Warminster Wiltshire, is an interesting town on the River Were, first settled in Saxon times. People lived in the general area before this time and there is evidence of this at Cley Hill and Battlesbury Camp. The town of Warminster is in West Wiltshire and lies to the south west of Salisbury Plain. It can be reached by the main A36 road. The town has strong links to the military and troops are still based in the surrounding area.
The architecture of the town is mainly created in Chilmark and Bath stone, and local rubble stone. Tiles and bricks were sourced from nearby Crockerton. Some of the older buildings that remain today include the Anchor Inn, the Bath Arms Inn and the Old Bell Hotel.
Warminster thrived in the Middle Ages because of the cloth, wool and corn trade. The prosperity allowed for the building of The Minster Church of Saint Denys – a grand religious building built in a pre-Christian sacred yew grove. It is definitely worth seeing.
Rural and light industries took over in Warminster when the older industries faded out. Work included silk throwing, paint manufacture, banana ripening, and barley breeding.
Interestingly, in the 1960s, Cradle Hill in Warminster became famous for stories about UFOs and crop circles with people even claiming to have met an alien in person. Interest is not so strong now but people still go to see if they can sight anything for themselves.
In the village of Stourton, Warminster, is Stourhead house and gardens – a National Trust propery. Stourhead has lovely 18th-century landscaped gardens designed around a central lake, created by damming the River Stour. Around the lake you can find the Temple of Flora, the Temple of Apollo, Alfred’s Tower, the Pantheon and trees that look great all year round. The garden was created to celebrate the beauty of nature by Henry Hoare II in the 1740’s. It is this work that led to Hoare being called ‘Henry the Magnificent’.
The garden has around 350,000 visitors per year but the house is also interesting. Its designer was Colen Campbell, champion of the Palladian style, who created the house in a Venetian villa style adapted to an English setting.
The local countryside and scenery of Warminster include hills to the north and the Wylye Valley to the south and west. Some of this land has been officially designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. The open spaces provide great opportunities for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and those interested in trying hang-gliders.
Warminster is a great place to stay if you want to explore the tamed beauty of Stourhead, the local countryside or other areas of West Wilts.
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