St Martins Court Marlborough England l Local Attractions

Stonehenge

The building of Stonehenge began around 3000 BC.

The main henge is constructed from giant Sarcen stones, 6 metres (20 feet tall). Shaped from local rocks. Consisting of the outer circle, 30 upright stones, with mortice and tennon style joints to the ring of lintels. And the 5 large Trilithions, grouped in a horseshoe formation, open to the N.E. Midsummer sunrise alignment with the heelstone.

Arranged within the henge are the Prescelly Bluestones, quarried in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. These were then rafted and dragged to Salisbury Plain in Southern England a distance of over 320 Km. (200 Miles). Just inside the outer ditch are the 56 Aubry holes. These were interpreted by Gerald S. Hawkins in his book "Stonehenge Decoded". His theory is that there is a 56 Year Eclipse Cycle. When both the Sun and the Moon rise over the heelstone, the builders could predict some Eclipses. Fred Hoyle, then the Astronomer Royal, also has book on Stonehenge.

It is not known exactly what function Stonehenge served, though the very precise alignment of the Stones leaves little doubt that the builders had a good understanding of Astronomy, and that the shadow cast by the heelstone at Midsummer Sunrise, on 21st. of June, played an important part in their ceremony.

Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here

Avebury

The stone circle is thought to date from around 2600BC, although the proper chronology of the site is not completely understood by archaeologists. The earliest focus of ritual activity in the area was at nearby Windmill Hill around 3700BC, at this time the first stages of West Kennet Long Barrow were also begun.

It is thought that the two inner circles at Avebury were completed first, around 2600BC. The outer ring and henge (The ditch of which was originally 10 metres deep) was started around 2500BC, completed entirely with antler picks and stone tools. The actual stones where quarried from the Marlborough Downs and transported overland, probably on wooden rollers. This must have been a monumental task as some of the stones within the circle are over 40 tonnes, almost twice as heavy as those at nearby Stonehenge, although not as well finished and shaped. There were originally around 100 of these stones although only 27 remain, the missing stones marked by concrete posts.

There was a phase of destruction at the site in the 14th century, when many of the stones were buried, and again in the 17th and 18th century, when the stones where broken up with fire and hammers. This was mainly in response to puritanical thought and for private ventures.

Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here

Silbury Hill

This hill is the biggest man made mound in Europe. It is 130 feet high and 100 feet across its flat top surface.

The hill was built around 2500BC, formed with some of the chalk from the great henge at Avebury, and built in a complex lattice structure of in-filled chalk walls.

The hill has been excavated several times, but no traces of burial have ever been found. The first excavation was during 1776, when the Duke of Northumberland hired a number of Cornish miners to bore a hole from the top down through the centre of the mound. Nothing was found during this excavation.

According to folklore the mound was the final resting place for King Sil, who sat upright on a golden horse or within a golden coffin, depending on which version you prefer. The hill is also said to have been dropped by the Devil, who was carrying earth to bury Avebury. The priests of Avebury prayed for redemtion, and the Devil was forced to drop his load short of the village.

Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here

Crop Circles

Each summer, the Wiltshire countryside is host to a strange phenomenon. Swirls of flattened corn, or 'crop circles', litter the landscape like fingerprints.

The county of Wiltshire is one of the most active areas for crop circles in the world, particularly around the historical stones of Avebury and Silbury Hill. In this ancient landscape, the grassy whorls take over the fields of rape, barley and wheat like massive installation art.

In Wiltshire, widely recognised as the centre of crop activity in the world, they are usually found in fields of standing corn. Of the 175 recorded in England in 2000, 70 were found within a 15 mile radius of Avebury. In 2001, there were 184 crop formations recorded worldwide, of which 102 were in the UK. The biggest so far, consisting of 409 circles of various sizes and measuring 787ft in diameter, was found at Milk Hill in Wiltshire in the summer of 2001.

But why is Wiltshire so prone to these mysterious phenomenon? Some have suggested it is because of the county's history of human occupation. Wiltshire is littered with monuments, ancient pathways, burial grounds and stone circles.

Others have suggested that crop circles are merely performance art on a massive scale, while tourists continue to come from faraway in a bid to catch sight of one being made, perhaps by visitors from another planet. Whatever the reason, these phenomenon are sure to keep the curious enthralled for many crop circle seasons to come.

Directions & Map from Marlborough: Keep your eyes peeled

Salisbury

Famed as the city of the soaring spire, Salisbury did not begin to take shape until the early part of the 13th century.

