Pewsey

Pewsey is a large village in Wiltshire with a population of over 3,000 people located approximately 80 miles (130 km) west of London. It is well connected for London being close to the M4 motorway and served by Pewsey railway station on the Great Western main line. For this reason Pewsey is popular as a location with commuters.

History

Excavations on Pewsey Hill show evidence of a settlement in the 6th century. In the Tudor era the Manor of Pewsey belonged to the Duchess of Somerset. Several of the village's houses were built in this era: the timber framed cruck house at Ball Corner, Bridge Cottage on the Avon and the Court House by the Church.

In 1764 the founder of the Methodist movement John Wesley (1703 - 1791) preached at Pewsey Church. The rector at that time, Joseph Townsend, was responsible for building of the first bridge over the River Avon.

The Kennet and Avon Canal arrived in Pewsey in 1810. Of more significant lasting effect for the village was the arrival of the Great Western Railway in 1862 which allowed fast travel to London and to the West of Pewsey.

A prominant statue of King Alfred the Great, the former Anglo-Saxon King of Wessex and a local landowner, stands in the middle of the village, having been moved from its original position at Ball Corner. Although Alfred defeated the Danes in 878 AD, was a learned man and devout Christian who had travelled to Rome several times, he is usually remembered for burning cakes.

Pewsey White Horse

The Pewsey white horse is located on a steep slope of Pewsey Hill about a mile south of the village and can be viewed from several places in the surrounding area.

Notable residents

Pewsey is home to Shelley Rudman who won the silver medal in the skeleton bob at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Also, Former Channel 4 Political Editor Elinor Goodman lives in Pewsey.