Broughton Gifford
| Broughton Gifford | |
|---|---|
 Pond on Broughton Gifford common |
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 Broughton Gifford
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| Broughton Gifford shown within Wiltshire | |
| Population | 851 (in 2011) |
| OS grid reference | ST879635 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Melksham |
| Postcode district | SN12 |
| Dialling code | 01225 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Parish Council |
Broughton Gifford is a village and civil parish about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Melksham in Wiltshire, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Norrington Common and The Common.
Formerly much of Broughton Gifford and the surrounding area was covered with woodland. Much of this was felled during the First and Second World Wars. Villagers long used the common to graze their livestock and grow their crops. Although the common was not included when the rest of the parish's lands were inclosed in 1783, eventually its agricultural uses died out.
The Wessex Main Line railway was opened across the southeast of the parish in 1848, following the Avon valley. In 1905 a small station, Broughton Gifford Halt, was opened for the newly-introduced steam railcar service between Chippenham and Trowbridge. The halt was southeast of the village at the Mill Lane bridge, near the road between Melksham and Bradford-on-Avon; it was closed in 1955 but the line remains open.
The village has two parts. The lower village has the church, the school, the village hall and The Rusty Stag public house. There are also two housing estates and some detached houses in this part.
The higher part, The Common, is a large area of open land with houses around it. As at 2008 there were three ponds on the common, inhabited by a paddling of ducks in their breeding season. At one end of the common is the Bell public house, and the football pitch and bowling green.
The River Avon forms a natural boundary to the south and east of the parish.
The civil parish elects a parish council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for most significant local government functions.
Unusually the parish shares some land in common with the parish of Melksham Without.
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