Baydon

Baydon is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England about 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Swindon. The eastern boundary of the parish forms part of the county boundary with Berkshire and the village is about 7 miles (11 km) north-west of the West Berkshire market town of Hungerford.

Baydon

St. Nicholas' parish church
Baydon
Location within Wiltshire
Population664 (in 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSU281780
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMarlborough
Postcode districtSN8
Dialling code01672
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
Websitewww.baydon.org

History

Baydon is close to the Ridgeway, a pre-Roman road. The settlement is on the course of Ermin Way, a Roman Road between Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester) and Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester). The earliest reference to Baydon as a place name is in 1196.[2]

Sir Isaac Newton bought an estate in Baydon which he settled on three of his grand-nephews and nieces days before his death in 1727.[3] He later admitted that he had overpaid for it.

Until the 1790s, when it became an independent ecclesiastical parish, Baydon was a chapelry of Ramsbury parish.[2]

The M4 motorway which passes just north of the village was opened on 22 December 1971.

Religious sites

The Church of England parish church of Saint Nicholas[4] has a Norman nave and two-bay north arcade.[5] The south aisle and northern clerestory are Early English Gothic.[5] The north aisle was rebuilt in 1857-58 by the Gothic Revival architect G.E. Street.[5] The south clerestory is Perpendicular Gothic.[5] The west window, dated 1928, is by Edward Woore and is a memorial to the Rev. Augustus Gibson.[6] The church is Grade II* listed.[7]

A Particular Baptist chapel named Providence Chapel was built in 1806; it closed between 1885 and 1922, then was demolished.[8] A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1823; by 1939 it was a private house.[9]

Amenities

The village school, near the church, has stood since 1843 and is now Baydon St Nicholas Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.[10][11]

The village has a pub, the Red Lion, and a shop with a post office.

Notable residents

Ian Lomax (1931-1996, cricketer) farmed near Baydon. Kevin Wilkinson (1958-1999, pop musician) lived at Baydon.

References
  1. "Wiltshire Community History - Census". Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  2. "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 12 pp52-61 - Parishes: Baydon". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  3. Brewster, 1855, page 397
  4. "Church of St. Nicholas, Baydon". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  5. Pevsner & Cherry, 1975, page 105
  6. "Stained Glass Windows at St. Nicholas, Baydon, Wiltshire". Robert Eberhard. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  7. Historic England. "Church of St Nicholas, Baydon (1034135)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  8. "Providence Particular Baptist Chapel, Baydon". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  9. "Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Baydon". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  10. "Baydon St.Nicholas Church of England School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  11. "Baydon Primary School". Retrieved 14 September 2015.

Sources and further reading
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