The Best Kept Village is a competition run each year by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

So, let’s start with the history behind our story. Ramsbury first won Best Kept Large Village in Wiltshire back in 1961. Then we won in 1971, 1972, 1982, 1986, 2011 and 2021! Quite an achievement for a large village such as ours. The Memorial Hall on the High Street displays all of the plaques we’ve won over the years. It’s an impressive line up for Ramsbury.

The CPRE annual competition comprises 3 categories of village – small, medium and large. As our population is of the order of 2,000 residents, we are classed as a large village. The competition begins with the first round of judging which is done by district, Ramsbury is in the Kennet (East Wiltshire) district and the judging occurs mid-May through to June. If we win our district, we go onto a second round of judging, usually in July for the county round.


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