Stanton Fitzwarren
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Stanton Fitzwarren is a village and civil parish Script error: No such module "convert". north-east of Swindon, in Wiltshire, England. It is within the area of the unitary authority of Swindon.
Parish church
The Grade I listed[1] Church of England parish church of Saint Leonard has Norman origins:[2] the north and south doorways, the chancel arch and a window in the north wall survive from this period.[2] The cylindrical font is an important Norman sculpture depicting eight virtues, eight vices, the Church, the Evil One and a six-winged seraph.[2] The Norman building had an apse, of which the foundations were discovered during restoration work in 1865.[2] The chancel was rebuilt in the 14th century with a flat east wall and east window. The bell tower was added in 1631.[2]
St. Leonard's restoration (1865) was completed by the Gothic Revival architect J.W. Hugall. In 1891 the nave was lengthened westwards and the south porch was added.[2] During one of the 19th century rebuildings a new east window was inserted in the chancel and the 14th century one was re-used as the centrepiece of a folly in the grounds of Stanton House.[3] St. Leonard's parish is now part of a single Church of England benefice with the parishes of South Marston and Stratton St Margaret.[4]
Railway
The Swindon and Highworth Light Railway – from the Great Western Main Line at Swindon to Highworth – was built through Stanton Fitzwarren in 1879–81, although the original company was unable to open the line and sold it to the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1882.[5] In 1883 the GWR finally opened the line to traffic, with three intermediate stations including one at Mill Lane, in the north of the village.[5][6]
Neither passenger nor goods traffic was high, but activity increased during both world wars. From 1916, timber was taken from Stanton Big Wood; and from the late 1930s the station provided access for the building of the aircraft factory at South Marston (later taken over by Vickers-Armstrongs), although this traffic ceased after a spur into the factory was built in the early 1940s. The station also served army camps in the area.[6]
British Railways withdrew passenger services in 1953, apart from workmen's trains that it continued to run until 1962.[5] Most of the line, including the section through Stanton, was then dismantled.[5]
Stanton House
Stanton House was built just south of the church in 1935, in traditional Cotswold style, for a New York businessman;[3] at the same time a 19th-century cottage at the north entrance to the site was repurposed as a lodge.[7] The house is now a hotel.[8]
Amenities
Stanton has a village hall.[9]
References
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- ↑ Template:NHLE
- ↑ a b c d e f Pevsner & Cherry, 1975, page 477
- ↑ a b Pevsner & Cherry, 1975, page 478
- ↑ A Church Near You: St Leonard, Stanton Fitzwarren
- ↑ a b c d The Highworth Branch: Swindon & Highworth Light Railway: The Swindon & Highworth Light Railway - A History
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Template:National Heritage List for England
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Stanton Fitzwarren, Swindon, Wiltshire: Village Hall
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Sources
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