It evolved from an Iron Age camp on a hill a mile to the north, which was strengthened by the Romans and called Serviodunum. Then the Normans built a castle and cathedral on the site and called it Sarum. But the clergy found the hillside spot at Old Sarum, as it is now known, too harsh. They also found the neighbouring castle garrison troublesome. So in 1220 Bishop Richard Poore laid the foundation stone of a new cathedral among lush green fields and streams to the south. The cathedral was completed 38 years later and a community, known as New Sarum and now called Salisbury, grew around it.

Originally the cathedral had a flat, squat tower. The soaring 404ft spire that makes it England's tallest cathedral was added in the next century. A walled Close with houses for the clergy was built around the cathedral and a new town, arranged in a grid pattern of streets, spread out from there.

A prosperous wool and cloth trade allowed Salisbury to flourish during the next four centuries and, when the wool trade declined, new crafts were established in the city and villages surrounding it - including cutlery, leather and basket work, saddlery, lacemaking, joinery and malting.

By 1750 it had become an important road junction and coaching centre - and then Victorian times brought the railways to Salisbury, creating a new age of expansion and prosperity.

Today Salisbury is a thriving tourist centre, with its cathedral and host of other fine historic buildings, attracting visitors from all over the world. Tourists are also drawn to the city because of its closeness to Stonehenge and stately homes such as Wilton House, Breamore House, near Fordingbridge and Longleat, near Warminster.

Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here

Kennet and Avon Canal

Opened in 1810 the Kennet & Avon Canal was used to transport many products along its route by working barges. The canal winds its way from Reading to Bristol passing through towns such as Newbury, Devizes, Bradford on Avon and Bath as well as nudging the edges of many pretty villages and hamlets.

Changing landscapes and canal features will thrill and stay in your memory. Black and white painted locks, brightly coloured boats, canal side cottages, wharves and tall aqueducts; are all part of the package that is the Kennet & Avon Canal. Young, the not so young, anglers, walkers, cyclists, boaters – all will find the tranquil setting perfect for a holiday, a visit or just a gentle stroll.

Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here

Bath

Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here

Bristol

Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here

Swindon

Swindon is ideally located in north Wiltshire between London and Bristol and linked by major motorway and rail routes. This part of the county is very near to the border of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Its easy access has turned it into a centre for business, shopping, and increasingly, tourism.

Surrounded by beautiful countryside Swindon is within reach of many tourist attractions, from stately homes to the famous ancient stones at Avebury and Stonehenge.

The Great Western Designer Outlet Village shopping centre in Swindon is now one of the town's biggest attractions. It is based at the former railway works, for which the town is famous. Shoppers travel from as far away as the Midlands and Wales to shop at the centre which has plenty of parking spaces and restaurants to cater for all tastes.

Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here

Racehorses and White horses

white horse A mile from the town is a privately owned, magnificent 4,500-acre Savernake Forest with its long Grand Avenue flanked by a cathedral-like arcade of beech trees. A little further away from the town visitors can watch racehorses in training over the world famous gallops of the Marlborough Downs, take in the scenic beauty of the Kennet and Avon Canal (by foot or boat), or discover (on a 10 mile round tour) the seven giant White Horses of Wiltshire which are cut into the hillsides.

Within easy reach also are the market town of Devizes with its famous fight of canal locks, the renowned Vale of Pewsey where two White Horses are situated, the beautiful city of Bath, the National Trust village of Laycock, Salisbury which has the highest cathedral spire in England, and Swindon (the former engineering head-quarters of Brunel’s Great Western Railway). Furthermore, Bristol and London are within comfortable travelling distance for anyone wanting to exchange peace and tranquillity for amenities of a big city.

Golf

Marlborough has its own magnificent 18 hole golf course just on the outskirts of the town.

Travel North on the A346 for 4 miles and the beautiful downland Swindon golf course is at the right hand side just past Ogbourne St George.

Travel until Swindon and the public course of Broome Manor has 27 holes.

There are also courses at Wotton Bassett, Shrivenham, Faringdon, Carswell, Cirencester, Chippenham and Earlstoke.

