Bulkington

The Parish of Bulkington and its surrounding land was originally part of the manorial estate of the Gaisford family from Keevil whose family name is recorded on the War Memorial erected by them after the Great War. The Gaisford Estate was sold in 1919 and bought by a consortium from the village. It was further dismantled and sold off at a later date. There were seven farms in the village at the time together with a bake-house and a shop, which closed circa 1993. The base of the Cross , prior to having a War Memorial placed on it, is rumoured to be a medieval market stand where produce and sheep were sold and quite possibly used for ‘the hiring’ of seasonal labour for the farms. The pond, which was situated near the Cross, was filled in in 1932-33 as it was deemed unsanitary and unsafe for the children, and a set of swings was erected.

The first church in the village burnt down and the present one was built and consecrated in 1860. It remained in the parish of Keevil and Bulkington until 1971 when the church became part of Seend Parish. The vicar at the time paid nearly all the school expenses. The school remained until 1896, but it is unclear what happened to the children until 1901 when six started at Keevil School. Most of today’s children still go to Keevil.

The village also supported a cobbler, a gravedigger and a garage which sold petrol and repaired farm machinery and cars until the late 1980’s. ‘Poplars Farm’, now replaced by houses had a flourishing dairy, which sent milk to London daily, even through the Blitz. They also made cheese, butter and cider, as there were several cider apple orchards in the locality.

The Pub, until recently known as the Tipsy Toad, but now called The Well at Bulkington, used to brew its own beer. It burnt down and was replaced by the current building around 1920. Before being known as The Tipsy Toad it was variously called ‘The Bell’ and even previously ‘The Well’. Owners Tim and Sam Taylor carried out a major refurbishment including a great new restaurant, and the Well Inn re-opened it’s doors in October 2009.