Must-see attractions in Wiltshire

  • Blue skies over Stonehenge historic site

    Stonehenge

    Stonehenge

    An ultramodern makeover at ancient Stonehenge has brought an impressive visitor centre and the closure of an intrusive road (now restored to grassland)…

  • The West Kennet Long Barrow is part of the Avebury Neolithic complex in Wiltshire.

    Avebury Stone Circle

    Wiltshire

    With a diameter of 348m, Avebury is the largest stone circle in the world. It's also one of the oldest, dating from 2500 to 2200 BC. Today, more than 30…

  • Longleat

    Wiltshire

    Half ancestral mansion, half wildlife park, Longleat was transformed into Britain's first safari park in 1966, turning Capability Brown's landscaped…

  • Visitor Centre

    Stonehenge

    The highlight here is a 360-degree projection of Stonehenge through the ages and seasons – complete with midsummer sunrise and swirling star-scape…

  • Stourhead

    Wiltshire

    Overflowing with vistas, temples and follies, Stourhead is landscape gardening at its finest. The Palladian house has some fine Chippendale furniture and…

  • Avebury Manor

    Wiltshire

    The mother of all makeovers at this 16th-century manor house used original techniques and materials to recreate interiors spanning five periods. Being…

  • Malmesbury Abbey

    Wiltshire

    Malmesbury Abbey is a blend of ruin and living church, with a somewhat turbulent history. Notable features include the Norman doorway decorated with…

  • Lacock Abbey

    Wiltshire

    Lacock Abbey is a window into a medieval world. Founded as an Augustinian nunnery in the 13th century, its deeply atmospheric rooms and stunning Gothic…

  • Silbury Hill

    Wiltshire

    Rising abruptly from the fields just south of Avebury, 40m-high Silbury Hill is the largest artificial earthwork in Europe, comparable in height and…

  • Woodhenge

    Stonehenge

    Woodhenge is a series of six concentric rings that would once have been staked out by wooden posts (today, concrete markers do the job), and may have…

  • West Kennet Long Barrow

    Wiltshire

    England's finest burial mound dates from around 3500 BC. Its entrance is guarded by huge sarsens and its roof is made out of gigantic overlapping…

  • Fox Talbot Museum

    Wiltshire

    William Henry Fox Talbot (1800–77) pioneered the photographic negative. A prolific inventor, he began developing the system in 1834 while working at…

  • Tithe Barn

    Wiltshire

    This vast 14th-century stone structure originally belonged to monks from Shaftesbury Abbey, and was used to store tithes (a 10% produce tax) during the…

  • King Alfred's Tower

    Wiltshire

    A 50m-high folly with wonderful views. It's part of the National Trust property Stourhead, some 8 miles south of Frome.

  • Abbey House Gardens

    Wiltshire

    Beautifully kept, 2-hectare gardens featuring neatly clipped hedges, a herb garden, a waterfall and colourful English country cottage–style blooms.

  • Barber Surgeon Stone

    Wiltshire

    Named after the skeleton of a man found under it – the equipment buried with him suggests he was a barber-cum-surgeon.

  • Swindon Stone

    Wiltshire

    A massive 65-tonne stone, which is one of the few at Avebury never to have been toppled.

  • Dovecote

    Wiltshire

    A 16th-century, Grade II–listed dovecote.

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