Festivals & Events 2003

Swindon Arts Jazz - 24th - 27th Apr

Swindon Festival of Literature - 1st - 17th May

Bath Literature Festival - 1st - 9th Mar

Bath International Music Festival - 16th May - 1st June

Salisbury Festival - 23rd - 8th June

Devizes Festival - 11th - 28th June

Marlborough Jazz Festival - 11th - 13 July

Chippenham Eddie Cochran Rock 'n' Roll Week-end - 26th - 28th Sept

Calne Music & Arts Festival - 3rd - 12th Oct

North Wiltshire Classic Car Discovery Tour - 11th & 12th Oct

Bath Christmas Market - 27th Nov - 7th Dec

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Stonehenge The building of Stonehenge began around 3000 BC. The main henge is constructed from giant Sarcen stones, 6 metres (20 feet tall). Shaped from local rocks. Consisting of the outer circle, 30 upright stones, with mortice and tennon style joints to the ring of lintels. And the 5 large Trilithions, grouped in a horseshoe formation, open to the N.E. Midsummer sunrise alignment with the heelstone. Arranged within the henge are the Prescelly Bluestones, quarried in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. These were then rafted and dragged to Salisbury Plain in Southern England a distance of over 320 Km. (200 Miles). Just inside the outer ditch are the 56 Aubry holes. These were interpreted by Gerald S. Hawkins in his book "Stonehenge Decoded". His theory is that there is a 56 Year Eclipse Cycle. When both the Sun and the Moon rise over the heelstone, the builders could predict some Eclipses. Fred Hoyle, then the Astronomer Royal, also has book on Stonehenge. It is not known exactly what function Stonehenge served, though the very precise alignment of the Stones leaves little doubt that the builders had a good understanding of Astronomy, and that the shadow cast by the heelstone at Midsummer Sunrise, on 21st. of June, played an important part in their ceremony. Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here Avebury The stone circle is thought to date from around 2600BC, although the proper chronology of the site is not completely understood by archaeologists. The earliest focus of ritual activity in the area was at nearby Windmill Hill around 3700BC, at this time the first stages of West Kennet Long Barrow were also begun. It is thought that the two inner circles at Avebury were completed first, around 2600BC. The outer ring and henge (The ditch of which was originally 10 metres deep) was started around 2500BC, completed entirely with antler picks and stone tools. The actual stones where quarried from the Marlborough Downs and transported overland, probably on wooden rollers. This must have been a monumental task as some of the stones within the circle are over 40 tonnes, almost twice as heavy as those at nearby Stonehenge, although not as well finished and shaped. There were originally around 100 of these stones although only 27 remain, the missing stones marked by concrete posts. There was a phase of destruction at the site in the 14th century, when many of the stones were buried, and again in the 17th and 18th century, when the stones where broken up with fire and hammers. This was mainly in response to puritanical thought and for private ventures. Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here Silbury Hill This hill is the biggest man made mound in Europe. It is 130 feet high and 100 feet across its flat top surface. The hill was built around 2500BC, formed with some of the chalk from the great henge at Avebury, and built in a complex lattice structure of in-filled chalk walls. The hill has been excavated several times, but no traces of burial have ever been found. The first excavation was during 1776, when the Duke of Northumberland hired a number of Cornish miners to bore a hole from the top down through the centre of the mound. Nothing was found during this excavation. According to folklore the mound was the final resting place for King Sil, who sat upright on a golden horse or within a golden coffin, depending on which version you prefer. The hill is also said to have been dropped by the Devil, who was carrying earth to bury Avebury. The priests of Avebury prayed for redemtion, and the Devil was forced to drop his load short of the village. Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here Crop Circles Each summer, the Wiltshire countryside is host to a strange phenomenon. Swirls of flattened corn, or 'crop circles', litter the landscape like fingerprints. The county of Wiltshire is one of the most active areas for crop circles in the world, particularly around the historical stones of Avebury and Silbury Hill. In this ancient landscape, the grassy whorls take over the fields of rape, barley and wheat like massive installation art. In Wiltshire, widely recognised as the centre of crop activity in the world, they are usually found in fields of standing corn. Of the 175 recorded in England in 2000, 70 were found within a 15 mile radius of Avebury. In 2001, there were 184 crop formations recorded worldwide, of which 102 were in the UK. The biggest so far, consisting of 409 circles of various sizes and measuring 787ft in diameter, was found at Milk Hill in Wiltshire in the summer of 2001. But why is Wiltshire so prone to these mysterious phenomenon? Some have suggested it is because of the county's history of human occupation. Wiltshire is littered with monuments, ancient pathways, burial grounds and stone circles. Others have suggested that crop circles are merely performance art on a massive scale, while tourists continue to come from faraway in a bid to catch sight of one being made, perhaps by visitors from another planet. Whatever the reason, these phenomenon are sure to keep the curious enthralled for