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).