Key facts
OS Grid Reference: SU1438
What3words: ///equivocal.pine.myths
Postcode: SP4
Post Town: Salisbury
Unitary Authority: Wiltshire Council
Parliamentary Constituency: Salisbury
Great Durnford
Great Durnford is a pretty Wiltshire village of thatched cottages and a Manor House in the beautiful, rural Woodford Valley with its undulating chalk downs. On the bank of the River Avon, are the small settlements of Netton, Salterton and Little Durnford.
Close to the A345, Salisbury to Amesbury road, it’s around 13 miles, a drive of around 25 minutes, from the cathedral city of Salisbury with its shops, bars, restaurants, heritage culture and amenities. The train from Salisbury to London takes less than 90 minutes.
There’s also a bus route from Salisbury Reds.
The Great Bustard is a 19th Century inn and the cornerstone of the local community, part of the Great Durnford Estate.
A pub with rooms, a farm-to-table restaurant and huge floor-to-ceiling windows look out past the courtyard to the garden and a farm shop.
With its stunning views, High Post Golf Club – named after the site of an ancient gallows – is located on the southern reaches of Salisbury Plain, close to Stonehenge. The village also has a friendly, local cricket club.
History
There’s evidence that Great Durnford dates back to prehistoric times. There are two bowl barrows (burial gounds) close to the village, while nearby Ogbury Camp is a Bronze or Iron Age hilltop enclosed. Durnford is also in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site.
The Domesday Book recorded 71 households at Durnford and a small settlement at Netton. It’s likely that there was a medieval village at Little Durnford, beside the river, but this had disappeared by the 18th Century after parkland was created for the manor house.
The Manor House at Great Durnford was built in the 18th Century, while the late 17th Century Little Durnford Manor is Grade I listed.