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.
If you would like to see some autumn colours, take the optional loop through Seagry Woods; follow the optional directions from Scotland Road, after leaving Harding's Farm.
As another alternative, you could start this entire walk from Goss Croft Hall, to Sutton Benger, returning to Upper Seagry via Harding's Farm.
This is a circular cross-country walk from the Village Hall, to Gate Farm and then to Kington Langley, stopping for a cup of tea or coffee at the Workshop Cafe at Kington Langley's Church Farm.
Return to Sutton Benger via the 'old road' from Kington Langley to Draycot Cerne - the 'road' that was replaced by the 'Draycot Straight' in the 1700s and is now just footpaths / bridleways. (Caution! - it can get muddy.)
If starting from the eastern end of Sutton Benger (from the Village Hall), you could take an alternate route, either from Queens Close alongside the Big Field, or via Sutton Lane, to Sutton Lane Meadows; then pick up the old bridleway west to Kington Langley.
An anti-clockwise cycle route from Sutton Benger Village Hall, north across the M4, past Lower Seagry to Great Somerford, left to Startley, then left to Upper Seagry and back to Sutton Benger.
Enjoy the Wiltshire Countryside on this scenic circular walk. Apart from a few hundred yards along Sutton Lane, the route is along public rights of way (PRoW) footpaths and bridleways across fields and tracks. The trail includes Avon Weir and Sutton Lane Meadows.
NOTE: As the Ordnance Survey notes, meadows near the River Avon are 'liable to floods'. If the weather has been exceedingly wet recently, some of the fields may be too flooded to walk through safely, and you are advised to re-route via Sutton Lane and then along the bridleway to Sutton Lane Meadows. Although note that the bridleway may also be flooded at times.
A Sutton Benger Christmas Trail
This Christmas Trail follows a route around Sutton Benger, starting at the Village Hall there is a pictorial clue to find at the 12 locations. You can wander the route in any direction, solving the clues in any order that you want. Email the answer to hello@bengertrails.co.uk
The Lodge, on the main road from Sutton Benger to Draycot Cerne, is actually the 'new' entrance to Draycot Park and House. The 'old' entrance used to be from the west, on the Stanton road (today's B4122). It is one of four 1800s lodges around the estate, and is referred to in various documents as 'Draycot Lodge' or as 'Front Lodge'. The other lodges were Scotland Lodge (on the road from Stanton to Seagry), Slates Lodge and Plains Lodge (both on the B4122).
Nesta Heath remembered life in Draycot Cerne and Sutton Benger as a child in the 1920s / 1930s. ‘There were lodges at all the entrances to the house, Front Lodge being on the main road where the butler Mr Rich lived with his wife and son, Arthur.’ (Nesta Heath, Life and Herbing, p. 18).
Note that the PRoW opposite Front Lodge, signposted on the south side of the main road, will take you across the fields towards Roward Farm and eventually to Kington Langley.
The Rev. Francis Kilvert, of Langley Burrell, wrote about ice skating on the lake with the Awdry family in the winter of December 1870.
For more about Langley Burrell, and about Francis Kilvert and his Diary, see http://langleyburrell.org
Draycot Cerne used to be two small hamlets. The village that is now Draycot Cerne was called Upper Draycot, while Lower Draycot lay between the main road and Draycot House.
The lodge and driveway did not exist before the mid 1800s; there was just a track that only went as far as the lake, and there was no bridge over the lake to Draycot House and St James's Church. Either side of the track were a few houses and the original Draycot Rectory. The Rectory can be seen at Number 96 on the map, with an additional Glebe House at No 98.
All the houses in Lower Draycot, including the Rectory, were demolished in the 1860s / 1870s to enable Lord Cowley, the new Lord of the Manor, to re-landscape his Park. The 'Old Rectory' on the main road was built to replace the one which had been demolished. Four pairs of new houses were also built in Upper Draycot between 1869 and 1874 for the previous inhabitants of Lower Draycot.
The original Rectory would have been a large, substantial stone building; The Rector in 1841 was Henry Barry and his wife Elizabeth, who had been born in Sutton Benger. There were 17 people living in the house at the time of the Census, including servants, Revd. Barry's mother-in-law, and other extended family. Henry Barry's daughter Emma later became a minor Victorian author, as Emma Newby, and had several novels published.
Living there in the 1850s, 60s and 70s were the Reverend Charles Awdry, with a similar-sized household, including (in 1851) 8 children, a governess and 5 servants.
There were also at least 6 other houses, outhouses, barns etc, which were removed from Lower Draycot; however, the families who had to move were undoubtedly moving to newer houses.
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