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Wiltshire Things To Do

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Built by Welshmen?
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bwana_Brown
  • Updated By Bwana_Brown on July 7, 2004
  • Wiltshire Page by Bwana_Brown
    • A Closer Look - Wiltshire
    A Closer Look
    by Bwana_Brown
    The inner, smaller man-sized rocks used in the construction of Stonehenge, called 'bluestones' have recently had some light shed on them by the discovery of a mass grave for 7 people. This 2300-year-old grave, only 5-km from Stonehenge was found near Boscombe Down in 2003 during construction activity associated with road works. The grave contained the skeletal remains of an older man (35-45 years) with a previously broken leg, two young men (25-30), a teenage lad (15-18) and three young children (2-7).

    A new scientific technique which analyzes the chemical composition of tooth enamel provides information on where the person spent their early formative years, since the enamel retains certain chemicals as it forms in children. It can determine how far the person was from the ocean, at what height above sea level and even some climatic clues to the place of habitation. Based on this, it was determined that these people originated from the Presili Hills of southwest Wales. This area 160-km (100-miles) away is where the bluestones are known to have come from. This marks the first time that human remains have been possibly directly linked with the building of Stonehenge.

    The small bluestones pre-date the much larger outer circle by over 1000 years.

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    Stonehenge
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bwana_Brown
  • Updated By Bwana_Brown on March 14, 2004
  • Wiltshire Page by Bwana_Brown
    • A Windy Day at Stonehenge - Wiltshire
    A Windy Day at Stonehenge
    by Bwana_Brown
    After our morning walk at Lacock Village, we realized that we were not very far from Stonehenge, so we headed south east, arriving at about 11 AM on a 7 degree C and windy morning. This 7000-year old World Heritage Site is a 'Must See' if ever there was one - with the stone monoliths themselves dating from about 2500 BC. The larger upright stones are called the Sarsen stones and were brought from the Marlborough Downs about 19 miles away. There is a free-parking zone nearby, from where you can purchase your entrance tickets for 5 pounds (US$ 8) each. A tunnel takes you under the A344 highway before you emerge at the circle of stones. A single strand fence keeps all visitors a goodly distance away from the stones but allows you to walk completely around the site (free audio headphones are also available giving a running commentary on the important features as you complete the walk).

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  • Directions: A few miles due north of Salisbury, where the A303 and A344 highways meet.
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    Lacock Abbey
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bwana_Brown
  • Updated By Bwana_Brown on January 14, 2006
  • Wiltshire Page by Bwana_Brown
    • Lacock Abbey View - Wiltshire
    Lacock Abbey View
    by Bwana_Brown
    During our February, 2004 trip to England, we came across Lacock Abbey in the course of our travels through Wiltshire. The Abbey began its life in 1232 as a nunnary for Augustinian canonesses. Following the break-up of the power of the church by King Henry VIII, ownership of the Abbey passed to William Sharington, who began to transform it into a family home in 1539. This involved adding its octagonal tower, a courtyard and a brewery and also the destruction of the church portion of the original Abbey.

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  • Directions: At Lacock Village, east of Bath and south of Chippenham
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    Stonehenge - Two Decades Earlier
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bwana_Brown
  • Updated By Bwana_Brown on March 14, 2004
  • Wiltshire Page by Bwana_Brown
    • 23 Years Earlier - Wiltshire
    23 Years Earlier
    by Bwana_Brown
    I seem to recall that our first visit to Stonehenge, in May 1981, was a less formal affair. I don't recall paying to view the site but, as you can see in the photo, the strand to keep visitors back a certain distance was there even then! On this occasion, we were living in Papua New Guinea and this was one stop on our 9-week Around-the-World trip that the company paid for part way through my contract (this was the Canada-England-Kenya part of the trip). The date of our visit also happened to be my youngest daughter's first birthday!

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    Lacock Village Houses
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bwana_Brown
  • Updated By Bwana_Brown on March 14, 2004
  • Wiltshire Page by Bwana_Brown
    • Close-up of Lacock Village - Wiltshire
    Close-up of Lacock Village
    by Bwana_Brown
    Lacock Village is a very impressive mixture of houses and buildings dating from different eras spanning hundreds of years. It has a mixture of timber-framed houses with their protruding upper stories, as well as 17th century stone houses and later on brick Georgian-style buildings. Because of its important position on the stage coach routes linking Bristol to London, the village also boasts three interesting Inns (check my Restaurant tip for The George Inn). Being protected within the sphere of the Abbey estates, the Talbot family prevented railroads or any other manifestation of the Industrial Revolution from reaching the village - leaving it as a time capsule of an English village from hundreds of years ago. This photo shows a close-up view of some of the half-timbered houses in the Village.

