Britford
| Britford | |
|---|---|
 Britford Water Meadows | |
| Population | 509 (2001 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU1628 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Salisbury |
| Postcode district | SP5 |
| Dialling code | 01722 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Britford is a village and civil parish beside the River Avon about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England. The village is just off the A338 road.
Archaeology
Little Woodbury, 0.5 miles (800 m) southwest of the village, is the site of an Iron Age settlement.[2] Excavations in 1938–39 revealed the sites of granaries, storage pits and a circular house nearly 50 feet (15 m) in diameter.[3]
Great Woodbury, 1 mile (1.6 km) from the village, is the remains of an Iron Age hill fort.
Parish church
The nave of the Church of England parish church of Saint Peter is Saxon, built probably in the 9th century.[4] On each side of the nave there is a round-headed Saxon arch into a porticus (small space for a side-chapel).[4]
The church was extended in the 14th century, when the north and south transepts were added making it the cruciform building it is today.[4] Each transept is next to the Saxon porticus on its respective side and includes the east wall of that porticus. The arches where the transepts meet the nave are Decorated Gothic, as is the east window of the chancel.[4] A 15th-century tomb chest monument in the church is supposed to be that of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham who was executed in Salisbury in 1483. The building was restored by George Edmund Street in 1873.[2]
In the first half of the 13th century Britford had an anchoress called Joan.[5] In 1215 King John granted her an income of one penny per day.[5] She received royal gifts of oaks in 1226, 1231 and 1245.[5] In 1237 the sheriff of Salisbury was ordered to ensure that the courtyard around her house was securely enclosed with a wall.[5]
St. Peter's has a ring of six bells. Five including the tenor bell were cast in 1765 by Robert Wells I[6] of Aldbourne.[7] The treble bell was cast in 1899 by Thomas Blackbourn[6] of Salisbury.[7]
Secular history
Northwest of St. Peter's is a 17th-century house with a symmetrical front of three bays.[2] Southwest of St. Peter's is a moated house that externally is early 19th century Georgian.[2] There are Georgian cottages on the main A338 road, built for the Longford Castle estate.[2]
In 1664 an Act of Parliament authorised the conversion of the River Avon into a navigation between Salisbury and the English Channel at Christchurch.[8] Canalised channels were dug to straighten sections of the river, including one about a 1 mile (1.6 km) long through Britford parish. The river had ceased to be navigable by 1737[8] but bridges over it and remains of locks still survive around Britford.[2]
Amenities
Britford has a Church of England primary school. On 1 April 2010 it merged with the primary school in Odstock to form Longford C of E Primary School, named after the Longford estate. Both sets of buildings remain in use: the Britford site teaches Key Stage 1 and the Odstock site teaches Key Stage 2. A free bus transports pupils between the sites at either end of the school day.
Salisbury District Hospital is in the parish about 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of the village.
The village has a Park and Ride bus service to Salisbury.
References
- ^ "Area selected: Salisbury (Non-Metropolitan District)". Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Pevsner & Cherry 1975, p. 143.
- ^ Pevsner & Cherry 1975, p. 144.
- ^ a b c d Pevsner & Cherry 1975, p. 142.
- ^ a b c d Pugh & Crittall 1956, pp. 362–364.
- ^ a b Dawson, George (21 December 2006). "Britford S Peter". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ^ a b Dovemaster (31 October 2012). "Bell Founders". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ^ a b Cross 1970[page needed]
Sources
- Cross, Donald Alfred Edgar (1970). "The Salisbury Avon Navigation". Industrial Archaeology. VII (2). David & Charles: 121–135.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (revised ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 142–144. ISBN 0 14 0710.26 4.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help); Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Pugh, R.B.; Crittall, Elizabeth, eds. (1956). A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 3. Victoria County History. pp. 362–364.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
External links
Media related to Britford at Wikimedia Commons