Key facts
OS grid ref: SU070374
Postcode: SP3
Post town: Salisbury
What3words: ///bitters.means.clincher
Unitary Authority: Wiltshire
Parliamentary Constituency: Salisbury
Stapleford
Stapleford is a small village close to Wilton which has chocolate box cottages and is surrounded by beautiful countryside.
Stapleford sits on the B3083 which joins the A36 at the southern end of the village. The drive to the cathedral city of Salisbury with its shops, restaurants, bars, culture and heritage is about eight miles – 20 minutes – and you can take the train from here to London. It’s a similar distance to Warminster.
The village is on the crystal clear waters of River Till just before it joins The Wylye River, and is part of the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (National Landscape). Its backdrop is a patchwork of fields and rolling downland.
The local community is close, centred on the village hall and the local pub, The Pelican Inn.
Salisbury Reds operate a bus service through the village.
History
Stapleford’s history dates back to the Domesday Book, where it was recorded as ‘Stapelford’, derived from the Old English ‘the ford by the posts’.
At Manor Farm are the earthwork remains of the Norman Stapleford Castle, once owned by Waleran, William the Conqueror’s huntsman.
The Norman church of St Mary’s is Grade I listed and unusually ornate, and on Sundays and special occasions the six 17th Century church bells can be heard across the village.
Thatcher’s Cottage was home to composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams when he composed his great Fifth Symphony.
Walking and cycling
The area around Stapleford is stunning – quintessentially Wiltshire and timeless.
If you’d like to explore it on foot, here’s a great circular walk of just under five miles from AllTrails which includes a pub lunch pitstop at Stapleford.
