Wanborough has a long history of remembering its residents. These memorials are often provided by family members and occasionally by organisations in the parish they have worked for. Notably some of the parish road names have been named for individuals or families whom have a long association with the parish. These include, but are not limited to: Sutter Lane, Jenner Close, Adams Meadow, Stanley Close and
Hewers Close. As you wander round you will also find a number of benches with name plaques and we give cups and trophies at many of our annual events. However, our more unusual memorials are listed below.
Church Memorials
There are a large number of memorials located in and around St Andrews Church for former residents. Most of these persons have passed from living memory and therefore it has been difficult to find information about them. If you look around the church, ensure to include a study of the stained-glass windows, all of which were donated in memory of individuals, and the brass plaque representing the Poultons, located in the floor adjacent to the south side altar. The
William Stanley memorial stone is now located at the rear of the church and was originally place on the North Wall behind where the organ now stands.
The Parish war memorial also stands inside St Andrews on the south aisle wall. Those listed here are remembered each year with a service on Remembrance Sunday and the laying of a wreath by a member of The Parish Council. Details of the
lives of the men named are remembered in a separate section on this website.
William Gosling
Within the church hangs a dedication to William Gosling, who was awarded the Victoria Cross on June 14th 1917 for acts of bravery shown during the 1st World War. William was born at Somerset Farmhouse on the High Street August 15th 1982. There is a desire to commemorate William with a blue plaque however at the time of writing this project had not yet been accomplished.
George Gibbs
George Gibbs worked tirelessly as the clerk of Wanborough Parish Council for many years. On the 50th anniversary of his becoming Clerk to the Council a memorial stone was laid in his honour on the green beside the bungalows at Box Hedges on the High Street, Wanborough in 1970. The stone being a large sarsen stone, which was found locally and moved to its current location. George is also remembered annually at the
George Gibbs Awards Ceremony.
Marjory Adams
Local resident Marjory Adams worked at Wanborough Primary School for many years working at both the old and new schools. She had a passion for plants and ensured that the children in her classes knew as many wild flower names as possible by taking them for nature walks around Andrews Churchyard. Marjory influenced Wiltshire County Council to give "Protected Verge Status" to a section of roadside verge in the parish 1971, due to 2 plants that were found growing there. Marjory is remembered today via a bench located on the green adjacent to Wanborough Primary School and the naming of Adams Meadow which is located above Stanley Close off The Beanlands. However, her most notable memorial is the ongoing protection of the roadside verge and the plants that grow there.