|
|
Wiltshire
|
|
You may view the information for ALL the towns and villages
in Wiltshire (the page may be very large)
or...
You can view your
preferred location from the list on the left.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Only a short drive from
the megalith of Stonehenge, this old Wiltshire
town lies on the sprawling Salisbury Plain.
Close by is the Iron Age earthwork Vespasian’s
Camp.
In 2002 archaeologists unearthed an Early
Bronze Age man on the site of a new housing
estate.
Dubbed the ‘Amesbury archer’, he was found
together with arrowheads and flint tools.
Amesbury Abbey was the one-time residence of
the dukes of Queensberry and, according to an
account by Thomas Mallory, was the final
refuge of Guinevere following the death of her
husband, King Arthur. |
|
The Bell Inn, Amesbury -
Photo:
Patricia Steel
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
River Avon - Photo:
Martin Clark
CCL |
|
An important centre of the
wool trade in the Middle Ages, this splendid
town lies in a steep-sided hollow on the banks
of the River Avon which is spanned by a
magnificent 13th century, arched bridge. On
the bridge is a domed building once used as a
chapel for religious pilgrims. |
|
Fifteenth century Westwood
Manor is noted for its plasterwork, historic
windows and topiary garden and a nearby 14th
century tithe barn is one of the finest in
Britain, measuring more than 160 feet. |
|
Westwood Manor - Photo:
Rog Frost
CCL |
|
St. Laurence's Church - Photo:
Derek Hawkins
CCL |
|
Bradford’s most remarkable
building, however, is the tiny church of St
Lawrence.
Dating to the seventh century it was badly
damaged by the Vikings but rescued by a local
clergyman in the 19th century.
Nearby Iford Manor has Italianate pools,
statues, terraces and panoramic views. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
A delightful village in
the valley of the River Ebble, Broad Chalke is
only a few miles south from the centre of
Salisbury and boasts a beautiful 13th century
church.
Once home to former Prime Minister Sir Anthony
Eden, it is set within the Cranborne Chase and
West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty. |
|
Broad Chalke Chapel -
Photo:
Patricia Steel
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
The Ship Inn - Photo:
Patricia Steel
CCL |
|
Picturesque and ancient,
the village of Burcombe lies on the banks of
the River Nadder.
It has many old buildings including a 17th
century pub, The Ship Inn. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
A popular market town at
the foot of beautiful Marlborough Downs, Calne
once attracted the likes of the Romantic poet
Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
He spent two years here in pursuit of
inspiration.
It also provided a retreat for Joseph
Priestley, the man who discovered oxygen. |
|
Calne - Photo:
Roger Cornfoot
CCL |
|
Bowood House - Photo:
Linda Bailey
CCL |
|
He was a librarian to the
Earl of Shelburne in the late 18th century.
His memorial can be seen close to St. Mary's
Church.
Local attractions include the Atwell-Wilson
Motor Museum, which contains a rare collection
of vintage and classic cars, motor cycles and
commercial vehicles, and the nearby mansion of
Bowood, famous for its works of art.
Partly designed by Robert Adam, it also has a
vast park landscaped by Capability Brown, a
lake, grotto, terraced gardens and children’s
adventure playground. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
One of Wiltshire's
most-photographed villages, Castle Coombe has
an ancient history and was once a prosperous
weaving centre.
It nestles in a picture-postcard valley while
many of its homes are fashioned from mellow
Cotswold stone.
The local church has a 15th century tower and
a medieval font while the Brook meanders
beneath a three-arched bridge. |
|
St. Andrew's Church -
Photo:
Pat Brophy
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
The Woodhouse - Photo:
Phil Williams
CCL |
|
This delightful, old Saxon
market town near Swindon was mentioned in the
Domesday Book and is said to have been
bequeathed by Alfred the Great to his daughter
Elfrida.
Its most evocative houses are timber framed
and date back to the 16th century.
Nearby Dyrham Park is a 270-acre deer park and
17th century mansion containing furniture,
Dutch delftware and paintings. |
|
In modern times Chippenham
was the scene of a car crash in 1960 that
killed the singer Eddie Cochran.
A stone marks the fateful site and each year
the towns stages a special rock ‘n’ roll
weekend in his memory. |
|
Chippenham - Photo:
Roger Cornfoot
CCL |
|
Sheldon Manor - Photo:
Roger Cornfoot
CCL |
|
Sheldon is Wiltshire’s oldest
inhabited manor house and is surrounded by a
beautiful garden.
