The Old Police House - Westbury Road
The Old Police House - Westbury Road


In the 1930s and 1940s, houses were built specifically to house village bobbies or community Police Constables. They were rented to the policeman (and it usually was a man at the time). However, in the 1970s, due to changing policing methods, such as the introduction of panda car patrols, it was felt that police officers and their families no longer needed to be based in the communities they served and the houses were sold off.

Bratton’s County Police House was built in 1939 in a far corner of Court Orchard in a relatively large plot that, at the time, was some way out of the village. The original red brick building is typical of its era with two bay-fronted windows either side of the tiled porch. The upper-floor windows punctuate the tiled roofline with hipped-dormers providing an attractive feel to the whole design.

The original ‘County Police’ plaque is still in position above the porch, indicating the building’s origins and it is interesting to note that the front door is higher than average, which allowed the policeman to keep his helmet on as he came indoors! The garage attached to the right of the property is too small for modern cars as its original purpose was to house a motorcycle. The original top-glazed wooden garage doors were replaced recently due to the sun-damage caused by its south-facing aspect.

The garden is still home to one of the apple trees from the original orchard. The ‘Court Orchard’ housing development, that is now directly adjacent, wasn’t built until the 1950s (The ‘Orchard House’ flats have a 1954 date plaque).




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Bratton History Association.

The Bratton History Association aims to provide all those curious about local history with an opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and discover more about the history of Bratton and Wiltshire. Activities include monthly meetings, talks by professional historians, visits to places of interest to historians, and our own local history project.

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