Burbage, Wiltshire
Coordinates: 51°20′56″N 1°40′16″W / 51.349°N 1.671°W
| Burbage | |
 Burbage
Burbage shown within Wiltshire |
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| Population | 1,660 (2001 Census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SU2361 |
| Civil parish | Burbage |
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Marlborough |
| Postcode district | SN8 |
| Dialling code | 01672 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Devizes |
| Website | Burbage Village portal |
| List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire | |
Burbage is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire, England. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Marlborough and 20 miles (32 km) west of Newbury.
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[edit] Local government
Burbage is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority. Both councils are responsible for different aspects of local government.
[edit] Geography
Burbage stands on a watershed at the eastern end of the Vale of Pewsey, with streams to the east draining to the Thames via the Dun and Kennet, to the south via the River Bourne, and to the north and west into the Salisbury Avon. The village is by-passed by the A346 trunk road from Swindon and Marlborough to Salisbury to the north and the A338 road to the south, and a more minor route from Pewsey to Hungerford and the M4 (designated A338 to the east and B3087 to the west). The village no longer has a station on the nearby Reading to Taunton line, the nearest stations being at Great Bedwyn (with commuter services to London) and Pewsey.
Burbage lies in the heart of the North Wessex Downs, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
[edit] History
The Kennet and Avon Canal was built just north of the village and completed in 1810. The Great Western Railway's Berks and Hants Extension Railway from Hungerford to Devizes was built close to the canal in the 1860s, eventually becoming part of the Reading to Plymouth Line of the main line from London Paddington in 1906. The GWR built Savernake Low Level near the north end of the village. British Railways closed it in 1966. There was also a goods-only station called Burbage Wharf about three-quarters of a mile west of Savernake station.
The Midland and South Western Junction Railway opened from Andover to Grafton and Burbage in 1882, the latter station being situated in nearby West Grafton. The northern section of the M&SWJR line from Swindon to Marlborough Low Level had opened in 1881, and this was joined to the southern section from 1883 by using the Great Western Railway's branch between Savernake and Marlborough High Level. In 1898 the M&SWJR got its own route between Marlborough and Grafton and a new station opened at Savernake High Level. The M&SWJR had therefore become a route between Southampton and Cheltenham and the Midlands. British Railways closed it in 1961.
The population of Burbage peaked at around 1600 with the building of the railway in 1860, declining to a low point of 1000 a century later. It has since increased steadily, regaining its 1860s level in the 21st century.[2] At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,660.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Parish Headcounts, Area: Burbage CP". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. 2001. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=800533&c=Burbage&d=16&e=15&g=497440&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1207739953814&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ Colin Younger. "A study of the population of Burbage (1801-2001)". www.burbage-wiltshire.co.uk. http://www.burbage-wiltshire.co.uk/historic/population.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
[edit] Further reading
- Crowley, D.A. (ed.); Baggs, A.P.; Freeman, Jane; Smith, C.; Stevenson, Janet H.; Williamson, E. (1999). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 16: Kinwardstone hundred. pp. 69–82.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. The Buildings of England: Wiltshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 152. ISBN 0 14 0710.26 4.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Burbage, Wiltshire |
- Wiltshire Council Website page on Burbage, retrieved 23:00 Oct 10, 2004 (UTC)
- Burbage Village portal Enabling web visitors to access all the relevant websites for Burbage, Wiltshire, including:
- Burbage Village Local information website with Diary, Newsletters, Directory, Forum and Events pages
- Burbage Wiltshire Local information website for historical and genealogical reference
- Village Hall A website for the local village hall, with booking and facilities information
