A truly special bond has been forged between a family in Great Hinton and a father-daughter podcast team in Kington Langley.

Adrian and Alexandra Beeby have explored the history of their small village, located near to Chippenham, in the Memories of Kington Langley podcast for two years.

They were recently contacted by the Noad family, from Great Hinton. Their podcast’s sixth episode, telling the story of Victorian villager Eli Holder, was the Noad’s great-great grandfather, of whom his family knew very little.

While researching the podcast, Adrian found Eli Holder’s grave, which lacks a marker, in St Paul’s Church in Chippenham.

The podcast team also discovered that Eli Holder’s son, Harry, had drowned in 1889 in the moat of Kington Langley’s now demolished medieval manor house and located his grave in the village.

The Noad family intend to visit Harry Holder’s grave in Kington Langley’s Union Chapel as soon as the weather permits.

Adrian said: “Like many Wiltshire villages today, most of Kington Langley’s residents, including me, have moved in from other parts of the country so know little of the village’s past. I wanted to capture the memories of local people and their stories of village life. It helps give a sense of place to people like me and a much greater understanding of where we live.”

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Union Chapel. Picture by the Wiltshire & Swindon History CentreUnion Chapel. Picture by the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre

Alexandra said: “It’s great to be involved in the podcast and so nice when people say they’ve learned something from it. I also get to use my drama skills.”

According to Adrian, lockdown also served as an inspiration for the podcast. He added: “With people spending more time in their villages, particularly the commuters, many of us have developed a greater appreciation of the local history and landscape – particular older footpaths than have fallen into disuse. 
“It’s given people like me a chance to really get to know their villages.”

To date, Memories of Kington Langley has over 500 downloads.

In its latest edition, the podcast focuses on the village’s most famous former residents, artists Robin and Heather Tanner. Several episodes have been saved into the archives at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.

The podcast is produced and narrated by Adrian Beeby, who also composes its music. Alexandra, a Sheldon School sixth-former and drama student, provides the readings.

Julie Davies, county local studies librarian based at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, said: “Memories of Kington Langley are a brilliant set of podcasts about the history of the village and its residents. Beautifully produced and packed full of fascinating stories, interviews and readings, the recordings are definitely worth a listen.”

To listen to Memories of Kington Langley go to memoriesofkingtonlangley.podbean.com