Fovant is a pretty medium sized village in the southwest of Wiltshire. It is located on the A30 between Salisbury and Shaftesbury in the Nadder Valley. It’s name is derived from the Old English fobbefunta meaning “spring of a man called Fobbe”.
Fovant Badges
The Fovant Badges are a set of regimental badges cut into a chalk hill, Fovant Down. They are located half a mile (800m) southwest of Fovant village. They were created by soldiers garrisoned nearby who were waiting to go to France during the First World War with the first badge in 1916. They are clearly visible from the A30 which runs through the village.
After the outlines were cut into the grassy hillsides they were filled with chalk from nearby slopes with up to 50 tons per badge. The badges too an average of 50 men six months to complete.
Eight of the original twenty remain and are scheduled ancient monuments and recognised by the Imperial War Museum as war memorials. Further badges have been added more recently.
Current Badges (left to right)
1. Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (only the central part remains) 2. 6th (City of London) Battalion, Royal London Regiment (City of London Rifles) (claimed to be the first badge cut here) 3. Australian Commonwealth Military Forces (the largest 51m x 31m) 4. Royal Corps of Signals (cut in 1970 to commemorate the 50th anniversary 5. Wiltshire Regiment (added 1950) 6. 5th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade) 7. 8th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Post Office Rifles) 8. Devonshire Regiment
The Fovant Badge Society holds an annual Drumhead Service which is attended by the Australian High Commissioner, local mayors and Members of Parliament. These services fund the upkeep of the Badges.
Fovant Camp
During World War 1 Fovant Camp was the most southwestern in Wiltshire. It house 20,000 men in prefabricated wooden huts with 30 men to each hut. A photograph dated 1910 shows Winston Churchill (then Minister of Defence) on Fovant Down with senior officers and dignitaries watching manoeuvres and exercises.
Fovant Down
Fovant Down is also the site of Chiselbury Iron Age hill fort. This makes Fovant Down one a several downs in Wiltshire to claim a hillfort as well as a hill figure.
Village Services
Pubs
Good news for Fovant! The local pub is now in the process of refurbishment and should be open for business in the near future.
Local services
Fovant Stores welcome you selling everything in there one stop shop.
Fovant’s Doctors surgery provides healthcare complete with an in house pharmacy.
A local garage providing a friendly breakdown service. Call Levers garage on 01722 714243
Rural View has a range of houses for sale in the Fovant area. Whether you are looking for a period cottage or a more modern home we can help find your family the perfect rural property.
There’s something about living near a cricket pitch whilst a game is in progress. The thwack of leather against willow followed by a polite round of clapping must surely be an integral part of village life on a summer’s day. A game of mysterious rules, strange traditions and bizarre terminology but for many cricket is an essential part of living in the country even if they don’t play or even understand what it’s all about.
Cricket is a very sociable sport and still largely played in a gentlemanly and friendly spirit between the two teams and has the ability to unite different generations and backgrounds. The traditions and rituals are an essential part of the game including the preparation of the wicket, changing room banter, toss, the fielding team clapping in each new batsman, gargantuan teas, dozing in a deck chair at cow corner and post-match beer. It is also the subject of many a conversation in the village pub over the winter months.
Most our local teams such as Dinton Cricket Club, Chalke Valley Cricket Club and Shrewton Cricket Club welcome new members irrespective of age or ability. If you are looking for properties for sale or rent in South Wiltshire near a cricket pitch get in touch with us and we should be able to point you in the right direction.
For anyone interested in reading more about the joys of village cricket or wanting to grasp the concepts of the game and its language, Si White, a friend of mine and fellow team mate at Damerham Cricket Club, has written an excellent, information and funny book called The Effing C Word. I even get a couple of mentions in it!
Selling your Rural Property?
Imagine this – you are selling your rural property, your estate agent has arranged plenty of viewings and you have received an offer which you are delighted to accept. Fantastic, excitement all round and you can start making plans now that you have found a willing buyer.
However, there is still a long way to go before reaching the golden certainty of exchanging contracts and as we all know there is many a slip twixt cup and lip.
Conveyancing
Stage two is where the conveyancing process kicks in and over a sometimes lengthy period any problems are rooted out by the purchaser’s solicitor – and this is crucial because we have come across plenty of examples where sales are bogged down or even terminally delayed by complications that could so easily have been sorted out before marketing even commenced. Common examples of these include problems with Title, making sure that boundaries are registered correctly and indeed if the property is not registered then sorting out the first registration; easements (rights of way); planning consents, listed building consents and building control approval if alterations have been carried out during the property’s history; a discharge permit for the septic tank if there is one and it’s not exempt; restrictive covenants in favour of a neighbour; the list goes on and while some buyers may take a view on a few glitches, others will be hesitant to do so and mortgage lenders certainly won’t.
As Agents we always strongly suggest to our clients that they iron out the creases prior to marketing, and while we understand that when selling a house they have already moved on emotionally, the practicalities remain.
Information on your home
A few years ago we had to endure the imposition of Home Information Packs which covered this very process, and more. They were unpopular and unworkable for a variety of reasons, but the principal was spot-on, that relevant and up to date information would be immediately available to the buyer so that an exchange of contracts should not be delayed. Here in South Wiltshire we face another delaying factor with the time that local authority searches are taking to be returned, but that’s another well publicised gripe which we have covered before now.
Our advice, therefore, is simple – if you want a stress-free move speak to your solicitor before you go to market and make absolutely sure that what you are selling has no grey areas which will delay or even scupper a sale. It will no doubt cost you a bit of money, but if you are a motivated seller then you will be more incentivised to do it and your solicitor will have to spend valuable time ironing out the creases anyway.
It’s generally accepted that late May or early June is the very best time to bring a country property to the market. At this time of year everything is looking its best, the sun is (invariably) shining and if you have a garden to show off, now is the time to do it.
We spend a lot of time looking at different and sometimes unique properties and we often come across the most lovely gardens; stunning designs, beautifully laid out and full of variety and colour which will transform and evolve as the seasons progress.
Many people are passionate about their gardens, to the extent that it becomes more than just a hobby; it becomes an addictive way of life where the pleasure of witnessing your own living creation is all-engrossing. Now, especially, there is plenty to do and dawn-gardening in pyjamas is a reality in households across the land.
But what happens when you move house? The dream would be to pass it on to someone as passionate as you, but that’s not a given since you can’t necessarily dictate who will buy your property. It isn’t quite the done thing to start digging up your favourite perennials and loading them onto the removal lorry either, although it does happen.
The value of a wonderful garden means more to some buyers than to others. A fantastic garden may add some value to a property, but it can only be measured in terms of the balanced package, the confines of the beds, the usability of the whole area and the ‘kick about’ space if children are involved. The quality of the garden should certainly not be used as the raison d’etre for an inflated asking price, although a well-designed, mature space will always add the gloss.
As an Agent it is very tempting to get carried away when appraising a house with such a garden, and we do have to temper our enthusiasm. Of course, an external space which is well looked after and attractive will be much more appealing to buyers than an abandoned wasteland, but some people would be terrified of taking on a garden that has been honed and loved for many years, plagued by a fear of letting it go to ruin.
The answer is that if you own a much loved, self-created garden you essentially have to be pragmatic when selling, release it with a brave heart and hope that a buyer will understand its value. It may not be easy but the wrench can be softened with the thought that the challenge of the next project is just around the corner and you may even be lucky enough to find a blank canvas with which to continue the fun. If you need some ideas on garden design or planting we can certainly put you in touch with contacts who can help.
About the village of Hindon, Wiltshire
Hindon is a thriving pretty village situated approx. 16 miles west of Salisbury and 10 miles south of Warminster in Wiltshire. The High Street was lined with trees in the 19th Century, a key feature of the elegant village centre.
Hindon appears to have been originally a planned settlement with prosperity over the years largely due to it’s status as a centre for markets and fairs as well as the village’s excellent location close to main roads. Coaching was a main industry during 18/19th Century for the village with the London – Exeter road close by.
Transport
Hindon is well located just 1 mile from the main A303 road and close to Salisbury and Warminster. Both Winchester and Bath are within an hours drive from Hindon and there are many Wiltshire attractions to visit nearby such as Stonehenge and Stourhead Gardens.
Schools
Hindon Primary School ethos is to inspire a love of learning, a strong Christian ethos and happy students. It is a small, rural village school with an emphasis on the needs of the individual. The teaching has been rated as “Good” with a SIAMs report in May 2015 describing the school as “…outstanding at meeting the needs of the learners”.
In addition to Hindon Primary School, South Hills School runs a nursery and after school facility in Hindon.
Pubs
The two centrally located pubs in the village, The Angel Inn and The Lamb Inn both have early roots in the 18th Century coaching industry.
Built in 1750, the Angel Inn(formerly The Grosvenor Arms) stands at the crossroads of this medieval village. There is still evidence of the stabling on site at the time when Hindon was the stagecoach hub of the area. The Inn is beautifully restored and with many original features and has 9 well-appointed bed and breakfast rooms.
Over the road from the Angel, the character filled Lamb Inn was used as a posting inn for 300 post horses going to and from the West Country. The Inn still retains inglenook fireplaces, heavy beams and flag stone floor. There are 18 boutique style bedrooms.
On the edge of the Fonthill Estate and just outside the village of Hindon is the well regarded Beckford Arms pub. Its traditional yet stylish décor and large garden provide the perfect place to unwind. There is a large sitting room with board games and magazines, a restaurant and bar with roaring fire in the winter. On summer weekends there is a wood fired pizza oven outside with nightly specials. In addition there are 8 bed and breakfast rooms for overnight visitors.
Services in Hindon
As well as the two central village pubs in Hindon, there is a doctor’s surgery, post office and well stocked community shop, Hindon Stores. Run by local residents this shop is open 7 days a week for all the essentials and a few local treats!
Are you looking for houses for sale and rent in Hindon?
Rural View Estate Agents offer a selection of houses for sale and rent in and around the Hindon area. For more information on the Hindon area or any other details on local services, please call us on 01722 716895.
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