Places to see in ( Westbury - UK )
Places to see in ( Westbury - UK )
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse. The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same since the Anglo-Saxon period.
Westbury is located in the far west of Wiltshire, close to the border with Somerset. It lies at the northwestern edge of Salisbury Plain, 18 miles (29 km) southeast of the city of Bath, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the county town of Trowbridge and 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north of the garrison town of Warminster. Other nearby towns and cities include Frome, Devizes, Salisbury and Bristol. Nearby villages include Bratton, Chapmanslade, Dilton Marsh, Hisomley, Edington, Upton Scudamore, North Bradley, Rudge, Standerwick, Hawkeridge, Heywood and Yarnbrook.
There are several suburbs including Frogmore, Bitham Park, the Meads and the Ham (all northside), Chalford, Leigh Park and Westbury Leigh (southside). Westbury Leigh is generally considered as a village separate to Westbury itself, though it has become contiguous with the town. Leigh Park is a district developed since the late-1990s that is contiguous with Westbury Leigh, and incorporates a large medical centre, a community hall and a Tesco Express store.
In the past, Westbury was sometimes known as Westbury-under-the-Plain to distinguish it from other towns of the same name. Westbury is nestled under the northwestern bluffs of Salisbury Plain, and it is there that the town's most famous feature can be seen: the Westbury White Horse. It is sometimes claimed locally that the White Horse was first cut into the chalk face as long ago as the year 878, to commemorate the victory of Alfred the Great over the Danes in the Battle of Eðandun (probably, but not certainly, at the nearby village of Edington). However, scholars believe this to be an invention of the late 18th century, and no evidence has yet been found for the existence of the horse before the 1720s. The form of the current White Horse dates from 1778, when it was restored. In the 1950s it was decided that the horse would be more easily maintained if it were set in concrete and painted white. The horse's original form may have been quite different from the horse seen today. One 18th-century engraving shows the horse facing to the right, but in its current form it faces to the left.
Westbury centres on its historic marketplace, with the churchyard of All Saints' Church (14th century) behind it. All Saints' has a heavy ring of bells, an Erasmus Bible, a 16th-century clock with no face constructed by a local blacksmith, and a marble bust of William Phipps by Robert Taylor. The west window of the church was donated by Abraham Laverton, who also built Prospect Square (1869) and the nearby Laverton Institute (1873), which he donated to a local charity, known today as the Laverton.
The A350 road passes through the town and a controversial Westbury Bypass was once proposed which would have reduced traffic in parts of the town but would have had a negative effect on the landscape on the east of the town. The eastern bypass scheme was eventually rejected after an Independent Planning Inquiry recommended against it in 2009. The town remains a bottleneck on the A350 route. The town is an important junction point on the railway network, as it lies at the point where the Reading to Taunton line, formng a link from London Paddington to Penzance, intersects the Wessex Main Line, linking Bristol and Bath Spa to Salisbury and Southampton. Westbury railway station is on the west of the town.
( Westbury - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Westbury . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Westbury - UK
Join us for more :
Giant Hill Figures in England
PLEASE see my UK Places to visit Playlist here
for mor great historic England,Wales and Scotland
Giant Hill Figures in England
video by Robert Nichol music by John Mayfield
A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of geoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and rubble made from material brighter than the natural bedrock is placed into them. The new material is often chalk, a soft and white form of limestone, leading to the alternative name of chalk figure for this form of art.
Ancient hill figures cut in grass are especially a phenomenon in England: examples include the Cerne Abbas Giant, the Uffington White Horse, the Long Man of Wilmington, as well as the lost carvings at Cambridge, Oxford and Plymouth Hoe. From the 18th century onwards, many further ones were added.
Long Man of Wilmington
Cerne Abbas Giant
Uffington White Horse
Westbury White Horse
To those unfamiliar with the remaining rural landscapes of England, images of giant figures depicting man and beast emblazoned onto hillsides might elicit responses such as: Wow, is this real? Upon being informed that such hill figures exist all over Great Britain, some might even suspect the deceptive hand of Photoshop, or simply wonder why: why have people created these figures?
The answers are varied and often obscure, but we'll try to dig up what's behind each figure collected here. The works are created by stripping away the top layer of soil and turf to expose the chalk beneath, which contrasts strikingly with the green grass of the hillside. In some cases, trenches have been dug and material brighter than the bedrock placed inside. Designed to be seen from afar, the images are often discernible from great distances. Though they are frequently thought to date back from ancient times, most can be traced back to the last few centuries.
see web page
Wiltshire the England you love in one county
Discover Wiltshire this autumn and find the England you love in one county.
Music by Katie Butler.
