Author: nick_xylas

Posted on

Wessex Attractions: Marden Henge

Marden Henge, 5½ miles southeast of Devizes, is the third of Wiltshire’s major prehistoric sites, along with Stonehenge and Avebury, though less well-known than either. It is the site of Hatfield Barrow, a Bronze Age burial chamber. In July 2015, archaeologists from the University of Reading found a 4000-year-old skeleton believed to be that of a teenager, buried with an amber necklace at nearby Wilsford Henge.

Marden Henge covered some 26 acres, making it larger than Stonehenge or Avebury. Unfortunately, little of it now survives. It merits only the briefest mention in the book Prehistoric Sacred Sites of Wessex by Kent Goodman (Wessex Books, 1997), whose gazetteer simply describes it as “A large henge, now barely visible”. However, anyone wishing to visit it once lockdown ends should use satnav postcode SN10 3RQ, or Salisbury Reds service 101 or 210 from Devizes.

Posted on

Wessex Attractions: Prior Park Landscape Gardens

Prior Park Landscape Gardens is one of the must-see attractions in Bath. In the time before The Awfulness, it was undergoing restoration by the National Trust to help return it to its Georgian splendour, the way it looked in 1764 when its creator, Ralph Allen, died. Work was being done on the dams when lockdown began, to repair damage to the riverbanks by an invasive species, the American signal crayfish.

Allen, a Cornishman, became postmaster of Bath at the age of 19. He greatly reformed the postal service, and invested the money he made into local quarries at Bathampton and Combe Down. He had Prior Park, a Palladian mansion, built to showcase the local Bath Stone. It was designed by neo-druidical nutcase/genius John Wood the Elder, whose influence can still be seen in Bath’s architecture to this day. The gardens were probably designed by Capability Brown. This is not certain, but £60 was owing to him at the time of Allen’s death, so it seems likely.

The mansion house is now used as a Catholic secondary school, but the gardens are still open to the public, or at least will be once lockdown ends. The postcode is BA2 5AH, and the gardens are served by the no 2 bus from Bath Spa station, as well as the various sightseeing buses that operate in the city.

Posted on

Wessex Attractions: Clevedon Court

Clevedon Court was built in the early 14th century by one John de Clevedon, and added to over the years, with the Great Hall and St Peter’s Chapel being the earliest surviving parts of the building. It was purchased in 1709 by Abraham Elton, a former Sheriff of Bristol and prominent “merchant venturer” (slave trader). The Elton family’s improvements include a six-level, south-facing terraced garden.

The property is now owned by the National Trust, though the Elton family remains in residence there. The postcode, once it opens again to visitors, is BS21 6QU.

Posted on

Wessex Attractions: Pepperbox Hill

Pepperbox Hill, six miles south of Salisbury, is the site of one of the earliest follies, built in 1606, before the term “folly” was in common use, at least in an architectural context. Built in 1606 by local landowner Giles Eyre for his wife Jane (not that one), its exact function is the subject of debate. The general consensus seems to be that it was some kind of hunting lodge for rich weirdos.

The octagonal building appears to have been modelled on the Tower of the Winds in Athens, as does a similar folly in County Down, Ireland. Now owned by the National Trust, the tower itself is closed to the public, but the surrounding chalk ridge offers magnificent views of the surrounding area. It is a popular spot with dog walkers, so watch where you tread!

The postcode, for satnav purposes, is SP5 3QL.

Posted on

Essential Wessex: The Prayer Book Rebellion

Plaque in Sampford Courtenay

The Prayer Book Rebellion, also known as the Western Rebellion, was an uprising that took place in Devon and Cornwall in 1549. At the time, there was already social unrest due to a poll tax on sheep, and rumours that it was due to be expanded to other forms of livestock. This was a major burden on farming communities. The straw that broke the camel’s back proved to be the introduction of the Book of Common Prayer in place of the Latin mass.

The use of English was particularly unpopular in the western parts of Cornwall, where there were still many monoglot Cornish speakers at the time. But it was in Sampford Courtenay in Devon where both the first and the last battles of the rebellion were fought.

The rebellion began when a local farmer, William Hellyons, was run through with a pitchfork for supporting the change. The rebels marched on Exeter, where they were defeated by forces summoned by the Council of the West, the regional government set up by Henry VIII. The leader of the rebels, Humphrey Arundell, regrouped at Sampford Courtenay with the promise of reinforcements from Winchester, but was betrayed by his secretary, John Kessell. The reinforcements never came, and vastly outnumbered, the rebels were thoroughly defeated.

The Western Rebellion is still considered an important part of Cornish history. Hopefully, this very brief summary shows that it has a Wessex dimension as well.