East Kennett

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Village in Wiltshire, England

title: "East Kennett" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["villages-in-wiltshire", "civil-parishes-in-wiltshire"] description: "Village in Wiltshire, England" topic_path: "general/villages-in-wiltshire" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Kennett" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Village in Wiltshire, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

FieldValue
countryEngland
static_image_nameThatched terrace, East Kennett - geograph.org.uk - 339560.jpg
static_image_captionA thatched terrace in East Kennett
coordinates
official_nameEast Kennett
population84
population_ref(in 2011)
civil_parishEast Kennett
unitary_englandWiltshire
lieutenancy_englandWiltshire
regionSouth West England
constituency_westminsterEast Wiltshire
post_townMarlborough
postcode_districtSN8
postcode_areaSN
dial_code01672
os_grid_referenceSU119675
::

| country = England | static_image_name = Thatched terrace, East Kennett - geograph.org.uk - 339560.jpg | static_image_caption = A thatched terrace in East Kennett | coordinates = | official_name = East Kennett | population = 84 | population_ref = (in 2011) | civil_parish = East Kennett | unitary_england = Wiltshire | lieutenancy_england = Wiltshire | region = South West England | constituency_westminster = East Wiltshire | post_town = Marlborough | postcode_district = SN8 | postcode_area = SN | dial_code = 01672 | os_grid_reference = SU119675 | website = East Kennett is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, 5 mi west of Marlborough. The United Kingdom Census 2011 recorded a parish population of 84.

The River Kennet forms most of the northern boundary of the parish, and the village lies close to the river. The neighbouring village of West Kennett is on the opposite bank a short distance upstream, in Avebury parish.

History

Evidence of prehistoric activity includes a Neolithic long barrow, probably a communal burial site, on a hillside south of the present village; this monument is part of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. Further south, a circle of sarsen stones is possibly from the Bronze Age. The Ridgeway, an ancient trackway, passes through East Kennet village. Some 600 metres north of the village, at Overton Hill, the trackway becomes the Ridgeway National Trail which runs northeast as far as Buckinghamshire.

The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded holdings in Chenete, the area which later became East and West Kennett. There was a church at East Kennett in the 12th century and by 1291 it was a separate parish.

A schoolhouse was built opposite the manor house in 1857 with support from Maria and Ann Mathews, daughters of the owner of the house. Maria gave a large endowment in 1878 and the school became known as Miss Mathews' School. After her death in 1882 it became a Church of England elementary school, and pupils of all ages attended until 1924 when older children transferred to Avebury or West Overton. In 1990 the school federated with the school at Lockeridge, as numbers at both schools were low; the combined school was named Kennet Valley and the East Kennet site housed the upper years, in buildings behind the original. This site closed in 2011 after accommodation at Lockeridge was increased.

The church benefice was united with Avebury in 1923; a further rearrangement in 1929 formed the benefice of Overton and Fyfield with East Kennett.

Notable buildings

Manor Farmhouse, opposite the church, is dated 1630 with extensions added in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The older part is constructed from the local sarsen sandstone.

East Kennett Manor House is a three-storey brick house from the late 18th century, extended in the 19th century and again in 1925.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Christ_Church_(geograph_1963154).jpg" caption="Christ Church"] ::

The Church of England parish church, Christ Church, was built in 1864 on the site of a 12th-century church. Today the parish is part of the Upper Kennet benefice.

References

References

  1. "East Kennett Census Information". Wiltshire Council.
  2. Kelly, Edward Robert. (1875). "Wiltshire".
  3. {{Google maps. link
  4. Draper, Simon. (January 2006). "Landscape, Settlement and Society in Roman and Early Medieval Wiltshire". Archaeopress.
  5. {{National Heritage List for England
  6. {{National Heritage List for England
  7. (1983). "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 12 pp119-125 - Parishes: East Kennett". University of London.
  8. Davison, Steve. (5 March 2013). "The Ridgeway National Trail: Cicerone Press". Cicerone Press Limited.
  9. {{OpenDomesday. XX0000. east-and-west-kennett. Kennett
  10. (31 August 2011). "Closed but not forgotten: a worthy history of East Kennet school".
  11. "Kennet Valley C. of E. VA Primary School". Wiltshire Council.
  12. {{London Gazette. (1 June 1923)
  13. {{London Gazette. (10 May 1929)
  14. {{National Heritage List for England
  15. {{National Heritage List for England
  16. {{National Heritage List for England
  17. "Christ Church, East Kennett".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

villages-in-wiltshirecivil-parishes-in-wiltshire