Charlton-All-Saints

Coordinates: 51°00′58″N 1°45′29″W / 51.016°N 1.758°W / 51.016; -1.758

Charlton all saints in winter

Charlton-All-Saints, Wiltshire SP5 is a village immediately to the west of the River Avon in Wiltshire, about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Salisbury. The village is in the civil parish of Downton.

The village has existed since Saxon times. Its name comes from the combination of the Old English churl ton, meaning farm (ton) for free peasants (churls), and "all-saints" after the church, on the corner of Lower Road and Church Lane, which was built in 1851 and founded by descendants of Lord Nelson living at the Trafalgar estate on the other side of the river.

With a population of around 450 there are still many thatched cottages, of which a few are Elizabethan from the 17th century and the majority the mid 18th century. Additionally there is a Hanoverian farm house at the junction of Warren Lane and Lower Road which has a far older (late 17th century?) barn in its grounds.

All Saints church, Charlton All Saints

A highlight of the All Saints calendar is an evening of Carols and Christmas music held on the penultimate Wednesday before Christmas, and featuring the local Downton village band. Other village activities include a bonfire and fireworks evening in November and a fete during the summer.

The village phone box has been decommissioned in early 2011 and the equipment was removed. The old style red box itself has been left and other uses are being sought

External links

Media related to Charlton-All-Saints at Wikimedia Commons