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The Parish of Westwood

The parish of Westwood lies at the western extremity of Wiltshire, a mile to the south-west of Bradford-on-Avon, and stretches about 2.5 km from west to east and 1.5 km from north to south. It occupies an angle formed by the northward-flowing River Frome and the westward-flowing Bristol Avon; these rivers form its southern and northern boundaries, respectively. It includes five smaller settlements, Lower Westwood near the centre, Upper Westwood and Avoncliff to the north, Lye Green to the north-east, and the hamlet of Iford (which straddles the county boundary with Somerset) to the south-west. Since the Second World War, new housing development has created a 'Middle Westwood' in the fields between Upper and Lower Westwood. On the south-west and west, the parish adjoins Somerset and Avon.

The derivation of the place name is easy to guess, reflecting the former thick cover of woodland and its position as the 'western wood' of the Saxon royal estate of Bradford. The name has changed little over the centuries; it was 'Westwuda' in A.D. 987. Avoncliff (called 'Ancliff' in earlier times), as might be expected, stands on a limestone outcrop on a steep hillside above the Avon valley. Westwood is situated on the limestone plateau, and the clay soils were used for arable cultivation until the nineteenth century, since when pastoral farming, and particularly dairying, have predominated. To continue reading visit: Wiltshire Council Community pages and select Comprehensive View.