Wiltshire

I

Introduction

Wiltshire (abbreviation, Wilts) county, south-western England, bordered on the north by Gloucestershire, on the east by West Berkshire, on the south-east by Hampshire, on the south by Dorset, and on the west by the county of Somerset and the unitary authorities of South Gloucestershire and Bath and North-East Somerset. In 1997, the area of the Thamesdown district council, comprising the town of Swindon and its rural environs in the north-east of the county, was administratively separated from Wiltshire to create a unitary authority called Borough of Swindon. However, the area remains part of Wiltshire for geographical and ceremonial purposes.

Wiltshire is a landlocked, predominantly agricultural county. It has a geographical area of 3,486 sq km (1,344 sq mi); the area administered by the county council (that is excluding Swindon Borough Council unitary authority area) is 3,256 sq km (1,257 sq mi). Trowbridge is the seat of local government. Wiltshire is rich in prehistoric monuments. Stonehenge is the best known, while Avebury is considered by archaeologists to be the most significant stone circle in the world.

II

Land and Resources

Wiltshire consists mainly of a chalk upland, bordered by lowlands to the north-west and south-east, and an area of clay to the west. The chalk plateau, which occupies about two-thirds of the county and includes the Marlborough Downs and Salisbury Plain, provides open rolling countryside with poor soils and drainage, few trees, but perfect grazing land for sheep. The various chalk downs of southern England radiate in all directions from Salisbury Plain, on the northern edge of which lies the Vale of Pewsey. Savernake Forest, in the east of the county, is an area of oak and beech trees. The principal rivers are the Kennet; the Wylye; the Salisbury, or East Avon; and the Bristol, or Lower Avon. There are outcrops of sarsen (a kind of sandstone) in the Marlborough Downs, which the prehistoric inhabitants put to good use at Avebury and Stonehenge. At Chilmark, to the west of Salisbury, stone was quarried for building the cathedral, but Wiltshire is otherwise not rich in building stone. Flint and thatch are features of domestic architecture, as well as bricks and tiles made from local clay.

The county enjoys a moderate climate, with an average annual rainfall in the region of 760-1,000 mm (30-40 in).

III

Population and Administration

The population of Wiltshire was estimated in 2001 at about 613,000; that of the administrative county (excluding Swindon) is estimated at 432,973 (2001). Swindon (1995 estimate, 173,769) is the largest town of the geographical county. Other major towns are Trowbridge, the county seat (1991, 29,334); Salisbury (2001, 114,614), the diocesan centre; Chippenham (1991, 25,961); and Devizes (1991, 13,205). Until April 1, 1997, Wiltshire was administered by a county council and five district councils: Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, Thamesdown, and West Wiltshire. The administrative changes implemented on that date, which saw Thamesdown district council transformed into Swindon Borough Council unitary authority, have left the two-tier system of county and district councils in the remainder of Wiltshire unchanged. The police authority is the Wiltshire Constabulary, which has its headquarters at Devizes. There are Crown Courts at Salisbury and Swindon.

IV

Education and Culture

The boys’ public school, Marlborough College, was founded in 1843. The Royal Military College of Science, affiliated to Cranfield University, has a campus in Shrivenham, adjacent to the Joint Services Command and Staff College.

Charles Dickens is said to have gained inspiration for The Pickwick Papers from the Wiltshire village of Pickwick, near Corsham. Malmesbury, one of the oldest towns in England, was the birthplace of philosopher Thomas Hobbes. English architect Sir Christopher Wren was born in the village of East Knoyle, near the Wiltshire-Dorset border. The village of Lacock, near Chippenham, was the home of William Henry Fox Talbot, one of the pioneers of the development of modern photography.

Swindon Town FC, based at the County Ground in Swindon, is the county’s only professional football club.