• Snowdrop in spring Snowdrops
    These perfect little flowers herald the beginning of spring — it won't be long before the clocks go forward! As beautiful and widespread as they are, they're not native to the UK and it isn't known who introduced them here, or when.
  • Curious dairy cowBeef and dairy farming
    Sitting on a fertile mix of clay and sandy soil, the farmland surrounding Corsley makes ideal grazing for both dairy and beef herds.
  • Cley Hill, Corsley National Trust's Cley Hill
    Dominating the local skyline, a walk up Cley Hill will reward you with some magnificent views for miles around!
  • Sheep and lambs in CorsleySheep and lambs in Corsley
  • Abstract of snow in a field Sunny snow scene
    This abstract image is just snow in a field with the shadows of trees appearing in a beautiful blue
  • Spider's web with dew dropsSpider's web with dew drops
  • Corsley ManorCorsley Manor
    Manor Farm, Corsley is a fine example of a grade II* Elizabethan manor house. In 1539, the manor of Corsley was granted to Edward Seymour who leased it to his steward, John Thynne. Eventually, Thynne was granted the manor and lived at the present Manor Farm from 1563 to 1568 whilst building Longleat House. The Manor celebrated it's 450th birthday in 2013 with a lavish luncheon for all the villagers.
  • Clouds over CorsleyClouds over Corsley
  • St Margaret's Church, Corsley St Margaret's Church
    Originally named St. James's Chapel and built before the thirteenth century, it was changed to St. Margaret of Antioch's Church in 1786. By 1830 the original church was in a very poor state of repair and too small for the parish. A new church was designed by John Leachman and whilst the re-building was in progress, services were held in John Ball's malthouse. The new church consisted of just a nave and tower — there's no chancel. Inside, the pulpit survives from the old church and dates from c1700.
  • Meadows between Corsley and ChapmansladeMeadows between Corsley and Chapmanslade
  • View of Dertford and Lane End from Dertford WoodAONB and SLA
    Corsley stands within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Outlying parts of the village not covered by the AONB are in a Special Lansdscape Area spreading from Corsley Heath across to Chapmanslade Ridge.
  • Cley Hill from CorsleyCley Hill from Corsley
  • Dairy herd grazing at CorsleyFarming
    Sitting on a fertile mix of clay and sandy soil, the farmland surrounding Corsley makes ideal grazing for both dairy and beef herds.
  • Flooding at Redford Water fordFlooding at Redford Water ford
  • St Mary's Church, CorsleySt Mary's Church
    In 1899 Mary Barton, of Corsley House, died and left £10,000 in her will for the purchase of a piece of land at Whitbourne Temple. She wanted an Anglican ‘chapel of ease’ built in memory of her husband and son. Opened in 1903, W H Stanley of Trowbridge designed the chapel in the Arts and Crafts gothic style – the interior retains many of it's original fittings.
  • Trees on the A362 at CorsleyTrees on the A362, Corsley
  • Cley Hill Cley Hill
    A scheduled ancient monument and declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1975 and rising some 80m above the surrounding land, Cley Hill is home to many plant and animal species having a nationally restricted distribution (a bit rare!). Covering more than 65 acres it is also significant for its geology and archaeology: formed by ancient seas it has been shaped by man from prehistoric times right through to the 19th century when it was quarried for its chalk.
  • Down the lane to Corsley MillDown the lane to Corsley Mill
  • Cley Hill Cley Hill
    A scheduled ancient monument and declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1975 and rising some 80m above the surrounding land, Cley Hill is home to many plant and animal species having a nationally restricted distribution (a bit rare!). Covering more than 65 acres it is also significant for its geology and archaeology: formed by ancient seas it has been shaped by man from prehistoric times right through to the 19th century when it was quarried for its chalk.

Bridleways 8 and 10 Closure Notice

Notice is hereby given that Wiltshire Council has made an order to temporarily close to all traffic:
A) Bridleway 8, Corsley; from its junction with Breach Lane to its junction with Bridleway 10, Corsley.
B) Bridleway 10, Corsley; from its junction with Knapps Gate to its junction with The Stalls.

To enable the felling over-mature trees, chip wood brash, tree felling, timber stacking, brash chipping into articulated lorries/HGVs and surface work.

The closures and diversion route will be clearly indicated by traffic signs.

This order will come into operation on Monday 3rd March and the closure will be required between the hours of 7am and 5pm weekdays only until 2nd May 2025. Access will be maintained where possible although delays are likely due to the nature of the works. The order will have a maximum duration of 6 months.

For further information please contact Longleat Forestry on 01985 213507 or Ben Braine, Countryside Access Officer on 07788 345979 or Wiltshire Council (out of hours) on 0300 456 0100.

Highways Assets and Commissioning,
County Hall, Bythesea Road,
Trowbridge BA14 8JN

Bridleways 8 and 10 (Corsley) Temporary Closure Notice

Rights of Way Report from Corsley Parish Council
Current Issues

CORY 8 and 10
The first phase of the bridleway surface repair work has been undertaken by Wiltshire Council’s contractors managed by Longleat. The surface in the worst rutted and muddy area has been scraped, levelled and covered in planings. This is a great achievement as these bridleways have been in a poor state of repair for many years. This would not have happened had the Parish Council not worked hard lobbying and attending various meetings with all concerned. A good outcome for all bridleway users and the only feedback so far has been positive.

CORY 30 and 31
The stile/ access onto these footpaths at Heathway/Memorial Playing Field will be discussed with the two landowners.

CORY 7
The diversion application is still proceeding and a final bridge survey is taking place next week. It is hoped that this application may be determined by Christmas at the latest.

CORY 45
A small tree had slipped from the bank and was hanging low for riders to pass under. This has now been removed.

CORY 32
Report of nails sticking out and parts rotted. Will pick up with landowners.

CORY 13
Stile repaired and cleared by landowner at the request of the Parish Council. Equestrian fencing narrowing route. Will pick up with landowners.

CORY 36
A number of stiles are in need of repair along this route. I have contacted the landowners but agreed that we will look at replacing these with footpath gates via the Local Highways and Footpaths Improvement Group (LHFIG) bid below. These link to CHAP 7 which Chapmanslade Parish Council are keen to put footpath gates on (if we are) making the entire route easily passable.

CORY 20
There is an opportunity to work with Wiltshire Council to improve the bridleway surface of CORY 20 and make it a better route for all users to get to Warminster (Chapmanslade Parish Council are also supportive of this). This could include the use of planings on the surface from the local road improvements. Awaiting communication back from the landowner.

Initiatives/Funding
A bid was prepared for LHFIG for 10-15 new self‐closing pedestrian gates to replace stiles. One contender for these gates is CORY 9 where the stiles are in bad repair. I have liased with the Chapmanslade Parish Council Rights of Way officer and, as a result, propose a number of additional routes for these gates which would then make the entire route more easily passable and provide valued links between the two parishes. These routes would be:
  • CORY 9
  • CORY 36/CHAP 7 (see above)
  • CORY 34/CHAP 10
  • CORY 35/CHAP 28
The paper was written with the match‐funding element of the LHFIG being the installation of the gates. If funds are required, there is rights of way improvement money unspent from a previous Area Board bid.

Other Issues
Most of the complaints that are raised relate to muddy footpaths and bridleways some of which it is going to be impossible to address in a clay soil‐based area when the weather is bad!

Generally there are problems in the village with people walking wherever they want to, opening gates that clearly say ‘Private No Entry’ etc. There are also problems with dogs running all over fields, chasing livestock and owners not picking up poo that can cause cows to abort. Maybe a reminder of the ‘Countryside Code’ would be good, will seek Wiltshire Council’s advice.

