DESTINATION:
Wiltshire
The West Country is a term that is loosely applied to the south westerly region of England and encompasses many historic cities. However, our tour focuses on the area in and around Salisbury, which can be used as a base from which to explore this characterful pocket of the country and crossing borders into Wiltshire and Hampshire.
Recommended duration - 4 nights/5 days
KEY VISITS (Recommended)
- SALISBURY CATHEDRAL – built between 1220 and 1258, the Cathedral is a fine example of the Early English style of Gothic architecture, with striking features such as sharply pointed lancet windows. It boasts the tallest spire in England, a landmark that can be seen for miles around. The ecclesiastical buildings around the Cathedral include the following:
- THE CHAPTER HOUSE – displaying a copy of the Magna Carta with walls decorated with scenes from the Old Testament.
- THE CLOSE – with its schools, hospitals, theological colleges and clergy housing, making a wonderful setting for the Cathedral.
- MATRONS COLLEGE – built in 1682 as a home for clergy widows.
- MALMESBURY HOUSE – with its lovely Queen Anne façade.
- WILTON HOUSE – home of the 17th Earl of Pembroke and his family, the house has been their ancestral seat for 450 years although it was largely rebuilt by Indigo Jones in the 17th century. The art collection is one of the finest in Europe with over 230 original paintings on display.
- STOURHEAD HOUSE and GARDENS (Stourton) – the garden, with enchanting lakes and temples, rare trees and plants is one of the most famous examples of the early 18th century English landscape movement. The house contains a library, picture gallery, fine furniture and works of art.
- WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL – the first church to be built on this site dates back to 648 but the present building was begun in 1079. Originally a Benedictine monastery, the Cathedral was repeatedly modified until the beginning of the early 16th century, and today boasts the oldest choir in England, dating from 1308.
- AVINGTON PARK – located to the North of Winchester, Avington Park is a Palladian mansion set in its own parkland grounds. Georgian, Tudor and Victorian architecture are offset with sweeping lawns leading to the River Itchen and a house tour includes the Main Hall, Library, Conservatory, Ballroom and Drawing Room.
- HAROLD HILLIER GARDENS and ARBORETUM (Romsey) – comprises the greatest collection of wild and cultivated woody plants in the world. Established in 1953 by the late Sir Harold Hillier, the 180-acre garden provides a stunning range of seasonal colour.
- LACOCK ABBEY and VILLAGE (National Trust, Chippenham) – founded in 1232, the abbey was converted into a fine country house c.1540. The superb medieval cloisters, sacristy, chapter house and monastic rooms are largely intact and are complemented by the handsome 16th century stable courtyard with its half-timbered gables, clock house, brewery and bake house. Within the abbey is THE MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY, which commemorates the extraordinary achievements of William Fox Talbot (1800-77), inventor of the modern photographic negative, who lived at the abbey and whose family later gave the abbey and village to the National Trust.
- The stunning and evocative LACOCK VILLAGE dates back to the 13th century and has many lime-washed half-timbered and stone houses, as well as a 14th century tithe barn.
ALTERNATIVE VISITS
- MONTACUTE HOUSE (National Trust, Yeovil) – familiar from the award-winning film Sense and Sensibility, this glittering Elizabethan house is adorned with elegant chimneys, carved parapets, fine Renaissance plasterwork, chimney-pieces and heraldic glass, magnificent State Rooms, 17th and 18th century pieces as well as Elizabethan and Jacobean paintings from the National Portrait Gallery. The collection of textiles includes tapestries and an exhibition of 17th century samplers.
- DYRHAM PARK (National Trust, Bath) – set in a beautiful park at one end of the Cotswold Ridge, this magnificent house was built between 1691 and 1710 for King William III’s Secretary of State, William Blathwayt. The rooms remain very much as they were originally designed and reflect the contemporary taste for Dutch fashions with fittings and furnishings from Holland. There is also a notable collection of Dutch masters, intricately made furniture and fine textiles on display. The Victorian domestic rooms have recently been restored and the public can visit the kitchen, bells passage, bakehouse, larders and delft-tiled diary. Dyrham Park can be included as part of a full day visit to Bath, which is possible from Salisbury.
- MALMESBURY ABBEY – in its heyday the Abbey was one of the largest buildings in the country and had its own farms, barns, brewery, bake house, dairy and laundry. The present building dates from the middle of the 12th century although today it is only a fragment of its former size.
FURTHER AFIELD
- PORTSMOUTH – a full day trip with possible visits from the list below:
- SPINNAKER TOWER – 170 metres high it is the city’s most prominent landmark located on the waterfront at Gunwharf Quays.
- PORTSMOUTH HISTORIC DOCKYARD – where exhibits include the Royal Navy’s most famous warship, HMS VICTORY. She was built between 1759 and 1765 and was the ship from which Nelson planned and led 27 British ships into battle off Cape Trafalgar against a combined French and Spanish fleet. The dockyard is also home to HMS WARRIOR (1860). She was the very first ship to be constructed with an iron hull and was faster and more heavily armed than any other ship afloat at that time. The world-famous MARY ROSE was built between 1510 and 1511 for Henry VIII and tragically sank off Portsmouth in 1545. She was not re-discovered until the 1970s, and was finally raised in 1982. Located opposite HMS Victory in fine Georgian storehouses is THE ROYAL NAVAL MUSEUM, which contains a fine display of ship models, figureheads, swords, uniforms, medals and fine paintings.
- THE D-DAY MUSEUM – first opened in 1984 to commemorate and to educate visitors about the D-Day invasion of Normandy by Allied Forces on 06 June 1944 (known as ‘Operation Overlord’). The centrepiece of the museum is the spectacular OVERLORD EMBROIDERY, which was commissioned by Lord Dulverton of Batsford and was made by 20 skilled embroiderers from the Royal School of Needlework between 1968 and 1973. The total length of the embroidery is 83 metres (10 metres longer than the Bayeux Tapestry), spread over 34 panels, and each scene is vividly depicted.