Related Directory Categories
- Semington (4)
Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Semington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Semington | |
|
  |
|
| Population | 830 (2001 census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Parish | Semington |
| District | West Wiltshire |
| Shire county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Trowbridge |
| Postcode district | BA14 |
| Dial code | 01380 (Keevil) |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| UK Parliament | Chippenham (c. 2009) Westbury (2005) |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire | |
Semington is a medium-sized village in West Wiltshire, England. It features 2 locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal, and is the start of the disused Wilts and Berks Canal. Its 2001 population was 830, and it is located 3 miles (5 km) from Melksham and 4 miles (7 km) from Trowbridge.
Semington civil parish includes the hamlets of Littlemarsh and Littleton.[2]
Contents |
Within the village there are around 500 houses, a primary school, a village hall, public tennis courts and a park for children. For the school's most recent Ofsted report, click on St George's . The village has its own website where some detail of events in the village can be found – although these are not always up to date. Minutes of parish council meetings are eventually displayed here, and there is a rumour that the PC itself will soon embrace the digital age.
The Kennet and Avon Canal crosses marshy ground on an embankment on the northern edge of the village.
The two Semington Locks were built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the canal is now administered by British Waterways. They have a combined rise/fall of 16 ft 1 in (4.9 m).[3] The two locks at Semington are known as Buckley's (numbered 15) and Barrett's (16).[4]
Adjacent to the locks is the point at which the disused Wilts and Berks Canal joined the Kennet and Avon. East of the locks, the canal travels across the 2004 Semington Aqueduct, built to allow the A350 road to bypass Semington village. Another aqueduct carries the canal over Semington Brook.[5]
The canal, towpath and adjacent hedges are good for wildlife and donkeys and there have been recent sightings (2006) of watervoles (arvicola terrestris).[6]
During the Second World War, Semington lay on GHQ Line which followed the path of the canal. Semington was designated as a centre of resistance: extensive anti-tank ditches were constructed to the east, south, and west of the village, these were overlooked by a number of pillboxes. The defences were constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations.[7]
The village has the small mediæval St George's church, which is a grade II listed building.[8] with a garden fête held every summer in the gardens of the manor house.[9]
Semington has a pub, the Somerset Arms,[10] and a number of other small businesses. Only 1 km to the north of the village lies the ever-expanding Hampton Park West business park, which houses the large corporate headquarters of companies such as G-Plan, Avon Rubber plc and a large Wiltshire Police operations centre.
- Thomas Helliker (1784–1803), trade union martyr, executed for rôle in burning Semington mill
- Isaac Gulliver (1745–1822), smuggler
- ^ Wiltshire Community History Semington Census Information. Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
- ^ election-maps.co.uk, Semington Civil Parish boundary on Ordnance Survey 1:50 000 colour raster layer. Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
- ^ Pearson, Michael (2003). Kennet & Avon Middle Thames:Pearson's Canal Companion. Rugby: Central Waterways Supplies. ISBN 0-907864-97-X.
- ^ Allsop, Niall (1987). The Kennet & Avon Canal. Bath: Millstream Book. ISBN 0-948975-15-6.
- ^ Semington Aqueduct. Images of England. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
- ^ Watervoles. UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Retrieved on March 17, 2007.
- ^ Foot, 2006, p291-296.
- ^ Church of St. George. Images of England. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
- ^ Manor House. Images of England. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
- ^ Somerset Arms. Images of England. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
- Foot, William (2006). Beaches, fields, streets, and hills ... the anti-invasion landscapes of England, 1940. Council for British Archaeology. ISBN 1-902771-53-2.
-
- Satellite image from WikiMapia or Google Map
- Street map from Multimap or GlobalGuide
- Aerial image from TerraServer
Canal:
- West Wilts Branch of The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust
- National Cycle Route 4 – Severn & Thames; more info at waterscape
- waterscape.com – Official Kennet and Avon Canal information
- Visit K&A – Kennet & Avon Canal Rural Transport Partnership
- Kennet & Avon Trade Association
Community:
- www.semington-village.co.uk — Unofficial village website; includes parish council minutes and voluntary organisations
History:
- Semington at Wiltshire Community History from Wiltshire County Council
- http://www.wiltshirepast.net/ – Wiltshire Victoria County History