Key facts
OS grid ref: ST992440
Postcode: BA12
Post town: Warminster
What3words: ///scrubbing.regretted.slip
Unitary Authority: Wiltshire
Parliamentary Constituency: South West Wiltshire
Chitterne
As you pass the church in the rural village of Chitterne in the Wylye Valley, there are warning signs for pedestrians on the road – oh and also a warning of tanks crossing! That’s because Chitterne sits to the south Salisbury Plain and large parts of the parish are owned by the MoD.
The village is remote, but not isolated, and the community is close and welcoming. It has good access to the A36 and the market town of Warminster with its train station about a 15-minute drive away. Salisbury, with its shops, restaurants, bars, culture and heritage is about half-an-hour drive. The train from Salisbury to London takes less than 90 minutes and the larger villages of Codford, Heytesbury and Shrewton are nearby with good facilities.
The Chitterne Brook, a small tributary of the River Wylye, flows gently past the ancient All Saints Church and through the village.
Locals have a strong sense of both heritage and community. The village hall, which hosts events throughout the year, sits on the site of the old school with a large sports field opposite for cricket and football and a play area. One local resident, Sue Robinson, has written a fascinating book on the village’s local history, called ‘Chitterne, A Wiltshire Village’.
History
There’s evidence of early settlements around Chitterne and signs of ancient farming at the outskirts of the village. The Domesday Book records a settlement of 60 households – so really quite large.
In the village itself the earliest buildings date from the 14th Century, while the grand houses are the result of the wealth created by sheep farming from the 13th Century to the 19th.
Impressive Grade II listed houses include Chitterne House, the Manor, the Grange, and Manor Farm.
Walking and cycling
If you’d like to explore the area around Chitterne on foot, here’s an eight-mile walk from Komoot that starts from the village.
