Barford St Martin

Barford St Martin is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Wilton, on the junction of the A30 and the B3089. Barford is known as one of the Nadder Valley villages, named for the River Nadder which flows through the village.

Barford St Martin

Medieval preaching cross near St Martin's church
Barford St Martin
Location within Wiltshire
Population548 (in 2011) [1]
OS grid referenceSU056314
Civil parish
  • Barford St Martin
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSalisbury
Postcode districtSP3
Dialling code01722
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteParish Council

Grovely Wood forms the northern section of the parish.

History

The history of Barford can be traced back to the 11th century. It was recorded in the Domesday Book compiled in 1085/1086.[2] The St Martin suffix, from the dedication of the church, was added by 1304 to distinguish it from Barford manor in Downton parish.

Hurdcott House is from the early or mid 19th century[3] and stands on the site of an earlier house.

Grovely Wood, between Barford and Great Wishford, was an extra-parochial area. By 1839, the boundary of Barford parish had moved north to include almost all of the woodland.[4]

Religious sites

An early medieval preaching cross in the centre of the village is Grade I listed.[5]

The church of St Martin is an ancient building of stone in Early English and Perpendicular styles. There has been a church here since the 13th century. The Grade I listed[6] building has a central embattled tower within which hangs a peal of six bells; the four heavier bells date from the middle of the 18th century and the two lighter bells are from the turn of the 20th century.[7] The benefice is part of the Nadder Valley team ministry.[8]

A Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1902 to replace an earlier chapel. By 2012 it was in residential use.[9][10]

Local government

Barford has an active Parish Council who are determined to improve facilities and the visual appearance of the village. The parish is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions.

Countryside Unit at Dairy Lane

The Countryside Unit at Dairy Lane is owned by Alabaré Christian Care Centres.[11] The land used to be part of a farm, but now serves as a teaching facility for homeless and other disadvantaged people including those suffering and recovering from mental health illnesses. Skills such as woodworking, arts & crafts, and agriculture are taught there.

Amenities

The local school with its "Feed my lambs" logo was built in 1854 and closed at the end of 2006.[12][13] Village children now travel to Wilton. The building is now used for a pre-school playgroup.

There is also a 17th-century pub called The Barford Inn, formerly known as The Green Dragon. The Wiltshire Yeomanry dedicated a tank to this pub during the Second World War, with "The Green Dragon" on one side and "Barford St Martin" on the other.[14]

Notable people

Organist and composer Caleb Simper (1856-1942) was born in Barford St Martin. Rupert Gould (1890-1948, Royal Navy officer and horologist) lived at Barford in later life.

References
  1. "Barford St. Martin Census Information". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  2. Barford [St Martin] in the Domesday Book
  3. Historic England. "Hurdcott House (1300028)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  4. Baggs, A.P.; Freeman, Jane; Stevenson, Janet H (1995). Crowley, D.A. (ed.). "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 15 pp284-294 – Great Wishford". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  5. Historic England. "Village cross to north west of Church of St Martin (1182976)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  6. Historic England. "Church of St Martin (1146188)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  7. http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?searchString=Barford+St+Martin&Submit=Go&DoveID=BARFORD+ST
  8. "St Martin, Barford". A church near you. Church of England. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  9. "Barford Primitive Methodist chapel". My Primitive Methodists. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  10. "Primitive Methodist Chapel, Barford St. Martin". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  11. http://www.alabare.co.uk/
  12. "Barford St. Martin Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  13. Tilley, Emma (2 January 2007). "Primary bids poignant farewell after 150 years". Salisbury Journal. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  14. Sawyer. R. 2006. (Nadder) The Hobnob Press, ISBN 0-946418-53-5.

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