Royal Wootton Bassett
Royal Wootton Bassett | |
---|---|
Royal Wootton Bassett's former Town Hall, now the local museum | |
Location within Wiltshire | |
Population | 13,570 (2021 Census)[1] |
OS grid reference | SU067825 |
Civil parish |
|
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Swindon |
Postcode district | SN4 |
Dialling code | 01793 |
Police | Wiltshire |
Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Website | www |
Royal Wootton Bassett .
From 1447 until 1832
The town was granted royal patronage in March 2011 by Elizabeth II in recognition of its role in the early-21st-century military funeral repatriations, which passed through the town. This honour was officially conferred in a ceremony on 16 October 2011 – the first royal patronage to be conferred upon a town (as distinguished from a borough or county) since 1909.[2][3]
History
Wodeton settlement
AD 681 is usually taken as the starting point for recorded history of Wootton Bassett, then known as Wodeton, it being referred to in that year in a Malmesbury Abbey charter granting land to the Abbot.[4]
Archaeological discoveries in the area tend to confirm the tradition that the original "Wodeton" (Settlement in the wood – i.e. in Bradon Forest) was near the present Dunnington Road. Wodeton was sacked by the marauding Danes in 1015, whereupon the survivors decided to move uphill to the site of the present High Street.[citation needed]
Domesday Book
Wootton Bassett is mentioned in the Domesday Book[5] of 1086, where it is noted that Miles Crispin held the rights and these included "land for 12 ploughs...a mill...and 24 acres (9.7 ha) of meadow...33 acres of pasture and woodland which is two leagues by a league". It was said to be worth nine pounds.
Royal status
In the early 21st century, the town paid informal tributes during military repatriation funeral processions which passed through the town, eventually attracting significant media coverage.
Religious sites
Parish church
The
The church has a chancel and south-east chapel, a wide nave and a south-west tower. Street rebuilt the whole east end, moving the east window to the south wall; he also added the north aisle and vestry, and rebuilt the tower while increasing its height.
The low-pitched roofs over the nave are 15th-century, as is the oak pulpit. Street designed the circular stone font, the chancel fittings and the pews; the stone reredos was carved by Thomas Earp.[10] Stained glass in the east and south-east windows is by Hardman, 1871; the west window is an 1890 memorial to Sir Henry Meux.[10] There is a ring of eight bells: three by Roger Purdue dated 1633, the others by John Warner & Sons from 1899.[11]
The church retains its own parish, not grouped with any others.[12] Between 1951 and 1974 the vicar of Wootton Bassett was also responsible for Christ Church at Broad Town.[13]
Others
A
The Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart was built on the north side of the High Street in 1993.[17]
Geography
Suburbs of Royal Wootton Bassett include Noremarsh, Coped Hall, Woodshaw and Vastern (a small hamlet to the south). Bishop Fowley is shown on Andrews' and Dury's Map of Wiltshire, 1810[18] as being an outlying hamlet southwest of the town; the location is now known as Vowley Farm.[19]
Governance
The first tier of
The town falls under the auspices of Wiltshire Council, a unitary authority established in 2009 as part of wider local government changes in England. In the national government, since the 1997 general election the town has been represented by the Conservative MP James Gray, as the elected member for the North Wiltshire parliament constituency.
Royal Wootton Bassett is
The original
Population
The
Education
Royal Wootton Bassett has a secondary school, Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, on the north-west edge of the town. There are four primary schools: St Bartholomew's Primary Academy (formerly C of E Primary School), Longleaze Primary School, Noremarsh Junior School and Wootton Bassett Infants' School.
The town is also home to detachments of the
Economy
The town has always been a market town, and hence with many trades associated with farming and agriculture.
In 1908 Wiltshire United Dairies built a dairy and
Disclosure and Barring Service has an office in the town.[24]
Repatriations
From April 2007, the bodies of servicemen and women of the
Tributes
In October 2008, an Armed Forces parade was held in the town.
In May 2009,
Calls for the town to have Royal status bestowed on it had emerged in September 2009 and, while in the form of petitions and social media campaigns there had been public support for both the Royal title and other forms of national expressions of thanks at the time, local figures were less keen on the idea. South Wootton Bassett councillor Chris Wannell and Wootton Bassett Mayor Steve Bucknell both thought that it was not what local people would want, preferring to just honour the dead with no expectation of thanks.[31]
Other tributes have included a public mass charity motorcycle parade through the town in March 2010, which also raised £100,000 for the charity Afghan Heroes.
Protests
In 2009, the far-right English Defence League visited Wootton Bassett,[34] after plans for a demonstration in the town by the Muslim extremist group Islam4UK, led by Anjem Choudary, came under widespread condemnation.[35] The group eventually called off the plan, claiming that the publicity generated had "successfully highlighted the plight of Muslims in Afghanistan" and so "no more could be achieved even if a procession were to take place".[36]
Arms of Royal Wootton Bassett
An official
Transport
Road
The main road through the town is the
Rail
Royal Wootton Bassett has no railway station, although it has been served in the past by Wootton Bassett Road and Wootton Bassett Junction stations, and is a major junction on the rail network, being the location where the South Wales Main Line branches off of the Great Western Main Line. Thus stations nearby offer direct connections to London, the South West and South Wales.