Places to see in ( Waltham Abbey - UK )
Places to see in ( Waltham Abbey - UK )
Waltham Abbey is a suburban market town in the Epping Forest District of Essex, the metropolitan area of London, and the Greater London Urban Area. Lying on North East London's outskirts, it is located 15 miles from central London. It is on the Greenwich Meridian, between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest in the east, situated north of the London Borough of Waltham Forest and east of the London Borough of Enfield. It is the resting place of King Harold Godwinson, who died in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Waltham Abbey takes its name from its former abbey, now the Abbey Church of Waltham Holy Cross, a scheduled ancient monument that was prominent in the town's early history. The town is within the large civil parish of Waltham Abbey which was known as Waltham Holy Cross until 1974. The parish has a town council and is twinned with the German town of Hörstel.
The name Waltham derives from weald or wald forest and ham homestead or enclosure. The name of the ancient parish was Waltham Holy Cross, but the use of the name Waltham Abbey for the town seems to have originated in the 16th century, although there has often been inconsistency in the use of the two names. Indeed, the former urban district was named Waltham Holy Cross, rather than Waltham Abbey. There are traces of prehistoric and Roman settlement in the town. Ermine Street lies only 5 km west and the causeway across the River Lea from Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire may be a Roman construction. A local legend claims that Boudica's rebellion against the Romans ended in the neighbourhood, when she poisoned herself with hemlock gathered on the banks of Cobbins Brook.
In 1177, as part of his penance for his part in the murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry II refounded Harold's church as a priory of Augustinian Canons Regular of sixteen canons and a prior or dean. In 1184, this was enlarged so that Waltham became an abbey with an abbot and twenty-four canons, which grew to be the richest monastery in Essex. To the abbey's west and south, the town grew as a linear development around a crossing road, although it had a single north-south High Street as late as 1848. The town's dependence on the Abbey is signalled by its decline after the Abbey was dissolved and partially demolished in 1540, the last working abbey or monastery to be dissolved. Waltham Abbey vicarage is a 17th-century timber framed and plastered building. It was given by Edward Denny, 1st Earl of Norwich to create the first curacy, but was much altered in the 18th century and later, and was more recently architecturally Grade II*listed.
The medieval Waltham Abbey Church was kept as it was close to a town and is still used as a parish church. In addition there are other remains of the former abbey – the Grade II*listed Midnight Chapel, the gatehouse, a vaulted passage and Harold’s Bridge – all in the care of English Heritage. These grounds are notable for the reputed grave of Harold II or Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. On the site of a former gunpowder factory another museum illustrates the evolution of explosives and the development of the Royal Gunpowder Mills (an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage) through interactive and traditional exhibitions and displays.
The former gravel pits in the Lea Valley and parts of the former Abbey Gardens are now in the care of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority for recreational use and nature conservation. The Epping Forest Conservation Centre in High Beach provides information, maps, books, cards, displays and advice for visitors to the area.
( Waltham Abbey - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Waltham Abbey . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Waltham Abbey - UK
Join us for more :
Places to see in ( Hungerford - UK )
Places to see in ( Hungerford - UK )
Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 8 miles west of Newbury, 9 miles east of Marlborough, 30 miles northeast of Salisbury and 67 miles west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town from the west alongside the River Dun , a major tributary of the River Kennet. The confluence with the Kennet is to the north of the centre whence canal and river both continue east. Amenities include schools, shops, cafés, restaurants, and facilities for the main national sports. The a railway station is a minor stop on the London to Exeter (via Taunton) Line.
Hungerford is a slight abbreviation and vowel shift from a Saxon name meaning 'Hanging Wood Ford'. The town’s symbol is the six-pointed star and crescent moon. The place does not occur in the Domesday Book of 1086, but certainly existed by 1173. By 1241, it called itself a borough. In the late 14th century, John of Gaunt was medieval lord of the manor and he granted the people the lucrative fishing rights on the River Kennet.
The noble family of Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford originated from the town (c. 1450–1450), although after three generations the title passed to Mary, Baroness Hungerford who married Sir Edward (afterwards Lord) Hasting and the family seat moved to Heytesbury, Wiltshire.
During the English Civil War, the Earl of Essex and his army spent the night here in June 1644. In October of the same year, the Earl of Manchester’s cavalry were also quartered in the town. Then, in the November, the King’s forces arrived in Hungerford on their way to Abingdon.
During the Glorious Revolution of 1688, William of Orange was offered the Crown of England while staying at the Bear Inn in Hungerford. The Hungerford land south of the Kennet was for the centuries, until an 18th-century widespread growth in cultivation the area, in Savernake Forest.
St. Lawrence's parish church stands next to the Kennet and Avon Canal. It was rebuilt in 1814–1816 by John Pinch the elder in Gothic Revival style and refurbished again in the 1850s. In the late 19th century, two policeman were shot by poachers in Eddington. Their memorial crosses still stand where they fell.
