Corsham: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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Corsham: Guide
Corsham is a small mediæval town in northwest Wiltshire, England. It is at the southwestern extreme of the Cotswolds, between Bath, Somerset|Bath (10 miles, 17 km) and Chippenham, Wiltshire|Chippenham (5 miles, 9 km.)
The civil parish of Corsham includes the neighbouring communities of Broadstone, Chapel Knap, Easton, Gastard, Hartham, Leafield, The Linleys, Neston, The Ridge, Rudloe and Thingley.
In the past, Corsham was a centre for the wool industry, and a source for quarrying Bath stone. It includes numerous historic buildings, such as the stately home of Corsham Court. In World War II and the Cold War, it became a major administrative and manufacturing centre for the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence, with numerous establishments both above ground and in the old quarry tunnels.
History
Corsham derives its name from 'Cosa' village', where hām is the Old English for homestead, or village. The town is referred in the Norman influence.
One of the towns that prospered greatly from Wiltshire's wool trade in mediæval times, it maintained its prosperity after the decline of that trade through the quarrying of Bath stone, with underground mining works extending to the south and west of Corsham.
There was once a priory in Corsham, which was destroyed, then replaced with a Georgian architecture|Georgian house (now Heywood School) located on Priory Street.
The town of Corsham was the inspiration for A4, formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol. from Wiltshire County Council. Retrieved on October 4, 2006.
Features
Corsham's small town centre includes the Martingate Centre, a late 20th century retail development, which also houses offices and a small teaching facility for Wiltshire College, a further education institution.
The stately home of Restoration television series.
Corsham is the site of the disused entrance to Tunnel Quarry, which used to be visible off Pockeredge Drive.
Community
The town has its own festival. Corsham also started a jazz festival (separate from the town festival) in 2004, which included a performance by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. The event however was not as successful as the organizers would have hoped, bands across the seven venues had to compete with each other and turnout was lower than expected. In 2005 the festival was reduced to just two venues and a much reduced lineup. In 2006, the festival reduced in size once again, with only the Royal Oak Pub hosting the event, and the Stan Tracey Trio as principal headliners.
The local association football club, Corsham Town F.C., were founded in 1884. They came second in the Western Football League Premier Division in 2006.
Neighbouring villages
Corsham Town Council's boundaries include several neighbouring communities:
Broadstone, Chapel Knap, Easton, Gastard, Hartham, Leafield, The Linleys, Neston, The Ridge, Thingley, part of Rudloe, and a small part of Chippenham, Wiltshire|Chippenham south of the A4 road., Corsham Civil Parish boundary on Ordnance Survey 1:50 000 colour raster layer. Retrieved on October 10, 2006.
Hartham Park is a Georgian period in British history|Georgian Country house|estate that includes a rare stické court.
Neston village was established around Neston Park, a Estate (house)|country estate whose house was built c.1790.
Neston Park is home of the Fuller family, who give their name to the Fuller, Smith and Turner brewery in London, known for Fuller's London Pride cask ale. from the brewery's website. Retrieved on October 4, 2006.
Transport
Corsham is connected to Bradford on Avon by the B3109 road, to Melksham by the B3353 road|B3353, and to Chippenham, Wiltshire|Chippenham and Bath, Somerset|Bath by the A4 road|A4 Bath Road, a former turnpike from London to Bristol.
Four public car parks in the town centre are operated by North Wiltshire District Council, with free parking or up to an hour parking free-of-charge.Connect Corsham, newsletter, Issue 8, Autumn 2006.
Bus companies, including Coachstyle, Faresaver and FirstGroup plc, operate local services, as well as buses to all nearby towns.
The Great Western Main Line railway from London to Bristol passes through Corsham, though the local station closed in the 1960s.
Nearby stations, and most passenger trains, are operated by First Great Western. Some local services call at the nearest Melksham railway station|station at Melksham (4.5 miles, 7.2 km) while Chippenham railway station|Chippenham station (4.7 miles, 7.5 km) offers frequent express services and connections.
The eastern portal of Box Tunnel, built as the longest railway tunnel of its time, by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway, is at Hudswell on the western edge of the town.
Corsham Railway Cutting carries the main line westward through Corsham to Box Tunnel; in 1971 6.6 hectares of land in the cutting were designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for notable geology.
Economy
Defence
Current and former Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence establishments include:
Basil Hill barracks, Defence Communication Services Agency
Copenacre Site
Corsham Computer Centre
Cotswold Centre (Army)
Joint Services Corsham
HMS Royal Arthur (Royal Navy, closed)
RAF Rudloe Manor
Hawthorn, Wiltshire|Hawthorn incorporating the Central Government War Headquarters
The Air Force station, RAF Rudloe Manor, was established in World War II. It is a primarily administrative facility and does not have runways for fixed wing aircraft. The largely disused emergency government headquarters, known as Hawthorn, Wiltshire|Hawthorn, Burlington or Turnstile, is located nearby. Much of the underground complex was offered for sale in 2005 . The bunker was to have housed 4000 key people in the event of a nuclear attack. The tunnels are said to extend under Corsham town itself.
In 2006, an £800 million renewal and expansion of the Defence Communication Services Agency facilities began, involving the construction of offices and residential facilities, and the contracting out of former Ministry work to Private Finance Initiative contractor, Inteq.Wiltshire Times, 25 October 2006. , Craig Evry. Retrieved on October 27, 2006.
The DCSA communications centre provides a hub for worldwide communications for UK military operations.
Public defence activities are supported by some local private defence contractors, such as Leafield Engineering, in Leafield.
Notable residents
Camilla Parker Bowles (b. 1947) – later married Charles, Prince of Wales
Harold Brakspear (1870–1934) – restoration architect and archæologist, lived at Pickwick Manor and Parkside in High StreetBRAKSPEAR, Sir; Harold (b. Corsham, Wilts. 10 March 1870 - d. 20 November 1934). Who's Who 2006 and Who Was Who 1897-2005 (2005). Retrieved 10 October 2006. Available from
Edward Hasted (1732–1812) – historian, master of Corsham Almshouse
Nick Mason (b. 1944) – musician in the rock band Pink Floyd
Barons Methuen – family seat is Corsham Court
Rini Templeton (1935–1986) – artist, studied at Bath Academy in Corsham c. 1956
Michael Tippett (1905–1998) – composer, lived at Parkside in High Street
Image:Corsham map 1773.jpg|A 1773 map shows Neston's earlier name of Corsham Side
Image:Corsham_High_Street_looking_north.jpg|The southern portion of the High Street is pedestrianized
See also
Neighbouring civil parishes (anticlockwise from the north):
Biddestone – small village north of Hartham
Colerne – medium-sized village northwest of Corsham and Pickwick
Box, Wiltshire|Box – village west of Corsham; parish includes part of Rudloe
Atworth – Neston Park Estate extends south beyond Atworth village
Lacock – historic village and abbey, largely owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust, east of Gastard
Chippenham, Wiltshire|Chippenham and Chippenham Without parishes – market town northeast of Easton
References
Further reading
McCamley, Nick (2000) Secret underground cities : an account of some of Britain's subterranean defence, factory and storage sites in the Second World War, Pen and Sword Books Ltd, ISBN 0-85052-733-3
External links
'''Government:
'''History:
from Wiltshire County Council
'''Selected portals:
'''Buildings:
'''Culture:
'''Economy:
– short article
– entry on the Corsham bunkers
Articles, interactive map and video tour from BBC Wiltshire
'''News:
from Wilts Gazette & Herald Series|Wiltshire Gazette & Herald weekly newspaper (Newsquest)
from Wiltshire Times Group|Wiltshire Times weekly newspaper (Newsquest)
'''Education:
'''Transport:
– on the Internet Archive, from a campaign to open a new station
'''Sport:
Corsham Town F.C.|Corsham Town Football Club
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Corsham". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.