Hannington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Highworth, within the Borough of Swindon. The parish includes the hamlets of Hannington Wick (north of Hannington village) and Swanborough (south, on the border with Highworth parish). The River Thames forms both the northern boundary of the parish and the county boundary with Gloucestershire.

Hannington
Hannington Hall
Hannington is located in Wiltshire
Hannington
Hannington
Location within Wiltshire
Population243 (in 2021)[1]
OS grid referenceSU175933
Civil parish
  • Hannington
Unitary authority
Shire county
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSWINDON
Postcode districtSN6
Dialling code01793
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteParish Council
List of places
UK
England
Wiltshire
51°38′17″N 1°44′56″W / 51.638°N 1.749°W / 51.638; -1.749

John Marius Wilson of the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales in 1870 described the village of Hannington as:

A village and a parish in Highworth district, Wilts. The village stands 2 miles W by N of Highworth, 2 S of the river Thames at the boundary with Gloucester, and 7 NE of Swindon Junction r. station; is a pretty place, built in the form of the letter Y; and has a post office under Swindon.[2]

Demographics

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Total population for the parish 1800–2011

Population

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The parish of Hannington had a population of 240[3] at the 2011 census. 433 people lived in Hannington in 1841. Numbers then steadily declined, and since the 1940s the parish population has plateaued around the 250 mark.

Occupations

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Occupation statistics for the parish 1881

The occupations recorded for the parish in 1881[4] are shown in the graph (left). They were dominated by agriculture with 46 people, almost all male, while those employed in domestic service were almost all female.

Hannington Hall

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Hannington Hall is a Grade II* listed country house built in 1653,[5] which has been a centrepiece of the village since Sir Thomas Freke commissioned and paid for its construction. The grounds of the hall are dotted with buildings associated with the running of the estate such as the Victorian stable block.[6][7]

Parish church

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St John the Baptist Church, Hannington

The Grade II* listed Church of England parish church is dedicated to John the Baptist. It was rebuilt in 1869–1871,[8] retaining two 12th-century doorways and the 15th-century tower.[9][10]

Today, the church is within the benefice of Highworth with Sevenhampton and Inglesham and Hannington, centred on St Michael's church at Highworth.[11]

Transport

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Hannington on a 1945 Ordnance Survey map

The minor road running through the village connects to the B4019 Blunsdon-Highworth road to the south, giving access to the M4 motorway via the A419. The road north through Hannington Wick continues to Kempsford, and another minor road leads north-west to Castle Eaton.

The village has been without access to the rail network since 1962[12] when the Highworth branch line closed following declining passenger numbers. The branch from Swindon to Highworth was opened in 1883, over forty years after the main line was built through Swindon.[13] Hannington station was about a mile south-east of the village, near the Blunsdon to Highworth road;[14] there were other intermediate stations at Stratton and Stanton Fitzwarren.

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "Hannington: population statistics". CityPopulation.de. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  2. ^ Marius, John (1870–1872). Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. Edinburgh: A. Fullerton & Co.
  3. ^ "Hannington Census Information". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Archived from the original on 27 May 2018 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ "Occupation data classified into the 24 1881 'Orders', plus sex". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Hannington Hall (1023333)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Stable Block at Hannington Hall (1023334)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Hannington Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan" (PDF). Swindon County Council. 10 February 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2017.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Orbach, Julian; Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (2021). Wiltshire. The Buildings Of England. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. p. 353. ISBN 978-0-300-25120-3. OCLC 1201298091.
  9. ^ "St John the Baptist, Hannington, Wiltshire". The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. King's College London. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Church of St John the Baptist (1023330)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Our Churches". StMichaelsHighworth. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Geograph:: Disused station platform, Hannington... (C) Vieve Forward". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  13. ^ G, Heathcliffe (1984). "Highworth Light Railway". Highworth Historical Society. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  14. ^ "Ordnance Survey One-inch sheet 252: Swindon". National Library of Scotland. 1896. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  15. ^ "FREKE, Thomas II (1660-1721), of Hannington, Wilts. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
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  Media related to Hannington, Wiltshire at Wikimedia Commons