Discover Manningford Abbots

Manningford Abbots brings together a church history documented over many centuries, listed buildings, the River Avon and named walking trails. The settlement core lies south of the river on river and valley gravel. If you are interested in architecture or walking routes, there are several points of interest here: the parish church and a tomb, a watermill and the route of the Sarsen Way.

Church and Fowle Monument

A church in Manningford Abbots is documented from at least 1291. The Grade II-listed Anglican parish church was built between 1861 and 1864 to designs by S. B. Gabriel of Bristol. At the beginning of the 21st century, Manningford Abbots Church was surrounded by fields and accessible by a path.

The Fowle Monument is a late-18th-century chest tomb, also listed as a Grade II building. It stands in the churchyard, southeast of the chancel. The tomb commemorates Edward Fowle, who died in 1784, and Rebecca, who died in 1787. Its location and the two death years give the monument a specific connection to the history of the churchyard.

Swanborough Tump

Another monument is Swanborough Tump, a Scheduled Monument of national importance. It lies in the parish of Manningford Abbots, immediately south of the road between Pewsey and Woodborough and east of Frith Copse. A sarsen stone and a plaque commemorate the history of the Tump. According to tradition, King Alfred and his brother Ethelred met there in 871 for an assembly of fighting men.

Mill and the history of the house

Abbotts Mill is a Grade II-listed watermill with a dwelling dating from the early to mid-19th century. It retains an arch and three loading doors over the mill leat. The surviving features of Abbotts Mill include an arch over the mill leat and three loading doors.

The Manor House is a Grade II-listed house dating from the early 19th century. It also includes a timber-framed house dating from the late 16th to early 17th century. The dates therefore refer to two distinct periods: the dating of the house and that of the older timber-framed building.

Riverside landscape and walking trails

The River Avon also shapes the village’s history. In 1844, the river was diverted into two channels. This created water meadows on the south bank opposite the mill site. Together with the settlement core’s location on river and valley gravel, this shows a specific connection between the village’s location and the riverside landscape.

As far as Manningford Abbots, the Sarsen Way follows the Pewsey Avon Trail, then continues to Knap Hill along the White Horse Trail. From Manningford Abbots, the Sarsen Way route descriptions are the same as those for the Pewsey Avon Trail. The section through Manningford Abbots includes a path that may be muddy, two footbridges and a boardwalk section.

Another option is the 7.7-mile (12.4 km) Green Drove–Pewsey White Horse–Manningford Abbots circular walk. A turnoff through a kissing gate leads to Manningford Abbots Church and then back to the lane. For planning your walks, the routes differ mainly in that one is a circular walk with a stated distance and a church detour, while the other follows the Sarsen Way’s trail connections and route features.

Discover more destinations: Ansty, Sherston, Castle Combe, Chippenham, Holt, Charlton, Tytherton Lucas, Upavon.

For the wider travel overview: Wiltshire.