The small parish of Corsley is situated on the Somerset border next to Longleat. It is quite unusual in that it has no village and no centre, only the distinct hamlets of Corsley, define it and are loosely connected by narrow lanes.
The name ‘Corsley Heath’ is believed to come from the Old British word, ‘Cors’ meaning reeds or a swamp. Apart from the chalk area around Cley Hill, most of the parish is on Upper Greensand. Two streams flowing west into Somerset trisect it. The Rodden Brook passes Corsley church and Corsley Mill, and the Whitbourne flows in a steeper, almost unseen valley to the south. Heavily wooded hills rise to the south of the Whitbourne, and these are part of the Longleat Estate transferred to Corsley in 1934.