Yatesbury

Yatesbury is a village in Wiltshire, England. It is next to Cherhill, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the A4 road between Calne and Marlborough.

Church

The Church of England parish church of All Saints has 12th-century origins and is Grade I listed. The church has a canonical sundial on the south wall. The parish is part of the Oldbury Benefice, which comprises the five parishes of Calstone Wellington, Cherhill, Compton Bassett, Heddington and Yatesbury.

RAF Yatesbury

Opened as an aerodrome in World War I, RAF Yatesbury continued operations in the interwar years before again taking on a major role in World War II. From 1936 onwards, RAF Yatesbury and RAF Compton Bassett were major Radio and Radar Training Schools, RAF Townsend was a satellite landing ground and RAF Cherhill was part of No 27 Group in Headquarters Technical Training Command. It was the oldest airfield in the whole of Europe and is the only airfield in the world of its age that is still is such good condition. In the village church there are reminders of its military past, with a small number of war graves from the two major conflicts.

Cherhill

Coordinates: 51°25′48″N 1°56′59″W / 51.430013°N 1.949694°W / 51.430013; -1.949694

Cherhill is a village in Wiltshire, England located on the A4 road between Calne and Marlborough and about 87 miles (140 km) west of London.

Overview

Cherhill is known for the Cherhill White Horse cut into the chalk hillside in 1780, the Landsdowne obelisk on the Cherhill Downs, and the crop circles that appeared in the fields at the bottom of the Downs. The area around the horse and obelisk is owned by the National Trust.

On a clear day, the 840 ft (260 m) summit offers fine views, up to 25 miles, with the water tower at Tetbury in Gloucestershire visible. Atop the tall hill to the north of the village, opposite to Cherhill downs, it is said to be possible to see the Severn crossings to South Wales, 38 miles (61 km) to the west.

Population and community

Cherhill has a population of around 700 with a mixture of housing ranging from thatched cottages (some dating to the 14th century) to newly built detached houses. It has a church, school, pub, village hall and cricket team. The local community spirit is typical of a close-knit village community. Cherhill parish forms part of The Oldbury Benefice together with Compton Bassett, Yatesbury, Heddington and Calstone Wellington.