Avebury
This World Heritage Site in Wiltshire attracts millions of visitors a year to marvel at the huge stone circles, stone-lined avenues and ditches.
Avebury is one of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe. It is spread over a vast area in and around Avebury village in the heart of the Wiltshire Downs just west of Marlborough - the oldest borough in England.
Avebury stone circles were probably constructed in Neolithic times between 2500 to 2000 BC. The Beaker people, so called after their pottery, are thought to have played a major role in their formation.
Avebury hosts a museum that contains interactive displays about the discovery of Avebury by marmalade millionaire and archaeologist Alexander Keiller. The Alexander Keiller Museum houses one of the most important prehistoric archaeological collections in Britain, and the Museum of Wiltshire Rural Life.
Nearby is Silbury Hill. Europe’s largest man-made hill at 40 metres high, Silbury Hill was built around 2100 BC with antler picks and shoulder blades of oxen as shovels. It is an amazing feat of engineering with chalk retaining walls to strengthen the earth hill.
www.visitwiltshire.co.ukBasildon Park
This elegant 18th century Palladian mansion managed by the National Trust is set in beautiful grounds near the River Thames between Pangbourne and Streatley in Berkshire.
Carefully restored in the 1950s, Basildon Park now hosts exhibitions and events including outdoor concerts. The mansion is open from the first day of spring to the end of October.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-basildonpark/Chalk Downland
Chalk forms the fundamental geological structures of the North Wessex Downs, and reminds us that at one time, this sweeping landscape, which has an almost wave-like appearance, was created at the bottom of the sea.
The chalk is formed from billions of minute sea creatures – coccoliths - compacted over time and raised by earth movements to be above sea level. The steep northern escarpments and the downs that roll softly southwards in successive waves were formed when the continent of Africa pushed into the European land mass.
Species of grasses and flowers unique to chalk downland flourish in the North Wessex Downs and attract the Chalkhill blue butterfly, and the nationally-rare stone curlew that nests on open land. Exquisite orchids such as the bee orchid, violet helleborine and man orchid also grow on certain sites within this special habitat.
Lough Down, just north of Streatley in Berkshire, is a good example of chalk downland harbouring species typical of the region.
www.bbowt.org.uk Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust website for information on reserves throughout the region.
www.rspb.org.uk Royal Society for the Protection of Birds website for more information on the stone curlew and other UK birds.
Downs
The North Wessex Downs is clearly a relatively upland area – so why are these high landscapes called Downs? The word originates from the Anglo Saxon
dun meaning hill – and lots of
duns make Downs.
The geology of the North Wessex Downs gives a fascinating insight into the landscape. Visit the Vale and Downland Museum at Wantage in Oxfordshire to explore the chalk landscape, find fossils and discover how the Downs influenced life over the centuries.
www.wantage.com/museum/Englefield
The magnificent Englefield House, situated near Pangbourne, Berkshire has a seven acre formal garden with stone staircases, a water garden, a kitchen garden and a small garden centre, all surrounded by deer park. The gardens are open every Monday throughout the year and most weekdays from 1 April – 31 October.
Englefield House is part of the estate owned by the Benyon family, which comprises 14,000 acres of farmland, forestry, residential properties and commercial land. Most of the land is open for public access.
www.englefieldestate.co.uk Farmers’ Markets
Farmers’ Markets selling produce grown, reared and made in the North Wessex Downs are held regularly in many towns in and close to the North Wessex Downs.
Visit
www.northwessexdowns.org.uk/products for details of Farmers’ Markets, or check the Local Products Directory in
Up! on the North Wessex Downs magazine.
Grey wethers also known as sarsen stones.
These are the ancient and often large rocks that can be found littered in fields in the North Wessex Downs as though a giant has been playing marbles. They are sometimes called grey wethers because from a distance they look like the wethers or older sheep that are often found grazing in the same fields.
Look out for the words Grey Wethers and Sarsen Stones on Ordnance Survey maps. Examples can be found in Wiltshire at Overton Down, Fyfield Down (National Nature Reserve), Lockeridge Dene and Piggledene.
The word sarsen may derive from the word ‘saracen’, a dark stranger, or from the Anglo Saxon
star stan meaning troublesome stone. They are difficult to move and can break agricultural machinery.
