Population 406 (in 2011) Civil parish Chirton Local time Sunday 4:21 PM | OS grid reference SU073575 Unitary authority Dialling code 01380 Post town Devizes | |
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Weather 7°C, Wind W at 32 km/h, 84% Humidity | ||
Chirton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, on the southern edge of the Vale of Pewsey about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Devizes. The parish includes the hamlet of Conock.
Contents
Map of Chirton, Devizes, UK
The settlements are just off the A342 Devizes-Andover road. To the south the parish extends onto Salisbury Plain.
History
Chirton (17 households) and Conock (18) were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. At that time Conock was held by Grestain Abbey, Normandy; in 1324 the land was seized by the king, along with other alien priories.
Conock Manor (c. 1700) is Grade II* listed. Pevsner describes it as "a Georgian house of great charm".
The population of the parish peaked around the middle of the 19th century, with 467 recorded at the 1851 census, declining to 261 by 1901.
When the Stert and Westbury Railway was opened through the Vale in 1900, the nearest station was near Patney, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Chirton village. Known initially as 'Patney Bridge', this was soon changed to 'Patney and Chirton' to avoid confusion with Putney Bridge station in London. The station closed in 1996.
Religious sites
The Church of England parish church of St John the Baptist has Norman features; in the 12th century the church was granted to the newly established Llanthony Secunda priory at Gloucester, and the 12th-century font survives. The present tower was added in the 15th century. A severe restoration was carried out in 1850. The church was designated as Grade I listed in 1962.
Conock had a chapel in the 13th century, which fell into disuse after the land was seized by the king.
Local government
Chirton is a civil parish with an elected parish council, styled as Chirton & Conock Parish Council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council, a unitary authority responsible for almost all local government functions, and is represented there by Paul Oatway, who succeeded Brigadier Robert Hall in 2013.
Amenities
Chirton has a church of England primary school which serves the nearby villages. Sited near the church, the building began as a National School in the 1840s.