Highworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Highworth |
|
|---|---|
 West end of the High Street, 2007 |
|
 Highworth
|
|
| Population | 8,151 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | SU200925 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority |
|
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode district | SN6 |
| Dialling code | 01793 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament |
|
| Website | Town Council |
Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Swindon town centre. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 8,151. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating from its pre-eminence in the 18th century. It also has a 13th-century church, St. Michael's.
Contents
History
Highworth is on a hill in a strategic position above the Upper Thames Valley, and seems to have been occupied almost continuously for 4,000 years. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as 'Wrde'. On John Speed's map of Wiltshire (1611), the name is spelt both Highwoth (for the hundred) and Hiworth (for the town itself). In 1206 it was granted a charter for its market, which is still held weekly. The origins and layout of Highworth are medieval.
Highworth was a Royalist stronghold in the English Civil War, but on 17 June 1645 Sir Thomas Fairfax captured it and Parliamentarian troops garrisoned it until October the next year. The occupation coincided with a severe outbreak of plague. Traders moved their business to Swindon, and Highworth market did not recover until the end of the 17th century. Highworth benefited from the economic boom in the Napoleonic Wars and Industrial Revolution, and many of the houses in the town centre date from this time. From 1894 to 1974 there was a Highworth Rural District but the town is now part of Swindon unitary authority. Highworth was once larger than neighbouring Swindon, when Highworth's population exceeded 12,000.
Geography
Highworth is on a hill above the Upper Thames Valley, and at 436 ft (133 m) above sea level it is the highest town in Wiltshire.
The parish includes Sevenhampton village and the hamlets of Hampton and Redlands.
Culture and community
The town is twinned with Pontorson in Normandy. Highworth Community Centre opened in the former Northview Primary School in June 2011.
Landmarks
The Church of England parish church of St Michael (see below) is at the centre of the town, at the corner of the High Street and the A361 Swindon Road. The centre of the old town, with many fine Georgian and Queen Anne houses, has been a conservation area since 1976.
The Old Manor House in the High Street, dating from 1656, is a Grade II* listed building.
Transport
Highworth was the terminus of a Great Western Railway branch line from Swindon, the Highworth branch line, which was closed to passengers in 1953 and to goods in 1962. Nowadays, the nearest station is at Swindon, 5+1⁄2 miles (9 km) to the southwest. The Great Western Main Line passes through open countryside around 3 miles south of the town, en route to Reading and London.
The A361 road forms a north–south route through Highworth, while the B4019 is on an east–west axis passing through the suburb of Hampton.
Sport
Highworth Town F.C. is a Non-League football club that plays at the Elms Recreation Ground.
Highworth Cricket Club are in the Wiltshire County Cricket League and South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Village League (Sundays). The club play at the Elms Recreation Ground.
Education
Highworth Warneford School is a secondary school on Shrivenham Road. Southfield Junior School borders it, and Eastrop Infant School is nearby.
Notable people
- William Joscelyn Arkell, geologist and palaeontologist
- Eric Buller MC (1894–1973), British Army officer and cricketer
- William Goudge (1877–1967), cricketer
- Joseph Knight (1896–1974), cricketer
- Narcissus Marsh, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh
- Helen Shapiro, singer
- Samuel Wilson Warneford, philanthropist
- Alfred Williams (1877–1930), "The Hammerman Poet" of South Marston
Images for kids
-
St Michael's Parish Church in winter
See also
In Spanish: Highworth para niños
