The village is about 9+1⁄2 miles (15 km) northwest of Salisbury and a similar distance southeast of Warminster.

Today Deptford is at the junction of two primary roads, the A303 (London to the southwest) and the A36 (Southampton to Bristol).

A collection of Bronze Age jewellery found near the village by metal detectorists in 2012, known as the Wylye Hoard, is held by Salisbury Museum.

[6] Domesday Book in 1086 recorded a settlement at Wilet, and a mill, on land held by Wilton Abbey.

[8] In the 13th and early 14th centuries, the river marked the northern edge of Grovely Forest, as far downstream as Wylye.

[6] At the mill at Wylye, powered by the river, corn was ground or the fulling stage of cloth-making was carried out; at times it had both functions.

The river crossing north of Wylye village, near the mill, was a ford until a bridge was built in the mid-18th century.

In 1975 their junction was redesigned, with both upgraded to dual carriageways, the A303 diverted away from Wylye village, and the A36 passing close to the remnants of Deptford.

[13] The six bells include one cast c.1420 at Salisbury, and another in 1587 by John Wallis;[14] the treble came from the redundant church at Fisherton.

In 1938 children aged 11 and over were transferred to Wilton and the school closed in 1973 owing to the small number of pupils.

Wylye station was west of the level crossing on the road to Dinton, and from the 1940s to 1951 had sidings which served the RAF ordnance depot in Grovely Wood.