Page 106 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast

104  ENGLAND ’ S SOUTH C O AST REGION B Y REGION

t Bowood House
Calne, Wiltshire. Map A1. Tel 01249
812102. 3 Chippenham, then taxi. @
Open Apr–Oct: 11am–6pm daily (last
adm: 1 hr before closing). Closed
Oct–late Mar. & 8 by appt. 7
limited. 0 - = ∑ bowood.org
This grand mansion was built
for the Shelburne-Lansdowne
family in the mid-18th century,
with magnificent interiors by
Robert Adam. Some sections
were demolished in the 1950s,
but the remaining house is still Historic buildings lining Market Place in the town of Devizes
impressive. In addition to the rich
collection of paintings, sculpture Thursdays, but there are many u Lacock
and jewellery, visitors can see special markets at other times. Wiltshire. Map F3. * 1,200.
the laboratory where Joseph The Market Cross has a plaque 3 Chippenham, then taxi.
Priestley (invited to Bowood with the cautionary tale of Ruth _ Scarecrow Festival: late Mar.
by his patron Lord Shelburne) Pierce, who in 1753 said that God
discovered oxygen in 1774. should strike her down if she Maintained in its pristine state by
Gorgeous formal and walled cheated her neighbours on the the National Trust, the charming
gardens surround the house, price of wheat, and almost imme- village of Lacock has provided
while the lake-filled grounds – diately dropped dead. Georgian the backdrop to many films and
landscaped by “Capability” Brown houses, some of the town’s 500- TV series, including the Harry
(see p25) – include a Doric temple, plus listed historic buildings, Potter films and historic drama
cascades and playgrounds. The surround the Market Place. Downton Abbey.
estate also has a golf course, On Long Street, the Wiltshire The River Avon forms the
a luxurious hotel and a spa. Museum contains an array of boundary to the churchyard,
archaeological finds from Avebury where stone figures look down
(see p103), Stonehenge (see from the 14th-century Church
y Devizes pp102–3) and other prehistoric of St Cyriac. Inside the church is
sites on Salisbury Plain. the Renaissance-style tomb of
Wiltshire. Map A1. * 12,000. @ n
Wiltshire Museum; 41 Long St; 01380 Sir William Sharington (1495–
800400. ( Thu. ∑ devizes.org.uk E Wiltshire Museum 1553), who acquired Lacock
41 Long St. Tel 01380 727369. Abbey after the Dissolution (see
This historic town once held Open Mar–Oct: 10am–5pm Mon– p36) and made it his residence.
markets almost every day in its Sat, noon–4pm Sun; Nov–Feb: The abbey later passed to
broad Market Place. The regular 10am–5pm Tue–Sat. & 7 = the Talbot family, and in the late
market is now only held on ∑ wiltshiremuseum.org.uk 18th century John Ivory Talbot
had it remodelled in the then-
fashionable Gothic Revival style.
Salisbury Plain William Henry Fox Talbot, one
Extending over 780 sq km (300 sq miles), Salisbury Plain is a huge chalk of the pioneers of photography,
plateau of rolling hills or downlands, filling most of Wiltshire and part took one of the world’s first
of Hampshire. From the early Middle Ages, its broad grasslands were photographic images from the
largely used as sheep pasture, but in prehistoric times this was one South Gallery window in 1835,
of the first extensively inhabited parts of Britain, as is reflected in its creating the first-ever negative.
wealth of world-famous archaeological sites, such as Stonehenge and Part of the abbey is occupied by
Avebury. Since World War II, around half the plain has been a military the Fox Talbot Museum, which
training area closed to the public, which curiously has preserved explores Fox Talbot’s role in the
much of its wild vegetation and fauna. history of photography.
P Lacock Abbey
Lacock. Tel 01249 730459. Open
Abbey: Mar–Oct: 11am–5pm daily;
Nov–Feb: 11:30am–3:30pm Sat & Sun
(also Thu & Fri in Dec). Museum &
Grounds: Mar–Oct: 10:30am–5:30pm
daily; Nov–Feb: 11am–4pm daily.
Closed 1 Jan, 25 & 26 Dec. &
Panoramic view of the rolling hills and grasslands of Salisbury Plain 7 limited. - = ø ∑ national
trust.org.uk
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp176–7 and pp186–8

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