Wiltshire Leasing

Did You Know?

Wiltshire has some strange named places; Lover (pronounced Lowver), which is famous for its visits by romantics near Valentine’s Day; New Zealand which can be found just off the A3102 south of Lyneham; and Tiddleywink, which is situated just outside Castle Combe.

Wiltshire is characterised by its high downland and wide valleys. Salisbury Plain is noted for being the location of the Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles and other ancient landmarks, and as a training area for the British Army. The city of Salisbury is notable for its medieval cathedral.

Wiltshire is notable for its pre-Roman archaeology. The Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age people 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.

At the time of the Domesday Survey the industry of Wiltshire was largely agricultural; 390 mills are mentioned, and vineyards at Tollard and Lacock. In the succeeding centuries sheep-farming was vigorously pursued, and the Cistercian monastery of Stanley exported wool to the Florentine and Flemish markets in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Did you know that Stonehenge in Wiltshire attracts over 1.3m people of year? The massive sarsen stones came from Marlborough, 20 miles away, the smaller bluestones from the Preseli Mountains of South Wales, a distance of almost 200 miles.

Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire is unusual in that it was built within a single century, has the tallest spire (404ft), largest cloisters and largest cathedral close (80 acres) in Britain.

Poldark was filmed in Corsham Wiltshire, The Land-locked market town became Truro for the hit BBC series.

The world’s oldest surviving photograph was taken at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire by William Fox Talbot in 1835? It is of the Oriel Window in the library, and though simple it is rather beautiful. William Talbot owned the house, which now has a museum dedicated to his work.

Most of the village scenes in the 1968 Doctor Doolittle film were shot in Castle Combe in Wiltshire? Contrary to the usual tales of everyone loving the experience, villagers were greatly annoyed by some of the actions of the film crew.