| Semington | |
Village hall |
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Semington
Semington shown within Wiltshire |
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| Population | 830 (2001 census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST8960 |
| Parish | Semington |
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Trowbridge |
| Postcode district | BA14 |
| Dialling code | 01380 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Chippenham |
| Website | Semington Village |
| List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire | |
Semington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is about 2 miles (3 km) south of Melksham and about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Trowbridge.
The parish includes the hamlets of Littlemarsh and Littleton.[2]
The village has two locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal, and is the start of the disused Wilts and Berks Canal.
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Within the village there are over 500 houses, a primary school, a village hall, public tennis courts and a park for children.
Littlemarsh is south of Semington, along the old course of A350 road. Littleton is no longer populated, and the only area currently designated as belonging to Littleton is the roundabout at the A350 and A361 road crossing.
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 1794 and 1802 under the supervision of the engineer John Rennie[3] 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).[4] The two locks at Semington are known as Buckley's (numbered 15) and Barrett's (16).[5]
Next to the locks is the point at which the Wilts & Berks Canal left the Kennet and Avon. The Wilts & Berks is disused but the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is restoring it. 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.[6]
The canal, towpath and adjacent hedges are good for wildlife and in August 2007 water voles were seen.[7]
During the Second World War, Semington was 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.[8]
The Church of England parish church of St George is a grade II listed building.[9] It has a garden fête every summer in the gardens of the manor house.[10]
Semington has a pub, The Somerset Arms,[11] which is popular with canal travellers, and a number of other small businesses as a lunch or dinner venue and to hold meetings and events. The pub has just re-opened with new owners. About 1 km north of the village is Hampton Park West business park, which includes the large corporate headquarters of companies such as G-Plan, Avon Rubber plc and a large Wiltshire Police operations centre.
Canal:
Community:
History: