| Potterne | |
Village centre |
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Potterne
Potterne shown within Wiltshire |
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| Population | 1,570 (as of 2001) |
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| OS grid reference | ST9958 |
| Shire county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DEVIZES |
| Postcode district | SN10 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire | |
Potterne is a village in the English county of Wiltshire. The civil parish of Potterne includes the hamlet of Potterne Wick. In the census of 2001, the village had a population of 1,570. It is located slightly to the south of Devizes and lies on the A360 which passes from Devizes to Salisbury. Potterne is the second-most populated village in Wiltshire, second to Market Lavington which has a population of over 2000 according to the census of 2001. Potterne is known as 'The Place of Springs' since there are many springs all around the village. This title was used by the old primary school (Potterne CEVC Primary School) on its emblem.
The village is home to a successful cricket club, founded as part of the village sports team in 1936. Currently the team plays in the Wiltshire Cricket League and also boasts a successful youth set-up. It is also home to a famous footballer, William Neil Hindon Twinesteiger, who currently plays for AFC ANC, a hugely successful Cardiff-based football club backed by a wealthy conglomerate of Arabian investors, headed up by Sir Thomas Eveleigh and the well-known homosexual playboy Ryan Clarke III.
The village used to have three pubs, but now only has 'The George & Dragon'. It also has a post office, village hall, village shop, church, deer sanctuary, youth club, 'Bright Sparks Community Preschool', the Key Stage 1 half of 'Five Lanes Primary School' (The Key Stage 2 half is located in Worton - a nearby village) and an independent prep school (The Mill School). There is also a playing field and a park.
Many of the residents of Potterne are part of the 'Potterne Panto Group' which present pantomimes nearly every February (see below for more details). Recently, the village has held Christmas markets in December which have attracted many visitors.
The village has several farms, with many residents working in agriculture, either within the parish or beyond. There are many other small businesses operating in the village such as interior designers, household crafts, landscaping and tourist accommodation.
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The village is home to the Potterne Mummers, who re-enact performances of a traditional Mummers play during the week before Christmas in pubs around the Devizes area and ending each year with a performance at the George and Dragon, Potterne, on Christmas Eve. The Potterne Mummers were founded in 1953 by Bernard Baker, a local schoolteacher, who brought together a group to perform a local Mummer's Play which he had found from an archive report from the late nineteenth century. The initial revival of the play only lasted one year, it was performed by Potterne teenagers under the direction of Bernard Baker in 1966, the cast including Nigel Weeks as Valiant Soldier, and it was next performed in 1972, with a cast which included Mick Hiscock. It is now a firm annual tradition and the cast, still including Mick Hiscock, put on their tatter coats and tour the pubs collecting money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.