65 to 44 million years ago, in the Tertiary period, sands and gravels were laid over the chalk. In some places this was hardened by recemented silica to form sheets of very hard sandstones. These layers were broken up during the tundra conditions of the Ice Age. Over subsequent millennia the weather eroded smaller particles leaving behind the sarsen stones we see today.
www.visitkennet.co.uk/things_to_do/index.htmHungerford
A bustling market town in West Berkshire famous for its antique shops, Hungerford probably owes its name to the Danish King Hingwar who in 869 drowned fording the River Kennet here. On a happier royal occasion in 1688 Hungerford was the place where William of Orange accepted the Crown of England.
Hungerford has retained its medieval street layout, and has many antique shops, and hotels including the Bear, where Charles II stayed after the Second Battle of Newbury. Antiques fairs are held regularly, making this a popular town for bargain-seekers.
The organisation of the Town and Manor of Hungerford, including the Common where cattle graze, has remained little changed for nearly 400 years since King James I granted the Manor of Hungerford to two local men who in turn passed on the responsibility in 1617 to a group of 14 men as trustees. The present commoners, around 100, are those people owning and living in the properties established at the time of the 1612 James I grant. Among the office holders are Bellman and Ale Taster.
Hungerford's most important day is Tutti-Day (the second Tuesday after Easter). The Bellman (who is also Town Crier) summons the Commoners to the Court, while the two Tutti-men work their way around the town, visiting every house with common rights. In the past they would have collected the 'head penny' from each householder, but nowadays the most they collect is a kiss from the ladies of the house, and a little hospitality to help them on their way.
www.hungerford.uk.net Inkpen Beacon
At 291 metres Inkpen Beacon and neighbouring Walbury Hill (297 metres) are the highest pure chalk hills in England. Inkpen Beacon is also the meeting point of two outstanding long distance walks.
The Wayfarer’s Walk extends 70 miles to the south enabling visitors to stroll through the heart of Hampshire countryside to the coast.
The Test Way from Inkpen Beacon is a 56 mile route which follows the picturesque Test Valley through Hampshire to the coast near Southampton. It takes in Hurstbourne Tarrant, which was a favourite village of the reformer and author William Cobbett who refers it as ‘Uphusband’ in his book
Rural Rides.
Circular walks of varying distances around Inkpen Beacon and Coombe Gibbet take in Watership Down (the inspiration behind the famous book of the same name), Burghclere and Kingsclere. There are two pubs in Inkpen village, and several Bed and Breakfast establishments in the area too.
www3.hants.gov.uk/longdistance.htmJefferies, Richard
also Sir John Betjeman, and
Jude the Obscure.
Richard Jefferies, born in 1848 at Coate near Swindon, is thought to have been the first naturalist, journalist and philosopher to write in popular magazines about the detailed lives of people working in the countryside. There is a memorial to him on Liddington Hill where he loved to walk “to breathe new air and to have a fresher aspiration…”
Through his articles and essays in the 1870s and 1880s Jefferies introduced the lyrical beauty of what is now the North Wessex Downs to people working in industrialised towns and cities. Jefferies inspired many writers and artists to explore the countryside and draw their inspiration from it.
In 1975 the Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman campaigned with other writers and naturalists to save Coate Farm, Jefferies’ birthplace, from demolition. Coate Farm is now the Richard Jefferies Museum.
John Betjeman (as he was then) lived in the village of Uffington, Oxfordshire with his wife Penelope from 1934 to 1941. In 1945 they moved to the Old Rectory, Farnborough near Wantage. The church contains the beautiful memorial window to Betjeman by his friend John Piper. In 1951 the Betjemans moved into Wantage. He became known increasingly as a notable campaigner for threatened buildings, and appeared frequently on radio and television. Sir John Betjeman was knighted in 1969 and became Poet Laureate in 1972 until his death in 1984 at his home in Cornwall.
Jude the Obscure is the last novel of Thomas Hardy, who created the name North Wessex. Jude lived in Fawley (Marygreen in the novel), a small village south of Wantage before making his way to Oxford (Hardy’s Christminster).
Like Richard Jefferies, Hardy was concerned by the changes in country living caused by the Industrial Revolution and the agricultural depression of the 1870s.
people.bath.ac.uk/lissmc/rjeffs.htm for more information on Richard Jefferies.
