Wroughton
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Wroughton is a large village in Wiltshire in the South West England region of the UK. It is part of the Borough of Swindon and is situated some 7 km (4 miles) southeast of Swindon. The older name for the village is Ellendune (Ellendun).
In 825AD the Battle of Ellendune signalled the dominance of Wessex over Mercia.
Wroughton is claimed to be the largest village in the entire UK,[citation needed] a crown many other villages openly lay claim to, and is sometimes considered as a small commuter town, this is not true as it has no major shops and is separated from the main town of Swindon by a motorway bridge. It has claimed the title of largest village for many many years.
Until the 19th century it was nothing but a mere country village. Wroughton is most prominent for its connection to The Ridgeway (in which its secondary school is named after), a National Trail which is often in itself related to the ancient Uffington White Horse.
In 1874, the village celebrated for two days after the horse George Frederick which was stabled in the High Street, won the Epsom Derby. The horse and it's trainer, Tom Leader, who was born in Wroughton were escorted from Swindon railway station by a brass band and received in the village which had declared all of it's pub's to be open houses and provided free beer for the occasion.[1]
Wroughton was home to RAF Wroughton which closed in the late 1980s. The site is now the location of the Science Museum, Wroughton.
Wroughton is famous for its annual carnival.
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[edit] Wroughton Feast
During the period of 1855-1930, Wroughton was home to the annual Feast. This was a week long summer fair attended by local farmers and residents from North Wiltshire taking place during the school holidays.
It featured amongst other events "A Programme of Horse, Pony, Donkey and Foot racing. Climbing the greasy pole..."[1] The prize for the latter being a leg of mutton attached to the end of the pole.
The rear of the Three Tuns public house was the congregation point for this and all local fairs of the time, to the extent that a grandstand was built in the field.[1]
The Chief Event of the Feast was the "Champion Gip Fight",[1] a bare-knuckle boxing competition between Gypsy clans.
Frederick Large, in his book A Swindon Retrospect 1855-1930 comments -
"AT Wroughton Feast, an annual festivity that lasted a whole week, it was the custom for many years for "the champion gip" to fight the best man who could be produced, for a purse of gold. The venue was the paddock at the back of the Three Tuns tavern, where the usual paraphernalia of fairs used to congregate in full force. The Feast always took place in the summer at a time which included a week of our school holidays. I was not more than seven or eight years of age when, without my parents' consent, I wandered over to Wroughton ... This annual event always commenced on a Sunday evening by friends and neighbours from Swindon, Wroughton and neighbouring villages congregating at the Three Tuns, where, crowded inside and out, large quantities of beer and spirits were consumed. A miniature grand stand was erected for Feast Week in an orchard adjoining the paddock, upon which many of the elite of the neighbourhood, both ladies and gentlemen, occupied seats, and indulged freely in choice fruits and refreshments."[2]
Over the years, the Feast was gradually toned down and became a village tea party before being abandoned as an annual event.
[edit] Attractions
- Wroughton Parish Church
- Wroughton Fish and Chip Shop
- The Weir field
- Wroughton Science Museum
- The Ellendune Centre - Women's Institute
- Wroughton Leisure Centre
- Silver City
- Bombay Spice
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Large, Frederick (1970). A Swindon Retrospect 1855-1930, Fourth Edition, United Kingdom: S.R. Publishers. ISBN 0-85409-592-6.
- ^ Frederick Large (1931). A Swindon Retrospect 1855-1930 (extract). localhistory.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
[edit] External links
- Parish Homepage
- Wroughton Parish Church
- Wroughton Carnival
- Science Museum
- Friends of Wroughton Parish Church
- Wroughton Junior Football Club
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