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Corsham is a historic market town and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in west
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, England. It is at the south-eastern edge of the
Cotswolds The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of J ...
, just off the A4 national route, southwest of Swindon, southeast of Bristol, northeast of
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
and southwest of
Chippenham Chippenham is a market town in northwest Wiltshire, England. It lies northeast of Bath, west of London, and is near the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon and some form of settlement i ...
. Historically, Corsham was a centre for agriculture and later, the
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
industry, and remains a focus for quarrying
Bath Stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...
. It has several notable historic buildings; among them the
stately home An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
of Corsham Court. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
and the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
it became a major administrative and manufacturing centre for the
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
, with numerous establishments both above ground and in disused quarry tunnels. The parish includes the villages of Gastard and Neston, which is at the gates of the Neston Park estate.


History

Corsham appears to derive its name from ''Cosa's hām'', "ham" being Old English for homestead, or village. The town is referred in the
Domesday book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
as ''Cosseham''; the letter 'R' appears to have entered the name later under Norman influence (possibly caused by the recording of local pronunciation), when the town is reported to have been in the possession of the Earl of Cornwall. Corsham is recorded as ''Coseham'' in 1001, as ''Cosseha'' in 1086, and as ''Cosham'' as late as 1611 (on
John Speed John Speed (1551 or 1552 – 28 July 1629) was an English cartographer, chronologer and historian of Cheshire origins.S. Bendall, 'Speed, John (1551/2–1629), historian and cartographer', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004/ ...
's map of
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
). The Corsham area belonged to the King in Saxon times, the area at the time also had a large forest which was cleared to make way for further expansion. There is evidence that the town had been known as "Corsham Regis" due to its reputed association with
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...
Ethelred of Wessex, and this name remains as that of a primary school. One of the towns that prospered greatly from
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
's
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
trade in medieval times, it maintained its prosperity after the decline of that trade through the quarrying of
Bath stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...
, with
underground mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic v ...
works extending to the south and west of Corsham. The main
turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powe ...
road (now the A4) from London to
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
passed through the town. Numbers 94 to 112 of the High Street are Grade II* listed buildings known as the "Flemish Weavers Houses", however there is little cogent evidence to support this name and it appears more likely to derive from a handful of Dutch workers who arrived in the 17th century. The Grove, opposite the High Street, is a typical example of classic Georgian architecture, as is The Ivy in Priory Street. There are more than 60 listed buildings in the High Street.


Features

Corsham's small town centre includes the historic High Street and the Martingate Centre, a late 20th-century retail development. The stately home of Corsham Court can also be found in the town centre. Standing on a former
Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
Royal Manor, it is based on an Elizabethan manor home from 1582. Since 1745, it has been part of the Methuen estate. The house has an extensive collection of Old Masters, rooms furnished by Robert Adam and Thomas Chippendale, and parks landscaped by
Capability Brown Lancelot Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783), more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English lan ...
and
Humphry Repton Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of ...
. The house is open to the public all year round excluding December and is famed locally for its peacocks, which wander about the streets. The owner of Corsham Court in the mid-seventeenth century was the commander of the Parliamentarian
New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...
in Wiltshire; his wife built what came to be known as the Hungerford Almshouses in the centre of town.


Community

The Pound is an arts venue and community hub for north Wiltshire, run by the Pound Arts Trust and supported by
Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...
, Wiltshire Council, South Gloucestershire Council and Corsham Town Council. Their Rural Touring Scheme take performances to villages in Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire. Pound Arts also organises two annual festivals: the Blue Sky Festival in June, for various art forms including music and comedy; and the Magic and Mayhem Festival in November, featuring magic, burlesque, music hall and other decadent arts.


Parish


Gastard

The village of Gastard was a settlement by the 12th century. It has a 20th-century church.


Neston

Neston village was established around Neston Park, a country estate whose house was built c.1790. Neston Park is home of the Fuller family, who give their name to the Fuller, Smith and Turner brewery in London, known for ''Fuller's London Pride''
cask ale Real ale is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for beer that is "brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous ca ...
.


Pickwick

Pickwick was once a separate settlement and now forms the north-western part of the town. The name derives from
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...
''pic'' (meaning a peak or pointed hill) and ''wic'' (village). The Wiltshire Hundred Roll of 1273 refers to a "William de Pikewicke". Corsham was the inspiration for
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
' novel '' The Pickwick Papers''; it is thought that he borrowed the name from Moses Pickwick, a coachman who was born in Pickwick, lived in the "Hare and Hounds" inn, and ran coaches between Bath and London.


Other settlements

North of the A4, besides Pickwick, are the hamlets of Middlewick, Upper Pickwick and Cross Keys. Settlements now within Corsham's built-up area are Hudswell, Leafield, Westwells with Moor Green and Neston further south. In the east of the parish are Easton, Thingley and Westrop, and in the southeast Chapel Knapp, Gastard, Monk's Park, The Linleys and The Ridge.


Notable buildings

Pickwick Manor was noted by architectural historian
Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, '' The Buildings of England'' ...
as an "unusually impressive example of a late 17th century manor house", having remnants of a 14th-century wing. More recently it has been the residence of architect Harold Brakspear and his descendants. Beechfield is a late Georgian house in Middlewick Lane. It was extended in the early 1970s to provide additional accommodation. The house was split into residential accommodation while part of the grounds were split off in 2002 under the auspices of the Town Council to provide a Nature Area where local flora and fauna can be seen. Guyers House is another building of historical significance which now provides hotel accommodation and a restaurant; it also caters for special events such as weddings. Middlewick House was occupied by
Camilla Parker Bowles Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the ac ...
(now The Duchess of Cornwall) and her first husband between 1986 and 1995, when it was bought by
Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation i ...
of
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...
. Hartham Park is a Georgian estate that includes a rare stické court.


Local government

When the
Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
came into force on 1 January 1974, Corsham came within the areas of
Wiltshire County Council Wiltshire County Council (established in 1889) was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county. As a result of the 2009 restructur ...
and North Wiltshire District Council, electing one county councillor and three district councillors from the Corsham and
Lacock Lacock is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) south of the town of Chippenham, and about outside the Cotswolds area. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trus ...
division. On 1 April 2009, Wiltshire became a
unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
managed by Wiltshire Council and the county's district councils were all merged into this body. From 2009, voters in the area elect three councillors to the new authority, one from each of three new single-member electoral divisions:election-maps.co.uk
, Corsham electoral division boundaries on Ordnance Survey 1:50 000 colour raster layer. Retrieved on 21 July 2009.
*Corsham Pickwick *Corsham Town *Corsham Without and Box Hill (which includes neighbouring
Lacock Lacock is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) south of the town of Chippenham, and about outside the Cotswolds area. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trus ...
and part of Box) Corsham's first tier of government is Corsham Town Council, which was founded as a parish council in 1895. Although Corsham never had its own town charter, in May 2000 it became a
town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...
. There are currently twenty
councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
s, and the four council committees are: * Finance and Administration – general policy, finance, staffing * Property and Amenities – children's play areas, recreation grounds, building maintenance, cemetery and allotments * Community Services – events, tourism, marketing, creative industries etc. * Planning – the council is not the planning authority for Corsham but makes recommendations to Wiltshire Council on applications.


Population and demography

The first official census of 1801 showed Corsham having 2,402 inhabitants, while that of 2011 recorded exactly 13,000. The increase shown for 1840 is due to the influx of stone workers and the arrival of the
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
. No census was taken in 1941 due to the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, but the jump in population (from 3,754 in 1931 to 9,268 in 1951, an increase of 147%) is attributable to the influx of military personnel. The 2001 census demographics of the SN13 postcode area, of which Corsham comprises the major part, did not differ markedly from national figures; the unemployment rate was 2.0 per cent compared to a national 3.2 per cent, and there was a marginally higher rate of retirees (at 23.3 per cent as against 22 per cent). 23 per cent of adults are educated to degree level, against a national average of 20 per cent.


Education

Corsham has four primary schools, an independent preparatory school and a large secondary school. The primary schools, catering for students up to age 11, are: * Corsham Primary School, split between Pound Pill and Broadwood Avenue, was formed from Lady Methuen's School for Girls (founded 1816), the National School for Girls (c.1840s) and Corsham British School for Boys (c.1840). These schools came under the aegis of the Corsham School Board in 1893 and were finally merged in 1923. It now provides for about 600 students. * Corsham Regis Primary Academy, Kings Avenue, opened in 1943 for the children of incoming military workers. It became a junior school in 1955 when older children transferred to the Corsham Secondary Modern School, and now has about 180 students. * Neston Primary School, Church Rise, Neston, was founded in 1861 as Corshamside School. It now provides for about 170 students. * St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Lacock Road, opened in 1966 and is a
Voluntary aided school A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In ...
with about 200 pupils. * Lypiatt Primary School, within a
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
site near Neston, to the south of Corsham, was opened in 1951 to cater for children of MoD employees. It closed in 2019. Two schools outside the parish take pupils from Corsham: Box CE ( VC) Primary School and
Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada * Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England *Shaw, Berkshire, a village * Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton * Shaw, Swindon, a suburb of Swindon ...
CE Primary School. The Corsham School, The Tynings, is Corsham's only secondary school; it was opened in 1972 as a
comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is re ...
and is now a large academy with a
sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for ...
. In 2015 the school had 1,300 pupils. Heywood Prep School, Priory Street, is an independent school providing education from ages 2 to 11, and has about 180 pupils. It achieved a favourable assessment when last inspected in May 2014, being described as "a welcoming, friendly and open community. As a result of feeling safe and well looked after, pupils thrive and challenge themselves to reach their full potential.". It is located on two acres of property in the centre of Corsham, near Corsham Court, on a site first mentioned in the ''
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
'' as a priory donated to an order of monks. The Grade II Georgian building in
Bath stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...
is from 1776; later additions include a barn, used as a dining room and later a science block, and a multi-functional performance hall. The school is part of the Wishford Schools group. The school was rated 17th in The Sunday Times Top 100 Prep Schools in November 2014.


Churches


Former priory

Corsham Priory was referred to in 1336 as having been given to Marmoutier Abbey during the time of
Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the N ...
(1068–1135) as an
alien priory Alien priories were religious establishments in England, such as monasteries and convents, which were under the control of another religious house outside England. Usually the mother-house was in France.Coredon ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms'' ...
. An unnamed
prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be low ...
was referred to in 1201, but the priory had become inactive by 1294 and its lands passed to
The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...
and eventually to
King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...
. Later a Georgian house was built on the site, which is now part of The Heywood School.


Anglican churches

The town of Corsham and surrounding villages are within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Bristol. The churches are served by the Corsham & Lacock Churches team ministry, which extends east to St Cyriac's, Lacock and St Anne's, Bowden Hill.


Church of St Bartholomew

The main parish Church of St Bartholomew, which stands between the High Street and Corsham Court, is partly built on
Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
foundations. The present church has 12th-century origins but underwent major
Victorian restoration The Victorian restoration was the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. It was not the same proces ...
in 1875-8 by G.E. Street. Pevsner writes: "A large church with a commanding S tower with spire. It looks as if it were all built for the great house and the estate in the days of Victorian prosperity. In fact Street only restored an old church, but he did it unfortunately thoroughly, and he added the tower." Street's tower replaced an earlier central tower. Around the same time the chancel was restored by C.F. Hansom, who also added a north chapel for the Methuen family. The north aisle remains from the early 14th century, and the south aisle from later in that century; the nave has Norman arcades and a 15th-century roof. In 1960 the church was designated as Grade I listed. In the north chancel chapel, the large altar tomb of 15th-century landowner
Thomas Tropenell Thomas Tropenell, sometimes Tropenelle and Tropnell ( 1405 – 1488), was an English lawyer and landowner in Wiltshire in the west of England. He acquired large estates, built Great Chalfield Manor, and compiled the '' Tropenell Cartulary''. ...
is shared with his first wife, Agnes.


Outlying churches

The Church of
St Philip Philip the Apostle ( el, Φίλιππος; Aramaic: ܦܝܠܝܦܘܣ; cop, ⲫⲓⲗⲓⲡⲡⲟⲥ, ''Philippos'') was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apos ...
and St James at Neston was opened in 1866. Its architecture is early English, in local stone to designs of J.H. Hakewill. Internal re-ordering was completed in 1985. The Church of St. John the Baptist at Gastard was built in 1912 in the
gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
style.


Roman Catholic

St. Patrick ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...
's Roman Catholic Church was opened in 1945, replacing temporary centres which had been arranged for the wartime population influx. The building is the former Pickwick school, opened in 1858 on land gifted in 1846 by Lord Methuen and his tenants, Sir Gabriel Goldney and Arthur Knapp; the architect was
Henry Goodridge Henry Edmund Goodridge (1797, Bath – 26 October 1864) was an English architect based in Bath. He worked from the early 1820s until the 1850s, using Classical, Italianate and Gothic styles. Life He was born in Bath in 1797 the son of James Goo ...
of Bath. The school closed in 1922 and the building was used for a time as a glove factory, then as a
gas mask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mas ...
factory.


Monk's Chapel

Monk's Chapel, built near Gastard in 1662, was formerly a
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
meeting-house and was transferred to the Congregational church in 1690. The chapel is a Grade I listed building and continues in use as of 2016.


Other free churches

The
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...
Chapel, Moor Green, was founded in 1833. Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Velly, was founded in 1857. The Congregational Church, Pickwick Road, originally met in a malthouse, and a new building was commenced in 1790. In 1971 it closed and is now used as offices. Ebenezer Chapel, Priory Street, was formed in 1822/3 when some members of the Congregational Church split over doctrine. The present building opened in 1829 and has been extended since then. As of 2016, the building is still in use, as Corsham Baptist Church. Zion Hill Baptist Chapel was built in 1859 by a group who separated from the Priory Street chapel. The Particular Baptist Chapel, Pound Pill, dates back to about 1824. The Brethren met in several locations, beginning in the mid nineteenth century at Pockeridge Lodge, moving to Neston, while another group met in Pickwick. By 1903, both were meeting in Neston and in 1925 they bought the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Station Road. A large Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built on Pickwick Road in 1903. In 1984 the congregation was joined by the nearby Congregational church (which by then was part of the United Reformed Church) to form the United Church of St Aldhelm. In 2016 the church continues in use.


Transport

Corsham is connected to
Bradford on Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, ...
by the B3109 road, to Melksham by the B3353, and to
Chippenham Chippenham is a market town in northwest Wiltshire, England. It lies northeast of Bath, west of London, and is near the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon and some form of settlement i ...
and
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
by the A4 Bath Road, a former
turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powe ...
from London to
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
. Junction 17 of the
M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...
is about 8 miles (12 km) from Corsham. Bus company Faresaver operate local services, as well as buses to nearby towns. The
Great Western Main Line The Great Western Main Line (GWML) is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington to . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea. Opened in 1841, it was the o ...
railway from London to Bristol, Exeter and Penzance passes through the town, though Corsham station closed in 1965. Proposals to reopen the station have been put forward since at least 2009, and in 2021 a feasibility study was approved by the Department for Transport. Nearby stations, and most passenger trains, are operated by
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
. Some local services call at the nearest station at Melksham (4.5 miles, 7.2 km) while Chippenham station (4.7 miles, 7.5 km) offers frequent express services and connections. The eastern portal of
Box Tunnel Box Tunnel passes through Box Hill on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) between Bath and Chippenham. The tunnel was the world's longest railway tunnel when it was completed in 1841. Built between December 1838 and June 1841 for the Great We ...
, the longest railway tunnel of its time, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
, is at Hudswell on the western edge of the town. Corsham Railway Cutting carries the main line westward through Corsham to Box Tunnel; in 1971 of land in the cutting were designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for notable geology.


Town twinning

Corsham has had a Twin towns and sister cities, twinning relationship with the town of Jargeau, France since 1981, and has an active twinning association. Corsham holds an annual twinning event in which musical and charity events occur, accompanied by French food and wines. There is also a boules competition for the Peter Henderson trophy which is named in memory of a local doctor and former chairman of the twinning association. As part of the 2008 event, a mock Storming of the Bastille was staged to celebrate Bastille Day, Corsham Town Hall standing in for the Parisian prison.


Economy


Defence

The
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
has operated a number of locations in the vicinity of Corsham since the First World War and employs approximately 2,000 people. Several defence sites in the Corsham area are located underground and were formed from historic
Bath Stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...
quarries. The largest of the above-ground sites are centred around the Hawthorn area of Corsham.


Basil Hill site

The Basil Hill site is in Westwells Road and comprises the former Basil Hill Barracks; the site is now designated MOD Corsham and accommodates approximately 2,100 people. It is home to UK Strategic Command's Defence Digital organisation and also houses the Ministry of Defence's Global Operations Security Control Centre, amongst other units.


Rudloe site

The Rudloe site, bordering Westwells Road and Bradford Road, was one of three sites that comprised RAF Rudloe Manor. Rudloe Manor was established during the Second World War as a non-flying station for administrative and command & control purposes. It was home to HQ Number 10 Fighter Group, RAF Regional Command, Headquarters RAF Police & Security Services, No 1 Signals Unit, Controller Defence Communications Network and 1001 Signals Unit. The main site also served as the primary entrance for the Central Government War Headquarters, variously known as "Turnstile", "Stockwell", "Subterfuge" and "Burlington". By 1998 it had become mostly administrative, housing the RAF Provost and Security Services, which dealt with security and criminal investigation. The sites were taken over by the Defence Communication Services Agency in about 2000, while the detachment of 1001 Signals Unit of the RAF remained at the Hawthorn site until its privatisation. RAF Rudloe Manor was then absorbed into Joint Support Unit Corsham.


Hawthorn site

Hawthorn site, on Skynet Drive, previously accommodated the RAF 1001 Signal Unit detachment of RAF Rudloe Manor. The site supports the Skynet (satellite), Skynet military communications satellite constellations, which is now managed by Astrium Services under a Private Finance Initiative, PFI arrangement.


Copenacre site

The Copenacre site, off the A4 Bath Road about west of Corsham, was originally an underground stone quarry below land formerly part of the Hartham estate; this was taken over by the Ministry of Defence in 1937 and became the Royal Naval Stores Depot, Copenacre. The underground stores closed on 30 September 1995. The site closed completely in January 2011 and was sold. In 2016 demolition started to redevelop the brownfield site into housing. Two original mine structures remain incorporated into the development, one being a shaft entrance.


Other units

The Joint Support Unit provides administrative support and facilities management for all three locations. In 2006 a Private Finance Initiative contract was let to Inteq for the renewal and expansion of the Basil Hill and Rudloe Site facilities, valued at around £800m. Corsham Computer Centre is a Royal Navy data processing facility. The Services Cotswold Centre in #Neighbouring villages, Neston is a welfare centre offering temporary accommodation for services families who require it. The centre has 63 family units, a medical centre and other amenities. HMS Royal Arthur (shore establishment), HMS Royal Arthur was a training establishment between 1947 and 1993. A number of defence-related contractors are co-located or in the vicinity of the MoD sites, such as Chemring Energetics UK Limited and Serco Defence, Science and Technology.


Quarries

Underground extraction of
Bath Stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...
continues in Corsham on a smaller scale than previously. Hanson plc operates Hartham Park Quarry in the Hudswell district, south-west of Pickwick, and Monk's Park Quarry near Gastard. Disused quarries have been redeployed for other purposes; apart from defence usage, there is a wine cellar, wine storage facility at Eastlays, near Gastard run by Octavian Vaults, and storage of magnetic media for off-site data protection at Neston.


Film and television

Another use for the quarries is the film industry. Underground scenes from the first episode of Blake's 7, ''Blake's 7'' were filmed at Eastlays, and disused tunnels form part of the studio complex of Corsham Media Park, a specialist business park that opened in 2001 adjacent to RAF Rudloe Manor. Period drama location filming occurs in Corsham, as in neighbouring
Lacock Lacock is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) south of the town of Chippenham, and about outside the Cotswolds area. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trus ...
and Atworth parishes. Neston Park hosted major outdoor film sets for the Lark Rise to Candleford (TV series), 2008 BBC television adaption of ''Lark Rise to Candleford'', and the BBC also filmed scenes for a 2008 version of ''Tess of the D'Urbervilles'' in Church Street and Corsham Court grounds. Corsham Court has also been used as a period location in productions such as ''Barry Lyndon'' (1975), ''The Remains of the Day (film), The Remains of the Day'' (1993), ''A Respectable Trade'' (1997) and ''Wives and Daughters (1999 TV series), Wives and Daughters'' (1999). In 2014, scenes for the new adaptation of ''Poldark (2015 TV series), Poldark ''were filmed in the town's High Street, meaning Corsham then featured in every series until the drama ended in 2019.''


