Place Names of Calne: St. Margaret's Close and St. Margaret's Preparatory School

St. Margaret's Close

Lansdowne Square

St. Margaret's Close was phase 2 of the Lansdowne Park development by Persimmon Homes c. 1999. Primarily 3 bedroom homes, that lead to Lansdowne Square, a small park.

The name St. Margaret's must come from the proximity of this street to St. Margaret's Preparatory School just a few hundred metres south.

The preparatory school occupies the infectious diseases hospital, constructed in 1888. By 1988, St. Margaret's, which had been a department of St. Mary's, had become known in its own right. The department was developed into a prep school in its own right and now offers places for both boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 11.

St. Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045 - 1093) was a Scottish Queen and English princess, a direct descendant of King Alfred. Margaret had eight children, six sons and two daughters; of which 3 sons were King of Scotland at various times between 1097 and 1153. One of her daughters, Edith, is commonly known as Matilda of Scotland, who married King Henry I and became Queen of England.

Margaret was canonised by Pope Innocent IV in 1250, which recognised her personal holiness, her fidelity to the Roman Catholic Church, her work for ecclesiastical reform, and charity. Her feast day is 16 November, which is also her day of death. The Anglican church has also recognised Margaret as a saint[1].


References:
[1] Wikipedia. 2019. Saint Margaret of Scotland - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Margaret_of_Scotland. [Accessed 02 September 2019].