many crop circle seasons to come. Directions & Map from Marlborough: Keep your eyes peeled Salisbury Famed as the city of the soaring spire, Salisbury did not begin to take shape until the early part of the 13th century. It evolved from an Iron Age camp on a hill a mile to the north, which was strengthened by the Romans and called Serviodunum. Then the Normans built a castle and cathedral on the site and called it Sarum. But the clergy found the hillside spot at Old Sarum, as it is now known, too harsh. They also found the neighbouring castle garrison troublesome. So in 1220 Bishop Richard Poore laid the foundation stone of a new cathedral among lush green fields and streams to the south. The cathedral was completed 38 years later and a community, known as New Sarum and now called Salisbury, grew around it. Originally the cathedral had a flat, squat tower. The soaring 404ft spire that makes it England's tallest cathedral was added in the next century. A walled Close with houses for the clergy was built around the cathedral and a new town, arranged in a grid pattern of streets, spread out from there. A prosperous wool and cloth trade allowed Salisbury to flourish during the next four centuries and, when the wool trade declined, new crafts were established in the city and villages surrounding it - including cutlery, leather and basket work, saddlery, lacemaking, joinery and malting. By 1750 it had become an important road junction and coaching centre - and then Victorian times brought the railways to Salisbury, creating a new age of expansion and prosperity. Today Salisbury is a thriving tourist centre, with its cathedral and host of other fine historic buildings, attracting visitors from all over the world. Tourists are also drawn to the city because of its closeness to Stonehenge and stately homes such as Wilton House, Breamore House, near Fordingbridge and Longleat, near Warminster. Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here Kennet and Avon Canal Opened in 1810 the Kennet & Avon Canal was used to transport many products along its route by working barges. The canal winds its way from Reading to Bristol passing through towns such as Newbury, Devizes, Bradford on Avon and Bath as well as nudging the edges of many pretty villages and hamlets. Changing landscapes and canal features will thrill and stay in your memory. Black and white painted locks, brightly coloured boats, canal side cottages, wharves and tall aqueducts; are all part of the package that is the Kennet & Avon Canal. Young, the not so young, anglers, walkers, cyclists, boaters – all will find the tranquil setting perfect for a holiday, a visit or just a gentle stroll. Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here Bath Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here Bristol Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here Swindon Swindon is ideally located in north Wiltshire between London and Bristol and linked by major motorway and rail routes. This part of the county is very near to the border of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Its easy access has turned it into a centre for business, shopping, and increasingly, tourism. Surrounded by beautiful countryside Swindon is within reach of many tourist attractions, from stately homes to the famous ancient stones at Avebury and Stonehenge. The Great Western Designer Outlet Village shopping centre in Swindon is now one of the town's biggest attractions. It is based at the former railway works, for which the town is famous. Shoppers travel from as far away as the Midlands and Wales to shop at the centre which has plenty of parking spaces and restaurants to cater for all tastes. Directions & Map from Marlborough: Click Here Racehorses and White horses A mile from the town is a privately owned, magnificent 4,500-acre Savernake Forest with its long Grand Avenue flanked by a cathedral-like arcade of beech trees. A little further away from the town visitors can watch racehorses in training over the world famous gallops of the Marlborough Downs, take in the scenic beauty of the Kennet and Avon Canal (by foot or boat), or discover (on a 10 mile round tour) the seven giant White Horses of Wiltshire which are cut into the hillsides. Within easy reach also are the market town of Devizes with its famous fight of canal locks, the renowned Vale of Pewsey where two White Horses are situated, the beautiful city of Bath, the National Trust village of Laycock, Salisbury which has the highest cathedral spire in England, and Swindon (the former engineering head-quarters of Brunel’s Great Western Railway). Furthermore, Bristol and London are within comfortable travelling distance for anyone wanting to exchange peace and tranquillity for amenities of a big city. Golf Marlborough has its own magnificent 18 hole golf course just on the outskirts of the town. Travel North on the A346 for 4 miles and the beautiful downland Swindon golf course is at the right hand side just past Ogbourne St George. Travel until Swindon and the public course of Broome Manor has 27 holes. There are also courses at Wotton Bassett, Shrivenham, Faringdon, Carswell, Cirencester, Chippenham and Earlstoke. Festivals & Events 2003 Swindon Arts Jazz - 24th - 27th Apr Swindon Festival of Literature - 1st - 17th May Bath Literature Festival - 1st - 9th Mar Bath International Music Festival - 16th May - 1st June Salisbury Festival - 23rd - 8th June Devizes Festival - 11th - 28th June Marlborough Jazz Festival - 11th - 13 July Chippenham Eddie Cochran Rock 'n' Roll Week-end - 26th - 28th Sept Calne Music & Arts Festival - 3rd - 12th Oct North Wiltshire Classic Car Discovery Tour - 11th & 12th Oct Bath Christmas Market - 27th Nov - 7th Dec top