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Blunsdon is a civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, in Wiltshire, England, about Template:Convert north of the centre of Swindon, with the A419 forming its southern boundary. Its main settlement is the village of Broad Blunsdon, with Lower Blunsdon nearby; the hamlet of Broadbush is now contiguous with Broad Blunsdon.
Blunsdon is the eastern half of the former Blunsdon St Andrew civil parish. In April 2017, that parish was divided and the western half became a new St Andrews parish.
HistoryEdit
Blunsdon has been inhabited at least since the Iron Age. Castle Hill is the site of a hillfort and is a scheduled monument. In Roman times, a travellers' resting place existed on the site of the present-day Cold Harbour public house. The main A419 road follow the course of a Roman road known as Ermin Way that linked the historic Roman towns of Gloucester (Glevum) and Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum), via Cirencester (Corinium).
The Domesday Book of 1086 records estates at Bluntesdone, comprising three settlements across Blunsdon Hill on either side of Ermin Street, with altogether ten households and a total value of £5 17s.<ref>Template:OpenDomesday</ref> Broad Blunsdon is first mentioned as Bradebluntesdone in 1234, in the "Calendar of the Feet of Fines for Wiltshire for 1195–1272".<ref>Broad Blunsdon , Survey of English Place-Names at Nottingham University; retrieved 18 May 2025</ref>
The L-shaped manor house, just west of the church, was built and enlarged in the 17th century; it has two fireplaces from c.1600, and a staircase also from that century.<ref>Template:National Heritage List for England</ref>
In 1870, Broad Blunsdon was recorded as having a population of 806 in 198 households, and covering 2,260 acres, and was valued at £2,194. It lay in the chapelry of Highworth.<ref>Broad Blunsdon at Vision of Britain; From John Marius Wilson’s Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales; retrieved 21 May 2025</ref> The village included the tithing of Bury Blunsdon, population 17,<ref>Bury Blunsdon at Vision of Britain; retrieved 21 May 2025</ref> now marked only by the farms of upper and lower Burytown.
Blunsdon Abbey was a Gothic mansion built near Blunsdon St Andrew church in 1858–1860 for wealthy sportsman Joseph Clayton de Windt, on the site of an earlier house. It was destroyed by fire in 1904 and remains as a ruin, with parts of the stable block – including a square tower – standing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Orbach">Template:Cite book</ref>
Two areas of Broad Blunsdon village, one encompassing the church, were designated as a conservation area in 1990.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
WidhillEdit
Widhill, land lying north of Blunsdon St Andrew as far as the Roman road and bounded to the west by the River Ray, appears in Domesday Book as two estates at Wildehill with altogether 14 households.<ref>Template:OpenDomesday</ref> The area became a tithing of the parish of St Sampson, Cricklade, and for a time a small chapel served the two small settlements at Lower Widhill and Upper Widhill (sometimes North Widhill and West Widhill respectively).<ref name="vch">Template:Cite book</ref> Robert Jenner, who prospered as a silver merchant in London, bought Widhill manor in 1624; the Jenner family remained at Widhill until the manor was sold in 1826.<ref name="HoP">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In the late 19th century Widhill became part of Cricklade civil parish, then was transferred to Blunsdon in 1934; its population at the 1931 census had been 21.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Today, Lower Widhill Farm, Chapel Farm and Upper Widhill Farm survive in the strip of farmland between the north edge of Blunsdon St Andrew and the A419.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Parish churchEdit
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St Leonard's, the Church of England parish church, is in the north-east of the village. The stone rubble building has 13th-century origins, seen in the four-bay south arcade and a small two-light window in the south aisle. The west tower is from the 15th century; the elaborate wooden screen under the tower is 17th-century. A monument to John Potenger (died 1733), in white and grey marble with cherub heads, is signed by Peter Scheemakers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
William Butterfield carried out extensive restoration in 1870, when the chancel was rebuilt and the south-east chapel and north-east vestry were added. The building was designated as Grade II* listed in 1955.<ref>Template:National Heritage List for England</ref>
There is a ring of eight bells, cast in 1913 and 2002.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The stone-built former rectory, east of the church, was built in 1867–1868 to designs of Ewan Christian.<ref>Template:National Heritage List for England</ref> Today the parish is within the benefice of Highworth with Sevenhampton and Inglesham and Hannington, centred on St Michael's church at Highworth.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Castle HillEdit
Castle Hill, to the east of the church, is an Iron Age hillfort and a scheduled monument. The site comprises earthworks typical for the period, with a single ditch and rampart surrounding the enclosure. It is triangular in plan and covers Template:Convert in extent. The site is on a slight promontory with views over the valley to the north and north west. The site includes a series of parallel agricultural terraces, known as lynchets, which are thought to date from the medieval period.<ref>Hillfort and lynchets on Castle Hill at Historic England; retrieved 21 May 2025</ref>
SportEdit
Blunsdon's Abbey Stadium (also known as Swindon Stadium) is the home of Swindon Greyhounds, broadcast worldwide three times per week and a stalwart of off-course betting shops in the UK all the year round. The stadium has also been the home of a speedway team, the Swindon Robins, since it opened in 1949. The Robins competed in national leagues, including the Elite League and the SGB Premiership in the 21st century, but have not raced since 2019 due to long-running uncertainty over redevelopment of the site.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The village has a football team, Blunsdon F.C., which has youth development squads as well as senior ladies and men's sides playing in the Wiltshire League.
GovernanceEdit
Blunsdon parish covers Broad Blunsdon and the area west of the A419. In the southeast, the boundary with St Andrews leaves the A419 and follows the A4311 Cricklade Road, so that the Groundwell industrial estate is in Blunsdon parish.
Until April 2017, the whole area was the civil parish of Blunsdon St Andrew.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The parish lies within the Borough of Swindon, and is part of the Blunsdon and Highworth ward which elects three members of Swindon Borough Council.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> For Westminster elections, the parish is part of the Swindon North constituency.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ShopEdit
After the last privately owned shop in the village closed in 2002, a village public meeting convened and agreed to open a new community shop, which was opened in 2003<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in the car park of the village hall. Run mainly by volunteers, in 2010 the shop won third place for 'Best Village Shop' at the Wiltshire Life Magazine Awards.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2023, the shop moved to new premises at Unit 1, Blunt Rise, Blunsdon, SN26 7DA and expanded to include a cafe.
TransportEdit
Template:Further The Swindon and Cricklade Railway has rebuilt Blunsdon railway station, just outside the parish boundary.
A bypass was built between the autumn of 2006 and spring 2009. This reunited Broad Blunsdon village with the portion that was southwest of the former A419.
Notable peopleEdit
Margaret de Windt (1849–1836), daughter of the builder of Blunsdon Abbey, married the White Rajah Charles Brooke and thus became Ranee of Sarawak. Her brother Harry (1856–1933) was an explorer and travel writer.