“Discovering Marlborough’s History: Around the High Street” introduces the town’s fascinating past.
Beginning at the Tourist Information Point in the George Lane car park (SN8 1BE), the High Street is reached via the town’s Priory Gardens, the site of a medieval Carmelite Friary.
Notable for its diverse range of building styles: the prevalence of Georgian reflects Marlborough’s wealth during the golden age of coaching, which saw up to 44 changes of horses daily.
The 1653 great fire began in a tannery, now “The Wellington” inn, destroying most of the High Street.
Marlborough had been sacked by a Royalist army in 1642 determined to teach Marlborough’s “notoriously discontented” people a lesson. It was thanks to the Protector Cromwell that it was rebuilt after the fire.
Opposite the town hall, with its fancy stone facings, is Chandler’s Yard, where the walk finishes (SN8 1HT).
The ancient, timber-framed buildings here connect us with the medieval town. We can almost smell Marlborough’s deep history.
The walk covers generally flat terrain with a few very gentle gradients. It involves easy walking throughout and is suitable for wheelchair users. Dogs are welcome provided they are kept fully under control.
The length of the walk is approximately 0.75 mile. The duration is one hour.
Public toilet facilities (20p charge) are available at the start of the walk next to the Tourist Infomation point in the George Lane car park.
See sketch map below for details of the route.
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“Discovering Marlborough’s History; the River Kennet, The Parade, and The Green” follows the river before exploring the ancient part of the town dominated by St Mary’s church. The walk begins at the Tourist Information Point at the George Lane car park (SN8 1BE).
This is chalk downland country. Water meadows enabled early spring grasses to feed sheep. Watermills milled flour to make bread: some operated stocks to full woollen cloth.
Flanked by the former rope works, congregational church, and grammar school, “The Marsh” was renamed “The Parade” after rifle volunteers who “paraded” here in the nineteenth century.
Once the place where timber was sawed and sheep fairs held, The Green is at the heart of historic Marlborough. William Golding lived here as a boy, one can only wonder if inspiration for “Lord of Flies” came from Grammar school, or College boys.
Rebuilt as a puritan preaching house during the English Republic, from the ashes of the 1653 fire, St Mary’s church is quintessential Marlborough, its attractive ashlar tower completing the scene. The walk finishes here (SN8 1JE).
The walk covers generally flat terrain with a few gentle gradients. It involves easy walking throughout and is suitable for wheelchair users. Dogs are welcome provided they are kept fully under control.
The length of the walk is approximately 0.75 mile. The duration is one hour.
Public toilet facilities (20p charge) are available at the start of the walk next to the Tourist Infomation point in the George Lane car park.
See sketch map below for details of the route.
The walk starts by Church House in Church Street at the northern entrance to St Mary's churchyard (SN11 0HU). The route encompasses Church Street; St Mary’s Church; Kingsbury Street; The Green, famous for its historic clothiers’ houses and workshops; and continues to the High Street ending at the Pig Sculpture at the entrance to Phelps Parade (SN11 0HA). The length of the walk is approximately 0.75 of a mile. It is timed to last an hour.
The walk starts by the Estcourt Fountain on the Market Place. The Fountain is close to the Black Swan Hotel (SN10 1JQ). The route encompasses the Market Place, St John’s Street, St John's Church, St John’s churchyard, The Brittox, part of Maryport Street and Monday Market Street, and part of New Park Street. The walk ends at the point where Snuff Street enters the Market Place. The length of the walk is approximately 0.75 of a mile. It is timed to last an hour.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the great Romantic poet, lived in Calne with his friends in a rented house from November 1814 to March 1816 whilst recovering from a laudanum-induced mental breakdown. He wrote his life work, the “Biographia Literaria”, and had his play, “Remorse”, performed here. Coleridge would have known St Mary’s church; the Lansdowne Coaching Inn, then known as “The Wheel”; the Bentley Free School; the canal wharf; and the sites of the old town hall, the town mill and millpond, the wooden bridge over the River Marden, and Thomas Bishop’s druggists where Coleridge obtained his laudanum. Coleridge benefitted greatly from living in Calne and drew inspiration from it and the surrounding area. St Mary’s church reminded Coleridge of his childhood in Ottery St Mary, Devon. The walk starts opposite the house where Coleridge lived by Church House (SN11 0HU) at the northern entrance to St Mary’s churchyard and ends at the Pig Sculpture in Phelps Parade (SN11 0HA). The walk starts outside. The length of the walk is approximately 0.75 of a mile. It is timed to last an hour.
I charge a basic £45 for groups up to 6. For larger groups I charge £7.50 a head. The maximum group size is generally 16.
Payment can be made by cash or cheque on the day of the talk or guided walk. Please make cheques payable to Mr N Baxter.
Please e-mail me on nickbaxter.history@gmail.com with the details of the walk you would like to book. A rough idea of numbers would be helpful. Please let me know if any of the group have disability issues so I can accomodate. Give me the time and date you would like. I will then confirm the availability and any special arrangements.
I am flexible and will always tailor my walks to fit the group I am leading. The starting and finishing points for my walks are given within the walk details above. I try to adhere to a maximum group size of 16. Please ask if there are any other queries.
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