Chilmark, Wiltshire

Chilmark

Church of St Margaret of Antioch
Chilmark
 Chilmark shown within Wiltshire
Population 525 (in 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSU
Unitary authorityWiltshire
Ceremonial countyWiltshire
RegionSouth West
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town Salisbury
Postcode district SP3
Dialling code 01722
Police Wiltshire
Fire Wiltshire
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK ParliamentSouth West Wiltshire
List of places
UK
England
Wiltshire

Coordinates: 51°05′44″N 2°02′42″W / 51.09557°N 2.04510°W / 51.09557; -2.04510

Chilmark is a Wiltshire village and civil parish of some 150 houses straddling the B3089 road 12 miles (19 km) west of Salisbury.[2] The parish church was given by Henry VIII to the brother in law of his last wife.[3] The stream through the village, often dry in summer, flows some two miles (3 km) on to the River Nadder.

History

Roman artefacts have been found in the nearby quarries and Purbeck limestone possibly from Chilmark was used in the construction of Roman mansions at the villages of West Grimstead and Rockbourne Villa[4]

The Parish Church

Dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch the Anglican parish church dates from the 13th century with additions in the 14th and 18th centuries. It was most recently restored in 1856 by T.H. Wyatt. The steepled tower, rebuilt in about 1770, retains 13th century lancet windows. The font has an original 13th-century bowl on a 19th-century base. The church contains several stained-glass windows from the 19th century. The churchyard contains 12 grade II listed chest tombs from the 17th and 18th centuries.[5]

Chilmark Ravine

A mile south of the village the stream passes through the Ravine, with longstanding quarry workings and several buildings dating from the 1930s, when they formed part of an RAF storage area (RAF Chilmark) for bombs and ammunition. This facility had a spur from the main London-Exeter railway line and a 2ft gauge internal railway.

Counter-terrorism training school

Some 55 acres (0.22 km2) of land in and near the Ravine is now a training area for counter-terrorism security and explosives.[6]

Chilmark quarries

Main article: Chilmark Quarries

These consist mainly of caverns. The limestone for Salisbury Cathedral was quarried here.[7] From the 1930s to the 1980s the caverns were used by the RAF as part of a major store for bombs and ammunition.[8] They are now in active use as a quarry again.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Wiltshire Community History - Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Genuki details
  3. ↑ British history Online
  4. ↑ Sawyer, R., Nadder, 2006, p.84, The Hobnob Press, ISBN 978-0-946418-53-4
  5. ↑ Pevsner, N and Cherry, B., The Buildings of England (Wiltshire), Penguin Books Ltd., 1975. ISBN 0-14-071026-4
  6. ↑ ISSEE company site
  7. ↑ Quarry details
  8. ↑ Subterranea Britannica details
  9. ↑ Chicksgrove Quarry

External links

Media related to Chilmark, Wiltshire at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, July 26, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.