Devizes Heritage is a website about the history, archaeology, the green areas and open spaces around Devizes and its villages. It is a non-profit site with no advertisements or pop ups.   

 

The site is relatively new, being founded in August 2009. We are continually developing resources, photo-galleries and links to the useful websites. The links will take you detailed pages about the town's development, local archaeology, its listed buildings and their historic residents, the Castle, Civil War battles, our Churches, old and modern schools, the Railway and Devizes Prison. Interesting people who lived and worked in and around Devizes are discussed.  

 

The green open spaces around Devizes provide a beautiful environment for residents and visitors alike. These pages provide some information about their conservation and recreational use.   Development of areas with in and close to Devizes have had and are having a huge impact on the quaity of life here.

 

     Click HISTORY  for information about prehistory and archaeology, the Castle, