Inglesham is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England, notable for the Grade-I listed St John the Baptist Church. The village is just off the A361 road about 1 mile (1.6 km) south-west of Lechlade in Gloucestershire. Most of the population lives in the hamlet of Upper Inglesham, which is on the main road about 1.3 miles (2 km) south of the village.
| Inglesham | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Inglesham Location within Wiltshire | |
| Population | 112 (in 2021)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU206984 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode district | SN6 |
| Dialling code | 01367 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
The parish forms the extreme north-east corner of the Borough of Swindon and County of Wiltshire, and is bounded to the west and north by the River Thames (which also forms the county boundary with Gloucestershire), and to the east by the county boundary with Oxfordshire (Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes). The River Cole forms part of the eastern boundary.
As the parish's population is small, it has a parish meeting instead of a parish council.[2]
The Round House, Inglesham is often used by boaters as a landmark to denote the westernmost point most cabin cruisers and narrowboats can travel along the Thames, as beyond Inglesham the river becomes too clogged with vegetation and too shallow to effectively navigate.
Parish church
editThe 13th-century parish church of St John the Baptist was restored in 1888–89[3] and is listed Grade I.[4] The benefice and parish were united with Highworth in 1940.[5] The church was declared redundant in 1980,[6] and is now cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust.[7]
In the churchyard is a Grade II* listed 15th-century stone cross. The base and shaft survive but the cross itself has been lost.[8]
Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Cistercian Beaulieu Abbey held the manor and benefice.[9]
Secular history
editUntil 1844 Inglesham was a detached part of Berkshire. It was transferred to Wiltshire by the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844.[10]
Church Farmhouse is a former watermill that was rebuilt in the 17th century[11] and is listed Grade II*.[12] Several other houses in the parish are listed Grade II, as are the late 18th-century Halfpenny Bridge that carries the A361 across the Thames into Lechlade,[13] and a Cotswold stone rubble barn at College Farm built in about 1800.[14]
Inglesham lock is at the eastern end of the Thames and Severn Canal and the Cotswold Canals Trust is currently raising funds to restore its structure and part of the canal. The Round House was the lock keeper's cottage.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Inglesham: population statistics". CityPopulation.de. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ "Inglesham Parish Meeting – Councillors". Council & Democracy – Parish council. Swindon Borough Council. 2004–2006. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
- ^ Pevsner & Cherry, 1975, page 276
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St John the Baptist (1023391)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "No. 34900". The London Gazette. 19 July 1940. pp. 4432–4434.
- ^ "No. 48140". The London Gazette. 25 March 1980. p. 4590. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Church of St John the Baptist, Inglesham, Wiltshire". Churches Conservation Trust. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Churchyard Cross (1355932)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ Hockey, 1974, page 259
- ^ Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844, 7 & 8 Vict. c. 61
- ^ Garside, 2005, page 3
- ^ Historic England. "Church Farmhouse (1023392)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ Historic England. "Lechlade Halfpenny Bridge (1023393)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ Historic England. "Cotswold Stone Barn to South West of College Farmhouse (1299767)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
Sources
edit- Garside, Helen (2005). Inglesham Parish (PDF). Swindon: Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 10 October 2010.[permanent dead link]
- Hockey, S.F., ed. (1974). The Beaulieu Cartulary. Southampton Records Series. Vol. XVII. Southampton: Southampton University Press. p. 259.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (1975) [1963]. The Buildings of England: Wiltshire (revised ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 276–277. ISBN 0140710264.