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Places to see in ( Amesbury - UK )

Places to see in ( Amesbury - UK )

Amesbury is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is most famous for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is in its parish, and for the discovery of the Amesbury Archer—dubbed the King of Stonehenge in the press—in 2002. It has been confirmed by archaeologists that it is the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the United Kingdom, having been first settled around 8820 BC.

King Alfred the Great left it in his will, a copy of which is in the British Library, to his youngest son Aethelweard (c.880-922). Eleanor of Provence, queen of England, died in Amesbury on 24 or 25 June 1291, and was buried in Amesbury Abbey. The parish includes the hamlets of Ratfyn and West Amesbury, and most of Boscombe Down military airfield.

Amesbury is located in southern Wiltshire, 7 miles (11 km) north of Salisbury on the A345. It sits in the River Avon valley on the southern fringes of Salisbury Plain and has historically been considered an important river crossing area on the road from London to Warminster and Exeter. This has continued into the present with the building of the A303 across the Avon next to the town. Originally the town developed around the water meadows next to several bends in the river, but in time has spread onto the valley hillsides and absorbed part of the military airfield at Boscombe Down.

The land around Amesbury has been settled since prehistoric times, evidenced by the monument of Stonehenge. Other finds in the parish point to large scale prehistoric structures and settlements in the whole area, including Bluestonehenge at West Amesbury, the numerous other monuments around Stonehenge, the discovery of a Neolithic village in the neighbouring parish of Durrington by the Stonehenge Riverside Project, and continuing excavations at Boscombe Down where Wessex Archaeology found the Amesbury Archer and Boscombe Bowmen. They are now on display at Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum. Amesbury is recognized as the oldest continuously occupied UK settlement.

The Church of England parish church of St Mary and St Melor is Grade I listed. It dates from the 12th century but was restored by William Butterfield in 1852-3. Amesbury Methodist Church was built in 1900, replacing an 1816 chapel. Christ the King Catholic church opened in 1985, replacing a 1933 building on a different site. Amesbury Baptist Church was built in 1997.

The mansion known as Amesbury Abbey is Grade I listed. It was built in 1834-1840 by architect Thomas Hopper for Sir Edmund Antrobus and replaced a house built in 1661 by John Webb for the 2nd Duke of Somerset. Diana's House and Kent House, gatehouses to the Abbey from the early 17th century, are both Grade II* listed. West Amesbury House is from the 15th century and is Grade I listed; it was remodelled in the early 20th century by Detmar Blow.

( Amesbury - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Amesbury . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Amesbury - UK

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