It must be remembered that a right of way is a right to pass over land (private or public) and that other rights may exist for vehicles to pass for agricultural, forestry or access purposes.
Parish Councillor Alice Helliar


Streetscene - January 2025

Flooding
Flooding issues continue at the bottom of Sturford Lane and in Sydnalls Lane. Apparently the Sturford Lane flooding issue will be solved by a Wiltshire Council jet washer clearing out the underground pipes in the field (at ratepayers expense, not the landowner, Longleat?) As the blockage is most probably caused by a rock(s) jammed in the pipes I hope it is powerful enough to move it/them? Local residents and road users have been putting up with this problem for nearly 18 months now.

Unfortunately this is a problem that will continually recur unless Longleat fit a metal grill across the underground pipe entrance in the field above the pipes. They told me several months ago that they were having one made, but to date there's no sign of it. The volume of water that pours down the stream every time there is prolonged/heavy rain is strong enough to wash away the sandy soil and then push rocks embedded in the bed downstream into the pipes.

The flooding in the lane is caused by the stream overflowing at the pipe entrance and pouring down the field through the gateway onto the lane (and also coming through the stone wall that lines the road, where the persistent overflow has washed out the mortar from the stone joints and is making the wall itself unstable).

The Sydnalls Lane flooding problem is caused by the ditch alongside the lane near the grass triangle being completely blocked up with silt and vegetation. This means that water running down the hill from the A362 cannot flow into the ditch via various gullies and drains and, although the Parish Steward has cut a gulley on the opposite side (western edge) which empties directly into a stream, because of the camber of the road this is only able to drain the overflow of the huge puddle that forms. As Longleat is the riparian owner of the ditch it is their responsibility to clear the silt out of it so that it can carry away the bulk of the rainwater.

Longleat have known about this problem for about 18 months now, but again despite a number of promises to get it sorted, to date there has been no action. Wiltshire Council will not clean out the ditch primarily because there is nowhere to dump the spoil and it would be expensive to take it to the nearest dump site in Swindon.

Overgrown hedging
The owners of two hedges which are overgrown and impeding traffic passing at Temple have had two written requests from the Parish Council to cut back their hedges, but so far have failed to do so. The hedge on the corner of Temple by the junction to Chapel Barton Hill has seriously encroached onto the roadway, causing visibility issues for traffic, horse riders and pedestrians and in places reduced road width from 5 metres to just over 2 metres. At a recent site meeting with a Wiltshire Council Highways Officer it was agreed that, as the Parish Council has sent two letters requesting that the householders cut back their hedges, Wiltshire Council Highways would now contact the two owners directly, hopefully this will bring about the desired result.

Speed Indicator Device (SID)
Unfortunately, the strong winds we suffered from recently have damaged the solar panel supplying power to the SID and I have had to revert to replacing and recharging the batteries via a charger at home. This is a pain as the battery needs replacing every 3 or 4 days and takes several hours to re-harge.

I have received a quote from Traffic Technology for repair of the existing solar panel and/or purchase of a new one. Total repair cost would be in the region of £750* (including delivery, installation and commissioning), a brand new replacement unit would be £995 (including delivery, commissioning ,etc). * We are responsible for packaging our SID securely and costs of return delivery to their base.

Having begun the Streetscene handover process with Chris Brown, I know he was interested in acquiring a second smaller SID to be positioned at the White Hart, Lane End, as speeding at the junction there is a real concern. We had both noticed that several villages locally have acquired a second SID and position them at both ends of the main road through the village centre. The second SID would be smaller than the original SID and would just flash up the speed of oncoming vehicles with a smiley/sad face. These are quite effective at slowing down vehicles approaching, particularly those coming off the 60 mph speed limit into the 30/40mph limit, and are not as expensive as the original SID because they are smaller and contain less features.

Emergency plan and container
The emergency plan was handed over to a member of the Reading Room Committee by the Chair, Neil Carpenter, for completion. I am not aware of what progress has been made in completing it, but until all the members of the Parish Council have read and agreed a completed plan it is difficult to predict exactly what equipment we need to purchase. Having said that, at the Parish Council’s last meeting, I was authorised to acquire some shelving units to go in it – the cheapest of three quotes came from ‘Big Dug” and the Clerk has placed an order for three units of shelving which should arrive shortly and will require assembly.

