^xxxBISHOPSTONE VILLAGE

The Village

Welcome to the Bishopstone Village website. The village (pop. 648) is located in the beautiful valley of the River Ebble (or Chalke Valley), 5 miles south-west of Salisbury in Wiltshire within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape. The village can date its history back to the 12th century when it is first recorded as the parish of Bissopeston in 1166.

This website contains a huge amount of information about the village and about the parish more generally for both visitors and those who live here. Click on the main navigation bar to see sub-menus with information on current village events, about the church of St John the Baptist, the work of the Parish Council, the lively programme of activities in the Village Hall or for an electronic copy of the parish magazine – STaB. There are photographs of the village, accounts of the village’s history and information about local schools, pubs, shops and other services.

Go to Home/Virtual Tour to make a virtual tour of the village. Please note: information about the village Emergency Plan is now located under the Parish Council tab, as is a new page with full information about current planning applications in the village.

Bishopstone consists of 6 hamlets, Croucheston, Faulston, Netton, Flamstone, Throope and Bishopstone. See the village History page for more detail.  The bubbling River Ebble runs through the village, dividing into smaller streams through lakes, former watercress beds, around islands and through old mills before becoming one again as it leaves the village. 

Bishopstone has an active, eclectic and vibrant community that hosts many activities all year round. Take a look at the Village Hall calendar on this website and do join us. You will always receive a warm welcome. 

The countryside around Bishopstone is criss-crossed by many footpaths and bridleways that provide a variety of ways to explore the downs and the many stunning views of the Chalke Valley.  For those active enough to reach the hill tops, the spire of Salisbury Cathedral can be seen and you can walk on the Roman Road from London to Exeter.

WHAT'S ON IN THE VILLAGE HALL

A full month calendar is included on the Village Hall Events page.  Please note, these calendars show the hall booking periods - the actual start time of events are set out elsewhere on this website and on the Events page.

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To see the full BBC weather forecast for Bishopstone just click here.

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Bishopstone History

For more on Bishopstone's history go to the page entitled "Village History". Sub-pages attached to that page bring together the pages dealing with:

• The village photo archive. This includes historical photographs covering the different parts of the village. These show the makeup of those areas and their houses with descriptions of the history.
• A page about the Arts Society (NADFAS) church recording project, which compiled a detailed record of the contents of St John the Baptist Church in 2017.
• A transcription, with illustrations, of a record of the church architecture compiled in 1845.
• A photo archive of the celebrations in the village to mark the Queen’s Jubilee in 2012.

Ultrafast Broadband in the Village

Openreach have now completed the infrastructure for the Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) project in the western part of the village. This means that every property in the village now has access to full-fibre ultrafast broadband at up to 950 Mb/s. In addition, we have now activated enough of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme vouchers to pay for this installation, so it has not cost us anything (apart from a few grey hairs in the project team). The Project Team, would like to thank everyone in the village for your support, encouragement and patience over the past two and a half years!

Emergency Planning

An updated version of the Village Emergency Plan is now available on this website.  Go to Parish Council/Emergency Planning or click on:  https://www.bishopstone-salisbury.co.uk/emergency-planning.

Dog Walkers in the Village

Dog walkers in the village are reminded of the need to have their dogs under control at all times. If you are walking near livestock, including horses being ridden, or on a road please ensure that your dog is on a lead. There have been recent instances in the village of sheep being chased by dogs.

Please also ensure that you pick up any mess made by your dog. This can be disposed of in your normal waste bin or in the public litter bins provided along the High Road by Wiltshire Council.
All those out walking in the village are also reminded of the need to stick to the designated footpaths and bridleways. These are shown in the footpath map - see Maps and Walks. Please note, the driveway into Croucheston Farm from Faulston Lane is not a public right of way, please use the marked footpath from the corner of Faulston Lane.

Floodline Update

The Environment Agency Floodline gives access to detail on the state of local rivers. Recently the Quick Dial Code for information on the state of the River Ebble between Ebbesbourne Wake and Coombe Bissett has changed. Should you require information please dial 0345 988 1188 and when prompted for the local Quick Dial Code enter 166185. This information is also detailed under the sidebar Emergency Planning.

Emergency Plan

An updated version of Bishopstone's Emergency Plan is now available - go to Parish Council/Emergency Planning in the Navigation Bar.

Community Orchard

Our community "Coronation Orchard" of Pear, Apple and Plum trees was planted by Michael Pratt and a valiant band of helpers on 8th December close to the Children's Play Area.

Public Access Defibrillators

The village has three Public Access Defibrillators, to be used if someone is suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.  These are located on the wall of the Village Hall fronting Butt Lane, in the old telephone kiosk opposite the entrance to Pitts Lane and in the bus shelter by Church Lane.  A map of these locations is below.  A video on the use of a PAD is available - just click on Events in the navigation bar above.

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