Kington Langley: Difference between revisions
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Kington Langley is a very up-market village as reflected in its house prices, high walls, and even bigger gates at the front of most properties near Middle and Upper Common. As such the village keeps its proletarian section firmly near the A429. Drivers will see that the village is not even signed until the area of council houses has been passed, and one would be forgiven for thinking that the working class section was not part of Kington Langley at all. The style of building reflects the tastes and aspirations of the village. Most are gated properties, many are crenellated. House numbers were abolished in favour of house names in Kington Langley in 1988, in order to increase the romantic appeal to urbanites, and house names include The Manor Cottage, The Manor Manor, The Manor Born, Quaint Second Home and We Live In London. There are fully 15 properties called The Priory, 12 called The Vicarage, 18 which include the word "Manor" and 4 called The Rectory. <ref>Royal Mail Postcode Checker</ref>. |
Kington Langley is a very up-market village as reflected in its house prices, high walls, and even bigger gates at the front of most properties near Middle and Upper Common. As such the village keeps its proletarian section firmly near the A429. Drivers will see that the village is not even signed until the area of council houses has been passed, and one would be forgiven for thinking that the working class section was not part of Kington Langley at all. The style of building reflects the tastes and aspirations of the village. Most are gated properties, many are crenellated. House numbers were abolished in favour of house names in Kington Langley in 1988, in order to increase the romantic appeal to urbanites, and house names include The Manor Cottage, The Manor Manor, The Manor Born, Quaint Second Home and We Live In London. There are fully 15 properties called The Priory, 12 called The Vicarage, 18 which include the word "Manor" and 4 called The Rectory. <ref>Royal Mail Postcode Checker</ref>. |
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===Kington Langley Scarecrow Festival=== |
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Every year on the second weekend in June, Kington Langley holds a [[scarecrow]] competition in which residents build an scarecrows based on a theme and display them around the village on a scarecrow trail. In 2010 the theme was 'song titles'. The festival also features of children's rides, music and dancing, a craft fair, a village show and other entertainment. The event closes on Sunday with an awards ceremony during which the most popular scarecrows are named. Money raised by the festival is distributed to local good causes. In 2010, 3,000-4,000 visitors attended the event. The official festival website is [http://www.scarecrows.biz www.scarecrows.biz] |
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===Guy Fawkes Night=== |
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Like most places in the UK, on the 5th of November or the weekend closest every year the village holds a [[Guy Fawkes Night]], for about one or two years spanning about 2006-07 Kington Langley did not host one because of lack of funds. The bonfire used to be held on the Middle Common, however, due to complaints about the scorched grass it was moved to a field just outside the village. The event consists of about 10–15 minutes of refreshments and food then the bonfire is lit which lasts for about 30 mins. |
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==Notable former inhabitants== |
==Notable former inhabitants== |
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Revision as of 19:31, 9 December 2010
| Kington Langley | |
|---|---|
 St Peter's parish church, Middle Common | |
| Population | 780 (2001 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST9276 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Chippenham |
| Postcode district | SN15 |
| Dialling code | 01249 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Home Page for Kington Langley |
Kington Langley is a village and civil parish about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Chippenham in Wiltshire, England.
Geography
The parish covers about 1,571 acres (636 ha). The geology is mostly of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. It is on a high water table and the soil is composed of sand with a sub-soil of Oxford Clay. The village stands on a hill, rising to 100 metres (330 ft) towards its western end. It is an example of a ‘squared’ village with approaches from Chippenham, Swindon and Malmesbury. It has three greens. The largest is the Common, which covers 30 acres (12 ha) and is the focal point of the village. The village is just east of the A429 trunk road.
History
Kington Langley was part of the parish of Kington St. Michael until 1865. It was called Kington Langley to distinguish it from another village, Langley Burrell. The original hamlet was known as Langley Fitzurze in medieval times although other spellings such as Langeleghe (11th century), "Langley Fearne" (c.1513), "Langley Fernhill" (1660) have been used. The village is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and is separated from Kington St. Michael by the main Chippenham Malmesbury road.
The Greathouse, close to the A429 road, was built in about 1700.[2] It is is a country house of nine bays and two storeys.[2]
Churches
Parish church
Parishioners used to have to travel more than 1 mile (1.6 km) from Kington Langley to worship at Kington St. Michael. In the 1670s a chapel of ease was created by converting a cottage at Kington Langley.[3] In 1856[2] a purpose-built chapel of ease was completed, which was made the Church of England parish church of Saint Peter in 1865.[3] St. Peter's was designed by C.H. Gabriel with lancet windows in an Early English Gothic style.[2] St. Peter's is in the Diocese of Bristol.
Union Chapel
The earliest known record of Protestant Dissenters meeting for worship in Kington Langley is dated 1742.[4] They met in private houses until 1834, when the house registered for their meetings was that of James Pinnegar, a builder.[4] Pinnegar built Union Chapel on the Common,[4] completing it in 1835.[2] The name refers to its foundation as a union of Dissenters of the Baptist, Moravian and Independent traditions.[4]
The chapel choir met in the middle of the nineteenth century at a chapel-goer’s house on Sundays.[citation needed] The chapel also had a band that used instruments such as flutes and violas.[citation needed]
Union Chapel remains independent, now called Union Chapel Christian Fellowship.[4]
Amenities
Kington Langley has two public houses: the Hit or Miss Inn and the Plough Inn.[5]
The parish has a Church of England primary school, which bears the village's old name of Langley Fitzurse.[6]
Kington Langley has a village hall. The village no longer has a post office.
Kington Langley has a playing field, a tennis court and a park. The village had a football club in the 1960s, which had been founded many years before.[citation needed] Until recently[when?] it had a cricket club.[citation needed]
Culture
Kington Langley is a very up-market village as reflected in its house prices, high walls, and even bigger gates at the front of most properties near Middle and Upper Common. As such the village keeps its proletarian section firmly near the A429. Drivers will see that the village is not even signed until the area of council houses has been passed, and one would be forgiven for thinking that the working class section was not part of Kington Langley at all. The style of building reflects the tastes and aspirations of the village. Most are gated properties, many are crenellated. House numbers were abolished in favour of house names in Kington Langley in 1988, in order to increase the romantic appeal to urbanites, and house names include The Manor Cottage, The Manor Manor, The Manor Born, Quaint Second Home and We Live In London. There are fully 15 properties called The Priory, 12 called The Vicarage, 18 which include the word "Manor" and 4 called The Rectory. [7].
Notable former inhabitants
- Harry Dolman (1897–1977), chairman and president of Bristol City F.C.
- Norris McWhirter (1925–2004), editor of Guinness World Records
- Robin Tanner (1904–1988), artist
Location
References
- ^ "Area selected: North Wiltshire (Non-Metropolitan District)". Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Pevsner & Cherry, 1975, page 281
- ^ a b Temple-Fry, Nick (April 2010). "Kington Langley St Peter's". theChurchPhotographer. Nick Temple-Fry. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "A Brief History of the Chapel". Union Chapel Christian Fellowship. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ The Plough Inn Kington Langley
- ^ [http://sites.google.com/site/langleyfitzurse/ Langley Fitzurse C of E Primary School]
- ^ Royal Mail Postcode Checker
Sources
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. The Buildings of England: Wiltshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 281.