The Hamlet of West Grafton
The hamlet of East Grafton
The hamlet of Wilton
The hamlet of Wexcombe
The hamlet of Marten
A parish overview
St Nicholas Church NEWS and EVENTS
Parish Council MINUTES
Wilton Cricket Club
Grafton Church of England PRIMARY SCHOOL
Events held within the Parish
Contact Information for Villages of East & West Grafton, Wex
Links for Villages of East & West Grafton, Wexcombe, Wilton
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Wilton hamlet
 | Wilton is a very attractive hamlet of 70 houses nestling in a valley at the eastern end of the Pewsey Vale. The Vale runs for approximately 15 miles from Devizes to the west and to Wilton in the east and is one of the finest areas of outstanding natural beauty in Wiltshire. The Vale is predominately flat with greensand soil at around 400ft above sea level, and it is surrounded on both sides by chalkland ridges rising to 650-900ft on either side.
Wilton’s pretty pond is fed by natural springs and is situated at the join between the chalk and the greensand. It is the catchment for all the rainfall from the eastern end of the Pewsey Vale and the surrounding hills, and it has been responsible for the development of the habitation in this area for many centuries. The waters from the pond flow through village gardens into the eight-acre lake and reservoir called Wilton Water (or Wide Waters). Wilton Water in turn supplies water to the Kennet and Avon canal running alongside it. In the early 1800s the canal was built to provide a waterway link between Bristol and London, and in 1815 Beam Engines were built, to a design by James Watt, to pump water from Wilton Water into the canal. The Beam engines continue to pump water today.
The wildlife in the area around Wilton is extensive with many young trees being planted over the past twenty years to replace the numerous elms that were killed by Dutch Elm disease. The locality has many interesting and varied wild flower and birds, including different ducks and geese, plus kingfishers and other aquatic birds on Wilton Water.
In 1821 the well-known local landmark of Wilton Windmill was built on a hill above the village; it was to replace the watermills made redundant by the loss of their water source to the recently built canal. Flour is still milled today |
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Wilton Windmill
 | | Referred to within the main description of Wilton the windmill is open to visitors. |
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Beautiful lanes pass through the hamlet
 | | This is the road from the village pond which can be seen on another page on this site. |
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Wilton pond
 | | Set in the middle of the village this is a favourite place to relax |
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