Portrait of a Village

The Longest Village in England.

- Dene Bebbington

On the B4042 road between Royal Wootton Bassett and Malmesbury in Wiltshire lies England’s longest village. The parish of Brinkworth encompasses two tithings: Brinkworth to the north and the hamlet of Grittenham to the south. Claimed to be the longest village in England, it is just over four miles between boundary posts. Another claim to fame for the village is that Hill End Farm is the only cheese maker in North Wiltshire. Curiously, the outline of the parish is similar in shape to the continent of Africa.

The only transportation link to the village is by road, the railway station having been closed in 1961. Passing along the southern tip of Brinkworth is the Wilts and Berks Canal which is undergoing an ambitious restoration by a group of volunteers.

Brinkworth appears in the Domesday Book where it is listed as having nine villagers, three slaves, 18 cottagers and 13 other population. The name Brinkworth probably derives from the Old English “Brynca’s farmstead”, and Grittenham is believed to mean “gravelly enclosure”. Brinkworth may have a name in common with Brinklow in Warwickshire which is thought to have derived from “Brynca’s Low” — a motte-and-bailey castle site.

Nowadays, Brinkworth is a well-to-do semi-rural village consisting of typical village buildings, several farms and a mix of housing built in recent centuries. It has a population of 1,300. And yet, a little over 200 years ago half the people in the parish were paupers. Consequently, there was a lot of poor relief in the parish during the first half of the 19th century; the parish helped over 100 people emigrate to Quebec in Canada.