Key facts
OS grid ref: ST957264
What3words: ///fades.extent.distorts
Postcode: SP3
Post town: Salisbury
Unitary Authority: Wiltshire
Parliamentary Constituency: Salisbury
Ansty
Ansty is a tiny parish, sitting in the woods and downs of south west Wiltshire, just north of the A30 between Shaftesbury and Salisbury.
The picture postcard village has a grand manor house, thatched stone cottages, a medieval pond edged with trailing willows, and even its own maypole!
A maypole has stood in the middle of the village since 1881, with a shorter pole replacing the original in the 1990s, and villagers and schoolchildren still dance around it every May Day.
Ansty is 14 miles from the cathedral city of Salisbury and six miles from Shaftesbury – both with their excellent schools, shops, and amenities. The train from Salisbury is less than 90 minutes from London.
Ansty has a historic church and inn, its own polo club and pick your own fruit farm and shop. The farm shop runs a popular Maize Maze during the summer months.
History
Ansty has a long history with agricultural roots stretching back to Saxon times.
From the 13th Century until 1541, Ansty Manor was the property of the Knights Hospitallers. After the Dissolution, the property passed into the hands of John Zouche, who was bailiff for Thomas Seymour. It was sold in 1594 to Sir Matthew Arundell, and the Arundell family held the land until 1946, when the farms were sold to their tenants.
The small limestone church of St James was built in the 13th and 14th Century by the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem and has 17th Century stalls – possibly from Salisbury Cathedral. The stone font with simple, carved decoration, is from the 12th Century.
Walking and cycling
Ansty sits in stunning countryside whose chalk downland, greensand terraces and rolling landscapes form a backdrop to deep set valleys. The whole area forms part of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (National Landscape).
There are some beautiful footpaths that are accessible, waymarked and maintained. Try these circular routes, that vary from easy to quite challenging!
