Tidworth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tidworth is a town in south-east Wiltshire, England with a growing civilian population. Situated at the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain, it is approximately 10 miles west of Andover, 12 miles south of Marlborough, 24 miles south of Swindon, 15 miles north by north-east of Salisbury and 6 miles east of Amesbury. Its population is approximately 9,500.
Tidworth's Polo Club is the second largest in the country.
Tidworth used to be administratively divided into North Tidworth and South Tidworth, with the northern part of the town in Wiltshire and the southern part in Hampshire. When the boundary between the two counties was redrawn in 1992, the old distinction vanished and all the town became part of Wiltshire. The separate parts remained as two separate civil parishes until April 1, 2004.
Tidworth was listed in the Domesday book as Todeorde, in the Andover Hundred, in "Hantscire".
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In recent years the population of Tidworth has increased in both the civilian and military quarters. The military mainly because many units are being relocated to Tidworth as the Army centralizes its forces around the major training areas of the country: due to both economic and practical purposes. The civilian population of Tidworth increases as people search for somewhere to live near Andover, Salisbury (and possibly Warminster) without having to pay the prices to purchase a house within the desired town. Its situation near the A303, and hence the M3, and the proximity of Andover and Salisbury Train Stations also make it attractive to commuters.
Tidworth has one of the lowest crime rates per thousand in Wiltshire and between the years of 1990 and 2004 only one major crime took place.
There are 3 main 'estates' in Tidworth: Clarendon, Zouch and Manor Bridge Court. Zouch and Clarendon are exclusively 'married quarters' for those in the Armed Services living in Tidworth or one of the many other military bases nearby. Recently, many of the houses on these two estates have been sold to Housing agencies and have since been renovated and sold to individual buyers- Armed Forces personnel were offered special deals on the purchase of these properties. Manor Bridge Court is the 'civilian' development: it consits of mainly 3, 4 and 5 bedroom properties and has only one access road, joined onto the Tidworth-Ludgershall road.
Tidworth has a small 'small' commercial area, containing: 2 supermarkets (Lidl and Spar), a hairdressers, a vetinary surgery amongst others. This area is based upon 'Station Road' (so named because it once had a train station built there in the Second World War). At the base of this hill is a Dental Surgery (completed in 2005) which serves Tidworth and the surrounding area (approx. 5000 people). In 2003 a new 'Medical Centre' was completed, the cost being split between the MoD and the NHS, and it serves both the Military and Civilian population of the surrounding area.
As mention, Tidworth was once split into both North and South Tidworth, with South Tidworth situated in Hampshire and its Northern partner in Wiltshire. Today they both remain in WIltshire but it takes an extra day to send a letter to any house in Tidworth if you address it as Wiltshire- letters addressed :'Tidworth, Hampshire' are delivered one day faster.
The musician James Blunt was born in Tidworth.
The musician Yousseph "Chico" Slimani performed at the Tidworth Festival in July, 2006.
