Whitley, Wiltshire

Whitley is a village in the civil parish of Melksham Without, Wiltshire, England. It had a population of 1,914 in the 2011 census.[1] This parish was formed in Local Government Act of 1894, when Whitley was united with the nearby settlements of Beanacre and Shaw, which are all primarily residential and agricultural communities. The village is about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Melksham on the B3353 Shaw to Corsham road.[2] The hamlet of West Hill is to the west, on the road to Atworth.

Whitley
Reading Rooms, Whitley
Whitley is located in Wiltshire
Whitley
Whitley
Location within Wiltshire
Population1,914 
OS grid referenceST885663
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMelksham
Postcode districtSN12
Dialling code01225
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

History

The manor of Whitley was recorded in the 13th century and became a tithing of Melksham parish.[3] The village name means a "white clearing" in a wood. It consists of three settlements, Upper, Middle and Lower Whitley, linked by the Atworth to Lacock road.[2] Whitley House dates from the late seventeenth century.[4] Whitley Farmhouse, Slade's Farmhouse and the Pear Tree Inn all date to the late seventeenth century, and Westlands Farmhouse and Northey's Farmhouse to the early eighteenth. Cottages were added to the village throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but substantial infill only took place in the twentieth century. Lower Whitley, around Westlands Farm, remains relatively undeveloped.[2]

Amenities

A Methodist chapel was built in 1828 and replaced by a new building at Top Lane in 1867.[3] As of 2015 this building continues in regular use as Whitley Methodist Church, having been altered and extended in 1985 and 2013.[5] The village has no church but since 1838 has been served by Christ Church at nearby Shaw.[6]

Whitley has a cycle repair shop/ village shop and tea room called Spindles, opening in August 2021;a golf club and a pub, the Pear Tree Inn, dating from the late 17th century with a 19th-century interior.[7] There is a village hall, the Reading Rooms, built in 1904.[8]

References
  1. "SN12 8QF". Check My Postcode. CheckMyPostcode.UK. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  2. "Melksham Without". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  3. Chettle, H. F.; Powell, W. R.; Spalding, P. A.; Tillott, P. M. (1953). "Parishes: Melksham". In Pugh, R. B.; Crittall, Elizabeth (eds.). A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 7. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 91–121. Retrieved 12 October 2023 – via British History Online.
  4. Historic England. "Whitley House (1021775)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  5. "Whitley Methodist Church". Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  6. Historic England. "Christ Church, Shaw (1194686)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  7. Historic England. "Pear Tree Inn, Whitley (1364121)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  8. "Whitley". Melksham Without Parish Council. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  • "Melksham Without". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 30 December 2015.

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