Kilmington is a village and civil parish in the extreme west of Wiltshire, England, about 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Warminster. The parish includes the hamlets of Kilmington Common and Norton Ferris.
It lies on the northern edge of the ancient Selwood Forest. Whitesheet Hill (245 m above sea level) is in the far east of the parish, and Long Knoll which is photographed as the backdrop to this website page – is a long ridge on the northern boundary of the parish (288m above sea level).
In 1556 Kilmington was the scene of the ambush and murder of two members of the Hartgill family by Charles Stourton, 8th Baron Stourton, for which crime he was convicted and executed.
Religious sites
The Church of England parish church of St Mary has a 15th-century tower but the body of the church was rebuilt in 1864 and 1869; the tower was restored in 1903 by C.E. Ponting.
A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1847. After closure in 1972 it was sold for residential use.
Church of St. Mary, Kilmington
The earliest remaining feature in the church is a 14th century arch between the nave and the south chapel, as the chancel, nave, and north aisle were rebuilt in the 1860s. The embattled 15th cenury tower is Perpendicular being a three stage Somerset type and a copy of the one at Bruton. The Hartgill chapel is on the north side of the nave and there are memorials in the church from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
In the 1830s it was recorded that there was no east window in the chancel, but that the church was ‘neatly pewed’ . The chancel was rebuilt in 1864 and the remainder of the church, except the tower, in 1869. The cost of the latter was £1,640 and the rebuilding provided seating for 170 people. The tower was restored in 1903 by C.E. Ponting and at that time there were two bells. There had been three earlier. but today there is only one. There is a wooden polygonal pulpit, on a stone plinth, and a litany, both made up of 17th century pieces. The octagonal stone font is 19th century and an early sundial, illustrated in J. Collinson’s ‘History of Somerset’, was moved to the early 19th century Rectory and replaced in the late 1980s.
The parish registers from 1596 (christenings) and 1582 (marriages and burials), other than those in current use, are held in the Wiltshire and Somerset Record Office.
Local government
The civil parish elects a parish council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority.
Until 1896 Kilmington was in Somerset. The parish was part of Norton Ferris Hundred.
Amenities
The first school at Kilmington was built circa 1830 and replaced by a new building in 1874, attended by children of all ages until 1930 when it became a junior school. The building was enlarged in 1967 and pupil numbers increased in 1968 after the closure of the school at Maiden Bradley. In 2003 Kilmington school amalgamated with Zeals, to become the Whitesheet CE Primary Academy forming a two-site school.
However, the school closed in April 2017 with all pupils being transferred to the Zeals site. In 2023 the school building and land was purchased by the Outcomes First Group and in September 2024 it became Wessex Lodge School for special needs children.
Kilmington Parish Council owns the playing field located opposite Brookside Terrace in The Street the land having been transferred from the National Trust in October 2000 along with various restrictive covenants and was purchased on a 80 year lease basis.
As well as a playing field, there is a children’s play area and some skateboard ramps for older children. The equipment is checked weekly by a resident of the village who receives a nominal payment; all equipment used in publicly accessible areas should meet with the requirements of the relevant listed standard hence, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) perform an annual inspection. This provides a comprehensive report which can highlight if there are any items which may be need to be monitored or requiring remedial action. There is a Playing Field Committee consisting of two Parish Councillors and one resident of the village who meet 2-3 times a year and volunteer their time to keep everything in order.
Photograph of Long Knoll by kind permission of Paul Timlett, https://www.hiddenwiltshire.com
Kilmington Village Tour
Kilmington is a village and civil parish in the extreme west of Wiltshire, England, about 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Warminster. The parish includes the hamlets of Kilmington Common and Norton Ferris.
It lies on the northern edge of the ancient Selwood Forest. Whitesheet Hill is in the far east of the parish, and Long Knoll (288m above sea level) is a long ridge on the northern boundary of the parish.
Walking / Cycling / Running routes near Kilmington, Wiltshire
