Yatesbury

Yatesbury is a village adjacent to Cherhill, 1 mile north of the A4 road between Calne and Marlborough in Wiltshire, England. Yatesbury forms part of The Oldbury Benefice, which comprises the five parishes of Cherhill, Compton Bassett, Heddington, Calstone Wellington and Yatesbury.

RAF Yatesbury
First opened as an air base in World War I, RAF Yatesbury continued operations in the interwar years before again taking on a major role in World War II. From 1936 onwards, RAF Yatesbury and RAF Compton Bassett were major Radio and Radar Training Schools, RAF Townsend a satellite landing ground and RAF Cherhill was 27 Group Headquarters Technical Training Command. It is the oldest air base in the whole of Europe and is the only air base in the world that is still is such good condition. In the village church there are reminders of its military past, with a small number of war graves from both major conflicts.

After closure, the Radar and Wireless training school transferred to RAF Locking. The aircraft hangars and air strip, although now farmland, can still be seen from the A4. The buildings, site and surrounding area were featured in the video to the 1988 No.1 hit song "Doctorin' the Tardis" by The Timelords. Planning has been granted to convert the air base into residential flats, however, due to the current economic climate work has stopped on the conversion until the economy has improved.

Present
Yatesbury today has a population of approximately 150 people. Whilst having no shops or amenities, the village is on major cycle route (Sustrans route 4) and is often passed through by cyclists and walkers. The John Stewart (Village) hall (Situated next to All Saints church in the centre of the village) has recently been extended with the addition of a toilet block and disabled access.

The Granary at Manor Farm, Yatesbury, was restored by the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust in 2006–2007.

Famous residents include singer/songwriter/author Julian Cope, who has lived in the village many years He has referenced the village in the song 'My Wall' in which he collaborated with the American drone metal band Sunn 0))), as well as his latest publication, Copendium.