Hungerford is on the River Dun. It is the westernmost town in Berkshire, on the border with Wiltshire. It is in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The highest point in the entire South East England region is the 297 m (974 ft) summit of Walbury Hill, centred 4 miles (7 km) from the town centre. The Kennet and Avon Canal separates Hungerford from what might be described as the town's only suburb, the hamlet of Eddington.
Hungerford is situated on several transport routes, of both historic and current importance, including the M4 motorway (junction 14), the Old Bath Road (A4), and the Kennet and Avon Canal (opened 1811). It also has a railway station on the Reading to Taunton line; a reasonable rail service to Newbury, Reading and London means that the Hungerford has developed into something of a dormitory town which has been slowly expanding since the 1980s. Many residents commute to nearby towns such as Newbury, Swindon, Marlborough, Thatcham and Reading.
( Hungerford - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Hungerford . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Hungerford - UK
Join us for more :
Places to see in ( Trowbridge - UK )
Places to see in ( Trowbridge - UK )
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England on the River Biss in the west of the county, 8 miles south east of Bath, Somerset, from which it is separated by the Mendip Hills, which rise 3 miles to the west.
Long a market town, the Kennet and Avon canal runs to the north of Trowbridge and played an instrumental part in the town's development as it enabled coal to be transported from the Somerset Coalfield and so marked the advent of steam-powered manufacturing in woollen cloth mills. The town of Trowbridge was foremost producer of this mainstay of contemporary clothing and blankets in south west England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by which time it held the nickname The Manchester of the West.
The parish encompasses the settlements of Longfield, Lower Studley, Upper Studley, Studley Green and Trowle Common. Adjacent parishes include Staverton, Hilperton, West Ashton, North Bradley, Southwick and Wingfield; nearby towns are Bradford on Avon, Westbury, Melksham, Frome and Devizes.
There is much of architectural interest in Trowbridge, including many of the old buildings associated with the textile industry, and the Newtown conservation area, a protected zone of mostly Victorian houses. The town has six Grade I listed buildings, being St James' Church, Lovemead House and numbers 46, 64, 68 and 70, Fore Street.
Trowbridge railway station was opened in 1848 on the Westbury–Bradford-on-Avon section of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway. Today this line forms part of both the Wessex Main Line (Bristol–Westbury–Southampton) and the Heart of Wessex Line (Bristol–Westbury–Weymouth), while the original route to Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon is used by the TransWilts service. Other services from Trowbridge join the Great Western main line at Bath and Chippenham, or join the Reading to Taunton line at Westbury.
Trowbridge is about 18 miles (29 km) from junction 18 of the M4 motorway (Bath) and the same distance from junction 17 (Chippenham). The A361 runs through the town, connecting it to Swindon to the north-east and Barnstaple to the south-west, while the north-south A350 primary route to Poole passes close to the town.
Within Trowbridge Castle was a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon church. Henry de Bohun turned this to secular use and instead had a new church built outside the Castle; this was the first St James' Church. In the base of the tower of the present day church, below the subsequently added spire, can be seen the Romanesque architecture of the period.
( Trowbridge - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Trowbridge . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Trowbridge - UK
Join us for more :
Places to see in ( Melksham - UK )
Places to see in ( Melksham - UK )
Melksham is a town on the River Avon in Wiltshire, England, about 4 ¹⁄₂ miles northeast of Trowbridge and 6 mi south of Chippenham. Melksham developed at a ford across the River Avon and the name is presumed to derive from meolc, the Old English for milk, and ham, a village. On John Speed's map of Wiltshire (1611), the name is spelt both Melkesam (for the hundred) and Milsham (for the town itself). Melksham was a royal estate at the time of the Norman Conquest.
Melksham is also the name of the Royal forest that occupied the surrounding of the area in the Middle Ages. An announcement was made in the Bath Chronicle in June 1792 of the establishment of the Melksham Bank by the firm of Awdry, Long & Bruges. In November 1813 the misquoting of part of an advertisement in two London newspapers caused panic amongst the bank customers, many of whom quickly withdrew their money, reportedly causing some bustle among the partners of the bank.
In 1815 the Melksham Spa Company was formed by a group of 'respectable gentlemen', with names such as Methuen, Long and others, all of whom had done very well from the now declining textile industry. Their aim was to promote a spa, after abortive attempts to find coal had uncovered two springs.
The civil parish of Melksham includes Melksham Forest, formerly a separate settlement 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the northeast and now a suburb of the town. It has an Anglican church (St Andrew) and a Methodist church Based upon its overall road length, the shortest street in Melksham is aptly called Short Street, situated at the top of Melksham Forest.
