Discover Stapleford

Stapleford is crossed by the River Till and shaped by a range of historical and landscape features. These include the Church of St Mary, with building elements from several centuries, the medieval castle earthworks and the valley landscape. When choosing a hotel, you could consider whether you are most interested in church architecture, archaeological features or the development of the landscape. These themes give a tangible impression of Stapleford without reducing the town to a single period.

Church of St Mary: Building history and architecture

The Church of St Mary has building elements dating from the 12th to the 17th century and was restored by William Slater in 1861. Notable features include a well-preserved 12th-century south arcade with four bays. Its cylindrical piers support richly decorated capitals with multiple concave mouldings. A bay is the section of an arcade between two piers; the four bays thus divide the south arcade into several clearly distinguishable sections. Together with the different forms of the piers and capitals, it offers a tangible point of reference for viewing the church’s architecture. The 1861 restoration and the older building elements also show that the building’s history is not confined to a single period.

Stapleford Castle and its earthworks

Stapleford Castle is a medieval ringwork castle with a bailey, preserved as an earthwork on the edge of the River Till floodplain. The ringwork measures 70 metres by 50 metres; the surrounding ditch is up to 3.7 metres deep. These measurements convey a sense of the site’s extent and complement the description of its form: the rampart, bailey and ditch belong to a castle site preserved as an earthwork. North and west of the ringwork is an angular enclosure that may have been part of a manorial complex. This is a possibility, not a confirmed attribution. In interpreting the castle, the specific measurements and surviving earthworks are therefore just as important as the cautiously worded interpretation of the enclosure.

The River Till and the landscape of Wylye Valley

Stapleford’s valley landscape includes chalk exposures as well as alluvial and gravel deposits. Different geological features are therefore found side by side: chalk is visible in exposures, while alluvial and gravel deposits also form part of the valley’s description. The landscape looked different in the 18th century. At that time, it included extensive water meadows that gave way to pasture to the east and west. This historical land use describes an earlier form of the landscape and should be distinguished from its geological features. The regional context of Wylye Valley is also precisely defined: the section between Sutton Veny and Stapleford lies within the AONB boundary. The landscape can thus be understood in terms of local geology as well as a clearly identified historical and regional context.

Historic crossing of the River Till

The river is also part of Stapleford’s transport history. At a historic crossing point, the road from Old Sarum to Bath crossed the River Till. This makes the river crossing another aspect of the town’s history, alongside the church, castle earthworks and landscape. For trip planning, this offers an additional perspective: the River Till is both a geographical landmark and part of the historic route, while the church and castle earthworks each offer their own architectural and archaeological themes.

Discover more destinations: Stanley, Corsham, Chippenham, Colerne, Tidworth, Malmesbury, Warminster, Melksham.

For the main travel overview: Wiltshire.