Avebury Stone Circle (Avebury Ring), Avebury
near Marlborough, Wiltshire
English
Heritage holds guardianship of Avebury Stone Circle, which is managed by the
National Trust - Access to Avebury Stone Circle if free of charge but NT charges
apply to other visitor attractions in and around Avebury including a museum and
art gallery.
As
well as the stone circle there is a picnic area within the free to enter NT complex
where there are 'lawn' games for adults and children including ride on kiddy
tractors on fine weather days.
Allow from an hour or two up to a full day for this free things to do in Wiltshire
location.
Car Parking fees apply to non-National Trust members
Avebury Ring - MAP
Barbury Castle - Hill Fort and Nature Reserve
Barbury Castle is located at grid reference SU149762 - MAP about
five miles south of Swindon and the M4, on the northern edge of the Marlborough
Downs within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Other
than a couple of nearby farms, there is no current settlement near the site.
Barbury Castle near Swindon, Marlborough, Wroughton and
Chiseldon, is the site of an Iron Age hill fort. It
is one of several such forts found along the ancient Ridgeway route. The site,
which lies within the Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has been
managed as a country park by Swindon Borough Council since 1971. It is situated
on Barbury Hill, a local vantage point, which, under ideal weather conditions,
commands a view across to the Cotswolds and the River Severn. It has two deep
defensive ditches and ramparts. The Old Ridgeway runs close by and the modern
Ridgeway crosses through the castle. In the surrounding area are to be found
round barrows, Celtic field systems and 18th-19th Century flint workings.
Bedwyn Stone Museum
91 Church Street
Great Bedwyn, Marlborough
Wiltshire, SN8 3PF
Free thing to do in Wiltshire
Admission is free.
Tel: 01672 870234
Fax: 01672 871211
Bradford-on-Avon Museum
Bridge Street, Bradford-on-Avon
Wiltshire, BA15 1BY
Local history and heritage. The old Christopher chemist shop.
Open Wed to Sat 10.30 to 12.30 14.00 to 16.00
Sun 14.00 to 16.00
Admission is free.
Tel: 01225 863280
Bratton Camp and White Horse
This famous landmark was probably cut into the chalk about 400 years ago but
its appearance has changed over time.
Below an Iron Age hill fort, enclosing a much earlier long barrow, stands
the Westbury White Horse. Cut into the hillside in 1778, this replaced an older
horse, possibly commemorating King Alfred's nearby victory over the Vikings.
The earthworks protected a settlement, containing round houses, granaries,
stores and workshops. The double banks and ditches may have symbolised the dominance
and power of the hill fort community and would have been formidable obstacles
to enemies.
English Heritage free entry property - Free things to do in Wiltshire - Open
any reasonable time. MAP
Caen Hill Locks (Flight), Devizes, Wiltshire
Caen Hill Locks are a flight of locks, one of the longest in Europe, on the
Kennet and Avon Canal, between Rowde and Devizes in Wiltshire.
The 29 locks have a rise of 237 feet in 2 miles (72 m in 3.2 km) or a 1 in
44 gradient. The locks come in three groups. The lower seven locks, Foxhangers
Wharf Lock to Foxhangers Bridge Lock, are spread over 1.2 km. The next sixteen
locks form a steep flight in a straight line up the hillside. Because of the
steepness of the terrain, the pounds between these locks are very short. As a
result, 15 locks have unusually large sideways-extended pounds to store the water
needed to operate them. A final six locks take the canal into Devizes. This
flight of locks was engineer John Rennie's solution to climbing the very steep
hill, and was the last part of the 87 mile route of the canal to be completed.
Whilst the locks were under construction a tram road provided a link between
the canal at Foxhangers to Devizes, the remains of which can be seen in the towpath
arches in the road bridges over the canal. A brickyard was dug to the south
of the workings to manufacture the bricks for the lock chambers and this remained
in commercial use until the middle of the 20th century.
Free things to do in Wiltshire with British Waterways - MAP
Castle Combe Museum
The Hill, Castle Combe
Chippenham
Wiltshire, SN14 7HU
Free thing to do in Wiltshire
Open 9 Apr-3 Oct, Sun 14.00 - 17.00.
Admission is free.
Tel: 01249 782250
Fax: 01249 782250
Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre
10 Market Place, Chippenham
Wiltshire, SN15 3HF
Local collections of photographs and artefacts. Listed 18thC building with
garden. Archaeology, geology, saxons, farming markets, transport, time line,
river Avon.
Open all year, Mon-Sat, 10.00 - 16.00. Closed Bank Hols.
Admission is free.
Tel: 01249 705020
Fax: 01249 705025
Chisbury Chapel - St Martin's Chapel, Chisbury, Wiltshire
This chapel survived after the Reformation in 1547 by being used as a barn
as part of Chisbury Farm.
A pretty thatched and flintwalled 13th century chapel, later used as a barn.