Some of Britain’s greatest ‘wonders, including the
prehistoric site known as Avebury, the largest
man-made earth mound in Europe, Silbury Hill, and
West Kennet Long Barrow, the only open burial
chamber in Europe, can all be found nearby.
|
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Recorded in Domesday Book
under a variety of names including Cheldreton,
Cheldrington and Choldrington, Cholderton is
small village about 10 miles north of
Salisbury with a population of approximately
300.
Cholderton Church built on the site of the
original church (dated approx. 1175) between
1841 and 1850, started by the Reverend Thomas
Mozeley, who arrived in Cholderton as Rector
in 1836.
Cholderton House was built in 1690 from flint
with red brick dressings, with later additions
and alterations made during the 19th and 20th
centuries.
At the heart of the village you will find the
public house -The Crown. |
|
The Crown - Photo:
Mike Searle
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
View towards the River Ebble -
Photo:
Patricia Steel
CCL |
|
A picturesque village in
the valley of the River Ebble, only a few
miles from Salisbury, Coombe Bissett is
colloquially called Crumbly Biscuit.
Nearby is a nature reserve centred on a hidden
chalk downland valley.
A number of rare butterflies live here
including the Adonis blue, chalkhill blue and
dingy skipper. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
It may be a small, modest
town just a few miles from Bath but Corsham
has two spectacular claims to fame.
The first is 14th century Hazelbury Manor and
its magnificent landscaped gardens.
The second is the Elizabethan Corsham Court
containing an eclectic collection of famous
paintings.
While its main rooms were furnished by Robert
Adam and Chippendale, its splendid grounds
were laid out by Capability Brown and Humphrey
Repton.
One of its finest treasures is an 18th century
bathhouse. |
|
Hazelbury Manor- Photo:
Rog Frost
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Snake's head fritillary North Meadow -
Photo:
Brian Robert Marshall
CCL |
|
Lying on the banks of the
River Thames, Cricklade was founded by Saxons
in the ninth century at the spot where the
river was crossed by the Roman Ermin Street.
It lies northwest of Swindon and boasts a 16th
century parish church with a cathedral-style
turreted tower.
The unique 150-acre nature reserve of North
Meadow contains around eighty per cent of
Britain’s snake head fritillary flowers. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Home to more than 500
listed buildings, ancient Devizes is situated
in what is known as ‘the heart of Wiltshire’
and is the largest town in this region.
The Wiltshire Heritage Museum, which contains
many of the Bronze Age finds from barrows
around Stonehenge, is not to be missed.
The story of sites such as Stonehenge, Avebury
and Silbury Hill are also told here.
The town’s castle built in the 19th century is
a private residence.
At nearby Bishops Cannings, is a 12th century
church.
At one time Devizes was an inland port on the
Kennet and Avon Canal.
Today the canal is a playground for boaters.
It boasts no less than 29 locks that raise the
water level by 70 metres or 230 feet. |
|
Devizes town centre -
Photo:
Patricia Steel
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Hanging Langford - Photo:
Andrew Smith
CCL |
|
This Wiltshire village
slumbers at the bottom of a steep hill and
lies on the banks of the River Wylye, one of
Britain’s premier chalkstreams.
Only six miles from Stonehenge, it is the
ideal place from which to explore this
prehistoric site. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Dating back to the Middle
Ages, this sleepy village just 16 miles from
the centre of Salisbury lies within an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The remains of spectacular Fonthill Abbey – a
gatehouse and part of the north wing – can
still be seen.
The Gothic-style building was erected in the
19th century by William Beckford on the site
of an earlier Palladian house. |
|
Lawn Lodge - Photo:
Andy Gryce
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Laycock Abbey - Photo:
Dave Windsor
CCL |
|
At the heart of this
stunning village, full of buildings dating to
the 18th century, stands 13th century Lacock
Abbey.
A former convent that played a pivotal role in
the history of photography after it became a
home-cum laboratory in the 19th century for
William Henry Fox Talbot, the man who invented
the modern film process.
The splendid building has a museum devoted to
his work and displays his first-ever
‘photograph’.
It is one of many precious local properties
owned by the National Trust. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Only the sorry ruins of a
12th century Norman castle still remain in
this picturesque village which still boasts a
part-Norman church and a medieval village
cross now in the care of English Heritage.
Biddesden House is a mansion dating to the
late 18th century. |
|
Ludgershall Castle -
Photo:
Janine Forbes
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Malmesbury Abbey - Photo:
Pat Brophy
CCL |
|
This picturesque hilltop
market town near Swindon is virtually
surrounded by water and bridges.