Kennet and Avon Canal
This 57-mile long and 14 feet wide canal was completed in 1810 to connect the west country, Bristol and Bath with Newbury, Reading and the River Thames to London.
Now lovingly restored, and popular with holidaymakers seeking a relaxing time on a narrow boat, the Canal and its associated waterways has 87.5 miles of towpath for walking and cycling.
Crofton Pumping Station built at the highest level of the canal, 450 feet above sea level, houses the world’s oldest working beam engine, restored by volunteers.
Check
Crofton Beam Engines for dates and times this heritage ‘jewel’ is open.
www.katrust.org/ Lambourn Downs
Famous for being racehorse country – it’s also known as the Valley of the Racehorse - the chalk downland provides perfect springy turf for training horses on the gallops. The River Lambourn flows through the valley and provides glorious countryside for walking and riding.
Every Easter the racing stables at Lambourn are open to the public on Good Friday, and attract large crowds eager to see their favourite racehorses.
With more than 2,000 horses in training, Lambourn is second only to Newmarket as the racehorse centre of the UK.
www.lambourn.info/Marlborough
The historic market town of Marlborough lies in the Kennet valley between Savernake Forest to the south and the Marlborough Downs to the north. The old coaching route between London and Bristol (now the A4) runs through the centre of the town and for centuries the coaching inns were important staging posts.
At each end of the wide High Street (thought to be one of the widest in Britain) stands a church. In spite of several fires during the 17th century, the Merchant’s House is one of the notable buildings that frame the street where there are many antique shops as well as restaurants and cafes.
The three-day Marlborough international jazz festival in July attracts top bands and musicians.
Marlborough College is one of the country’s top co-education public schools. Within the grounds is the Marlborough Mound, a smaller version of Silbury Hill near Avebury, and just as mysterious.
www.marlboroughwilts.co.uk Northmoor Trust
Based in the north-eastern corner of the North Wessex Downs and centred on Wittenham Clumps in south Oxfordshire, the Northmoor Trust runs Project Timescape, and the Local Nature Reserve.
Project Timescape is an educational and visitor centre opening during 2007 which traces the evolution of landscapes through man’s interventions such as agriculture.
The nature reserve has a programme of events throughout the year and attracts thousands of visitors to Castle Hill, the magnificent Iron Age Hill Fort. The distinctive hilltop beech plantings on Castle Hill and Round Hill give the Wittenham Clumps their name.
www.northmoortrust.co.uk Overton Hill
Located at the western end of the Ridgeway National Trail. Here is The Sanctuary, a modern name for the site of an ancient circular structure of timber and stone that was connected to Avebury via the West Kennet Avenue. The earliest form of building has been dated to around 3000 BC, and is thought to have been a temple.
The remains at The Sanctuary were recorded by William Stukeley, who oversaw the excavation at Avebury and Stonehenge, and deplored the destruction at The Sanctuary in the 1720s. Subsequent excavations in the 1930s and more recently have not established exactly what the structure was for.
www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Ridgeway/text.asp?PageId=36
The Sanctuary is a good place from which to explore the surrounding countryside. Just two miles south of Overton Hill is the massive earthwork of the Wansdyke, which forms a chalk escarpment above the Vale of Pewsey.
Originally the Wansdyke stretched from Inkpen Beacon on the Hampshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire borders to the Bristol channel. It is thought to have been built in the 5th century by Romans as a defence against attack from the north. The name Wansdyke is Saxon and means ‘Woden’s Dyke’ which could imply a dyke built by Woden’s magic powers.
The Wansdyke Trail from Marlborough south-west to Devizes is popular with walkers and horse riders.
www.visitkennet.co.uk/relax/index.htmPewsey and King Alfred
Pewsey is the largest village in Wiltshire. The village and land around it was owned by Alfred, crowned King of Wessex in 870, who granted a Feaste day to Pewsey. A statue of King Alfred was put up in the centre of the village in 1913.
Situated in the heart of the Vale of Pewsey, this charming village is surrounded by meadows and pastures offering a contrasting landscape to that of the nearby downs including Martinsell Hill to the north and Salisbury Plain to the south.
The two-week long Pewsey Feaste and Carnival every September attracts thousands of people, and is thought to be the oldest carnival in Wiltshire.
