.
  22. ^"Biddestone Methodist Chapel - 1960-1979: trustees' meeting minute book".The National Archives.Retrieved29 September2015.
  23. ^"Biddestone Church of England School".Wiltshire Community History.Wiltshire Council.Retrieved29 September2015.
  24. ^"Honeybrook Farm SSSI".Natural England.Retrieved7 December2021.
  25. ^"Biddestone CC".biddestone.play-cricket.Retrieved23 April2024.
  26. ^"Biddestone Tennis Club".Retrieved23 April2024.
  27. ^"Biddestone Broadsheet"(PDF).Biddestone and Slaughterford Parish Council.March 2023. p. 7.Retrieved23 April2024.
  28. ^"Gallery".5 February 2017.
  29. ^"Biddstock music festival 6th July 2024".Biddstock.co.uk.Retrieved23 April2024.
  30. ^"Agatha Raisin filming in Biddestone".The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald.Retrieved7 December2021.
  31. ^"Village of Biddestone enjoys Hollywood moment".Wiltshire Times.15 March 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 6 January 2019.Retrieved7 December2021.
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