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  • Directions: Lacock Village, near Chippenham
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    Historic Lacock Village
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bwana_Brown
  • Updated By Bwana_Brown on October 13, 2005
  • Wiltshire Page by Bwana_Brown
    • Lacock Village across from The George Inn - Wiltshire
    Lacock Village across from The
    George Inn
    by Bwana_Brown
    Lacock Village is separated from the Abbey by a very pleasing landscape consisting of the Abbey grounds, the Botanic Garden and Orchards. The village itself is quite small, and consists of a large central 'square' with houses build along both sides of its four main streets (Church, East, High and West). This organized arrangement was no accident, since the village was specially built in the middle ages to accommodate the workers required at the Abbey. It also became wealthy during the wool-trading era up into the 1700's. After it declined in importance, its architecture was retained fixed in this time period by the Talbot family, who owned the village as part of their estate. This has made present day Lacock Village into a coveted site for period movies and TV productions, and it has featured in productions of 'Pride & Prejudice', 'Moll Flanders' and 'Emma'. This view was taken in front of The George Inn and looks down West Street from High Street.

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  • Directions: Lacock Village, 3 miles south of Chippenham
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    Lacock Abbey Close-up
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bwana_Brown
  • Updated By Bwana_Brown on March 14, 2004
  • Wiltshire Page by Bwana_Brown
    • Zooming in on the Abbey - Wiltshire
    Zooming in on the Abbey
    by Bwana_Brown
    Over the course of its history, the Abbey has been altered a number of times, leading to four different building styles being used to make up its present form. Sharington had travelled abroad and he introduced Italian style architecture when he remodelled the estate in the mid-1500s. Since he died childless, ownership passed to his niece Mrs. John Talbot. In 1754, further renovations in the Gothic revival style were carried out. The estate also has a Botanic Garden and extensive grounds that are open for tours. The Abbey has also recently featured in the Harry Potter movie series!

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  • Directions: Lacock Village area
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    Stonehenge from the Perimeter
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bwana_Brown
  • Updated By Bwana_Brown on March 14, 2004
  • Wiltshire Page by Bwana_Brown
    • A Full View of Stonehenge - Wiltshire
    A Full View of Stonehenge
    by Bwana_Brown
    This photo gives a better impression of what you will see with the naked eye on most of the walk around the circular stones. In addition to the impressive stones, which were arranged in a particular pattern to tie in with phases of the sun, there are also circular ditches and banks (and burial mounds) surrounding the site that are even older than the stone monument itself - hence the fence to keep visitors at bay! Even on this blustery morning in February, there were a fair number of other people touring the site, but it certainly was not crowded!

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    The River Avon Again!
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bwana_Brown
  • Updated By Bwana_Brown on March 14, 2004
  • Wiltshire Page by Bwana_Brown
    • Bridge over Avon at Lacock Abbey - Wiltshire
    Bridge over Avon at Lacock
    Abbey
    by Bwana_Brown
    This view shows the small road that runs across the front of the estate, heading off across its extensive grounds toward the west. There is a long and narrow arched stone bridge (partially visible) over the River Avon, which we were very surprised to come across again since we had just been there much further north the day before - when we had been at Stratford-upon-Avon! It turns out that there are 3 or 4 River Avons in England, and this one is different from that of Shakespeare fame! We had a very nice early morning walk along here, meeting one of the estate staff returning from a walk in one of the huge fields with an Alsatian (German Shepard) in tow. In 1944, Lacock Abbey, its grounds and associated Village were donated to the National Trust of England by the descendents of Talbot family who had assumed ownership in 1553. Various parts of the estate are open to visitors between April and November, so we had it mostly to ourselves in February!

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    White Horse
  • Tip Rating:
    • munki
  • Updated By munki on September 3, 2005
  • Wiltshire Page by munki
    • White Horse - Wiltshire
    White Horse
    by munki

    The White Horse is carved on a chalk hillside easily seen on the A4 road if you are driving toward Avebury, if you are driving in the opposite direction you will not be able to see it unless you look back.
    This huge chalk-cut horse figure is one of the eight which are still visible of the total of thirteen white horses known to have existed in Wiltshire, the other five horses have either been lost completely or been buried by the vegetation.
    The horse is believed to be only three hundred years old.

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    Transportation
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    Local Customs
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