Local History Features

Old Postcards of Amesbury

By Norman Parker, Local Historian

Click on any postcard to start a slideshow

The Portuguese Connection

By Terry Grace

For 2 years in the late 1950s, my walk to School at Gomeldon took me past a short length of retaining wall shown in the picture below:

This unremarkable structure was built to prevent subsidence of the road into the steep chalkpit. The wall, now mostly overgrown sported at that time, perhaps the first piece of public graffiti in the area; imploring us to “VOTE FOR MORRISON” in large blue lettering.

Historically though, there is more to this wall than is generally known. It, together with a much longer wall along the River Bourne at Idmiston, was built around 1916/17 to improve access to the recently established Royal Engineers Experimental Station at what was to become known as Porton Down.

In the early days of this establishment, it proved extremely difficult to get building materials and research equipment onto the site. The main route then was from the Tidworth Rd and through Idmiston Arch. This route was no more than a track which in winter became flooded by the winterbourne. To mitigate this problem, a brick retaining wall was built along the Bourne in Idmiston from the junction with the Tidworth Road A338 (Hairpin Bend), to the point where the road now crosses the river but at which time presumably would have been a ford.

Both of these structures at Idmiston and Gomeldon are sometimes referred to as the Portuguese Walls. It turns out that these walls were built by Portuguese labourers during the First World War. Some locals believe that these labourers were Prisoners of War but Gomeldon resident Charlie Thomkins suggested these were non-combatant volunteers who had been deployed in Flanders and then England and who could not be used on the front.

These men were apparently a lively bunch who liked to fight amongst themselves and with others. For this reason, they were billeted in huts as far away from the establishment as possible, which was the Manor House and Parsonage House in Idmiston.

For a few years, these Portuguese-built roads with their retaining walls were the lifeline into the camp but with the coming of the Porton Camp Military Light Railway in 1916/17 these roads became much less used.

Much of the content of this article came from research carried out by Keith Norris and Frank Blewett, which is available in the Bourne Valley Historical Society archives.

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Shrewton Parish Churches

By Terry Grace

Shrewton

The Church of England parish church of St Mary, on the High Street, was built in the late 12th or early 13th century and has a 16th-century west tower. During restoration and enlargement in 1855 by T. H. Wyatt, the north porch was added, and the chancel, nave arcades and south aisle rebuilt; fragments of 12th-century work survive in some of the arcade pillars. Wyatt also replaced the nave roof, raising it with a clerestory, which is criticised by Pevsner as having "dwarfed the tower".

Three of the six bells were cast in 1619. The Romanesque-style font by Wyatt is described as "especially good" by Historic England. The building, in flint and limestone ashlar, was recorded as Grade II* listed in 1958.

The benefices of Shrewton and Maddington were united in 1869 and Rollestone was added in 1923, but the three parishes remained distinct until 1970. Today the church is part of the Salisbury Plain Benefice.

Maddington

St Mary's Church in the Maddington part of the parish was built in the late 12th century. It is also Grade II* listed and is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

The church has Norman origins, belonging to Amesbury Priory in 1179, with the earliest parts of the existing building dating from the late 12th and early 13th century, although there have been several alterations since, including the renewal of the roof of the nave in 1603.

Sir Stephen Fox became the lord of the manor in the late 17th century and paid for the rebuilding of the chancel and redecoration. In 1853 the chancel was rebuilt and the whole church restored by T. H. Wyatt, including the erection of the gabled porch. The walls of the nave and chancel have a chequerboard pattern of flint and sandstone.

There is a low west tower. The interior includes a large plaster cartouche of strapwork enclosing the date 1637, which may the date of construction of a gallery which has since been demolished. The stained glass includes work by Alexander Gibbs in the south aisle.

The church was declared redundant in 1975 and passed to the Redundant Churches Fund in 1979 which later became the Churches Conservation Trust.

Rollestone

St Andrew's Church in the Rollestone settlement was built in the early 13th century. A Grade II* listed building, it is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

The church is built of flint and stone in a chequerwork pattern.

It has two large Perpendicular windows, and a font from the 13th century.

The oak benches were brought from the redundant church of St Catherine’s at Haydon, Dorset in 1981.