This is a short family-friendly route around the heart of Sutton Benger village, pointing out places of historical interest.
This trail provides more information about places that are listed on the two 'Welcome' signs, one located on the Village Hall and one in Draycot Cerne.
This is a circular cross-country walk from the Village Hall, to Gate Farm and then to Chissell Brook, and back via Sutton Lane Meadows to the Village Hall.
This is a walk from the Village Hall, to the Draycot Park entrance, to Draycot Cerne, and return.
This is a walk from the Village Hall, to Sutton Lane, back along the High Street and Seagry Road to La Flambé, then along the footpath (the old Barrett Lane) to the B4069 bridge over the River Avon, and then into Christian Malford. Return via the Christian Malford meadows to the Avon Weir, back across the Avon to Sutton Lane, and along Sutton Lane to return to the Village Hall.
This walk takes you past various locations associated with the Romano-Saxon history of Sutton Benger; but note that there is no visible evidence of this history. Also, close to the walk, are remains of pillboxes from World War II; but please remember to stay on Public Rights of Way at all times.
This a long walk, uphill from Sutton Benger along Seagry Road, to cross the M4, left along the footpaths to Harding's Farm, into Upper Seagry along Scotland Road and Henn Lane, to Goss Croft Hall, then back through Upper Seagry along the roads to Seagry Hill, returning to Sutton Benger Village Hall.
As an alternative, you could start this walk from Goss Croft Hall, to Sutton Benger, returning to Upper Seagry via Harding's Farm.
The entrance to Roward Farm is about 150 metres from the Draycot crossroads towards Chippenham, along the Draycot Straight.
According to the Victoria County History, the farm dates back to around 1625, and the original farmhouse dated back to the early 1600s.
It was Lot 20 in the 1920 Draycot Auction; the farmer in the 1930s was called R Howard - almost the same as the farm itself.
A map of Kington Langley, created in 1773 to show the land recently purchased in that parish by Sir James Tylney Long, shows the old route that villagers would have had to take to Avon Mill. This was one of three mills on the Draycot Estate at that time: Draycot, Kellaways and Avon. (Seagry Mill was added later). That track still exists today as a Public Right of Way, just to the south of Great House.
The map also shows the 'new' road - the road we call 'The Draycot Straight'. The road was created as part of the Chippenham Turnpike system in the late 1760s / early 1770s; in fact, the map shows that there were still no hedgerows along the roadsides in 1773. An old photograph, probably from the 1900s, describes the road as 'The Langley Road'.
It is still possible to walk the original 'old road' along Public Rights of Way from Kington Langley to Draycot Cerne.
Draycot crossroads in the 1800s was a major junction of 'main roads'. The 'Pucklechurch to Christian Malford' turnpike was part of the main road from Bristol to Oxford; it followed the line of the B4122 from Stanton to Draycot, then through Sutton Benger and Christian Malford.
As can be seen from the 1808 turnpike map, the Draycot Straight was part of a network of Chippenham turnpikes, and connected Bath and Chippenham traffic with the road to Oxford. There was probably a turnpike gate just south of the crossroads, close to the lane leading to Roward Farm.
Note that the map still shows a 'road' to the west of Draycot, linking it with Kington St Michael.
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