Hannington is a 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England, about north-west of

Highworth Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about north-east of Swindon town centre. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 8,258. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating ...

, within the

Borough of Swindon The Borough of Swindon is a unitary authority area with borough status in Wiltshire, England. Centred on Swindon, it is the most north-easterly district of South West England. History The first borough of Swindon was a municipal borough, ...

. The parish includes the hamlets of Hannington Wick (north of Hannington village) and Swanborough (south, on the border with Highworth parish). The

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

forms both the northern boundary of the parish and the county boundary with

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. John Marius Wilson of the

Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' is a substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales. Its six volumes h ...

in 1870 described the village of Hannington as:

A village and a parish in Highworth district, Wilts. The village stands 2 miles W by N of Highworth, 2 S of the river Thames at the boundary with Gloucester, and 7 NE of Swindon Junction r. station; is a pretty place, built in the form of the letter Y; and has a post office under Swindon.

Demographics

Population

The parish of Hannington had a population of 240 at the 2011 census. 433 people lived in Hannington in 1841. Numbers then steadily declined, and since the 1940s the parish population has plateaued around the 250 mark.

Occupations

The occupations recorded for the parish in 1881 are shown in the graph (left). They were dominated by agriculture with 46 people, almost all male, while those employed in domestic service were almost all female.

Hannington Hall

Hannington Hall is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire 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 Townhou ...

built in 1653, which has been a centrepiece of the village since Sir Thomas Freke commissioned and paid for its construction. The grounds of the hall are dotted with buildings associated with the running of the estate such as the Victorian stable block.

Parish church

The Grade II* listed

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

is dedicated to John the Baptist. It was rebuilt in 1869–1871, retaining two 12th-century doorways and the 15th-century tower. Today, the church is within the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of Highworth with Sevenhampton and Inglesham and Hannington, centred on St Michael's church at

Transport

Hannington_Location_on_a_Ordnance_Survey_map

The minor road running through the village connects to the B4019

Blunsdon Blunsdon is a civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, in Wiltshire, England, about north of the centre of Swindon, with the A419 forming its southern boundary. Its main settlement is the village of Broad Blunsdon, with Lower Blunsdon nearby; ...

road to the south, giving access to the

M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is the third longest 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 ele ...

via the

A419 The A419 road is a primary route between Chiseldon near Swindon at junction 15 of the M4 with the A346 road, and Whitminster in Gloucestershire, England near the M5 motorway. The A419 is managed and maintained by a private company, Road Manage ...

. The road north through Hannington Wick continues to

Kempsford Kempsford is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, about south of Fairford. RAF Fairford is immediately north of the village. The parish, which includes the hamlets of Whelford, Horcott, and Dunfield, had a population around ...

, and another minor road leads north-west to

Castle Eaton Castle Eaton is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England, on the River Thames about northwest of Highworth. It was historically in the area governed by the (former) Wiltshire County Council, but since 1997 has ...

. The village has been without access to the rail network since 1962 when the Highworth branch line closed following declining passenger numbers. The branch from to Highworth was opened in 1883, over forty years after the main line was built through Swindon. station was about a mile south-east of the village, near the Blunsdon to Highworth road; there were other intermediate stations at Stratton and Stanton Fitzwarren.

Notable people

* Thomas Freke (1660–1721)

References

External links

Hannington Parish Council

Hannington
at genuki.org.uk {{authority control Villages in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire Borough of Swindon