Porton

For the Maya archaeological site in Guatemala, see El Portón.

Coordinates: 51°7′43″N 1°43′56″W / 51.12861°N 1.73222°W / 51.12861; -1.73222

Post Office and shop, Porton

Porton is a village in the Bourne valley, Wiltshire, England, about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Salisbury. It is the largest settlement in Idmiston civil parish.

The village gives its name to the nearby Porton Down military science park, which is home to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and related businesses.

Religious sites

The Baptist faith flourished in this part of Wiltshire in the 17th century, then declined in the 18th.[1] A chapel was built to the south of Porton village in 1865 and enlarged in 1922, 1972 and 2006; as of 2015 it is still open.[2]

The Anglican Church of St Nicholas was built in 1877 to designs by J.L. Pearson, replacing a building from the 16th century or earlier.[3]

Railways

In 1857 the London and South Western Railway company opened its line from Andover to Milford station at Salisbury, following the Bourne valley and passing southeast of Porton. There was a station at Porton from the opening of the line until 1968, with a goods yard until 1962.[4] The railway remains in use as part of the West of England Main Line but there are no local stations.

Between 1916 and 1946 the Porton Down Camp Military Railway (2 foot gauge) ran between the goods yard at Porton station and the Camp, almost a mile to the northeast.[4]

Amenities

The local school is St Nicholas' CE (VA) Primary School, built in 1972 to replace a school built at Idmiston in 1869.[5]

The former Railway Hotel, near the site of the station, is now the Porton Hotel and Restaurant.[6]

Porton Meadows is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as it constitutes the largest uninterrupted tract of semi-natural chalk grassland in Britain.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Baptist Church, Idmiston". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Porton Baptist Church". Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Church of St. Nicholas, Porton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press. p. 104. ISBN 1904349331.
  5. ↑ "St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Porton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Porton Hotel". Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Porton Down". UK Environmental Change Network. Retrieved 18 December 2015.

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