Langley Burrell Book Launch

The launch of ‘Langley Burrell and Kellaways: A History’ took place on Saturday 6 September 2025 in the beautiful gardens of Langley House, Langley Burrell. This Victoria County History partnership publication, authored by Louise Ryland-Epton and published by Hobnob Press, developed from research for the forthcoming Wiltshire VCH volume on Chippenham and its surrounding area. The book has been made possible by the support of Langley Burrell Without Parish Council.

The successful launch was organised by Katerina Johnstone, Rosemary Waterkeyn and members of the Parish Council, with special thanks to Brenda Coleman. Attendees enjoyed wine, Pimms and nibbles around the pool, listened to a brief talk about the book, and had the opportunity to purchase and get books signed.

The book itself tells the remarkable story of how, through riots and revelries, poverty and prosperity, the people of Langley Burrell and neighbouring Kellaways have adapted to centuries of change. In this thematic history of the parish, meet the scandalous 17th-century rector whose libertine sect shocked the neighbourhood and discover the truth about Maud Heath, whose 15th-century causeway still carries travellers today. Enjoy anecdotes from Francis Kilvert's evocative Victorian diaries, learn how villagers responded to wartime from the English Civil War to the Second World War, and explore the economic transformation from medieval strip farming to modern settlement. From Bronze Age burial mounds to 21st-century housing developments, this is the story of an English parish and the generations who called it home.

The book is available from Hobnob Press, The Langley Tap, Langley Burrell and local retailers.

Louise Ryland-Epton