Rollestone is a small village and former
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 ...
on
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...
in
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 near the
River Till. Its nearest town is
Amesbury
Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settle ...
, about away to the east.
For local government purposes, Rollestone was added to Shrewton parish in 1934.
History
The name Rollestone was first used in the 13th century.
In 1947 the Ordnance Survey map showed Rollestone as a hamlet south of the
A360 Devizes to
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
road, about southeast of
Shrewton
Shrewton is a village and civil parish on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, around west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. It lies on the A360 road between Stonehenge and Tilshead. It is close to the source of the River Till, which flows ...
. As Shrewton expanded in the 20th century, Rollestone became an area of Shrewton.
Rollestone Manor was built in the 18th century and is
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. As of 2015 it is a privately owned hotel and restaurant.
Church
The small 13th-century
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
Church of St Andrew is Grade II* listed. It was declared redundant and is in the care of the
Churches Conservation Trust.
Near the church is the former rectory, a mid-17th-century building altered in the 19th century.
Rollestone Camp
Military usage of land to the northeast of Rollestone began in the early 20th century, as artillery firing ranges which were later used by the
Royal School of Artillery
The Royal School of Artillery (RSA) is the principal training establishment for artillery warfare in the British Army. Established in 1915, it is located at Larkhill, Wiltshire, on the south edge of Salisbury Plain in the United Kingdom. The Schoo ...
at Larkhill Camp.
Rollestone Camp was established in 1916
by the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
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, march =
, mascot =
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, decorations ...
for
observation balloon
An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...
training. Situated in an upland area of Wiltshire, it was described by one soldier stationed there as 'a bit bleak', especially for Australians used to a warmer climate. The water froze around Christmas time, and one night the troops' corrugated iron cinema was blown away.
Around this time the
Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway was extended from Larkhill to Rollestone and beyond; this extension remained in use until about 1923. Balloon-related usage of Rollestone Camp continued until 1939 when the site became a
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Anti-Gas School, which closed in 1945.
For several months in 1980–81 the camp was used as a temporary prison (HMP Rollestone Camp) during
industrial action
Industrial action (British English) or job action (American English) is a temporary show of dissatisfaction by employees—especially a strike action, strike or slowdown or working to rule—to protest against bad working conditions or low pay a ...
by prison officers.
For 8 months in 1988, the camp became HMP Rollestone once more when it was used to relieve overcrowding in civilian prisons. The prison housed 360 category C prisoners. The prison governor was a HMP graded officer, the wing commanders were Military Provost staff (from Colchester military prison) and the wing staff were Royal Military Police NCOs, provided by the local Provost companies in nearby Tidworth and Bulford.
The camp continues in use as part of the
Salisbury Plain Training Area
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wit ...
.
References
External links
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Villages in Wiltshire
Former civil parishes in Wiltshire