Kington Langley
| Kington Langley | |
 St Peter's parish church, Middle Common |
|
  Kington Langley Kington Langley shown within Wiltshire | |
| Population | 780 (2001 census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST9276 |
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Chippenham |
| Postcode district | SN15 |
| Dialling code | 01249 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | North Wiltshire |
| Website | Home Page for Kington Langley |
Kington Langley is a village and civil parish about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Chippenham in Wiltshire, England.
Geography
The parish covers about 1,571 acres (636 ha). The geology is mostly of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. It is on a high water table and the soil is composed of sand with a sub-soil of Oxford Clay. The village stands on a hill, rising to 100 metres (330 ft) towards its western end. It is an example of a ‘squared’ village with approaches from Chippenham, Swindon and Malmesbury. It has three greens. The largest is the Common, which covers 30 acres (12 ha) and is the focal point of the village. The village is just east of the A350 trunk road.
History
Kington Langley was part of the parish of Kington St. Michael until 1865. It was called Kington Langley to distinguish it from another village, Langley Burrell. The original hamlet was known as Langley Fitzurze in medieval times although other spellings such as Langeleghe (11th century), "Langley Fearne" (c.1513), "Langley Fernhill" (1660) have been used. The village is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and is separated from Kington St. Michael by the main Chippenham Malmesbury road.
The Greathouse, beside the B4069 road, was built in about 1700.[2] It is a country house of nine bays and two storeys.[2]
Churches
Parish church
Parishioners used to have to travel more than 1 mile (1.6 km) from Kington Langley to worship at Kington St. Michael. In the 1670s a chapel of ease was created by converting a cottage at Kington Langley.[3] In 1856[2] a purpose-built chapel of ease was completed, which was made the Church of England parish church of Saint Peter in 1865.[3] St. Peter's was designed by C.H. Gabriel with lancet windows in an Early English Gothic style.[2] St. Peter's is in the Diocese of Bristol.
Union Chapel
The earliest known record of Protestant Dissenters meeting for worship in Kington Langley is dated 1742.[4] They met in private houses until 1834, when the house registered for their meetings was that of James Pinnegar, a builder.[4] Pinnegar built Union Chapel on the Common,[4] completing it in 1835.[2] The name refers to its foundation as a union of Dissenters of the Baptist, Moravian and Independent traditions.[4]
The chapel choir met in the middle of the nineteenth century at a chapel-goer’s house on Sundays.[citation needed] The chapel also had a band that used instruments such as flutes and violas.[citation needed]
Union Chapel remains independent, now called Union Chapel Christian Fellowship.[4]
Amenities
Kington Langley has two public houses: the Hit or Miss Inn and the Plough Inn. The parish has a Church of England primary school (which bears the village's old name of Langley Fitzurse), a village hall, playing field, a tennis court and a park.
Notable former inhabitants
- Harry Dolman (1897–1977), chairman and president of Bristol City F.C.
- Norris McWhirter (1925–2004), editor of Guinness World Records
- Robin Tanner (1904–1988), artist
- Heather Tanner (1903–1993), writer and campaigner
Location
grid reference ST925775
References
- ↑ "Area selected: North Wiltshire (Non-Metropolitan District)". Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Pevsner & Cherry, 1975, page 281
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Temple-Fry, Nick (April 2010). "Kington Langley St Peter's". theChurchPhotographer. Nick Temple-Fry. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "A Brief History of the Chapel". Union Chapel Christian Fellowship. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
Sources
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. The Buildings of England: Wiltshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 281.
External links
Media related to Kington Langley at Wikimedia Commons