The village includes many timbered houses and thatched cottages as well as attractions as Pewsey Wharf on the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Pewsey White Horse. The Pewsey Heritage Centre can be found in the High Street. The foundry building, which dates from 1870, contains a collection of wonderful old machine tools.
www.pewsey-uk.co.uk
King Alfred (born in Wantage in 849) created the Kingdom of Wessex after bitter battles with the Vikings from 870 – 886 across the landscape of what is now the North Wessex Downs. Alfred reigned from his court at Winchester, and established fortified towns across Wessex to maintain his kingdom. Through education and laws he was recognised as the wise and lawful ruler of England.
www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page25.aspQuercus robur
The Pedunculate or English oak (
Quercus robur) is commonly found throughout the North Wessex Downs in mixed and ancient woodland.
Particularly interesting specimens can be found in Savernake Forest. These include the Big Belly Oak, more than 1,000 years old and very easy to see beside the Marlborough to Salisbury Road.
www.weirdwiltshire.co.uk/extra/savernake.htmlRidgeway National Trail
Beginning at Overton Hill near Avebury, the ancient Ridgeway National Trail follows the route of Britain’s oldest road used by travellers from prehistoric time. 87 miles of trail take visitors through some of the most stunning landscapes across the North Wessex Downs and the Chilterns crossing the Thames Path – another National Trail – at Streatley in Berkshire.
Walks and other events are organised throughout the year by the Ridgeway National Trail office.
www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Ridgeway/
The flourishing Friends of the Ridgeway group aims to preserve the spirit of the ancient trackway for the benefit of the public to enjoy.
www.ridgewayfriends.org.uk/Savernake Forest
The only privately owned forest in Britain, Savernake estate, close to Marlborough, Wiltshire is steeped in history. It is at least 1,000 years old, as it is referred to in a Saxon Charter from King Athelstan in 934, being called "Safernoc".
Savernake Forest has been in private ownership for 31 generations of the same family, and is now relatively small at 4,500 acres compared with the 40,000 acres during Tudor times when King Henry VIII was a frequent visitor courting Jane Seymour.
The private paths are open to the public for walking 364 days of the year, and there are designated camping and barbeque sites. The magnificent Grand Avenue of beeches planted by Capability Brown is still the longest avenue in Britain.
Savernake Forest has notable species of fungi and lichens, and is home to rare birds such as nightjars, crossbills and hawfinches.
www.savernakeestate.co.uk/Thames Path
The River Thames divides and links the North Wessex Downs and the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Thames Path National Trail includes the stunning landscape of the Goring Gap where the river runs beneath a steep cliff on the Chilterns’ side, and rising chalk downland in the North Wessex Downs to the west.
The Thames is the north-eastern boundary of the North Wessex Downs from Little Wittenham, where the World Pooh-sticks Championship is held every March, to Preston Crowmarsh near Wallingford. The pretty Thames-side villages of Streatley, Pangbourne and Purley-on-Thames are all located within the North Wessex Downs.
www.nationaltrail.co.uk/thamespath/Uffington
The site of the famous prehistoric White Horse chalk carving, and the village birthplace of Thomas Hughes, author of
Tom Brown’s Schooldays who urged people to appreciate the beauties of his native countryside.
The village of Uffington lies on the northern side of the Berkshire Downs where Tom Brown’s School Museum has a section on Poet Laureate John Betjeman who also lived in the village.
The iconic White Horse is undoubtedly Britain’s oldest and most famous hill figure. Why the horse was carved into the chalk remains a mystery. Oxford Archaeological Unit has traced its origins to 3000 BC. The carving is 374 feet in length and 110 feet high, with some of the carved areas as wide as 10 feet.
Although it’s best seen from the air, there are easy walks to the White Horse and nearby Iron Age Hill Fort, from a car park signposted from the road.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk ... whitehorse.htmVineyards
The warm south-facing slopes of the chalk downs in the North Wessex Downs provide well-drained fertile land for vineyards producing wine to rival the best in the world.
