Alderbury & Whaddon Local History Research Group
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				The Hatcher Review An index to all 50 editions of Salisbury’s local history journal
Village history
		Charles Dickens	The bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens in February 1812 has been widely celebrated recently and it is known that he visited Alderbury before he wrote his novel Martin Chuzzlewit in 1843-44, staying at the Green Dragon. Many people believe that he based the fictional Blue Dragon Inn of his book on this pub, although this is still open to debate. One of his characters, the bandy–legged tailor, also bears a resemblance to William Lewis, a real-life tailor who was a regular at the inn at the time and who lived close by. Mrs Hazel, who ran the ferry across the Avon, told the local schoolmaster, Mr Freeman, that she had taken Dickens across the river from Avon Cottage at Shute End. But Charles Dickens is not the only world famous genius with a local connection born two hundred years ago.	Parish magazine We scanning copies the parish magazine
The post office
				Memories of local people Life in times past, in Alderbury and Whaddon
Inns & Alehouses
				Trafalgar Park & House Given to Lord Nelson’s family after the Battle of Trafalgar
Village war memorial
				Longford Castle A principal influence on the village and its people
St Mary’s Church
				70th anniversary of Dunkirk Read about Alderbury at Dunkirk in 1940
Historical walk
				River & canal navigation Read about the Avon Navigation and the ill-fated canal
Views of Alderbury
				Alderbury clubs & societies Read about football and cricket in Alderbury
Current research		Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin
				Old news ! Extracts from old newspapers on Alderbury & Whaddon
Publications		Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, architect, designer, artist, writer and critic was born on March 1st 1812 in Bloomsbury, the son of a French émigré artist. In 1835 he chose to build his family home, St Marie’s Grange, just over the parish boundary at Shute End although he didn’t live there for very long. At the time, this was considered to be the first example of genuine Gothic building in Britain since the middle ages. Pugin built the house as a vision of the Gothic Revival that was his inspiration and philosophy throughout his life. He went on to design many churches, cathedrals, colleges and houses in Great Britain and beyond. The best known of these is probably St Giles church in Cheadle, Staffordshire. In 1844 he designed the interior of the Palace of Westminster in London and near the end of his life, the interior of the Clock Tower that we all know as Big Ben.
				Domesday – 1086 What was Alderbury like in the 11th century?
Links
				The Saxons in Alderbury Was there significant Saxon activity around Alderbury?
FAQs
				The Alderbury branch line Did trains stop in Alderbury? Where is Alderbury Junction?
Archive articles
				From pre-history to the Romans What was Alderbury like in ancient times?
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				Village names The origins of the names for Alderbury & Whaddon
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