Firsdown

As Firsdown is a modern creation it has little human history as it was open downland until the second quarter of the 20th century. It does however have an important prehistory but very little has been written about it as a community. For that reason the only major sources for this short article have been Wiltshire Council's Historic Environment Record and the Firsdown Parish web site, to which due acknowledgement is made.

The civil parish of Firsdown has only existed since 1986 when it was created from the eastern, downland, part of the parish of Winterbourne, formerly Winterbourne Earls, Winterbourne Dauntsey and Winterbourne Gunner. A very small part of Winterslow parish has also been included. Settlement is along Firs Road and began after the First World War. By 1940 there were only about 12 houses and bungalows existing, with large gardens but no mains water. Built on the chalk they had to rely on collecting rain water and using bore holes, where the water was pumped to the surface by agricultural wind pumps. In the 1950s large numbers of bungalows were built, dwellings occupied both sides of Firs Road and side roads were built. Building was complete by 1976 and this had created a housing estate on the downs with no infrastructure and no links to any historic community, other than sheep and shepherds. Children went to school in Winterslow, the estate was in the ecclesiastical parish of Winterslow, and post was delivered from Winterslow post office. However the people lived in Winterbourne parish and were not a part of the Winterslow villages. Winterbourne Parish Council allocated some council seats for Firsdown residents; their community numbered between 550 and 600, about ? of Winterbourne parish population. In 1974 the Firs Road ratepayers Association was founded and began to campaign for a new civil parish for the area.

The Boundary Commission endorsed this view in 1984 and Firsdown parish came into being on 1st April 1986. The parish council first met on 17th April 1986. The name was created from the Firs Road and the downs of Winterbourne that house the community.

From Neolithic to Romano-British times this downland was home to many families, although it is unlikely that there was continuous settlement for any lengthy period. In Neolithic times, when major phases of Stonehenge building took place, a henge monument was created at Figsbury Ring; contemporary pottery and flint have been found here and an axe fragment elsewhere. An Early to Middle Bronze Age farmstead has been found on Thorny Down with associated wooden and bronze items, flint, animal bone, and worked stone and animal bone. There is also a dated bowl barrow and another possible one. In the Iron Age Figsbury Ring was converted into a hill fort, which could have controlled an area that included part of the Bourne valley, Winterslow, Pitton, Porton, and Idmiston. The hill fort is univallate and encloses an area of 16 acres, with entrances on the west and east. Undated round barrows and ditches could also date from this period. There is a 4th century Romano-British cemetery to the east of the Whiteway. Excavation revealed 36 cremations and 14 burials with some associated grave goods. At this time cemeteries were often outside settlements and at nearby Winterslow there was a villa, a farm house, a possible amphitheatre, and a pottery scatter indicating a likely settlement. The Roman road from Old Sarum to Winchester forms the southern boundary of Firsdown parish and settlement would also have been associated with this linear feature.

It is likely that settlement ceased after the Romano-British period and the downs were used only for rough grazing and hunting. From early modern times the downs were part of the sheep and corn economy of south Wiltshire and provided daytime grazing for flocks of sheep. To the north, at Porton Down, the chemical and microbiological research station was built in 1916 and because of this areas of the parish north of the A30, on Thorny Down, are inaccessible. After Firs Road was built up the following side roads were constructed for more housing; Firs Close in the early 1950s; Ilynton Drive in 1962-3; Great Croft in 1963-6; Juniper Road in 1968; Maple Drive in 1976. Many houses and bungalows have large gardens and much tree planting has been done by householders over the last few decades. Some bungalows have been converted to houses but there has been little other building since the 1970s. The population is around 600.

Firsdown Music Festival began in 2006, from an idea by Professor Graham Wright and is run by volunteers and hosted by the George family. Starting as a Sunday afternoon event it has been extended to include Saturday evening owing to the number of singers and musicians who wanted to play. All the acts perform for free, everything is organised by volunteers, and admission to the event is free.

Somewhat unusually a community and a parish have been created in Wiltshire in the second half of the 20th century. It does not have the things we expect to see in our traditional villages - a church, school, chapels, farm houses, old buildings - but it does have community spirit.