Open any reasonable time
Free days out Wiltshire - English Heritage Free Access site open all year. MAP
Devizes Medieval Trail, Devizes, Wiltshire
Free things to do in Wiltshire - A FREE leaflet is available at Devizes Visitor
Centre, Market, Devizes for this Medieval Town Trail - A guided walk through
Devizes' history.
Devizes Museum (The Wiltshire Heritage Museum), 41 Long Street,
Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 1NS
FREE ON SUNDAYS ONLY
The Wiltshire Heritage Museum has an international reputation and attracts
visitors from all over the world. The archaeology collections, which are among
the finest in Britain, trace the history of people living in Wiltshire in a series
of galleries - Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval. The
collections on display include important finds associated with the World Heritage
Sites of Avebury and Stonehenge.
Other galleries include Recent History, which describes different aspects
of life in Wiltshire in more modern times, and Natural History, where visitors
can explore the geology and wildlife of the county, including the famous chalk
downland.
There is a large art collection relating to the county with a small selection
always on display on the walls stairwells of the museum. In the Art Gallery a
programme of exhibitions is drawn from this collection or the works of contemporary
artists, while a Temporary Exhibitions area has a constantly changing series
of displays.
Usual Opening Times: Museum 10.00 - 17.00, Monday to Saturday and noon - 16.00
on Sundays.
Museum admission charges apply for adults,
concessions (UK taxpayers), non-tax payers and overseas visitors.
Children under 16 are admitted FREE - except school groups. Entry is FREE for
members of the WANHS (the Society which owns the Museum and Library), Salisbury & South
Wiltshire Museum, Museums Association, National Art Collections Fund and the
English Tourist Board.
Museum admission is FREE for all on Sundays but please note, the Library
is closed on Sundays, Mondays and the first Saturday of the month.
Charges apply for special events, lectures and workshops, including children's
activities.
The Museum is arranged in two Grade II Georgian buildings and has many steps,
stairs and changes of level. Unfortunately no lift is available to upper levels,
however ramps are available to assist wheelchairs users move easily around the
ground floor. See Accessibility for further details. Tel: 01380 727 369
The Fovant Badges, Fovant, Wiltshire
Several British Army regimental badges cut in chalk into a hillside
near Fovant. These chalk cuttings were originally created by soldiers garrisoned
near Fovant during the First World War.
The Fovant Badges are clearly visible
from the A30 which runs through Fovant village. MAP
The Fovant Badge Society
help preserve the now war memorial
which is the Fovant Badges, helping to conserve a part of the area's wartime
history. There are only 8 badges remaining.
The Greens & The Crammer Pond, Devizes, Wiltshire
The Green is a well used open space, freely accessible to the public in the
heart of the Town.
The Green is used for Fairs, Circuses, charity and community events. The Green
is split into two by the A342 Andover Road and for reasons which become clear
when you visit are called the Large Green and Small Green.
To the edge of the Small Green is The Crammer (pond) an old watering hole
for animals which were being brought to Market. It is also thought the Crammer
is the origin for the "Moonraker Legend". The whole area covers some
10.5 hectares.
Located next to the Crammer is a fantastic play area built to cater for children
of all ages and ability.
Hillworth Park, Hillworth Park, Queens Road, Devizes, Wiltshire
Wildlife and nature free days out Wiltshire.
Adjacent to Queens Road Hillworth park offer
a mixture of landscape gardening, an aviary, children’s play & ball games
areas, tennis courts and open picnic and recreation spaces.
Web -
Map
Ludgershall Castle (Ruins) And Cross, Ludgershall, Wiltshire
Extensive earthworks remain from a 12th century castle along with one of the
wall towers. It was used for a time as a royal hunting lodge, but fell into decay
after the 15th century.
During succeeding centuries Ludgershall Castle was occupied by many distinguished
persons and royalty frequently resided there. The village grew around the site.
English Heritage Free Access site open all year. MAP
Market Lavington Museum
Church Street
Market Lavington, Devizes
Wiltshire, SN10 4DT
Free days out Wiltshire
Open 1 May-31 Oct, Wed, Sat, Sun & Bank hols, 14.30 - 16.30
Admission is free.
Tel: 01580 818736
Mere Library & Museum
Barton Lane
Mere, Warminster
Wiltshire, BA12 6JA
Open daily ; Mon 10.00 - 19.00, Tues-Fri 09.00 - 17.00,
Sat 09.00 - 13.00.
Closed Sun, Bank Hols: Closed 9-12 Apr; 25-27 Dec
Admission is free.
Tel: 01747 861444
National Monuments Record Centre (NMRC)
Great Western Village
Kemble Drive, Swindon
Wiltshire, SN2 2GZ
Opening times for 2004
The Public Search Room : Tues to Fri, 09.30 - 17.00
Closed on Mondays, Bank Holidays, Christmas and New Year.
Occasionally a limited Saturday service.
Open from 10.00 - 16.00 on the following Sat:
Aug 21st, Sep 18th, Oct 16th, Nov 20th, Dec 11th.
