Royal Wootton Bassett
| Wootton Bassett | |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,043 (2001 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU0682 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode district | SN4 |
| Dialling code | 01793 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Wootton Bassett Town Council |
Royal Wootton Bassett is a small market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 11,043 in 2001. Situated in the north of the county, it lies 6 miles (9.5 km) to the southwest of the major town of Swindon.
The town was granted royal patronage in March 2011 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of its role in the early 21st century military funeral repatriations, which pass through the town.
History
Wodeton settlement
AD 681 is usually taken as the starting point for recorded history of Wootton Bassett, then known as Wodeton, it being referred to in that year in a Malmesbury Abbey charter granting land to the Abbot.
Archaeological discoveries in the area tend to confirm the tradition that the original "Wodeton" (Settlement in the wood - i.e. in Bradon Forest) was near the present Dunnington Road. Allegedly under continuous occupation throughout Celtic and Romano-British periods, the land was granted in 681 AD to Malmesbury Abbey. Further grants of land nearby appear in the records from time to time, but of Wodeton itself we hear no more until it was sacked by the marauding Danes in 1015, whereupon the survivors decided to move uphill to the site of the present High Street.
Domesday Book
Wootton Bassett is mentioned in the Domesday Book[2] where it was noted that Miles Crispin held the rights and these included "land for 12 ploughs...a mill...and 24 acres (9.7 ha) of meadow...33 acres of pasture and woodland which is two leagues by a league". It was said to be worth nine pounds.
Royal status
In the early 21st century, the town became known for the informal tributes it paid during military repatriation funeral processions which passed through the town.[3] On 16 March 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron announced, at the start of Prime Minister's Questions, that while "from September, military repatriations will no longer pass through the town of Wootton Bassett", "Her Majesty has agreed to confer the title 'Royal' upon the town, as an enduring symbol of the nation’s admiration and gratitude".[4][5] The addition to the town's name will be enacted through Letters Patent and will become effective later in 2011. Wootton Bassett will become the third 'Royal' town in the country after Royal Leamington Spa and Royal Tunbridge Wells, and the first to receive the status in over 100 years.[4]
Geography
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Suburbs of Wootton Bassett include Coped Hall, Noremarsh, Woodshaw and Vastern (a small hamlet to the south). The Wootton Bassett Mud Spring is a 8,000 m2 (86,000 sq ft) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, which was notified in 1997.
Governance
In local government, the town falls under the auspices of Wiltshire Council, a unitary authority established in 2009 as part of wider local government changes in England. In the national Westminster government, since the 2010 general election the town has been represented by the Conservative MP James Gray, as the elected member for the North Wiltshire parliament constituency, established in 1983. In the European Parliament, the town is represented as part of the South West England constituency.
The original Wootton Bassett UK Parliamentary constituency was abolished in 1832. The right of the town to send two representatives to Parliament was first gained as early as 1446 and before the Reform Act 1832, Wootton Bassett was known as a Rotten Borough, due to the way in which elections were conducted there, which were the antithesis of modern democratic elections. Voters were required to state their preferences in public before representatives of each side, and were openly bribed. In 1754 the accounts of a successful candidate[citation needed] show that his supporters were paid £30 each for their vote, and in the run up to the election the candidates secured the allegiance of public houses in the town, where voters were plied with free refreshments. Free beer was also provided by men who carried containers about the town. The same accounts show that £1,077 was paid out to 12 'pubs' for the refreshments.
Population
The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded the town's population as 11,043, indicating that the town has tripled in population total during the previous 50 years. Since the opening of the M4 motorway, the town has become attractive to commuters, many travelling to the towns and cities of Swindon, Chippenham, Bath and Bristol. The town also has a significant Royal Air Force population due to its proximity to RAF Lyneham.
Education
Wootton Bassett has one secondary school, Wootton Bassett School. It has a number of primary schools: St Bartholomew's C of E, Longleaze Primary school, Noremarsh Junior school and County infants. County infants is a feeder school to Noremarsh juniors.
Military
RAF Lyneham
The town is close to RAF Lyneham, with the base situated 4 miles (7 km) to the south. The station was first established with a hard runway in May 1940. Having always operated long range transport flights from its long runways, from 1971 the base became the Royal Air Force's principal tactical transport hub, with the introduction of the C-130 Hercules transport plane. The base was slated for closure in 2012 with the retirement of the final C130K Hercules, with all other planes and operations then being transferred to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
Repatriations
In the early 21st century, the bodies of dead servicemen and women of the British Armed Forces fighting in the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan and other places, having been repatriated to RAF Lyneham, usually pass through the town as part of a funeral cortège, on their way to John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in readiness for the coroner.
Relatives/friends not attending the RAF Lyneham ceremony often chose to pay their first respects at Wootton Bassett. This soon led to other people assembling as mourners along the route, initially from the local area. Gradually, the processions begun to be attended by people from far and wide with large gatherings, which are mostly well received, although some labelled it a form of 'grief tourism'.[6][7] When RAF Lyneham closes in September 2011, the repatriations will move to RAF Brize Norton.[5]
Tributes
The public shows of support during the repatriations led to several tributes to the town and its mourners.
On 12 October 2008, an Armed Forces parade was held in the town.[8] On Friday 29 January 2010 the town was visited by Prince Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, to lay a wreath at the War Memorial and meet local people.[9] On 21 December 2009, Prince William presented the town with one of The Sun's "Millie" awards for Support To The Armed Forces, stating "One of the most remarkable things is that the people are so modest, they refuse to accept any praise".[10]
In May 2009, The Royal British Legion honoured Wootton Bassett with a special award in recognition of Legion members, many of whom are ex-servicemen and women, who attend the repatriations.[11] Motorcyclists from The Royal British Legion Riders Branch attend every repatriation held in the town.[12][13][14]
Calls for the town to have Royal status bestowed on it had emerged in September 2009, and while in the form of petitions and social media campaigns there had been public support for both the Royal title and other forms of national expressions of thanks at the time, local figures were less keen on the idea. South Wootton Bassett councillor Chris Wannell and Wootton Bassett Mayor Steve Bucknell both thought that it was not what local people would want, preferring to just honour the dead with no expectation of thanks.[15]
Other tributes have included a public mass charity motorcycle parade through the town in March 2010, which also raised £100,000 for the charity Afghan Heroes.[16]
Protests
In 2009, controversial plans for a demonstration in the town by the Muslim extremist group Islam4UK, led by Anjem Choudary, came under widespread condemnation.[17] The group eventually called off the plan, claiming that the publicity generated had "successfully highlighted the plight of Muslims in Afghanistan" and so "no more could be achieved even if a procession were to take place".[18]
Transport
Roads
The main road through the town is the A3102 road, which connects it to Swindon to the east and Melksham to the south west, a town in the west of the county. The only other numbered road out of the town is the B4042 road, which runs to Malmesbury in the west.
Opened in 1971, the town is also close to Junction 16 of the M4 motorway connecting London with South Wales, allowing easy access to other towns and cities of the M4 corridor.
Railways
Wootton Bassett has no railway station, although it has been served in the past by three railway stations, and is a major junction on the rail network, being the location where the South Wales Main Line branches off of the Great Western Main Line. As such, stations nearby offer direct connections to London, the South West and Wales.
The first station to serve the town was Wootton Bassett Road, opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1840 some distance from the town (sometimes referred to as Hay Lane), when the Great Western Main Line from London Paddington reached the town. After just a year, with the completion of the Box Tunnel allowing the line to reach Bristol Temple Meads, a this was replaced by the closer Wootton Bassett railway station. In 1903, after the new South Wales branch opened, the station was demolished and rebuilt as Wootton Bassett Junction at the junction of the two lines. British Railways closed that station in 1965. There have been on-going attempts to re-open a station in the early 21st century.
Waterways
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The route of the former Wilts & Berks Canal passes through Wootton Bassett parish south of the town. The canal reached Wootton Bassett parish from Semington in 1801 and was completed when it reached Abingdon in 1810. The last narrowboat traffic to Wootton Bassett was in 1906 and the canal was abandoned by Act of Parliament in 1914. The canal is now being restored by the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust.
Culture
Sport
In football, the town is represented by Wootton Bassett Town F.C. who play their home games at the 2,000 capacity Gerrard Buxton Sports Ground in Rylands Way. As of the 2010-11 season, the club was competing in the Hellenic Football League Premier Division.
Other successful sports clubs include Wootton Bassett Hockey Club, Wootton Bassett Otters Swimming Club, Wootton Bassett Rugby Football Club and Wootton Bassett Bowls Club.
Museums
The Wootton Bassett Museum is the former Wootton Bassett Town Hall, which is an upper storey supported on 15 pillars, was built at the end of the 17th century, a gift from the Hyde family (Earls of Clarendon).[19]
War Memorial
The town previously had war memorials in the form of a memorial garden in the cemetery and the memorial hall on Tinker's Field. In October 2004 a new memorial was unveiled in the town, a simple pedestal topped by a bronze of hands holding up a globe. The opening was the culmination of a five year publicity and fund raising campaign, initiated by local girl Jay Cunningham who felt that the garden and hall were not a prominent enough.[20] The design of the memorial was by Lance Corporal Alan Wilson of the Wootton Bassett army cadets, chosen by public vote, and then sculpted by local artist Vivian ap Rhys Price.[21]
Twinning
The town is twinned with Blain, a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.
References
- ^ "Area selected: North Wiltshire (Non-Metropolitan District)". Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration. London: Penguin Books. 2003. p. 183. ISBN 0-14-143994-7.
- ^ Jardine, Cassandra; Savill, Richard (7 July 2009). "Wootton-Bassett: A very British way of mourning". The Daily Telegraph Online. London. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Prime Minister announces 'Royal' Wootton Bassett". Cabinet Office. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ a b "Wootton Bassett to get 'Royal' title in war dead honour". BBC News. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ Pavia, Will (29 July 2009). "Wootton Bassett fears being in front line of grief tourism". The Times. London.
- ^ Schott, Ben (30 July 2009). "Grief Tourism". The New York Times.
- ^ Adams, Paul (12 October 2008). "Town swells with patriotism and pride". BBC. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ "Royal respects at Wootton Bassett". BBC News. 29 January 2010.
- ^ "Honour for people in town of grief". The Sun. 16 December 2009.
- ^ Legion award to Wootton Bassett, British Legion website, accessed 01/13/2010
- ^ "British Legion Riders Bike into Bassett". Wootton Bassett Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ Gillan, Audrey (25 February 2010). "How Wootton Bassett became the town that cried". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ Deal, Paul (10 November 2009). "Wootton Bassett sheds tears for soldiers". BBC News. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ Wallin, James (16 September 2009). "Wootton Bassett rejects talk of Royal title". Swindon Advertiser.
- ^ "Bikers ride in Wootton Bassett tribute". BBC News. 14 March 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ "Islam4UK makes its demands". The Daily Telegraph. London. 5 January 2010.
- ^ Arnold, Adam (11 January 2010). "Muslim Group Cancels Wootton Bassett March". Sky News Online.
- ^ "Historic Wootton Bassett pics". Wiltshire: Local History. BBC Online. January 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ "Help us with war memorial money". Swindon Advertiser. 20 May 2002.
- ^ "Vivien ap Rhys Price". Calne Artists. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
Further reading
- Crittall, Elizabeth (ed.); Dunning, R.W.; Rogers, K.H.; Spalding, P.A.; Shrimpton, Colin; Stevenson, Janet H.; Tomlinson, Margaret (1970). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 9. pp. 186 205.
{{cite book}}:|first1=has generic name (help) - Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. The Buildings of England: Wiltshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 596 599. ISBN 0 14 0710.26 4.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help) - Pugh, R.B.; Crittall, Elizabeth (eds.) (1956). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 3. pp. 368 369.
{{cite book}}:|first2=has generic name (help)
External links
