Pewsey is a large village 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 ...

at the centre of the

Vale of Pewsey The Vale of Pewsey or Pewsey Vale is an area of Wiltshire, England to the east of Devizes and south of Marlborough, centred on the village of Pewsey. Geography The vale is an extent of lower lying ground separating the chalk downs of Salisbu ...

in Wiltshire, about south of Marlborough and west of London. It is within reach of the M4 motorway and the

A303 The A303 is a trunk road in southern England, running between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon via Stonehenge. Connecting the M3 and the A30, it is part of one of the main routes from London to Devon and Cornwall. It is a pri ...

and is served by Pewsey railway station on the

Reading to Taunton line Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spellin ...

. The parish includes these small settlements: * Kepnal – east of the village, south of the Burbage road * Pewsey Wharf – north, where the A345 crosses the Kennet and Avon canal * Sharcott – west, by the Avon; marked on some maps as East Sharcott as distinct from West Sharcott, a short distance downstream in

Manningford Manningford is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The parish includes the villages of Manningford Abbots, Manningford Bohune and Manningford Bruce, and the hamlet of Manningford Bohune Common, together known as the Manningfords. The parish is ...

parish * Southcott – close to the southeast of the village.

History

Archaeological excavations on Pewsey Hill show evidence of a settlement in the 6th century. In the Tudor era, the Manor of Pewsey belonged to the

Duchess Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. Several of the village's houses were built in this era: the

timber framed Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

cruck A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which support the roof of a building, historically used in England and Wales. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally naturally curved, timber members that lean inwards and ...

house at Ball Corner, Bridge Cottage on the Avon and the Court House by the Church. In 1764, the founder of the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

movement John Wesley (1703–1791) preached at Pewsey's Church of England parish church. The

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

at that time, Joseph Townsend, was responsible for the building of Pewsey's first bridge over the River Avon. The Kennet and Avon Canal reached Pewsey in 1810. Of more lasting effect for the village was the completion of the Hungerford to Devizes section of the GWR's Berks & Hants line in 1862, which allowed fast travel to London and to the West Country. Since 1906, the line at Pewsey has been part of the

, a more direct route via Westbury to the West Country. In 1898 Pewsey Carnival was first held, a tradition that flourishes today with a fortnight of events, including The Feaste, culminating in an

illuminated procession An illuminated procession is a procession held after dark so that lights carried by the participants form a spectacle. The lights will commonly be of the same type, so making a candlelight procession, lantern parade or torchlight march. Examples ...

in mid to late September. A prominent statue of King Alfred the Great, the former Anglo Saxon King of

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

and a local landowner, stands in the middle of the village.

Pewsey White Horse

The Pewsey White Horse

hill figure A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of geoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and ...

is located on a steep slope of Pewsey Hill about south of the village, and can be viewed from several places in the surrounding area. It was cut in 1937 and is one of the smaller Wiltshire white horses. It replaces an earlier one which was possibly cut in 1785.

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. The ward starts in the west at Pewsey and stretches east to

Easton Royal Easton Royal is a village in the civil parish of Easton in Wiltshire, England, about east of Pewsey and south of Marlborough. The village was the location of Easton Priory from 1234 to 1536. The village mistakenly gained the Royal suffix in ...

. The total population of the ward at the 2011 census was 4,649.

Education

Pewsey Vale School Pewsey Vale School is a small, mixed secondary school in Pewsey, Wiltshire, England, for children aged 11 to 16. It became an academy in July 2011. The school is described by Ofsted as "smaller than the average secondary school". Since 2017, th ...

is a state secondary school, without a sixth form. Pewsey has a state Primary Academy, Pewsey Primary School. It appeared in the 100 Most Improved Schools table for its 2013 results and its 2014 results put it in the top 100 schools nationally. An Ofsted inspection in 2012 rated the school as 'good' and this was confirmed by a short inspection in 2017. St. Francis School, an independent preparatory school, is just outside the village.

Churches

Parish church

Church of St John the Baptist in Pewsey (geograph 5032327)

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of St John the Baptist stands next to the main road in the south of the village and is built in flint and sarsen with limestone dressings. A church at Pewsey was recorded 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 manus ...

of 1086. The present building has work from the late 12th or early 13th centuries in the four-bay arcades, on foundations of large sarsens;

Pevsner Pevsner or Pevzner is a Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aihud Pevsner (1925–2018), American physicist * Antoine Pevsner (1886–1962), Russian sculptor, brother of Naum Gabo * David Pevsner, American actor, singer, da ...

suggests the arches were cut through the walls of an earlier building. The plain font bowl is also from the 12th century. The chancel was rebuilt in the late 13th or early 14th century, the clerestory added in the late 14th or early 15th century, and the ashlar west tower added in the 16th century. In 1861

G.E. Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford, London, Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Gothic Revival architecture, Vi ...

largely rebuilt the chancel and added the south chapel, reusing early windows from the chancel, and restoration in 1889-90 by C.E. Ponting included the addition of the north porch. The tower has six bells, the oldest cast in 1620 by Purdue of Salisbury; two others from the 18th century are by

Rudhall of Gloucester Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 cast more than 5,000 bells. History There had been a tradition of bell casting in Gloucester since before the 14th century. ...

. On the outside of the tower's east wall hangs a sanctus bell cast by James Burrough of Devizes in 1754. The church was recorded as Grade I listed in 1964. Today the church is central to the Vale of Pewsey Team, which includes many rural parishes around Pewsey.

Others

Wesleyan Methodist Church - North Street, Pewsey - geograph

chapel was built in 1873 and became a church in 1932. The

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Church of the Holy Family was built in 1964.

Amenities

The Greyhound Inn - North Street, Pewsey - geograph

Pewsey has a post office, a petrol station, and a Co-op supermarket. The village has one restaurant/wine bar and five pubs (the Royal Oak, the Crown Inn, the Moonrakers, the Coopers Arms, and The Shed Alehouse micropub). At Pewsey Wharf, north of the village, is the Waterfront bar and bistro. Pewsey Sports Centre, run by Wiltshire Council, is next to Pewsey Vale School. Its facilities include a 25m heated indoor swimming pool, squash courts and a large multi-sport hall.

Jones's Mill Jones's Mill () is an 11.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Pewsey in Wiltshire, SSSI notification, notified in 1975. The site is managed as a nature reserve by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Sources Natural England citat ...

is a wetland nature reserve by the Avon. Pewsey is connected to London Paddington via its

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

, a short walk from the village centre.

Notable residents

* Richard Hardinge (c.1593 – 1658),

Groom of the Chamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Household of the monarch in early modern England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In France, the Duchy of Burgundy, and in Eng ...

to the then

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, later King Charles II * Stephen Duck (c.1705 in Charlton, Pewsey Vale – 1756), poet * Joseph Gilbert (1800 in Puckshipton – 1881), pastoralist and winemaker from

Pewsey Vale Pewsey Vale vineyard was founded in Eden Valley, South Australia during 1847 by Englishman, Joseph Gilbert. It is currently part of S.Smith and son. It was the first vineyard established in what is now the Eden Valley wine region

in South Australia from 1839 * Francis Carter (1851–1935), Anglican priest who served in Cornwall, Kent, East Anglia and South Africa * Harold Sheppard (1889–1978), cricketer * Major General Peter George Francis Young CB CBE (1912–1976), senior British Army officer, General Officer Commanding Cyprus District from 1962 to 1964 *

Elinor Goodman Elinor Mary Goodman (born 11 October 1946) is a UK journalist, best known as political editor of Channel 4 News from 1988 to 2005. She was educated at the Manor House School, an independent school in Surrey, England. Goodman joined Channel 4 Ne ...

(born 1946), journalist, political editor of Channel 4 News from 1988 to 2005 *

Moose Harris Moose Harris is a British Bassist, bass guitarist, who was known as Jason James Harris until June 2001, when he legally changed his name to reflect his former nickname and adopted professional alias of "Moose". Biography Although born in Devi ...

(born 1967 in Devizes), bass guitarist * Tara Shears (born 1969), Professor of Physics at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

* Ian Walker (born 1971), former goalkeeper for the

England national football team The England national football team has represented England in international football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in England, which is affilia ...

and

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

* Shelley Rudman (born 1981), winner of the silver medal in the skeleton bob, Britain's only medal at the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...

Sport and leisure

Pewsey has two rugby teams and a junior club. For the 2017–18 season, Pewsey Vale 1st XV plays in the SSE South West Division, Dorset & Wilts 1 North League. PVRFC have a joint second team called Alfred's Nomads, shared with Marlborough RFC; they play in Dorset and Wilts 3 North. Pewsey has a Non-League football team Pewsey Vale F.C. who play at The Recreation Ground. In July 2014 Pewsey Vale Youth FC was awarded 'FA Chartered Standard' Club of the year by the Wiltshire Football Association. Wiltshire Council run Pewsey Leisure Centre which is next to Pewsey Vale School. Its amenities include a 25m heated indoor swimming pool (used for swimming, float play, kayaking and snorkelling), squash courts and a multi-sport hall (used for badminton, indoor cricket/football/rugby, basketball, volleyball, circuit training, archery and martial arts (judo, taekwondo and kung fu)). Pewsey has a running club. A Bowls Club is next to the Tennis club. A swimming pool and gym offer a range of courses including spinning and aqua-aerobics. Pewsey Music Festival, established in 2007, is a celebration of live music held each August in Cooper's Field, behind the Cooper's Arms pub.

References

External links

Pewsey Parish Council

Pewsey village
*
Historic Pewsey Photos
at BBC Wiltshire
''Day Out: The Vale of Pewsey''
– a 30-minute BBC TV programme made in 1984 of a day spent exploring Pewsey Vale * {{authority control Villages in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire