Wikipedia

Bratton, Wiltshire

Brattonis a village andcivil parishin the English county ofWiltshire,about 2.5 miles (4 km) east ofWestbury.The village lies under the northern slope ofSalisbury Plain,on the B3098Westbury–Market Lavingtonroad.

Bratton
War memorial, Bratton
Bratton is located in Wiltshire
Bratton
Bratton
Location withinWiltshire
Population1,171 (in 2021)[1]
OS grid referenceST914523
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWESTBURY
Postcode districtBA13
Dialling code01380
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteParish Council
List of places
UK
England
Wiltshire
51°16′12″N2°07′26″W/ 51.270°N 2.124°W/51.270; -2.124

History

edit
Melbourne Street, c. 1910

The massiveearthworksof theIron Agehill fortknown asBratton Castle(or Bratton Camp) are within the parish.[2]

Bratton was atithingof the ancient parish of Westbury until 1894, when it became a separate civil parish.[3]

An agricultural machinery business, R & J Reeves & Son, had a central site in Bratton village which became known as Bratton Iron Works. Begun as a blacksmith in 1799, the company became nationally known in the 19th century and was the largest employer in the area. The firm closed in 1970 and the site is now the village play area.[4][5][6]

TheStert and Westbury Railwaywas built across the parish in 1900. The local station was in the adjacent parish ofEdingtonand was called Edington & Bratton; the station closed to passengers in 1952 and to goods in 1963, but the line remains open as part of theReading to Taunton Line.

Religious sites

edit
St James the Great

TheChurch of England parish churchof St James the Great has 14th-century origins and may be on the site of an earlier church. It was rebuilt in the 15th century; the chancel was rebuilt in 1854 byG. G. Scott,with further restoration byT. H. Wyattin 1860.[7]The church isGrade II* listed.[8]

ABaptistchapel was built in 1734, enlarged in the 1780s and again in the next century, with the addition of a schoolroom. Pevsner describes the chapel as "externally a gem"[9]and it is Grade II* listed.[10]As of 2018 the chapel is still in use.[11]

AMethodistchapel was built in 1870 and closed in 1952; the building was demolished in 1957.[12]

Schools

edit
The Oratory, Bratton, formerly the National School

In 1846, aNational Schoolwas built at the top of Batts Lane, Bratton, now called the Butts, and enlarged in 1877.[13]Also around 1846, aBritish Schoolwas established, and the lessons taught included Arithmetic and Algebra, Geography, Grammar, Scripture, Reading, Ciphering, History, and Drill.[14]This school, intended for the use ofnonconformists,was in Stradbrook.[15]

In 1928, both schools were closed and their pupils moved to a newly builtWiltshire County Councilschool, which became Bratton Primary School and was extended in 1982.[16]The former British School became an ex-servicemen's club,[15]while the National School building – known as The Oratory – continued in its role as a Sunday school and church hall, until it was sold for residential use in around 2009.[17]

Landmarks

edit

In the village:

On Westbury Hill:

Roughly a mile west of Bratton is a formerLafarge Cementfactory, which was reduced to a distribution site in 2009.[23]The factory had a 400 feet (120 m) tall chimney, which was demolished in September 2016.[24]

Notable buildings

edit
Bratton House
Court House, Bratton

The Court House (15th and 17th centuries)[25]andBratton House(1715 and 1826)[26]are Grade II* listed.

Amenities

edit

The village has a Post Office and village shop, a village hall and apub,The Duke at Bratton.

