Key facts
OS grid ref: ST965271
What3words: ///serve.samples.disbelief
Postcode: SP3
Post town: Salisbury
Unitary Authority: Wiltshire
Parliamentary Constituency: South West Wiltshire
Swallowcliffe
The charming rural village of Swallowcliffe sits on the edge of the Cranborne Chase National Landscape, surrounded by rolling downland, pastures and chalk escarpments.
The village is on the south side of the Nadder Valley, by the Vale of Wardour, around 13 miles from Salisbury, a drive of about 30 minutes, and just 15 minutes from the historic market town of Shaftesbury. Tisbury, the largest of the Nadder Valley villages, has lots of facilities including a train station and is less than 10 minutes away. The village has a bus service.
Swallowcliffe has a vibrant and close-knit local community, centred on the village hall and the pub. There are barbecues, clubs, quizzes and curry nights and open gardens, as well as a biannual village fete, a Boxing Day or New Year walk, a candlelit carol service and even a village Christmas meal.
The owner of the award-winning country pub and hotel The Royal Oak is none other than James May, Captain Slow of Top Gear fame. The pub has a stylish interior, often a roaring fire, and serves delicious food, as well as being open throughout the day for tea and coffee.
History
There’s evidence of a settlement at Swallowcliffe as early as the Iron Age, but it’s recorded for the first time in an Anglo-Saxon Charter of AD940, where there is reference to King Edmund giving land to a place which locals called ‘the cliff of the swallow’.
The name is derived from the Old English words ‘swalwe’ or a swallow and ‘cliff’ a cliff hinting at its ancient roots.
The Grade II listed, 12th Century Church of St. Peter stands as a testament to the area’s rich ecclesiastical heritage.
Walking and cycling
If you’d like to explore Swallowcliffe and the surrounding areas, the village website has some good walks for all abilities!