Terms and Conditions of use
Admission is free.
Tel: 01793 414600
Fax: 01793 414606
Roundway Down - Open Space and Woodland Walk Near Devizes - Site Of The Devizes
Millennium White Horse
Free days out Wiltshire
The village of Roundway is home to the Devizes White Horse, a chalk and limestone
hill figure of a horse that was created in September 1999 to celebrate the millennium.
It replaces the white horse of Devizes that was lost after 1845.
The Devizes Millennium White Horse was conceived in 1998 and constructed in
1999. It is maintained by a group of
volunteers called the "Cavaliers of the Devizes Millennium
White Horse".
Royalist forces led by Henry Wilmot and John Byron encountered William Waller
and his Parliamentary army at Roundway Down, near Devizes, on 13th July, 1643
Access to this sites is from the London Road out of Devizes. Turn north at
the Travelodge Hotel towards Roundway village. MAP
There are other White Horses in The Vale of Pewsey or Pewsey Vale, an
area of Wiltshire, England to the east of Devizes and south of Marlborough, centred
on the town of Pewsey.
The White Horses are cut into the chalk meadows on hillsides and are great
areas for walking or a picnic.
The Westbury or Bratton White Horse is a hill figure on the escarpment of
Salisbury Plain, approximately 2.5 km (1.6 mi) east of Westbury in England. Located
on the edge of Bratton Downs and lying just below an Iron Age hill fort, it is
the oldest of several white horses carved in Wiltshire.
The Cherhill White Horse is a hill figure on Cherhill Down, 3.5 miles east
of Calne in the county of Wiltshire, England. Dating from the late 18th century,
it is the third oldest of several such white horses to be seen around Great Britain,
with only the Uffington White Horse and the Westbury White Horse being older.
The figure is also sometimes called the Oldbury White Horse.
Salisbury Library and Galleries
Market Place, Salisbury
Wiltshire, SP1 1BL
Free days out Wiltshire
Open Mon 10.00 - 19.00, Tues, Wed, Fri 09.00 - 19.00,
Thu, Sat 09.00 - 17.00.
Closed 9-12 Apr, 25-26 Dec, 1 Jan
Admission is free.
Tel: 01722 330606
Fax: 01722 413214
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Bath Road, Swindon
Wiltshire, SN1 4BA
Open Mon-Sat 10.00 - 17.00, Sun 14.00 - 17.00.
Closed 9 Apr and Bank Holiday Mondays
Admission is free.
Tel: 01793 466556
Fax: 01793 484141
Trowbridge Museum
The Shires
Court Street, Trowbridge
Wiltshire, BA14 8AT
Open Tue-Fri 10.00 - 16.00, Sat 10.00 - 17.00.
Closed 8-10, 12 Apr; 24-28, 31 Dec, 1 Jan
Admission is free.
Tel: 01225 751339
Fax: 01225 754608
Wadworth Visitor Centre, Northgate Brewery, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 1JW
The
Wadworth Brewery Visitor Centre at Wadworth's Northgate Brewery - Wadworth MAP -
where the small but informative visitor centre, an introduction to Wadworth's
history and heritage.
The Visitor Centre is free to enter. The visitor centre is also a portal
to the official Wadworth Shop and Wadworth Brewery Tours (charges apply) with
an on-site sample tasting bar for those visitors over 18 years of age who are
prepared to purchase a couple of beer tokens - no cash at the bar!
The free entry Wadworth
Visitor Centre will only take a few minutes to see
but is well worth the visit.
The Wadworth
Shires stables are open to the public between 13.30 and 15.00
Monday to Friday - please contact the Wadworth Brewery Visitor Centre for further
information.
Tel: 01380 732277
Web: www.WadworthVisitorCentre.co.uk
Warminster Dewey Museum
Warminster Library
Three Horseshoes Mall
Warminster
Wiltshire, BA12 9BT
Open Mon-Tues 10.00 - 17.00, Wed 10.00 - 1300,
Thurs-Fri 10.00 - 19.00, Sat 09.00 - 16.00.
Closed Apr 9-12, Dec 24-27 & 1 Jan
Admission is free.
Tel: 01985 216022
Wootton Bassett Museum, Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
Wootton Bassett Museum is a local museum in the market town, housed in the
half timbered town hall. The building has an upper storey supported on 15
pillars. It was a gift of the Hyde family (Earls of Clarendon) and was built
c1700. The building was extensively restore in 1889 was Grade II listed in 1955.
Wootton Bassett Museum includes a photographic collection covering life in
Wootton Bassett during the 19th and 20th centuries. Objects in the collection
include a ducking stool dating from 1686, geological items, stocks, and a whipping
post.
The attractions, museums, galleries are listed by county
Every effort has been made to make sure that the information contained in
this Directory is accurate. Do be aware, however, that conditions can change
at short notice and that telephone numbers and personalities may change also.
