A landscape jam-packed with wonderful spots where you can revel in ancient and modern history.
The North Wessex Downs is an ancient landscape steeped in cultural heritage. Evidence of human influence here extends back at least 5,000 years when the long barrows at Avebury were constructed. In the 3,000 years since the Uffington White Horse was carved, this landscape has constantly evolved to serve the changing needs of the generations of the people who have lived and worked here. And so, what we see today is a rich and many-layered patchwork of features, shapes, lines and textures that record different stages in its evolution.
Avebury
Avebury, which is part of the World Heritage Site which includes Stonehenge, has an internationally significant complex of prehistoric monuments demonstrating Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial practices between 3700-1600 BC.
People have used the Avebury landscape for many thousands of years, but the first people to farm crops and keep domesticated animals lived here from around 6,000 years ago. More than a thousand years later, at around 4,600 years ago, the bank and ditch visible today were built, and soon after that local stones were set up in at least three circles, surrounded by the bank and ditch. Together these form Avebury Henge. There are many more monuments within walking distance of Avebury village including Silbury Hill.
You can also visit Avebury Manor and Garden, the Alexander Keiller Museum and there are facilities for shopping and eating. Access to the stones circles is free. There is a charge for the car park which is managed by the National Trust. Please check if there is a charge for members of English Heritage
Uffington Hillfort & White Horse
Managed by The National Trust
The prehistoric Uffington White Horse near Wantage is the most famous of the eight white horse hill figures contained within the National Landscape. Located high up on the Lambourn Downs overlooking the Vale of the White Horse, it was probably carved around 1000 BC in the late Bronze Age making it the oldest surviving hill figure in Britain. It is also the largest at 360ft (110m) from head to tail.
At the top of White Horse Hill is an Iron Age hillfort known as Uffington Castle. A simple design of one rampart and ditch, the castle at 860 feet (262m) above sea level forms the highest point in Oxfordshire.
Burial Mounds can be seen across this National Trust property. These date from the Neolithic period and have been reused up to the Saxon age.
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Kennet & Avon Canal
What we know as the Kennet & Avon Canal is actually made up of three historic waterways: the Kennet Navigation, the Avon Navigation and the Kennet & Avon Canal linking the two rivers (which was completed in 1810). In total it is 87 miles in length and has 105 locks. Thirty miles of the Canal run through the North Wessex Downs NL.
Despite its impressive length the waterway was never prosperous and the situation worsened when the Great Western Railway opened in 1841. In the 1960s, after a century of decline, the canal eventually fell into disrepair and parts of it were closed to boats. The future looked bleak. However, waterway enthusiasts and local people flocked to the cause and the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust was formed. With hard work and dedication, these volunteers gradually restored the canal to its former glory and in 1990 Queen Elizabeth II officially reopened the canal.
As it passes through the North Wessex Downs, the Canal creates a haven for wildlife as well as providing opportunities for leisure activities. This stretch also includes historic features including the 500-metre long Bruce Tunnel located near Burbage, the Crofton Beam Engines (see below) and Pewsey Wharf.
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Crofton Beam Engines
Crofton Pumping Station was built in 1807 to supply water to the highest point of Kennet & Avon Canal.
The first design of the Kennet & Avon Canal by the distinguished Scottish civil engineer, John Rennie, called for a 4.5 km (2.5 mile) tunnel between the Wiltshire villages of Crofton and Burbage. A cheaper alternative was sought and this involved raising the summit level of the canal and constructing a much shorter tunnel. However, this new summit was 12m higher than any reliable local, natural water source and so a pumping station was needed at Crofton to keep it topped-up.
One of the two original engines survives and ran until 1958. This engine, the 1812 Boulton & Watt steam powered beam engine, is the oldest working beam engine in the world that is still in its original location and capable of performing the task for which it was installed. The engines are ‘in steam’ publicly on several weekends through the summer months and information about visiting is on the Crofton Beam Engines website.
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Wilton Windmill
Built in 1821, after the new Kennet and Avon canal had been completed, Wilton Windmill was in operation for 100 years.
The canal had been built over and through the site of some local watermills. The pumps providing the water for the canal also lowered the river levels so the remaining watermills were no longer viable which meant there was a need for this wind-powered mill. However, with the introduction of new steam roller mills it became unwanted, was abandoned and eventually fell into disrepair. The mill was finally restored to its former glory in 1976, by a team of dedicated volunteers.
The site offers far-reaching views and is an iconic landmark in the landscape. The mill opens for guided tours seasonally; opening times can vary so check the website (link below) for details.
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Historic Houses
Highclere Castle is the seat of the Carnarvon family and well-known as television’s Downton Abbey. This ‘Jacobethan’ house is home to some of Egypt’s finest treasures from the 5th Earl’s exploration with Howard Carter in the 1920s when he uncovered the tomb of Tutankhamun. The house and gardens are open to the public on a seasonal basis.
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Basildon Park is managed by the National Trust. Surrounded by 400 acres of historic parkland and gardens, this 18th-century house, was purchased by Lord and Lady Iliffe in the 1950s when it was de-requisitioned after the war. The Iliffes brought Basildon Park back to life, acquiring a collection of fine furnishings and paintings. Visitors can visit the house, the parkland with way-marked paths and the formal garden which was originally designed by David Brandon in the mid-18th century.
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