This is a short family-friendly route around the heart of Sutton Benger village, pointing out places of historical interest.
This trail provides more information about places that are listed on the two 'Welcome' signs, one located on the Village Hall and one in Draycot Cerne.
This is a circular cross-country walk from the Village Hall, to Gate Farm and then to Chissell Brook, and back via Sutton Lane Meadows to the Village Hall.
This is a walk from the Village Hall, to the Draycot Park entrance, to Draycot Cerne, and return.
This is a walk from the Village Hall, to Sutton Lane, back along the High Street and Seagry Road to La Flambé, then along the footpath (the old Barrett Lane) to the B4069 bridge over the River Avon, and then into Christian Malford. Return via the Christian Malford meadows to the Avon Weir, back across the Avon to Sutton Lane, and along Sutton Lane to return to the Village Hall.
This walk takes you past various locations associated with the Romano-Saxon history of Sutton Benger; but note that there is no visible evidence of this history. Also, close to the walk, are remains of pillboxes from World War II; but please remember to stay on Public Rights of Way at all times.
This a long walk, uphill from Sutton Benger along Seagry Road, to cross the M4, left along the footpaths to Harding's Farm, into Upper Seagry along Scotland Road and Henn Lane, to Goss Croft Hall, then back through Upper Seagry along the roads to Seagry Hill, returning to Sutton Benger Village Hall.
As an alternative, you could start this walk from Goss Croft Hall, to Sutton Benger, returning to Upper Seagry via Harding's Farm.
The Bell Hotel was built in the 16th century. It was a coaching inn until about 1848 and then the home of the village doctor, before becoming a hotel again 50 years ago.
The photograph shows The Bell Hotel when it was the doctor’s house, probably in the 1940s-1950s.
Like every other house in the village in the 1800s, the Bell Inn was owned by the Tylney-Long-Wellesley family of Draycot House. The High Street used to be the main road from Bath and Bristol to Oxford. Coaches, as seen on the left of this 1960s photo, would stop here to change horses and for passengers to have a rest. There were fewer coaches on the road after the railway arrived in the 1840s.
In 1848 The Bell Inn became the home of the village doctor for over 100 years. The surgery door was in Bellside, and is still visible in the brickwork / paint on the side of the building. The last doctor to live here was Dr Clarke, who sold the property in 1955 to Berni Inns, who reopened it in 1958 as a hotel.
Herbing began in Sutton Benger in the 19th century and ended in the early 1950s. A herbing business was run by Tom Bray from Bellside. The sheds to the west of Bellside were used as storage.
The herbs grew in the countryside and people took all day to collect them. Teachers at the school would take the children on nature walks to collect rare herbs. The herbs were sold to make medicines and ointments.
The photographs from the 1920s show people outside the Old School House on Seagry Road after they have been gathering herbs.
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