Ludgershall, Wiltshire

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name = Ludgershall
population = 3,775
shire_district =
shire_county = Wiltshire
region = South West England
constituency_westminster =
post_town = ANDOVER
postcode_district = SP11
postcode_area = SP
dial_code = 01264
os_grid_reference = SU264509
latitude = 51.256588
longitude = -1.620925

Ludgershall is a borough 16 miles north east of Salisbury, Wiltshire, at grid SU264509. postcodes SP11 9xx. The population was: 535 in 1831; 1,906 in 1951; and 3,775 in 2001. Ludgershall is now officially a town

Historical features

The town features the remains of a 12th Century fortified Royal residence known as Ludgershall Castle. Three large walls still remain of the private residence, which was turned into a hunting lodge by Henry III but fell into disuse by the 15th Century. The property is now under the care of English Heritage. Extensive earthworks remain, although a large section of the original plot is now a private residence.

The remains of a medieval cross are situated in the town centre. This is under the care of English Heritage.

Ludgershall was an important place in medieval England and as such was invited to send members to Parliament; it retained this privilege until the Reform Act of 1832. The small size of Ludgershall led to it being cited as an example of a 'Rotten Borough'.

MoD Ludgershall

As the village is strategically situated on the south eastern corner of Salisbury Plain, it was always going to have some form of British Army connection. During World War II, Army depots were built to the north and south of Tidworth Road and a fire station opened in the High Street. A senior school also opened near the Ludgershall boundary with Tidworth. The War Office transferred the Army Medical Store to a site west of the railway station, with the stores were rebuilt in 1971 and 1982. In 1943 a railway line from the army depot south of Tidworth Road was built to join the Ludgershall to Tidworth line that had been opened in 1901. The U.S. Army prepared vehicles for the invasion of Europe at the depot in 1943 [ [http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=145 Wiltshire County Council - Wiltshire Community History Get Community Information ] ] While the town's station closed in 1961 along with the northern section of the Midland and South Western Junction Railway to Swindon, the southern section to Andover remains open to allow the British Army to transport tanks and other equipment to and from the depot and onwards to Sailsbury Plain. The village is now host to 26 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers based at the depot, the barracks area is named 'Corunna Barracks'.(after the 1809 engagement of the Peninsular War and where Sir John Moore fell in battle.Corunna is the anglicized form of La Coruna.The city is perhaps well known for the football team Deportivo La Coruna).This site is host to a large number of warehouses which are able to hold hundreds of vehicles ranging from Land Rovers to heavily armoured vehicles. The 'test tracks' and old parade ground behind the site are now used for vehicle storage, army exercises and practice driving areas by the local residents.

County confusion

A common misconception is that the village is situated in the county of Hampshire rather than Wiltshire. This problem is compounded by the postal code of SP11 and telephone dialling code of 01264 which both signify it to be in Andover, Hampshire. This confusion is perpetuated by companies using automatic addressing systems based upon the post code.

Faberstown

At the beginning of the 20th century, a local MP, Walter Faber, began building to the East of the town, actually in Hampshire. This settlement became known as Faberstown. By 1970, Ludgershall and Faberstown were in essence a single village, although in separate counties. A boundary change in 1992 took the entire village into Wiltshire.

The modern village

The village of Ludgershall has developed considerably over the years and is now an important village supporting a number of flourishing businesses and a considerable amount of housing. It is likely to expand further over the next several years with the current proposals for a new business park on 33 acres on the outskirts of the village [ [http://www.southwestrda.org.uk/news/release.asp?ReleaseID=1591 South West RDA: News Centre - New business park gets thumbs up ] ] , and the redevelopment of former MoD properties in the area. [http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/wswsaio-insetmap1.pdf] The community is well provided for in terms of entertainment and shops with two pubs and social clubs, a number of small independent traders, a national Supermarket chain and Londis.

References

External links

* [http://www.ecastles.co.uk/ludgershall.html Ludgershall Castle]
* [http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getconcise.php?id=145 Ludgershall Concise History]