Whilst having the Reading Room as the preferred central hub in the Emergency Plan, it would be sensible to consider alternatives should a major incident/accident occur at the Reading Room itself or even some distance from the Reading Room (eg at White Hart crossroads or on the far side of the village just before or after Deep Lane) For that reason I included St Margaret's Church and the White Hart and Royal Oak pubs as places of safety in the outline plan (as the pubs have the facilities to provide food and shelter (and toilets) plus car parking. The landlady at the Royal Oak has told me she would be willing to have the pub used as a place of shelter, but I have not approached the White Hart or the Church for their agreement, since the plan is still under construction.

Finally, it was suggested that a new ‘combination’ style padlock be acquired for the container doors. However having checked the existing key operated padlock on the container I not sure a ‘combination’ style padlock would be suitable, as the only bit of the padlock accessible under the security cover is the bottom edge of the lock – which is easily accessible with a key - but I’m not sure combination style padlocks have the digits on the bottom edge, they are generally on the side which is unaccessible.

LFIGH applications
I have arranged for Chris Brown to attend the next LFIGH meeting with John Phillips and I, as an observer, so that he and John Phillips will be attending the subsequent meetings as our Streetscene representatives.

We have five current applications progressing through the system, including a 40 mph speed limit on the A362 throughout the village boundaries, ‘narrow road’ signage for Court Lane (just off Reading Room Hill), horse warning and ‘No Entry to Longleat’ signage, the pedestrian crossing by the Corsley Heath bus shelter (this has now been completed and we will be billed for our contribution of £375) and cattle warning signs on Mill Lane.

Three Villages Group
There is a meeting of this group in February and Chris Brown will be accompanying me and John Phillips to that meeting so that he can take over from me at subsequent meetings.

Parish Councillor David Ball


Click on the images to read and use the hyperlinks...
Wiltshire Council Flood Recovery Guide Wiltshire Council Flood Recovery Guide


Corsley Reading Rooms

We still need a Chair!

I'm pleased to report the appointment of two new Committee members. David Sharrocks is taking on the role of Treasurer and Mary King has also joined the committee. Both will be applying to the Charity Commission to become Trustees. Caroline Hutton presented the Annual Accounts (available on our website ) and we thanked her for being our Treasurer over the last two years.

We are still without a Chairperson and would also like to recruit someone who could look after publicity for our work and events.

Anyone interested please contact me (lizi.garrett@btinternet.com) or any of the committee members.

Until a new Chair is found, all communication sent to the following email address will be picked up by the Secretary, Liz Garrett: chairman@corsleyreadingroom.org.uk


Household batteries can now be collected as part of Wiltshire kerbside recycling service

Wiltshire Council are now able to collect some types of small batteries as part of our kerbside recycling service.

Put your small household batteries in clear, sealed sandwich bags on top of your blue lidded bin and they will be collected for recycling. Please do not put batteries out for collection earlier than this date.

The batteries you can put out for collection are 'D', 'C', 'AA', 'AAA', 9V and button-type batteries. They will be kept separate from other recyclable materials on board the collection vehicles.


MyWilts online reporting

MyWilts is the new way to send reports to Wiltshire Council and replaces the MyWiltshire app.

What can I report using MyWilts?
  • Pot holes
  • Abandoned vehicles
  • Fly Tipping
  • Weather emergencies
  • Fraud
  • Dog mess
  • Graffiti
Over time more services will be added to MyWilts, making it simpler, quicker and easier to access the services digitally, when you choose to.

Why should you register for an account?
If you register for an account, you will receive updates as the case you reported progresses. You will also have access to view your historical cases and will be able to access additional services.

