Berwick St John
| Berwick St John | |
|---|---|
 St John the Baptist parish church |
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 Berwick St John
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| Berwick St John shown within Wiltshire | |
| Population | 332 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | ST947223 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Shaftesbury |
| Postcode district | SP7 |
| Dialling code | 01747 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Berwick St John |
Berwick St John is a village and civil parish in southwest Wiltshire, England, about 5 miles (8 km) east of Shaftesbury in Dorset.
The parish includes the Ashcombe Park estate, part of the Ferne Park estate, and most of Rushmore Park (since 1939 the home of Sandroyd School).
The parish is at the head of the Ebble valley, in the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Winklebury Hill overlooks the village. In the extreme west of the parish, Win Green hill, at 277 metres (909 ft), is the highest point of Cranborne Chase. The southern part of the parish is forested and includes a golf course.
The 2011 Census misleadingly records the output area as the parish population as '438' in which figure is incorporated the civil parish together with that of Alvediston to the east for reasons of confidentiality of the other detailed figures. The county council have obtained and published key statistics for each parish showing that Berwick St John's population stood at 332 in that census. The combined area is 28.68 km² In 1861 residents numbered a maximal 499 but this had fallen to a low of 258 at the 1971 census.
The area has several prehistoric sites, including a Bronze Age settlement near Rushmore.
Part of Wilton Abbey's Chalke estate from the 10th century, the parish was established by the 13th century. Manors of the parish included Berwick St John, Rushmore, Bridmore, Upton Lucy and Ashcombe.
The Old Rectory is from the early 19th century.
In the 19th century Augustus Pitt Rivers inherited the Rushmore estate and excavated many nearby archaeological sites.
The Church of England parish church of St John the Baptist was built in the 14th century but heavily restored in 1861 under the direction of the Gothic revival architect Henry Woodyer. It has stained glass windows that have been attributed to Hardman & Co. The building is Grade II listed.
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Wikipedia