VisitWiltshire Visitor Guide 2024

Old Wardour Castle
Old Sarum
Hang Gliders over Alton Barnes White Horse
Elsewhere, the legacy of the past continues. Ludgershall Castle
was built as a fortress in the late 11th century – once a royal
hunting lodge, it is now a glorious ruin. The beautiful 12th century
Abbey at Malmesbury contains the tomb of Athelstan, first king of
all England, who made this historic town his capital. Old Wardour
Castle, dating from the 14th century, was badly damaged in the
English Civil War, but today provides a picturesque lakeside
setting for picnics.
To unearth the secrets of Wiltshire’s journey through the ages,
team up with an expert tour guide. Or explore the galleries at
our award-winning museums, bursting with treasured exhibits
of outstanding national importance. The Salisbury Museum
is home to one of Europe’s most extensive collections of
Stonehenge and prehistoric artefacts. Here you can discover
the Monkton Deverill Gold Torc, recovered from a Bronze Age
burial mound, and the grave of the ‘Amesbury Archer’, the
richest Beaker burial in Britain. Galleries at Wiltshire Museum
in Devizes cover 500,000 years of Wiltshire’s history, including
the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age eras, as well as Roman,
Saxon and Medieval times. The displays of ‘Gold from the Time
of Stonehenge’ feature remarkable finds excavated from the
prehistoric landscapes of the World Heritage Site.
For further evidence of Roman occupation in Wessex you
need look no further than the Roman Baths in Bath, home
to the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath
House and finds from Roman Bath. Amesbury, on the southern
edge of Salisbury Plain, is the nearest town to Stonehenge and
close to the ancient monuments of Woodhenge, the Cursus, the
Avenue and Durrington Walls. Recent excavations suggest that
the town may date back more than 10,000 years.
The Amesbury History Centre tells the story behind
Amesbury’s unique heritage, its connections to Stonehenge and
the origins of its rise to military importance may date back more
than 10,000 years.
Malmesbury Abbey
Woodhenge
Avebury
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