Savernake Parish is the third largest of the parishes making up the MANP area with a population of 286 (2011 census), with the parish’s settlements being Cadley and Clench Common hamlets.
The parish of Savernake lies directly south of Marlborough and is largely shaped by the forest on its eastern side. Savernake Hospital is the most important building within the parish with new housing behind making up Forest Hill, its largest residential area.
Savernake forest consists of a Wooded Plateau landscape in the western part of the North Wessex AONB. It straddles the chalk plateau lying between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn, covering an area of 4,500 acres. The boundary of the forest is defined to the north by the valley of the River Kennet & to the south by the low-lying Vale of Pewsey, where the wooded plateau terminates as a steep scarp.
The forest is managed by the Forestry Commission, is administered by trustees and privately owned by the Marquess of Ailesbury and his family. The private status of Savernake is maintained by shutting the forest to the public one day per year.