A’ Becketts Vineyard near Devizes, Wiltshire makes red, white and rose wine sold in Highclose Farm Shop, Hungerford and many local shops in and around Devizes.
www.abecketts.co.uk
Brightwell Vineyard beside the River Thames near Wallingford, Oxfordshire grows six varieties of grapes to make award-winning wines. Vineyard tours and tastings give an insight into the ancient art of wine making. Brightwell wines can be bought mail order, or from local shops and farmers’ markets.
www.brightwines.co.uk
Hendred Vineyard produces still and sparkling white wines on a six acre vineyard in south Oxfordshire. Visitors are welcome to call in for tastings and to buy from the shop.
www.hendredvineyard.co.uk/White Horses
Carved into the chalk hillsides of the North Wessex Downs. The oldest in Britain is at Uffington in Oxfordshire, and there are eight visible in Wiltshire, seven of them within the North Wessex Downs.
Wiltshire White Horses in the North Wessex Downs:
The
Alton Barnes horse is on Milk Hill north of the village of Alton Barnes. It was probably cut in 1812 by John Harvey of Stanton St. Bernard, on the instruction of Robert Pile from Alton Barnes. He may also have originated a white horse at Pewsey that is no longer visible. The Alton Barnes white horse looks out over Pewsey Vale towards the new Pewsey horse, and can be seen for many miles.
Broad Town white horse is on the hillside overlooking the Marlborough Road south of Wootton Bassett. It is thought to have been cut in 1864 by the farmer William Simmonds, although it may have been carved originally about 50 years before then. It is now restored and scoured regularly to be visible for many miles.
The
Cherhill white horse is the second oldest of the Wiltshire horses. It is situated on the edge of Cherhill Down, and just below Oldbury Castle earthwork. The Lansdowne Monument obelisk is nearby. The horse was cut in 1780, and is the work of a Dr Christopher Alsop of Calne, sometimes referred to as "the mad doctor". A local society maintains the carving.
Devizes is the newest of the Wiltshire white horses. It was cut on Roundway Hill, north of Devizes, by 200 local people in August and September 1999 to mark the Millennium. This is about a mile from a previous white horse at Oliver’s Castle on Roundway Hill, carved in 1845, which has disappeared under the turf.
The
Hackpen white horse is near The Ridgeway on the edge of the Marlborough Downs, two miles south east of Broad Hinton village, on Hackpen Hill. It may have been cut in 1838 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria.
Marlborough white horse is on Granham Hill, above the village of Preshute, just south-west of Marlborough. It was designed by William Canning a pupil at a school run by a Mr Greasley or Gresley in the High Street. The pupils cut the horse in 1804 and continued to scour the carving annually until the school closed in 1830. It has since been restored by a local scout troop.
The
Pewsey Hill horse is south of Pewsey, towards the village of Everleigh, and close to the site of a previous carving. It was created to commemorate the Coronation of King George VI and was cut by Pewsey Fire Brigade in 1937. It looks towards the Alton Barnes white horse.
www.wiltshirewhitehorses.org.ukX
marks the spot where two runways cross the middle of NMSI Wroughton near Swindon, on the site of a 545 acre ex-RAF airfield.
The National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI) is part of the Science Museum, and currently serves the conservation, object storage and transportation needs of many museums.
NMSI Wroughton has ambitious plans to create a National Collections Centre to accommodate the hidden collections from a number of museums, and make them available to the public from 2009.
In the meantime NMSI Wroughton stages several open days throughout the year when the public can view exhibits in the collection.
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/wroughton/introduction.aspYellow-wort
The yellow-wort
Blackstonia perfoliata is one of the gentian family found only on well drained chalky soils typical of those found in the North Wessex Downs.
Yellow-wort is unusual among plants in that the stem grows through the middle of the leaves creating a distinctive appearance. Other gentians include the rare and beautiful Chiltern gentian and the Marsh gentian found on only a few lowland heath sites.
Yellow-wort can be seen on protected reserves in chalk areas at West Woodhay, near Inkpen, Berkshire and The Holies Down near Streatley, Berkshire. It is also found at Wixen Bush near Sparsholt, south Oxfordshire.
www.bbowt.org.ukZebra butterfly
An exotic species which can be seen at The Living Rainforest in Hampstead Norreys, Berkshire.
The Living Rainforest is a popular educational and visitor attraction open all year round that displays exotic species. Butterflies are flown throughout the summer as part of free ranging exhibits in the tropical glasshouses. Other exhibits include the emerald tree boa, dwarf crocodile and a family of Goeldi’s marmosets.
www.livingrainforest.org.uk