Derry Hill is a village in the English county of Wiltshire, in the civil parish of Calne Without. It has an elevated position at the northern edge of the Bowood House estate, about south-east of the centre of the town of Chippenham.
Geography
Derry Hill lies to the south of the A4 road between Chippenham and Calne. The old London to Bristol road turned left after the Soho Inn, along what is now the village's Church Road, to join the Devizes road; then the old road descended Old Derry Hill. The modern section of the road, avoiding the steep descent, was built between 1787 and 1810, and is now part of the A4.
Previously, Derry Hill was in the vicinity of the Calne branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal that followed the course of the River Marden; the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust aims to restore the canal to run through the village, just north of Church Road.
The Chippenham and Calne branch of the Great Western Railway passed by the village, from its opening in 1863 until its closure to passengers in 1965.
Nearby towns: Chippenham, Calne, Devizes
Nearby villages: Studley, Lacock, Pewsham, Sandy Lane
History
Derry Hill grew out of the ancient settlement of Studley. In the 18th century, there were several small settlements along the London to Bristol road, near the north-west corner of Bowood House Park; among them, a settlement known as Red Hill, possibly squatters' cottages. The original hamlet of Derry Hill, now known as 'Old Derry Hill', lies at the foot of the hill by the A4/A342 junction. Most houses now standing in the upper village were built in the 19th or 20th century, with some 19th-century ones built on 18th-century house sites.
The monumental entrance arch to the Bowood estate, at the south-west of the village opposite the Lansdowne Arms, was built in 1834–1838 for the 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne. Its asymmetric Italianate design, with tall campanile, is by Charles Barry whose many other works include the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster. Known as the Golden Gates, it is a Grade II* listed structure, described by Historic England as "a major work of the C19 Italianate style".
The village traditionally provided houses for the Bowood estate workers. The estate's Christ Church helped the village develop in the early 19th century. In 1843, a school was built, again with help from the Bowood estate; previously, classes for the village children were held in various places around the village. Street lighting was installed in 1878.
The main development has taken place since the early-1970s, when a new housing estate, consisting of about 220 houses, was built in the fields immediately to the north of village—between the old road, leading to the Devizes road, and the present A4 road. Until then, the village was essentially one road; as a result, the population grew sharply, requiring the school's extension. Further stages of development took place around the village in the 1990s.
A small building called the Well House was restored by the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust in 2002–2003.
In late-2006 a housing development of 25 new homes commenced on village land adjacent to the A4 national route, and a small number of large, individual new homes were also built during 2005–2006.
The western end of the village, including estate houses, the pub and the Golden Gates, was made a Conservation Area in 1986.
Amenities
The village has a shop, a Church of England parish church, a primary school, a pre-school, and a pub known since 1838 as the Lansdowne Arms (its building dating back to 1843).
A new village hall with sports facilities was built in 2000, and named the Lansdowne Hall in memory of the 8th Lord Lansdowne, who had died in 1997. It replaced a smaller building provided in 1873 as a school by the Lansdownes.
Local government
Derry Hill lies within the parish of Calne Without, which covers a wide area including the nearby villages of Studley and Sandy Lane. At county level the unitary authority is Wiltshire Council. The village is in the North Wiltshire parliamentary constituency.