Goatacre
Encyclopedia
Goatacre is a village in the southwestern English county
of Wiltshire
situated 8 km (5 mi) north of Calne
and 1 km south of Lyneham
on the A3102 road. It is in the parish of Hilmarton
and the closest major town is Swindon
, some 19 km (11.8 mi) to the northeast. The adjacent hamlet, west of the main road, called New Zealand is considered part of Goatacre.
Goatacre is known for its village cricket team which won the Cricketer National Village Knockout competition in 1988 and 1990.
As well as a famous cricket club there is also a village hall that plays host to both private and community events, as well as a small members bar. There are also facilities for playing football including a pitch and changing facilities shared with the cricket club. A variety of public footpaths offer pleasant walks in all seasons and there is also a post box and phone box situated by the main road. A bus service runs between Chippenham and Swindon by way of Goatacre on a regular basis.
Evidence of the Quaker settlement can be seen in the name of the road called 'Quakers Lane" and the disused Quaker burial ground in Lower Goatacre
Counties of England
Counties of England are areas used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. For administrative purposes, England outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly is divided into 83 counties. The counties may consist of a single district or be divided into several...
of Wiltshire
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...
situated 8 km (5 mi) north of Calne
Calne
Calne is a town in Wiltshire, southwestern England. It is situated at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs hill range, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
and 1 km south of Lyneham
Lyneham
-Village:* Lyneham, Wiltshire is a village located in Wiltshire* RAF Lyneham is a Royal Air Force based in Wiltshire, England-Suburb:* Lyneham, Australian Capital Territory is a suburb of Canberra, Australia...
on the A3102 road. It is in the parish of Hilmarton
Hilmarton
Hilmarton is a small village in North Wiltshire, in the West of England.The village is situated on the A3102 between the towns of Calne and Wootton Bassett, and south of Lyneham. The Anglican village church of St. Laurence dates from the 12th century and has Grade 1 listed building status...
and the closest major town is Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, some 19 km (11.8 mi) to the northeast. The adjacent hamlet, west of the main road, called New Zealand is considered part of Goatacre.
Goatacre is known for its village cricket team which won the Cricketer National Village Knockout competition in 1988 and 1990.
As well as a famous cricket club there is also a village hall that plays host to both private and community events, as well as a small members bar. There are also facilities for playing football including a pitch and changing facilities shared with the cricket club. A variety of public footpaths offer pleasant walks in all seasons and there is also a post box and phone box situated by the main road. A bus service runs between Chippenham and Swindon by way of Goatacre on a regular basis.
Etymology
Although it is popularly thought that the name of the village was given by Quakers, it was recorded as far back as 1242 as Godacre, in 1348 as Gatacre and in 1408 as Gotagre. The name is derived from the Old English word gat-aecre meaning, literally, goat-acre. (Source: 'Wiltshire Place Names' by Richard Tomkins, published 1983 by Redbrick Publishing.)Evidence of the Quaker settlement can be seen in the name of the road called 'Quakers Lane" and the disused Quaker burial ground in Lower Goatacre