Hannington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, two miles northwest of Highworth, and now part of the Borough of Swindon. The parish includes Hannington Wick and Swanborough.
Hannington was first recorded in the Domesday Book as “Hanindone”. A more recognisable form, Hannyngton, appears in 1576.
The name is formed from a Saxon personal name and the word “dun” meaning a rounded hill Hannington Hall, the most prestigious building in the village and the locality, dates from the mid 17th century and there are several houses from the 18th century. For centuries Hannington was a small agricultural community typical of the locality.
In common with many English villages, Hannington has seen a decline in agricultural and communal activity and although at one time Hannington had a school, three pubs, a post office and store, a smithy and a cycle shop, it is now predominantly a residential ‘dormitory’ village whose residents work and shop elsewhere.
In 1883 a branch railway from Swindon to Highworth was opened (closed in 1953) but as Hannington’s station was located a mile to the south of the village close to The Freke Arms, the railway’s impact on the village was insignificant.
Hannington remains a quiet and small village, but a jewel in the countryside offering many fantastic walks and cycle routes, as well as picturesque listed buildings. Take the time to visit, and find them for yourselves.