Key facts
OS grid ref: SU018228
What3words: ///onto.distracts.refusals
Postcode: SP5
Post town: Salisbury
Unitary Authority: Wiltshire
Parliamentary Constituency: Salisbury
Bowerchalke
Despite its proximity to the Dorset and Hampshire borders, Bowerchalke is very much a quintessential Wiltshire village in the stunning landscape of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB (National Landscape). It includes the hamlets of Mead End, Misselfore and Woodminton.
It sits right at the source of the River Chalke, a fly fisherman’s dream, as it flows down into the River Ebble and the Bowerchalke Downs which are a Site of Special Scientific Interest thanks to their chalk grasslands.
The cathedral city of Salisbury, with its shops, restaurants, pubs, culture, heritage and facilities is less than a half-hour drive away – around 11 miles. From the city, the Exeter to London line takes you to Waterloo in less than 90 minutes. Salisbury Reds operates a bus route through the village.
Broad Chalke, the liveliest of the Chalke Valley villages, is just a short hop of around five minutes with its leisure centre, shop and café.
Bowerchalke has a warm, thriving local community with its own cricket club and ground and a village hall which hosts a regular market. It’s also home to the timeless 16th Century wedding venue Bowerchalke Barn.
History
The earliest evidence of a settlement at Bowerchalke is the bowl barrow, a kind of burial ground, on Marleycombe Down dating to either Neolithic or Bronze Ages.
Two hoards of gold and silver coins and rings from the 4th Century were discovered near the village by metal detectorists. The coins were used by Durotriges, a Celtic tribe, that lived in the area before the Roman occupation and who gave their name to the county of Dorset.
The Grade II listed Holy Trinity Church dates back to the 14th Century, and Nobel Prize winning novelist William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies, is buried in the church grounds.
Walking and cycling
Garston Wood, the RSPB Nature Reserve, sits on the southern boundary of the village and The Bowerchalke Downs are chalk grasslands, certified as Sites of Scientific Interest. Both make for great walks. Hang gliders and para gliders are regular sights on Marleycombe Down.
If you’d like to explore the area on foot, here’s the White Deer loop walk from Bowerchalke. Rated easy by walking site Komoot, it’s a lovely country walk of less than three miles.