One of the oldest boroughs in England with a
charter dating to the 9th century, it is
dominated by the gaunt ruins of Malmesbury
Abbey containing the tombs of King Athelstan,
grandson of Alfred the Great, and its 8th
century founder, the Saxon abbot St. Aldhelm.
|
|
A surviving part of the
abbey, now the parish church, possesses a
medieval manuscript bible.
‘Hobbes Cottage’ is said to have been the
birthplace of the 16th century philosopher
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679).
The town centre has a 40ft high Tudor market
cross. |
|
Malmesbury Cross -
Photo:
Colin Smith
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
High Street, Marlborough -
Photo:
Brian Robert Marshall
CCL |
|
With one of the widest
high streets in England and a church dating to
the 15th century, this delightful market town
lies on the banks of the River Kennet close to
the North Wessex Downs and the ancient
Savernake Forest. |
|
Its public school,
Marlborough College, has produced a wealth of
talented individuals including William Morris
and Sir John Betjeman.
Maerl's Barrow in the college grounds is one
of several reputed burial places of King
Arthur's wizard, Merlin.
The restored Merchant's House dates to the
mid-17th century while the Alexander Keiller
Museum is now an important centre for the
archaeology of Avebury.
It also houses a collection of prehistoric
relics. |
|
St. Peters Church -
Photo:
Colin Bates
CCL |
|
Marlborough College-
Photo:
Brian Robert Marshall
CCL |
|
The prehistoric sites of
Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow and
Avebury lie just a few miles away.
Avebury Manor and Gardens, built on the site
of a former abbey, date to the 16th century.
The gardens were redesigned in the last
century. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Once an important weaving
town on the banks of the River Avon,
Melksham’s finest feature is the National
Trust’s splendid Great Chalfield Manor.
Dating to the late 15th century, it boasts a
gatehouse, moat, great hall and magnificent
oriel windows.
It was restored and its gardens replanted in
the last century by Major R. Fuller. |
|
Great Chalfield Manor -
Photo:
Patricia Steel
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Downland, Mere - Photo:
Andrew Smith
CCL |
|
Situated in the southern
part of Salisbury Plain on the border with
both Dorset and Somerset, this attractive
small town has an ancient history and lies on
the edge of Selwood Forest close to a number
of prehistoric sites.
Its church, St Michael the Archangel, dates to
the 15th century.
Artefacts from the Bronze Age and Roman
Britain have been found in the area. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Overlooked by one of
Wiltshire’s many hillside white horses, this
is the largest village in Wiltshire and lies
in the unspoiled Vale of Pewsey on the banks
of the River Avon.
It once belonged to Alfred the Great whose
splendid statue reminds visitors of its former
importance. Surrounded by chalk downland, it
boasts a number of thatched buildings.
A local heritage centre housed in a 19th
century foundry contains a collection of
historic machine tools. |
|
Pewsey old fire station -
Photo:
Kevin Hale
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
Salisbury Cathedral - Photo:
Peter Jordan
CCL |
|
This magnificent city grew
up around the Roman hill fort of Old Sarum and
boasts one of the finest medieval cathedrals
in Britain - it has the highest spire at
404ft, one of only four copies of the 13th
century Magna Carta and Europe's oldest
working clock dating to 1386 AD.
The building was
immortalised by John Constable in his famous
19th century painting ‘Salisbury Cathedral
from the Meadows’. |
|
The cathedral close is one
of the largest in England and within it is Mompesson House and its delightful gardens.
Owned by the National Trust, it featured in
the movie ‘Sense and Sensibility’. Larmer Tree
Gardens backs onto the Close. |
|
Old Sarum - Photo:
Chris Downer
CCL |
|
Old Wardour Castle - Photo:
Toby
CCL |
|
Among many of the city’s
highlights is the ruin of hexagonal Old
Wardour Castle.
It nestles in a serene,
lakeside location surrounded by acres of
woodland. In 1643 it was the scene of a bloody
siege by Cromwell’s army.
Wiltshire’s greatest
prehistoric treasures such as Stonehenge are
all within easy reach on the 300-square miles
of chalk-based Salisbury Plain.
|
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
A splendid Norman church
with an 18th century tower makes an imposing
centrepiece for this attractive village near
Malmesbury.
The writer Siegfried Sassoon made the place
famous by naming one of his leading characters
George Sherston but many years earlier, in
1016, it had become infamous as the scene of a
battle in which the Saxons defeated an army of
Danes. |
|
Holy Cross church -
Photo:
Graham Horn
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
| |