Bratton Downsis a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Notable residents

edit
  • Maria Grace Saffery(1773–1858), poet and Baptist hymn-writer, lived in Bratton.
  • Rebecca Smith(1807–1849), last British woman to be executed for infanticide
  • Rev. George Whitaker(1811–1882), clergyman and educator
  • Sir Horace Seymour(1885–1978), British diplomat, Ambassador to China
  • Major General Sir Jeremy Moore(1928–2007), Commander of British land forces during the Falklands War, lived in the village for over 20 years until his death
  • Jack Lauterwasser(1904–2003), cyclist, silver medal winner at the 1928 Olympics, Amsterdam
  • Marjorie Reeves(1905–2003), historian and educationalist, author ofSheep Bell and Ploughshare: The Story of Two Village Familieswhich describes village life[27]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^"Bratton (parish): population statistics, 2021 Census".CityPopulation.de.Retrieved5 August2024.
  2. ^Historic England."Bratton Camp Iron Age hillfort (1013399)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved16 February2016.
  3. ^"Victoria County History – Wiltshire – Vol 8 pp139-148 – Westbury: Introduction".British History Online.University of London.Retrieved16 February2016.
  4. ^Porter, Trevor (13 November 2009)."Then and Now – Bratton Iron Works".Wiltshire Times.Retrieved2 October2018.
  5. ^Gardner, Dennis (2016)."R & J Reeves & Son – Bratton Iron Works"(PDF).Bratton History Association.Retrieved2 October2018.
  6. ^Stanier, Peter (2006).Wiltshire in the Age of Steam: A History and Archaeology of Wiltshire Industry, C.1750-1950.Halsgrove. pp. 82–83.ISBN978-1-84114-549-5.
  7. ^"Church of St. James, Bratton".Wiltshire Community History.Wiltshire Council.Retrieved16 February2016.
  8. ^Historic England."Church of St James (1036509)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved16 February2016.
  9. ^Pevsner, Nikolaus;Cherry, Bridget (revision)(1975) [1963].Wiltshire.The Buildings of England(2nd ed.). Harmondsworth:Penguin Books.p. 139.ISBN0-14-0710-26-4.
  10. ^Historic England."Baptist Chapel (1036507)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved16 February2016.
  11. ^"Bratton Baptist Church".Retrieved16 February2016.
  12. ^"Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Bratton".Wiltshire Community History.Wiltshire Council.Retrieved16 February2016.
  13. ^"National School, Bratton".Wiltshire Community History.Wiltshire Council.Retrieved16 February2016.
  14. ^"British School, Bratton".Wiltshire Community History.Wiltshire Council.Retrieved16 February2016.
  15. ^ab"Early education in Bratton",brattonhistory.co.uk, accessed 26 October 2023
  16. ^"Bratton Primary School".Wiltshire Community History.Wiltshire Council.Retrieved16 February2016.
  17. ^"The Oratory - Upper Garston Lane".brattonhistory.co.uk.Retrieved26 June2024.
  18. ^"R & J Reeves & Son - Bratton Iron Works".Bratton Village.Archived fromthe originalon 4 August 2016.Retrieved18 September2016.
  19. ^"Bratton, Wiltshire, St James the Great".Archived fromthe originalon 21 December 2014.Retrieved21 December2014.
  20. ^Museums, Imperial War."Battle Of Ethandun".Imperial War Museums.Retrieved25 June2017.
  21. ^"Join in the Jubilee!".Whitehorsenews.co.uk.9 May 2012.Retrieved25 June2017.
  22. ^Gittins, Roger (19 May 2009)."English: Westbury White Horse. The construction in the foreground is a signpost erected by pupils of Adcroft School of Building in 1968 see 1638403. Incidentally the horse carving has been" preserved "by a covering of what looks like concrete! Not what I expected".Retrieved25 June2017– via Wikimedia Commons.
  23. ^"Plans to demolish Lafarge Cement works in Westbury".BBC News: Wiltshire.17 June 2010.Retrieved18 September2016.
  24. ^Mackley, Stefan (18 September 2016)."Westbury chimney: Emotions run high following demolition".Wiltshire Times.Retrieved18 September2016.
  25. ^Historic England."The Court House (1193662)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved16 February2016.
  26. ^Historic England."Bratton House (1036520)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved16 February2016.
  27. ^Marjorie Reeves (1980).Sheep Bell and Ploughshare: The Story of Two Village Families.Granada.ISBN978-0-586-08349-9.
edit

Media related toBratton, Wiltshireat Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bratton,_Wiltshire&oldid=1250119939"