Using your mobile device?
You can download the new app now from the App Store (Apple) or Google Play (Android) by searching for ‘My Wilts’, or visit Wiltshire Council's website My Wilts

Diary Dates ‐ February

  • Wednesday 5th

  • Coffee Morning (Lite Bites) ‐ 10.30 to 12 noon, Corsley Reading Room

  • Saturday 8th

  • Annual Quiz with Bob and Bob in support of our Maridi, South Sudan link ‐ 7.30 pm, Conservative Club, Warminster. £12 to include a fish and chip supper. Contact Revd Gay Maynard on 01373 832490 for info

  • Tuesday 11th

  • Whitbourne Chapel Coffee Morning ‐ 10 am to 12 noon, Temple, BA12 7QN

  • Wednesday 12th

  • Crafternoon ‐ 3 to 5 pm, Three Horseshoes, Chapmanslade

  • Thursday 13th

  • Chapmanslade Parish Council meeting ‐ 7.30 pm, Village Hall

  • Corsley WI ‐ Royal Farms ‐ 7.30 pm, Corsley Reading Room

  • Quiz Night ‐ 7.45 pm, Conservative Club, Warminster (doors at 7 pm) raising funds for Riding for the Disabled

  • Saturday 15th

  • Wassailing ‐ 4 pm, Corsley Community Orchard, Corsley Old Shool

  • Thursday 20th

  • Community Church Coffee Morning ‐ 10 am to 12 noon, Three Horseshoes, Chapmanslade

  • Monday 24th

  • Film Club ‐ 7 for 7.30 pm, Corsley Reading Room

  • Wednesday 26th

  • Lite Bites Soup Lunch ‐ 12.30 pm, Corsley Reading Room

  • Crafternoon ‐ 3 to 5 pm, Three Horseshoes, Chapmanslade

      Rubbish and recycling collections

      February 2025

      █ Black box recycling (glass)
      Wednesday 5th and 19th
      █ Mixed dry recycling (blue bin)
      Wednesday 5th and 19th
      █ Black bin
      Thursday 13th and 27th
      █ Garden waste (green bin)
      Wednesday 12th and 26th
      Visit Wiltshire Council Waste Collection for more information on household waste.

      Corsley Lite Bites Lunch Club

      Soup Lunch For All!

      We're back!

      The Lite Bites Team will be back serving delicious soups in the Reading Room on the fourth Wednesday of every month until April. Come and join us between 12.30 and 2pm for a choice of soups followed by tea or coffee and plenty of chat. Bring your neighbour or friend(s) for a relaxing couple of hours. You don’t have to be an OAP – we welcome all AND you still have time for the school run!
      Maureen Willcox for the Lite Bites Team

      A NEW Monthly Village Coffee Morning

      (organised by members of the
      Lite Bites team)

      Every 1st Wednesday of the month

      10.30 am – 12 noon
      Corsley Reading Rooms

      Book-swap Table
      Finished your book and looking for another?

      Wiltshire Mobile Library

      Chapmanslade School
      Arrives 1.30 pm, departs 2.30 pm

      2025
      Wednesday 5th February
      Wednesday 19th February
      Wednesday 5th March
      Wednesday 19th March
      Wednesday 2nd April

      Crafternoons

      Wednesday 12th February
      and
      Wednesday 26th February
      3 ‐ 5 pm, Three Horseshoes, Chapmanslade (in the gallery)

      Corsley Community Wildflower Meadow

      Corsley Wildflower Meadow

      If you'd like to help out maintaining the wildflower meadow at the Old School Playing Field, please contact either Chris or Judith:

      Chris Johnson
      chrismajo@btinternet.com
      mobile 07885 695534

      Judith Selman
      judithselman_m@hotmail.com
      mobile 07746 119418

      or connect via Facebook at
      Corsley Wildflower Meadow Group

      Corsley Tennis Club

      Corsley Reading Room

      www.
      corsleyreadingroom.
      org.uk

      Residents of Corsley enjoy a discount on the published prices, so please do use your hall!

      Committee Members
      Chris de Groot, Claire Firman-Ford,
      Liz Garrett, Jackie Jasper, Mary King, David Sharrocks, Mark Richards
      (Jamie and Charlie Owen look after bookings)