Blunsdon

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 a manor of Bluntesdone, comprising three settlements across Blunsdon Hill on either side of Ermin Street, with altogether ten households and a total value of £5 17s.{{OpenDomesday|XX0000|broad-blunsdon-and-blunsdon-st-andrew|Broad Blunsdon and Blunsdon St Andrew}} Broad Blunsdon is first mentioned as Bradebluntesdone in 1234, in the "Calendar of the Feet of Fines for Wiltshire for 1195–1272".[https://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/Wiltshire/Blunsdon/532886f8b47fc40d38000d7a-Blunsdon+St+Andrew%2C+Broad+Blunsdon Broad Blunsdon ], Survey of English Place-Names at Nottingham University; retrieved 18 May 2025

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.{{National Heritage List for England|num=1355999|desc=Manor House|access-date=21 February 2024}}

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.[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/24327 Broad Blunsdon] at Vision of Britain; From John Marius Wilson’s Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales; retrieved 21 May 2025 The village included the tithing of Bury Blunsdon, population 17,[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/846170 Bury Blunsdon] at Vision of Britain; retrieved 21 May 2025 now marked only by the farms of upper and lower Burytown.

Two areas of Broad Blunsdon village, one encompassing the church, were designated as a conservation area in 1990.{{London Gazette

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| date = 4 October 1990

| page = 15595

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File:St._Leonards_church,_Blunsdon_(geograph_3565908).jpg

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.{{Cite book |last1=Orbach |first1=Julian |title=Wiltshire |last2=Pevsner |first2=Nikolaus |last3=Cherry |first3=Bridget |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-300-25120-3 |series=The Buildings Of England |location=New Haven, US and London |page=184 |oclc=1201298091 |author-link2=Nikolaus Pevsner |author-link3=Bridget Cherry}}

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.{{National Heritage List for England|num=1023286|desc=Church of St Leonard|access-date=21 February 2024|fewer-links=yes}}

There is a ring of eight bells, cast in 1913 and 2002.{{Cite web |title=Broad Blunsdon: S Leonard |url=https://dove.cccbr.org.uk/tower/12338 |access-date=21 February 2024 |website=Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers}} The stone-built former rectory, east of the church, was built in 1867–1868 to designs of Ewan Christian.{{National Heritage List for England|num=1184135|desc=The Rectory|access-date=21 February 2024|fewer-links=yes}} Today the parish is within the benefice of Highworth with Sevenhampton and Inglesham and Hannington, centred on St Michael's church at Highworth.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=St Leonard Blunsdon |url=https://www.stmichaelshighworth.co.uk/blunsdon |access-date=21 February 2024 |website=stmichaelshighworth.co.uk}}

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 {{convert|3.5|ha|acre|0}} 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.[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1016324?section=official-list-entry Hillfort and lynchets on Castle Hill] at Historic England; retrieved 21 May 2025

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.

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.

The estate is the location of the Motorola headquarters building, which featured in the 1999 James Bond film The World is Not Enough.

Until April 2017, the whole area was the civil parish of Blunsdon St Andrew.{{Cite web|url=https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20021/councillors_democracy_and_elections/687/community_governance_review_-_next_steps|title=Community governance review - next steps|date=March 2017|website=www.swindon.gov.uk|publisher=Swindon Borough Council|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222174253/http://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20021/councillors_democracy_and_elections/687/community_governance_review_-_next_steps|archive-date=22 February 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=13 April 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.lgbce.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/32092/Swindon-Borough-CGR-Order-2017.pdf|title=The Swindon Borough (Reorganisation of Community Governance) No. 1 Order 2017|date=19 January 2017|website=Local Government Boundary Commission for England|page=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406110311/https://www.lgbce.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/32092/Swindon-Borough-CGR-Order-2017.pdf|archive-date=6 April 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=13 April 2017}} 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.{{Cite web |date= |title=Your Councillors |url=https://ww5.swindon.gov.uk/moderngov/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Swindon Borough Council}} For Westminster elections, the parish is part of the Swindon North constituency.{{Cite web |title=Election Maps: Great Britain |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |access-date=19 May 2025 |website= |publisher=Ordnance Survey}}

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{{Cite web |url=http://www.communityshops.coop/shop/blunsdon-village-shop |title=Blunsdon village shop |access-date=16 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429095215/http://www.communityshops.coop/shop/blunsdon-village-shop |archive-date=29 April 2012 |url-status=dead|website=communityshops.coop}} 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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.wiltshirelife.co.uk/downloads/awards_winner10.pdf |title=Wiltshire Life Awards Initiative 2010 |access-date=16 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611200238/http://www.wiltshirelife.co.uk/downloads/awards_winner10.pdf |archive-date=11 June 2014 |url-status=dead }} In 2023, the shop moved to new premises at Unit 1, Blunt Rise, Blunsdon, SN26 7DA and expanded to include a cafe.

{{further|Transport in Swindon}}

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.

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.

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• [http://blunsdonparishcouncil.co.uk/ Blunsdon Parish Council]

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Category:Civil parishes in Wiltshire

Category:Borough of Swindon