History
The earliest sign of humans in the area of Swallowcliffe was the finding of flakes of flint, that would have been used by Middle Stone Age man to embed in the head of a piece of wood and then use as a weapon. Such flakes of flint were found in the grounds of Vine Cottage in the heart of the present day village.
Swallowcliffe village, as we know it today, was built beside a tributary of the Nadder River. The site suggests that it was of Anglo Saxon origin, as dwellings were built in river valleys rather than on the hill tops. The name Swallowcliffe comes from a personal Anglo Saxon name Swelu together with clif meaning a steep hill or dune - and there are plenty of steep hills in the parish! The name Choulden Down, given to the land separating Swallowcliffe from Ansty, and meaning calves down suggests that the early inhabitants were cattle farmers.
In 1966 an archaeological find of great interest was made on Swallowcliffe Down. In a bronze age barrow that had been reused in the 7th century, was a rich Anglo Saxon burial of a young woman, possibly a princess in her late teens or early twenties, lying on an ashwood bed decorated with iron fittings; beside her were many domestic utensils and elaborate ornaments.
The original church of St Peter was built in the 12th century on the east side of the stream, across from where the present day pub stands. It consisted of a nave, transept and partial north and south aisles. The area was always subject to flooding which grew worse over the centuries until in a bad winter the nave aisle would be under water. In the 15th century the tower was built. The village itself developed in the narrow lanes around the church.
In the 19th century there were two buildings used by Dissenters; a chapel built south east of Poles Farm was for the Catholic Apostolic worshippers, while the Primitive Methodists met at the Mill for a short period between 1886 and 1890.
The Manor House, built beside Common Lane in the 17th century is the oldest house in the village and replaced an earlier one built on the same site. The older houses and cottages were built of stone and date from the 17th and 18th century.
The population reached a peak of 361 in 1871. Most people worked on the land many of whom existed at subsistence level; as a result Swallowcliffes expenditure on the poor was much higher than the average in other villages.
In the 19th and 20th centuries most of the new buildings in the village were developed to the west of the new church in Rookery Lane, including the vicarage and the National School. The school was opened in 1843 and attended by about 45 children from Ansty and Wardour parishes as well as from Swallowcliffe. It was closed in 1973. In 1918 the Pembroke family sold their lands and property in Swallowcliffe, some villagers were able to buy their own cottages but most of the property and land was bought by a Mr Maurice Waters. It was not until after the second world war, when Mr Waters died, that the cottages were sold privately to villagers and incomers, changing Swallowcliffe into a quite different kind of village from the one of the previous centuries. There is now no school, no shops, just a pub called The Royal Oak and St Peters Church.
Swallowcliffe Down, so named in the 18th century, rises steeply to 221metres to the south of the village and was used as common pasture. Nearby was the Ridgeway track, which was part of the London to Exeter road in the 17th century. Towards the end of the 18th century this road was turnpiked and remained so until the present Salisbury to Shaftesbury road (the present A30) was turnpiked in 1788.
SWALLOWCLIFFE, St Peter
Churchwardens
Major John Porter-Wright 01747 870334
Mrs Jo Grant 01747 871007
Please see the Rota page for details of services.
Swallowcliffe Art Club
The re-formed Swallowcliffe Art Club held its first exhibition at the Swallowcliffe Village Hall on 24th and 25th of October.
A wide ranging spread of techniques was displayed, from Stella Cork’s miniatures to Tony Allinson’s large oil paintings and totalled 73 exhibits. The entrants were all residents of Anstey and Swallowcliffe or members and ex members of the Art Club. The many visitors, over the two days, expressed their appreciation of the quality and variety of our work.
Everyone attending was asked to vote for their favourite painting and the winner was Valerie Bowden with a small watercolour called “Autumn Sunrise”.
At the same time the Club ran a photographic competition, open to all, on behalf of the Village Hall Committee. Entries were invited in three classes:- Landscapes, Plants and Animals. An outside judge, Richie Lane from Sutton Mandeville, kindly agreed to pick the winners and he gave some very helpful comments to those he selected.
A small cup was presented to the overall winner, Janet Fenton, with her picture of “Valley Gorge”simply rated as “Stunning”. This picture also won the Landscape Class. Second was “Winter Sunset” taken by Trevor Grant, with Sally Boothby’s “Paddy Fields” third. Graham Ure’s photograph, also called “Autumn Sunrise” was commended.
The Plants Class was won by Valerie Bowden’s “Gold and White Fungi” and her ” Raindrops on a Rose” came second. Third was Sally Boothby’s “Red & Purple Poppy”.
Fee Carless won the Animals Class with her picture of “Wildebeest” and Janet Fenton came second with her “Fish & Foliage” . David Bowden’s “Painted Lady on a Sunflower” was third.
Many thanks to all those who helped to make our weekend a success.
Swallowcliffe Community Web Site