Key facts
Fonthill Bishop OS grid ref: SU935330
Fonthill Bishop What3words: ///broadcast.shady.prompt
Fonthill Gifford OS grid ref: ST925319
Fonthill Gifford: What3words: ///nails.mills.after
Postcode: SP3
Post town: Salisbury
Unitary Authority: Wiltshire
Parliamentary Constituency: South West Wiltshire
Fonthill Bishop and Fonthill Gifford
These two villages sit just a few minutes away from each other along the stunning Nadder Valley in The Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (National Landscape), on the edge of Salisbury Plain.
These are quiet, quaint villages with thatched cottages and a wealth of history, but they’re also close to towns with amenities and travel connections.
It’s less than half an hour’s drive to Salisbury and a 20-minute drive to either Warminster or Shaftesbury. Tisbury, the liveliest of the Nadder Valley villages, is less than 10 minutes away, with lots of facilities including a train station.
In the centre of Fonthill Bishop is one of the most most beautiful estates in the British Isles, Fonthill, which dates back to 1533 with the stunning Fonthill Lake.
The estate today is a wedding venue with formal gardens which are open to the public. There’s also a farm and stud, small business units and homes available to rent on the estate. It has gorgeous walks by the lake and there’s an ancient grotto beside the river. Country sports, shooting, deer stalking and fly and carp fishing are available here through the year
The villages share a primary school with nearby Chilmark The Chilmark and Fonthil Bishop Primary.
The Beckford Arms is a historic, stylish country inn with rooms on the Fonthill Park Estate. In this stunning location, the pub serves seasonal locally-sourced food. It has an atmospheric bar, a sun-filled terrace, a library for private celebrations and a sitting room with roaring fires and deep antique chairs.
Fonthill Park Estate also has its own cricket club.
History
The name of the village and parish derives from the Giffard family, landowners, beginning with Berenger Giffard who was lord in 1086.
In 1944, the United States infantry soldiers trained for two months on Salisbury Plain with a camp at Fonthill New Abbey and in Fonthill Park. In 2004 a plaque was added to the war memorial at Tisbury in their memory.
As well as the historic Fonthill Estate, south west of the village is a Grade I listed archway with two lodges dating back to the 1750s – the arch spans the road to Fonthill Gifford and was the entrance to Fonthill Park.
Fonthill Abbey, also known as Beckford’s Folly, was a grand Gothic Revival built at the turn of the 19th Century and decorated in silver, gold, purple and red. The approach to the Abbey was 900 metres long and the front entrance had doors standing at 11 metres high.
The Abbey was built at great speed, and the accompanying poor workmanship eventually took it’s toll and the building collapsed over time. Stone from the site, including windows and carvings, was used in the construction of buildings in nearby Tisbury. A new Abbey, in Scottish Baronial style, was built around 1850 but, in turn, was demolished in 1955. Ornamental stonework survives on the site of the former mansion.
The historical archives of the Fonthill Estates are extensive, now catalogued on an ADLIB database and shelved in 290 large boxes and 3000 catalogue entries in the Archive Room at the Estate Office. If the history fascinates you, you can read more on their website.
Walking and cycling
The Monarch’s Way, the long-distance footpath that reflects the escape route of King Charles II in 1651 after the Battle of Worcester, passes through the village.
This area is stunning and the Fonthill Estate is open to the public with its lake, formal gardens and grotto. It is possible to rent commercial and residential space at the estate and you can even buy timber or agricultural produce direct from the farm.
This walk, from Cranborne Chase National Landscape, takes in both Fonthill Bishop and Fonthill Gifford as well as Berwick St Leonard, and is a six-mile circular walk combining natural beauty and rich history.
