Worton is a village and civil parish about 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Devizes in Wiltshire. It is near the northern edge of Salisbury Plain in central southern England.

Worton
Village hall of Worton and Marston
Worton is located in Wiltshire
Worton
Worton
Location within Wiltshire
Population624 (in 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST975574
Civil parish
  • Worton
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDevizes
Postcode districtSN10
Dialling code01380
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteParish Council
List of places
UK
England
Wiltshire
51°18′58″N 2°02′13″W / 51.316°N 2.037°W / 51.316; -2.037

History edit

The first recorded mention of Worton was in a document of 1173.[2]

Manor Farmhouse, on the south side of the High Street, began as a timber-framed building in the 16th century then was encased in brick in the 18th.[3] The Grange, nearby to the west, is a 17th-century timber-frame building with later extensions.[4]

Worton (and neighbouring Marston) were tithings of Potterne parish. In 1852, after Christ Church at Worton was consecrated, the tithings became a chapelry of Potterne.[5] Worton and Marston later became separate civil parishes, formalised in 1894.[6]

Geography edit

The Bulkington Brook forms the southwestern boundary of the parish. The village is elongated, set around its High Street. The hamlet of Cuckold's Green is at the east end of Worton village.

Marston lies just to the south, and Potterne to the east, where the A360 road passes.[7]

Religious sites edit

 
Christ Church, Worton

Christ Church, the Church of England parish church, was built to the south of the village street in 1841 to designs of T.H. Wyatt, to serve both Worton and Marston. Built in ashlar blocks, with an octagonal stone bellcote, the church is Grade II listed.[8][9] Pevsner described its windows as "oddly tall, slim".[10] The benefice was united with Poulshot in 1931[11] and today the parish is part of the Wellsprings Benefice, which also covers Potterne, Bulkington and Seend.[12]

There is a small Methodist chapel at Marston.[13] Worton had a larger chapel, built in 1849 to replace an earlier chapel; it closed in the 1990s.[14]

Amenities edit

The village hall serves Worton and Marston.[15] Worton has a pub, the Rose and Crown, which is a Grade II listed 17th-century building.[16]

Five Lanes Primary School has two sites, with younger children at Potterne and older children at Worton.[17] The school at Worton was built in 1965 and replaced a school which began as a Sunday school in 1844.[18]

References edit

  1. ^ "Wiltshire Community History – Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Worton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Manof Farmhouse (1243986)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  4. ^ Historic England. "The Grange (1272600)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  5. ^ "No. 21329". The London Gazette. 18 June 1852. p. 1711.
  6. ^ Chettle, H. F.; Powell, W. R.; Spalding, P. A.; Tillott, P. M. (1953). "Parishes: Potterne". In Pugh, R. B.; Crittall, Elizabeth (eds.). A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 7. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 207–217. Retrieved 14 March 2021 – via British History Online.
  7. ^ Google (4 September 2016). "Worton, Wiltshire" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  8. ^ Historic England. "Christ Church, Worton (1243969)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Christ Church, Worton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  10. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 599. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
  11. ^ "No. 33720". The London Gazette. 29 May 1931. pp. 3469–3471.
  12. ^ "Christ Church Worton". www.christchurchworton.org.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Marston Methodist Chapel". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Worton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  15. ^ "Worton & Marston village hall". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  16. ^ Historic England. "The Rose and Crown Inn, Worton (1243971)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Five Lanes CE VC Primary School". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  18. ^ "Worton & Marston Primary School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

External links edit

  Media related to Worton, Wiltshire at Wikimedia Commons