| Grittleton | |
|---|---|
 Grittleton village (westwards) | |
  Grittleton Location withinWiltshire | |
| Population | 539 (in 2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST860800 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Chippenham |
| Postcode district | SN14 |
| Dialling code | 01249 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Community site |
| 51°31′08″N2°12′11″W / 51.519°N 2.203°W /51.519; -2.203 | |
Grittleton is a village andcivil parish inWiltshire, England, 6 miles (10 km) northwest ofChippenham. The parish includes the hamlets ofFoscote,Leigh Delamere,Littleton Drew andSevington, and part of the hamlet ofThe Gibb.[2]
TheGauze Brook, a small tributary of theAvon, rises near Littleton Drew and flows east across the parish. TheM4 motorway was opened in 1971 across the south of the parish, passing close to The Gibb, Foscote, Sevington and Leigh Delamere.
TheFosse Way Roman road crosses the parish from north to southwest. TheDomesday Book of 1086 recorded settlements of 23 households atGretelintone,[3] 15 atSevamentone (Sevington)[4] and 16 atLiteltone (Littleton Drew).[5]
The Grittleton estate was bought in 1828 byJoseph Neeld, a London lawyer who had inherited a considerable sum. Over time he replaced the manor house with a much larger building, and built lodges and extensive stables. His philanthropy in the parish included the rebuilding of the near-derelict church atLeigh Delamere and construction of a row of six almshouses nearby; farms were improved and houses were built for estate workers, together with a small private school atSevington. After Joseph's death in 1856 the estate passed to his brotherJohn.[6]
Schools were built at Grittleton in 1858 (closed 1975) and Littleton Drew in 1850 (closed 1926).[7][8]
Grittleton House, a large Grade II* listedcountry house across the road from St Mary's Church, was built between 1832 and 1856 forJoseph Neeld, replacing a 17th-century house.[9] Architects were James Thomson and (later)Henry Clutton. Neeld also built lodges and an extensive stables complex (c. 1835).[10] Between 1951 and 2016 the house was the home of an independent school.
In 1848, Joseph Neeld built a small private school for the children of estate workers at Sevington. Thomson was again the architect, and he re-used stonework, including the bell tower, from theChurch of St Margaret of Antioch at Leigh Delamere, which had been rebuilt in 1846.[11] The school closed in 1913 but the schoolroom remained largely unchanged; the schoolroom and schoolteacher's house were designated as Grade II* listed in 1988.[11] Since 1991 the schoolroom has been used as a re-enactment centre for primary school children.[12]
All threeChurch of England parish churches within the modern civil parish are Grade II* listed.
Lands in the Grittleton area were owned inAnglo-Saxon times, as recorded by the Domesday Book of 1086.[3] The church of St Mary the Virgin, Grittleton, originates from c. 1200 and the four-bay north arcade survives from that date. The three-stage tower is from the 15th century. Much work was carried out in the 19th century: in 1835-6 theNeeld family added a large pew; in 1836 the south aisle was added byJohn Pinch the younger; and the church was heavilyrestored byA.W. Blomfield in 1865–7 at the expense of the Neelds. Work later in the century included re-roofing, replacement of windows and addition of memorials to members of the Neeld family.[13][14]
The tower has six bells, two of them from the late 15th century.[15] Today the church is part of the Bybrook Team Ministry.[16]
All Saints' Church, Littleton Drew, was rebuilt (except for its 15th-century central tower) byT.H. Wyatt in 1856.[17] The date of the previous church is uncertain; the font is from the 13th century and an incumbent was recorded in 1318.[18] The three bells in the tower are from the late 15th and early 16th centuries.[19] A medieval stone cross, found in the church in 1848, was restored and erected in the churchyard north of the church.[20] Stained glass in the east window, 1856, is byC. and A. Gibbs.[17] The benefice of Littleton Drew was united with Nettleton in 1960;[21] today the church is part of the Bybrook Team Ministry.[22]
St Margaret's Church, Leigh Delamere, was built in 1846 at the expense of Joseph Neeld on the site of a 12th-century church; the architect was James Thompson.[23] Thebenefices of Leigh Delamere and Grittleton were united in 1924.[24] The church was declaredredundant in 1992 and is now in the care of theChurches Conservation Trust.[25]
Littleton Drew had aCongregational chapel, a single-storey building from the early 19th century.[26] Records exist for 1817–1910.[27]
ABaptist chapel was built at Grittleton c. 1720 and is Grade II* listed.[28] The chapel closed in 1982 and was acquired by theHistoric Chapels Trust in 2011.[29]
The civil parish elects aparish council. It is in the area ofWiltshire Councilunitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions.
Leigh Delamere and Littleton Drew were separate civil parishes until 1934; at the 1841 census their populations were 113 and 251.[30] The parishes included the hamlets of Sevington and The Gibb respectively.[31][32]
Catherine Stepney, novelist, was born here in 1778.[33] Notable rectors includeGeorge Bancroft (translator, 16th century); andThomas Tully (theologian and writer, 1620–1676).
Grittleton has apub, theNeeld Arms, a 19th-century building with a 17th-century core.[34] TheSalutation Inn at The Gibb is immediately outside the parish boundary.[35]
Grittleton village hall is a modern building.[36] The small school at Littleton Drew, once used as a village hall, is now a private house.[37]