Sport and leisure

Corsham has a non-League football club Corsham Town F.C., founded in 1884, who play at Southbank. They finished first in the Western Football League Premier Division in 2007.


Notable people

* Decca Aitkenhead (b. 1971), journalist, columnist for The Guardian * Felix Aylmer (1889–1979), actor, President of Equity 1950–1969 * Edwin Bezar (1838–1936), soldier, one of the last surviving veterans of the Crimean War and the New Zealand Wars * Jennifer Biddall (b. 1980), actress, best known as Jessica Harris (Hollyoaks), Jessica Harris in ''Hollyoaks'' *
Camilla Parker Bowles Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the ac ...
(b. 1947), and her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles * Harold Brakspear (1870–1934), restoration architect and archaeologist, lived at Pickwick Manor and Parkside in High Street * Richard William Enraght, Revd Richard Enraght (1837–1898), religious controversialist, curate of St Bartholomew's Church, Corsham, 1861–1864 * Sir Gabriel Goldney, 1st Baronet of Beechfield (1813–1900), Member of Parliament, MP for
Chippenham Chippenham is a market town in northwest Wiltshire, England. It lies northeast of Bath, west of London, and is near the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon and some form of settlement i ...
, and the Goldney baronets * Edward Hasted (1732–1812), historian, master of Corsham Almshouse * Elizabeth Hurley (b. 1965), actress, attended St Patrick's Primary School, 1973–74 * Kris Marshall (b. 1973), actor, best known for playing Nick Harper (My Family), Nick Harper in ''My Family'' and lead detective Police ranks of the United Kingdom#Rank insignia, DI Humphrey Goodman in ''Death in Paradise (TV series), Death In Paradise'' *
Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation i ...
(b. 1944), musician,
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...
* Baron Methuen, family seat is Corsham Court * Gavin Schmidt, climatologist, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, GISS * Jim Smith (cricketer, born 1906), Jim Smith (1906–1979), England Test cricketer, brother of the below * William Smith (cricketer, born 1900), William Smith (1900–1990), cricketer, brother of the above * Rini Templeton (1935–1986), artist, studied at Bath Academy in Corsham c. 1956 * Michael Tippett (1905–1998), composer, lived at Parkside in High Street, 1960–70


Gallery

File:corshamhigh.jpg, The historic High Street is typical of a Cotswolds, Cotswold town File:Corsham map 1773.jpg, A 1773 map shows Neston's earlier name of ''Corsham Side''courtesy Wiltshire Council Libraries & Heritage File:Corsham_High_Street_looking_north.jpg, The southern portion of the High Street is pedestrianised


See also

Neighbouring
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
es (anticlockwise from the north): * Biddestone – small village north of Hartham * Colerne – medium-sized village north-west of Corsham and Pickwick * Box – village west of Corsham; parish includes part of Rudloe * Atworth – Neston Park Estate extends south beyond Atworth village *
Lacock Lacock is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) south of the town of Chippenham, and about outside the Cotswolds area. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trus ...
– historic village and abbey, largely owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust, east of Gastard *
Chippenham Chippenham is a market town in northwest Wiltshire, England. It lies northeast of Bath, west of London, and is near the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon and some form of settlement i ...
and Chippenham Without parishes – market town north-east of Easton Nearby sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs): * Box Mine (near Rudloe and Box Tunnel) * Colerne Park and Monk's Wood, and Honeybrook Farm (near Biddestone and Colerne) * Corsham Railway Cutting


References


Further reading

*


External links

*
Corsham Town Council Corsham at Wiltshire Community History
from Wiltshire Council
Historic Corsham photos
at BBC Wiltshire
Subterranea Britannica
– entry on the Corsham bunkers
Wiltshire's Secret Underground City: Burlington
Articles, interactive map and video tour from BBC Wiltshire * {{authority control Corsham, Towns in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire