Beechingstoke
Encyclopedia
Beechingstoke is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire
, England
. Its nearest town is Pewsey
.
unitary authority
, which is responsible for all significant local government
functions, and is represented in the council by Brigadier Robert Hall
.
The United Kingdom Census 2001
recorded a parish population of 157.
of Saint Stephen
is from 1291. Of the mediaeval church building only the 14th century chancel
arch and surrounding wall survive. The nave
was rebuilt in 1693 and the chancel in 1791. In 1848 the 1791 east window was moved to Wilsford
school and a new 15th-century style one was inserted in the chancel in its place. The church was largely rebuilt again in 1861 under the direction of the architect S.B. Gabriel
of Bristol
, who altered the east window to a 14th century style and inserted a new west window.
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Its nearest town is Pewsey
Pewsey
Pewsey is a large village, often considered a small town, at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire about west of London. It is well connected to London, the West Country and Wales being close to the M4 motorway and the A303. Also, the village is served by Pewsey railway station on the...
.
Local government
Beechingstoke is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It is in the area of the Wiltshire CouncilWiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
, which is responsible for all significant local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
functions, and is represented in the council by Brigadier Robert Hall
Robert Hall (British Army officer)
Robert Wallace Strachan Hall is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, having previously served as a British Army officer, rising to the rank of Brigadier. He is currently Chairman of Wiltshire Council and of Wiltshire and Swindon Fire Authority...
.
The United Kingdom Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
recorded a parish population of 157.
Parish church
The earliest known record of the Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
is from 1291. Of the mediaeval church building only the 14th century chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch and surrounding wall survive. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
was rebuilt in 1693 and the chancel in 1791. In 1848 the 1791 east window was moved to Wilsford
Wilsford, Wiltshire
Wilsford is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Pewsey in the English county of Wiltshire-Local government:Wilsford is grouped with nearby Charlton, Kennet, the two together have an elected parish council...
school and a new 15th-century style one was inserted in the chancel in its place. The church was largely rebuilt again in 1861 under the direction of the architect S.B. Gabriel
Samuel Burleigh Gabriel
Samuel Burleigh Gabriel was a Victorian architect who practised in Bristol. For a number of years he was in partnership with an architect called Hicks. Their offices were at 28 Corn Street, Bristol....
of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, who altered the east window to a 14th century style and inserted a new west window.
External links
- Wiltshire County Council Website page on Beechingstoke, retrieved 15:30 Oct 6, 2004 (UTC)