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
Sutton Benger’s Old Village Hall used to be where the car park is today. The New Village Hall was opened in 2000 after a major fund-raising effort.
The image shows the original hand drawn plan used to build the old Village Hall in 1923. Note the reference to 'Doctor Sturridge'. The doctor's surgery used to be in the Bell House, from the 1840s for about 100 years. You can still see where the entrance to the surgery used to be, in the brickwork on Bellside.
Before 1920, there was no Hall and no Recreation Ground. There used to be an orchard where the Bell Piece houses are. There was a kitchen garden next to the orchard. It belonged to the Bell House, home of the village doctor. This is where the doctor's surgery is today.
In March 1920 there was a big Auction of the entire Draycot Estate. Eight acres of land from Queen’s Field was donated for a recreation ground.
The photograph shows a carnival on the Recreation Ground, probably in the 1930s.
After a fund-raising effort by the local villagers a Village Hall was opened in November 1923 by Lady Cowley. It only took Mr Gregory, the Sutton Benger wheelwright and carpenter, 3 months to build, with volunteer help, at a cost of just £300.
Throughout the years the Village Hall was well-used but by the 1990s the Old Village Hall was not big enough for the needs of the village. The New Hall was built in 2000 at a cost of over £250,000 as a ‘Millennium Project’ after a major fund-raising project in 1997-1999 by a small group of villagers.
The New Village Hall was formally opened by local MP, James Gray, on 28 October 2000.
Sutton Benger Village Hall has been used for many functions and events over the years. The photograph shows one of the many functions that was held for the local community in the village hall just before and during the Second World War.
Sutton Benger has a village layout which is typical of many medieval villages: a High Street with a parallel Back Lane (now Chestnut Road) and a crossroads beside the 13th century Parish Church. The open area around the central crossroads used to be much bigger, forming a sort of 'village square'. The Tithe Map of the village from 1839/1840 also shows that Back Lane did not quite join up with the High Street originally.
Chestnut Road was still known as Back Lane in the 1950s, when it was still a natural-surface lane. It was re-named in the 1960s when new houses were being built on the south side of the village. This re-naming became official on 12 January 1967.
Most of the older houses on the south side of the High Street used to have gardens which extended all the way to Back Lane / Chestnut Road. There were very few houses along Back Lane until 50 years ago.
In the 1920s there used to be a taxi firm run by the Barrington family, roughly where No 11 Chestnut Road (The Stone House) is now. There was also a petrol station / garage on the corner of Chestnut Road / High Street, where Chestnut Grove is now.
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