Burbage, Wiltshire

For other uses, see Burbage (disambiguation).

Burbage
Burbage  Burbage shown within Wiltshire
Population	1,772 (in 2011)
OS grid reference	SU2361
Civil parish	Burbage
Unitary authority	Wiltshire
Ceremonial county	Wiltshire
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Marlborough
Postcode district	SN8
Dialling code	01672
Police	Wiltshire
Fire	Wiltshire
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Devizes
Website	Burbage Village portal
List of places UK England Wiltshire

Burbage is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire, England. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Marlborough and 20 miles (32 km) west of Newbury.

Local government

Burbage is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority. Both councils are responsible for different aspects of local government.

The village is part of the 'Burbage and the Bedwyns' electoral ward. The ward starts in the north at Little Bedwyn, stretches to Great Bedwyn and Shalbourne then goes westerly to Grafton and Burbage. The total population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 4,829.

Geography

Burbage stands on a watershed at the eastern end of the Vale of Pewsey, with streams to the east draining to the Thames via the Dun and Kennet; to the south draining to the Salisbury Avon via the River Bourne, and to the north and west into the Salisbury Avon itself. The village is by-passed by the A346 trunk road from Swindon and Marlborough to Salisbury to the north and the A338 road to the south, and a more minor route from Pewsey to Hungerford and the M4 (designated A338 to the east and B3087 to the west). The village no longer has a station on the nearby Reading to Taunton line, the nearest stations being at Great Bedwyn (with commuter services to London) and Pewsey.

Burbage lies in the heart of the North Wessex Downs, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

History

The Kennet and Avon Canal was built just north of the village and completed in 1810. The Great Western Railway's Berks and Hants Extension Railway from Hungerford to Devizes was built close to the canal in the 1860s, eventually becoming part of the Reading to Plymouth section of the main line from London Paddington in 1906. The GWR built Savernake Low Level near the north end of the village; British Railways closed it in 1966. There was also a goods-only station called Burbage Wharf about three-quarters of a mile west of Savernake station.

The Midland and South Western Junction Railway opened from Andover to Grafton and Burbage in 1882, the latter station being situated in nearby West Grafton. The northern section of the M&SWJR line from Swindon to Marlborough Low Level had opened in 1881, and this was joined to the southern section from 1883 by using the Great Western Railway's branch between Savernake and Marlborough High Level. In 1898 the M&SWJR got its own route between Marlborough and Grafton and a new station opened at Savernake High Level. The M&SWJR had therefore become a route between Southampton and Cheltenham and the Midlands. British Railways closed it in 1961.

The population of Burbage peaked at around 1600 with the building of the railway in 1860, declining to a low point of 1000 a century later. It has since increased steadily, regaining its 1860s level in the 21st century.

External links

• Wiltshire Council Website page on Burbage
• Burbage Village portal Enabling web visitors to access all the relevant websites for Burbage, Wiltshire, including:
• Burbage Village Local information website with Diary, Newsletters, Directory, and Events pages. Run by the Burbage News Editorial Team
• Burbage Wiltshire Local information website for historical and genealogical reference
• Parish Council The website for Burbage Parish Council