Vale of Pewsey

The Vale of Pewsey as viewed from the east end of Etchilhampton Hill.

TheVale of PewseyorPewsey Valeis an area ofWiltshire,England to the east ofDevizesand south ofMarlborough,centred on the village ofPewsey.

Geography

The vale is an extent of lower lying ground separating the chalk downs ofSalisbury Plainto the south from theMarlborough Downsto the north. It is around 30 kilometres (19 mi) long and around 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) wide. At the western end is the town of Devizes. Larger settlements in the vale includePewseyandBurbagewith many smaller villages, the larger ones includingBishops Cannings,Etchilhampton,Urchfont,Chirton,Alton Priors,Woodborough,Milton Lilbourne,Easton RoyalandWootton Rivers.

Although not itself part of thedowns,the vale is included as part of theNorth Wessex Downs AONB(Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

The vale is a major east–west feature opening to the west towards theBristol Channel,but is drained by the headwaters of theSalisbury Avon,rather than the westward-flowingBristol Avon.The river cuts through the chalk scarp to the south atUpavonand crosses Salisbury Plain towards the south coast. The higher part of the eastern vale south of Burbage is drained by theRiver Bourne,which cuts the scarp atCollingbourne Kingston,joining the Avon atSalisbury.Since the area is not believed to have been glaciated, this probably indicates that the course of the rivers pre-dates the modern topography.

The highest point isMilk Hill(nearAlton Barnes) at 295 m / 968 ft above sea level, with the adjacentTan Hillsummiting at 294 m / 965 ft.

The vale is not used by any major roads, but is followed by a railway and canal as a route between theLondon Basinand the west. To the north of Burbage the head of the Avon valley, draining west into the vale, meets the head of theRiver Dun,draining east to theKennetand theThames.The valley floor at around 150 metres (490 ft) above sea level provides a route through the downs which locally reach 200 to 300 metres. TheKennet and Avon Canaland themain line railwayfrom London to the south-west make use of this route, the canal using theBruce Tunnel.Formerly another rail route betweenAndoverandMarlboroughalso followed this gap. Another line formerly branched off towardsBathvia Devizes at the western end of the vale.

Geology

The vale lies along the eroded core of ananticline,a westward extension of theMendipAxis, with a relatively thin covering ofMesozoicsediments folded upwards over an up-faultedhorstofPalaeozoicrocks.The floor of the vale is composed ofAlbian(Lower Cretaceous) beds of theUpper Greensand,exposed by removal of the overlying chalk. It is surrounded to the north and south bychalkscarps which close to the east near Burbage. There is also a smallinlierof Greensand to the east atShalbourne;this area drains northwards to the Kennet.

Archaeology

Neolithicsites in the vale includeKnap Hill,acausewayed enclosurenearAlton Priors,first investigated byBenjaminandMaud Cunningtonin 1908–9.

In 2000, near the village ofWilcot,a schoolboy found ahoardofRoman coinswhich became known as theStanchester Hoard.The find is now at theWiltshire MuseuminDevizes.Since that time there have beenseveral other Roman hoardsdiscovered in the area.

In 2005, significantNeolithicfindsand twohengesites – theMardenandWilsfordHenges – were discovered in the vale.

Extent

According to the Pewsey Vale Local Plan prepared byKennet District Councilin 1992, the vale includes land in the following parishes:Alton,Buttermere,Burbage,Charlton,Chute,Chute Forest,Collingbourne Ducis,Collingbourne Kingston,Easton,Enford,Everleigh,Fittleton,Froxfield,Grafton,Great Bedwyn,Ham,Huish,Little Bedwyn,Manningford,Milton Lilbourne,Netheravon,North Newnton,Pewsey,Rushall,Shalbourne,Tidcombe and Fosbury,Upavon,Wilcot,Wilsford,Woodborough,andWootton Rivers.

Notable residents, past and present

• Michael AncramMP, 13thMarquess of Lothian
• SirHenry Howarth Bashford,physician and writer
• David Brudenell-Bruce, Earl of Cardigan,31st hereditary warden ofSavernake Forest
• Lord Devlin,judge
• Pete Doherty,musician
• Major-General Christopher Leslie Elliot
• Elinor Goodman,formerChannel 4Political Editor
• Brigadier Robert Hall,first Chairman ofWiltshire Council
• Nick Harper,musician
• SirHenry Keswick,chairman ofJardine Matheson Holdings
• Peter Lewis,HTV Westnewsreader
• Peter Mandelson,Labour politician
• David Newbigging,High Sheriff of Wiltshire,2003
• Claire Perry,former MP for Devizes
• Shelley Rudman,winner of the silver medal in theskeleton bob,Britain's only medal at the2006 Winter OlympicsinTurin
• Peter Sarstedt,musician
• Andy Scott,musician of the bandThe Sweet
• Jane Seymour,Queen consort of England
• Nigel Stock,actor
• Zoë Wanamaker,actress

Culture and sport

Pewseyis the centre of activity for many of the smaller villages in and around the Vale of Pewsey and, as such, offers a wide range of activities for its small size.

Places of interest

Avebury(stone circle),West Kennet Long Barrow,Savernake Forest,Crofton Pumping Station,Silbury Hill,Wilton Windmill,Alton Barnes(crop circles),Marlborough,Kennet and Avon Canal,Bruce Tunnel.