The

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 authority ...

of Haydon Wick is a northern suburb of the town of

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

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 ...

, in England. It had a population of 20,960 in the 2011 census. The parish includes the former hamlet of Haydon and the suburbs of Greenmeadow and Rodbourne Cheney.

Government

The first tier of local government is Haydon Wick Parish Council, with two electoral wards: Haydon End (9 councillors) and Haydon Wick (9 councillors). The council is concerned with the overall economic, cultural and physical well-being of the residents of Greenmeadow, Haydon Wick village, Haydonleigh, Abbey Meads, Haydon End, Taw Hill, Oakhurst, Woodhall Park and West Moredon. The parish lies within the

Borough of Swindon The Borough of Swindon is a local government authority in South West England, centred on the urban area and town of Swindon and forming part of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire. History In 1974 the Thamesdown district of Wiltshire was cre ...

where it is represented by six

Borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

Councillors 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 ...

for the wards of Haydon Wick and Priory Vale.

History

Prior to 1928 Haydon Wick was part of the parish of Rodbourne Cheney. Gas was installed in 1930, electricity arrived in 1939 and sewers came after 1928. Originally a small village, during the latter part of the twentieth century and continuing today, housebuilding has extended the number of properties within the parish considerably. Parts of the parish fall within the

Priory Vale Priory Vale is a community in the north of the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England, which comprises the urban villages of Redhouse, Oakhurst and Haydon End. Although not strictly part of Priory Vale, the nearby village of Taw Hill completes ...

northern development. The North Swindon District Centre (or Orbital Shopping Park), which includes a large

Asda Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of York ...

supermarket, is within the parish.

Transport

The

Swindon and Cricklade Railway The Swindon and Cricklade Railway is a heritage railway in Wiltshire, England, that operates on a short section of the old Midland and South Western Junction Railway line between Swindon and Cricklade. Swindon and Cricklade Railway is a regis ...

has rebuilt

Blunsdon railway station Blunsdon railway station is a former railway station, now operating as a heritage railway station. It was built to serve the village of Blunsdon, north of Swindon in Wiltshire, England, although located within the boundaries of Purton. Histo ...

and

Hayes Knoll railway station Hayes Knoll railway station is found on the heritage Swindon and Cricklade Railway in Wiltshire, England. Hayes Knoll station was built in 1999 as part of the work to reopen the section of the former Midland and South Western Junction Railway ...

, although these are located just outside the parish boundary, and within the parish Taw Valley Halt has been opened since 2014. The railway society is currently building a new station at Moulden Hill which lies within the parish and country park. Swindon's Bus Company provides the regular local bus service from Haydon Wick into Swindon town.

Amenities

The

River Ray The River Ray is a tributary of the River Cherwell in south east England. It rises at Quainton Hill, Buckinghamshire and flows west through flat countryside for around to meet the Cherwell at Islip in Oxfordshire. The Ray's catchment area ...

flows through the parish; it offers pleasant walks and is home to many species of fish and wildlife. Known locally as Clifford Meadow,

Haydon Meadow Haydon Meadow () known locally as Clifford Meadow is a 6.39 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire, notified in 1999. The site lies within the Parish of Haydon Wick and is home to Anacamptis morio a rare protected spe ...

is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

within the Parish where

Anacamptis morio ''Anacamptis morio'', the green-winged orchid or green-veined orchid (synonym ''Orchis morio''), is a flowering plant of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It usually has purple flowers, and is found in Europe and the Middle East. Description It fl ...

, a rare protected species of

Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

family

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

may be seen. This flower was adopted as the logo for the

development, elements of which lie within the parish.

Mouldon Hill Country Park Mouldon Hill Country Park is a country park to the north west of the town centre of Swindon, within the parish of Haydon Wick and close to Thamesdown Drive. It is owned and managed by Swindon Borough Council. The park is named after the smal ...

lies within the parish; the park has a number of paths and walkway together with a delightful hidden lake, and within it a new steam railway station is being created by the

Churches

Churches within the parish include Christ The Servant, St John the Evangelist and Emmanual URC.

Schools

Primary schools within the parish are Catherine Wayte, Greenmeadow, Haydonleigh, Haydon Wick, Orchid Vale Primary, and St. Francis. There is one secondary school,

Nova Hreod Academy Nova Hreod Academy (formerly Hreod Burna Senior High School, Hreod Parkway School and Nova Hreod College) is a mixed secondary school with academy status, located in Swindon, Wiltshire for students aged 11 to 16. History ''Hreod'' is the An ...

References

External links

Haydon Wick Parish CouncilHaydon Wick Parish Council – Parish Boundary MapThe Swindon & Cricklade RailwayThamesdown Transport
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205171154/http://www.thamesdown-transport.co.uk/ , date=5 February 2017 Borough of Swindon Civil parishes in Wiltshire