The parish of Melksham Without includes several villages and suburbs of Melksham:
Bowerhill, a large residential community generally considered as separate from Melksham, with a large industrial area
Hunter's Meadow, a relatively new district north of Bowerhill
Berryfield, a village south of and adjacent to Melksham, often considered part of the town
Beanacre, a village to the north, again often considered as a northern suburb of the town.
Melksham has an Assembly Hall and the Rachel Fowler Centre while many of the surrounding villages have community halls which offer a wide variety of activities. Melksham Oak Community School offers a variety of sporting and cultural facilities to the community of Melksham.
The town is served by Melksham railway station, on the branch of the Wessex Main Line from Chippenham to Trowbridge, and currently it is served by eight trains in either direction each weekday (5 to 7 on Sunday), up from just 2 a day prior to December 2013. Trains are operated by Great Western Railway.
Melksham is on the north-south A350 main road from the M4 motorway (Junction 17, near Chippenham) to Poole on the south coast. It is served by bus companies including Faresaver and First West of England. The A350 stretch directly to the south of the town has been designed to allow for possible future expansion to dual-carriageway status if required.
( Melksham - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Melksham . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Melksham - UK
Join us for more :
Places to see in ( Frome - UK )
Places to see in ( Frome - UK )
Frome is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. Located at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, the town of Frome
is built on uneven high ground, and centres on the River Frome.
Frome is approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Bath, 43 miles (69 km) east of the county town, Taunton and 107 miles (172 km) west of London.
In April 2010 a large hoard of third-century Roman coins was unearthed in a field near the town. From AD 950 to 1650, Frome was larger than Bath and originally grew due to the wool and cloth industry. It later diversified into metal-working and printing, although these have declined. Frome was enlarged during the 20th century but still retains a very large number of listed buildings, and most of the centre falls within a conservation area.
Frome has road and rail transport links and acts as an economic centre for the surrounding area. It also provides a centre for cultural and sporting activities, including the annual Frome Festival and Frome Museum. A number of notable individuals were born in, or have lived in, the town. In 2014, Frome was called the sixth coolest town in Britain by The Times newspaper. Frome has recently been shortlisted as one of three towns in the country for the 2016 Urbanism Awards in the 'Great Town Award' category.
The area surrounding the town of Frome is Cornbrash, Oxford Clay and Greensand. Frome is unevenly built on high ground above the River Frome, which is crossed by the 16th century town bridge in the town centre. The main areas of the town are (approximately clockwise from the north-west): Innox Hill, Welshmill, Packsaddle, Fromefield, Stonebridge, Clink, Berkley Down, Easthill, Wallbridge, The Mount, Keyford and Lower Keyford, Marston Gate, The Butts, Critchill, Trinity, and Gould's Ground.
The older parts of Frome – for example, around Sheppard's Barton and Catherine Hill – are picturesque, containing an outstanding collection of small late-17th- and 18th-century houses. The Trinity area, which was built in the latter half of the 17th century and first half of the 18th century, is a fine (and rare) example of early industrial housing. Cheap Street contains buildings dating to the 16th and 17th centuries and has a stream running down the middle fed by the spring at St John's Church. Cheap Street has never been used for vehicular traffic and its layout is based on land plots dating to approximately 1500.
Frome is served by the Bristol to Weymouth railway line which passes the eastern edge of the town. Frome station was opened in 1850 and is one of the oldest railway stations still in operation in Britain, now with direct services to London Paddington. Frome is also served by a number of bus routes.
( Frome - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Frome . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Frome - UK
Join us for more :
The West Country: A Guided Tour of Southwest England
Enjoy this sample of a guided tour of Southwest England, a land rich in history and drama.
This 45 minute video released in March 2000 is filled with exotic locations, unforgettable images, and well-crafted narration. Not a how-to-do-it travel video, but rather this video treats the history of the area with emphasis on its contrasts and conflicts. The DVD is available at amazon.com .
Included in the full version of The West Country are visits to Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Avon, Wiltshire, and Dorset counties. No rain and wind here, just sunny days and beautiful countryside. We visit cathedrals, ancient cities, mysterious structures, castles, and treacherous coastlines.
Produced by John Woods and Keith Cash, and narrated by Kevin Pierce.
Available at amazon.com on DVD and VHS.
Cool Areas to Visit in London | MAYFAIR
In today's cool areas to visit in london - you will get to see highlights of the Mayfair area. Mayfair is an exclusive and upscale part of London, you will see cool townhouses, luxury apartments, cars, shops and its sits between shopping areas of Regent street and Bond street.
Its a great area to walk around and discover something different away from the popular attractions and of course some hidden secrets like you will see here !
MORE HELPFUL LONDON VIDEOS: