You are here:
Allington
Allington maps
Historic maps of Allington and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Allington maps
Allington photos
We have no photos of Allington, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
All Cannings| Woodborough| Beckhampton| Devizes| Wilcot| Avebury| Cherhill| West Overton| Manningford Bruce| Manningford Abbots| Potterne| Oare| Sharcott| Rowde| Rushall| Quemerford| Lockeridge| Fyfield| Pewsey| Compton Bassett| Lavington| Calne| Upavon
Allington area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about Allington and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Allington
No memories of Allington have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of Allington
or of a photo of Allington.
Wiltshire memories
The Roundway I Remember
In 1954 Roundway was the site of the Royal Army Pay Corps Training Centre. Nothing now remains of this except a plaque erected by the local council to commemorate the fact that thousands of young men conscripted for National Service were trained there. Most were only there for ten weeks and were then posted elsewhere to complete their 18 months (later increased to 2 years) service.
I arrived in nearby Devizes on 7th January,1954,and after my basic training spent the remainder of my 2 years there. The training was very hard but it turned boys into men (and soldiers). The camp was spread over a large area of Roundway and straddled the road to Devizes. During the day a Regimental Policeman was always on duty where the road divided the camp,the guardroom being close by. The camp was actually two units, the Training Centre and the Regimental Pay Office for the R.E.M.E. There were 2 drill squares, a sports field, dining halls and a large number of buildings... Read more
Childhood Memories
In the early 1950s I used to go and stay with my great uncle, Arthur Furnice and his wife, Flossie, at the stables owned by a Mr Blagrave, where my uncle was head lad. We used to get off the bus from Newbury and climb a fence and walk across a field to the stables. The main house was next door and my best memories are of a driveway lined with a wonderful display of daffodils. It was also magical to wake early in the morning and hear the sound of the horses' hooves on the coblestones as they went out to exercise on the downs. When they returned my aunt would cook the most incredible breakfasts for everyone. She came from Calne. Happy days.
Prison Buildings by Side of Canal
Hello,
My name is John Ryan and I can remember Devizes when I was evacuated there in 1940 from Tilbury Essex. I was 11 years old.
I can remember where we all assembled in what I think was the Catholic school, which I believe was St Joseph's. There was about 40 of us and I happened to be the last to be picked for accommodation with a local family.
I remember the lady, her name was Phyllis Hillier and she was very kind to me as the rest of the family were. I remember going down a big hill towards the canal and crossing a small bridge and turning left down into the building which was originally a prison but it was converted into flats. It was a ground floor flat which was very nice and comfortable. After settling into my new home, I remember starting school where we had to walk along the canal or back up the hill to the town where the school was... Read more
Notes From The Frith Files.
During WW2 the hut at the top of the building provided shelter from the weather for members of the Observer Corps later known as The Royal Observer Corps.
Quaker's Walk
I was employed to fell the elm trees lining the walk during the Dutch Elm disease crisis that cleared so many beautiful trees from a lovely area. My only consolation was the glorious view up to Oliver's Castle which is now sadly blocked by housing estates.
Wilcot School
I went to Wilcot School from 1943 to 49. Miss Brooks taught little ones. Big boys had to fetch water from the well for each classroom. The crate of milk bottles stood next to the tortoise stove that heated the classroom but we had to drink every drop whether we liked it or not. In winter we went for nature walks along the canal, maybe we were running short of fuel for the stove. The worst memory I have is the school dentist coming to pull teeth. No electricity in the school so if he had to do a filling I suppose he had some primative means. G.I.s readying for D Day often passed by in jeeps and called out to us smiling and waving. I remember getting little tins of "emergency rations" from them containg gum, chocolate and malt tablets. I remember wonderful socials in the hut on the green when everyone had a good time. On Acension Day all us children had to walk... Read more
A Tour Around Prehistoric Stones at Avebury
Avebury is an interesting place to visit for history, archaeology and garden interests. My wife, Elizabeth, and I saw it on Sunday 24th April in bright hot sunshine when the stones are at their best; brilliantly reflecting sunlight and also casting dark shadows. The nearby Manor House and gardens are very attractive and have amazing amounts of topiary. I also liked the Alexander Keiller Museum and was greatly impressed by the old car preserved in the museum – an open top tourer made by Sizaire-Berwick before the First World War. It looks a little like an old Rolls Royce! There is so much to see that I plan to return for another tour of the stones as my interest has been prompted by the excellent guided tour provided by a National Trust guide.
