Population 116 (in 2011) Civil parish Norton Bavant Region South West Local time Sunday 10:20 PM Dialling code 01985 UK parliament constituency South West Wiltshire | OS grid reference ST909431 Unitary authority Country England Shire county Wiltshire Post town Warminster | |
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Weather 11°C, Wind SW at 21 km/h, 96% Humidity | ||
Norton Bavant is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Warminster.
Contents
Map of Norton Bavant, Warminster, UK
Geography
The village is on the River Wylye and at the edge of Salisbury Plain. To the north lies Scratchbury and Cotley Hills Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the Iron Age hillfort of Scratchbury Camp.
The A36 road to Salisbury bypasses the village to the south, on the other side of the river. The earlier direct route of the road, just north of the village, is now the B3414.
The Wessex Main Line railway between Warminster and Salisbury, opened 1856, follows the river valley and crosses the parish to the north and east of the village. The local station at Heytesbury was closed in 1955.
History
John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–1872) described Norton Bavant as follows:
NORTON-BAVANT, a village and a parish in Warminster district, Wilts. The village stands on the river Wiley, adjacent to the Salisbury and Westbury railway, 1¼ mile N W of Heytesbury r. station, and 2¾ S E by E of Warminster. The parish includes a detached portion, separated from the main body by Warminster parish. Post-town, Warminster. Acres, 2,165. Real property, £3,549. Pop., 261. Houses, 61. The property is divided among a few. Norton House is a chief residence. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Salisbury. Value, £250. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church was recently rebuilt. There are a parochial school, and charities £4.
Norton Bavant Manor was built in the late 17th century and is Grade II* listed.
Local government
Norton Bavant is considered to be too small to elect a parish council, and instead has a Parish Meeting, at which all electors for the parish are able to speak and vote. Local government services are provided by Wiltshire Council, which has its offices in Trowbridge. The village is represented in Parliament by the MP for South West Wiltshire, Andrew Murrison, and in Wiltshire Council by Christopher Newbury.