The first station to serve the town was Wootton Bassett Road, opened by the
Canal
The route of the former
Culture
The town has an annual Arts Festival which involves music, speech, drama, musical theatre, and dance.[38]
Sport
In football, the town is represented by
In summer 2015, the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground relocated from Rylands Way to the north side of the Brinkworth Road, just outside the town but walkable and cyclable from most parts. The site is held by Trustees and is known overall as Royal Wootton Bassett Sports Association. It is run almost exclusively by volunteers from the participating sports clubs. Initially these were RWB Cricket Club, Hounds (running), the Tennis Club and the Town Football Club; they were joined in 2017 by the North Thames Boules Club (now the Royal Wootton Bassett Petanque Club). The main building hosts changing facilities, a bar and tuck shop, kitchen area, meeting and function rooms.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West and ITV West Country. Television signals are received from the Mendip TV transmitter. [40]
The town's local radio stations are BBC Radio Wiltshire on 103.5 FM, Heart West on 97.2 FM, Greatest Hits Radio South West (formerly Sam FM) on 107.7 and Swindon 105.5, a community based radio station which broadcast from its studios in Swindon on 105.5 FM.
Gazette and Herald is the local newspaper that serves the town.
Museums
The Wootton Bassett Museum is the former town hall, which is an upper storey supported on 15 pillars. It was built at the end of the 17th century, a gift from the Hyde family (Earls of Clarendon).[41]
War memorial
The town previously had war memorials in the form of a memorial garden in the cemetery and the memorial hall on Tinker's Field. In October 2004 a new memorial was unveiled in the town, a simple pedestal topped by a bronze of hands holding up a globe. The opening was the culmination of a five-year publicity and fund raising campaign, initiated by local resident Jay Cunningham who felt that the garden and hall were not prominent enough.
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Royal Wootton Bassett.
Individuals
- Johnathan Dudley Bourne: 29 July 2021
References
- ^ "Wootton Bassett". City population. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ a b Ensor, Josie (16 October 2011). "Wootton Bassett officially re-named royal town". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
- ^ a b "16th October 2011". Wootton Bassett Town Council. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d Dunning, R. W.; Rogers, K. H.; Spalding, P. A.; Shrimpton, Colin; Stevenson, Janet H.; Tomlinson, Margaret (1970). "Parishes: Wootton Bassett". In Crittall, Elizabeth (ed.). A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 9. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 186–205. Retrieved 26 April 2024 – via British History Online.
- ISBN 0-14-143994-7.
- ^ Jardine, Cassandra; Savill, Richard (7 July 2009). "Wootton-Bassett: A very British way of mourning". The Daily Telegraph Online. London. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Prime Minister announces 'Royal' Wootton Bassett". Cabinet Office. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ a b "Wootton Bassett to get 'Royal' title in war dead honour". BBC News. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Bartholomew and All Saints (1183969)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ OCLC 1201298091.
- ^ "Royal Wootton Bassett". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "St Bartholomew & All Saints, Royal Wootton Bassett". A Church Near You. The Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Christ Church, Broad Town". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "United Reformed Chapel (1363666)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Wootton Bassett United Reformed Church". Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "History". Royal Wootton Bassett Methodist Church. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart, Wootton Bassett". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Wiltshire Community History: Royal Wootton Bassett". Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Vowley Farm". Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Agenda for the Annual Meeting of Wootton Bassett Town Council" (PDF). Wootton Bassett Town Council. May 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Royal Wootton Bassett ACF Facebook Page". ACF.
- ^ "Wootton Bassett plant closes". BBC News. 7 February 2003. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ "New address and telephone numbers for the DBS". gov.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Adams, Paul (12 October 2008). "Town swells with patriotism and pride". BBC. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ "Royal respects at Wootton Bassett". BBC News. 29 January 2010.
- ^ Legion award to Wootton Bassett, British Legion website, accessed 13 January 2010
- ^ "British Legion Riders Bike into Bassett". Wootton Bassett Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ Deal, Paul (10 November 2009). "Wootton Bassett sheds tears for soldiers". BBC News. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ Wallin, James (16 September 2009). "Wootton Bassett rejects talk of Royal title". Swindon Advertiser.
- ^ "Bikers ride in Wootton Bassett tribute". BBC News. 14 March 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ "Wootton Bassett Charity Single and Video". Woottonbassettrocks.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ "Right wing extremists descend on Wootton Bassett". The Daily Telegraph. London. 11 January 2010.
- ^ "Islam4UK makes its demands". The Daily Telegraph. London. 5 January 2010. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010.
- Sky News Online.
- ^ "The College of Arms Newsletter September 2011" (PDF). College-of-arms.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ "RWB Arts Festival". rwbartsfestival.com. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Wootton Bassett Bowls". www.woottonbassettbowls.co.uk.
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Historic Wootton Bassett pics". Wiltshire: Local History. BBC Online. January 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ "Help us with war memorial money". Swindon Advertiser. 20 May 2002.
- ^ "Vivien ap Rhys Price". Calne Artists. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ "Johnathan Bourne to receive the Honour of Freedom of the Town". Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "Johnathan Bourne, first Freeman of the Town". Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
Further reading
- Dunning, R. W.; Rogers, K. H.; Spalding, P. A.; Shrimpton, Colin; Stevenson, Janet H.; Tomlinson, Margaret (1970). "Parishes: Wootton Bassett". In Crittall, Elizabeth (ed.). A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 9. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 186–205. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via British History Online.
- ISBN 0-14-071026-4.
- Pugh, R.B.; Crittall, Elizabeth, eds. (1956). "Hospitals: St John the Baptist, Wootton Bassett". A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 3. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 368–369. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via British History Online.
External links
- Official website
- Wootton Bassett at Curlie