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History of Wiltshire
Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. Considered as a ceremonial county, it is landlocked and borders the counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire, and contains the unitary authority of Swindon. The county town is Trowbridge, situated in the west of the county at 51°19′11″N, 2°12′32″W. The county covers 84,612,062 acres (3476 km²)
The county is characterised by its high downland and wide valleys. Salisbury Plain is famous as the location of Stonehenge and other ancient landmarks. The city of Salisbury is notable for its cathedral.
The county, formerly Wiltonshire or Wiltunscir (9th century), is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named for the river Wylye, one of eight rivers that drain the county).
Wiltshire is particularly well-known for its pre-Roman archaeology. The mesolithic, neolithic and bronze age Celtic tribes that occupied southern Britain built settlements on the hills and downland that cover Wiltshire. Stonehenge and Avebury are perhaps the most famous neolithic sites in the UK.
In the 6th and 7th centuries Wiltshire was at the western edge of Saxon Britain, as Cranborne Chase and the Somerset Levels prevented the advance to the west. In 878 the Danes invaded the county, and, following the Norman Conquest, large areas of the country fell into the hands of the crown and the church. In the 17th century English Civil War Wiltshire was largely Parliamentarian.
Notable towns and cities in Wiltshire are:
- Calne
- Chippenham
- Devizes
- Marlborough
- Salisbury
- Swindon
- Trowbridge
- Warminster
- Westbury
Notable places of interest in Wiltshire are:
- Avebury, neolithic stone circle
- Barbury Castle
- Bentley Wood
- Bowood House
- Burlington, city-sized nuclear bunker with accomodiation for 4000 people
- Castle Combe
- Castle Hill, Mere
- Cherhill Whitehorse
- Chisbury Chapel
- Coate Water, East Swindon
- Crofton Pumping Station
- Great Chalfield Manor
- Iford Manor and gardens
- Lacock Abbey
- Longleat Safari Park
- Lydiard Park and House, West Swindon.
- Old Sarum, the former cathedral
- Old Wardour Castle
- Salisbury Cathedral
- Silbury Hill
- Stonehenge
- Stourhead
- West Kennet Long Barrow
- Westwood Manor
- Woodhenge
- Wilton House
- Wilton Windmill
- Part of Win Green (shared with Dorset)
Notable areas of countryside in Wiltshire are:
- Cranborne Chase
- Marlborough Downs
- Salisbury Plain
- Vale of Pewsey
Notable routes through Wiltshire are:
- A4 road
- M4 motorway
- A303 trunk road
- Fosse Way old Roman road
- The Great Western Railway
- Kennet and Avon Canal
- Swindon and Cricklade Railway
- The Thames Path, a long distance footpath
- Wiltshire Cycleway
