Semington

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Semington

Coordinates: 51.343° N 2.151° W
Population	830 (2001 census)^[1]
OS grid reference	ST8960
Parish	Semington
District	West Wiltshire
Shire county	Wiltshire
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Trowbridge
Postcode district	BA14
Dial code	01380 (Keevil)
Police	Wiltshire
Fire	Wiltshire
Ambulance	Great Western
UK Parliament	Chippenham (c. 2009) Westbury (2005)
European Parliament	South West England
List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire

Semington is a medium-sized village in West Wiltshire, England. It features 2 locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal, and is the start of the disused Wilts and Berks Canal. Its 2001 population was 830, and it is located 3 miles (5 km) from Melksham and 4 miles (7 km) from Trowbridge.

Semington civil parish includes the hamlets of Littlemarsh and Littleton.^[2]

1 Geography
2 History
- 2.1 Canals
- 2.2 World War II
3 Culture
4 Economy
5 Notable residents
6 See also
7 References
- 7.1 Notes
- 7.2 General references
8 External links

[edit] Geography

Within the village there are around 500 houses, a primary school, a village hall, public tennis courts and a park for children. For the school's most recent Ofsted report, click on St George's . The village has its own website where some detail of events in the village can be found – although these are not always up to date. Minutes of parish council meetings are eventually displayed here, and there is a rumour that the PC itself will soon embrace the digital age.

[edit] History

Several moorings and a narrow boat rental business on the Kennet and Avon canal attract frequent pleasure craft traffic

[edit] Canals

The Kennet and Avon Canal crosses marshy ground on an embankment on the northern edge of the village.

The two Semington Locks were built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the canal is now administered by British Waterways. They have a combined rise/fall of 16 ft 1 in (4.9 m).^[3] The two locks at Semington are known as Buckley's (numbered 15) and Barrett's (16).^[4]

Adjacent to the locks is the point at which the disused Wilts and Berks Canal joined the Kennet and Avon. East of the locks, the canal travels across the 2004 Semington Aqueduct, built to allow the A350 road to bypass Semington village. Another aqueduct carries the canal over Semington Brook.^[5]

The canal, towpath and adjacent hedges are good for wildlife and donkeys and there have been recent sightings (2006) of watervoles (arvicola terrestris).^[6]

[edit] World War II

During the Second World War, Semington lay on GHQ Line which followed the path of the canal. Semington was designated as a centre of resistance: extensive anti-tank ditches were constructed to the east, south, and west of the village, these were overlooked by a number of pillboxes. The defences were constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations.^[7]

[edit] Culture

The village has the small mediæval St George's church, which is a grade II listed building.^[8] with a garden fête held every summer in the gardens of the manor house.^[9]

[edit] Economy

Somerset Arms

Semington has a pub, the Somerset Arms,^[10] and a number of other small businesses. Only 1 km to the north of the village lies the ever-expanding Hampton Park West business park, which houses the large corporate headquarters of companies such as G-Plan, Avon Rubber plc and a large Wiltshire Police operations centre.

[edit] Notable residents

Thomas Helliker (1784–1803), trade union martyr, executed for rôle in burning Semington mill
Isaac Gulliver (1745–1822), smuggler

[edit] See also

Locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

^ Wiltshire Community History Semington Census Information. Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
^ election-maps.co.uk, Semington Civil Parish boundary on Ordnance Survey 1:50 000 colour raster layer. Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
^ Pearson, Michael (2003). Kennet & Avon Middle Thames:Pearson's Canal Companion. Rugby: Central Waterways Supplies. ISBN 0-907864-97-X.
^ Allsop, Niall (1987). The Kennet & Avon Canal. Bath: Millstream Book. ISBN 0-948975-15-6.
^ Semington Aqueduct. Images of England. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
^ Watervoles. UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Retrieved on March 17, 2007.
^ Foot, 2006, p291-296.
^ Church of St. George. Images of England. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
^ Manor House. Images of England. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
^ Somerset Arms. Images of England. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.

[edit] General references

Foot, William (2006). Beaches, fields, streets, and hills ... the anti-invasion landscapes of England, 1940. Council for British Archaeology. ISBN 1-902771-53-2.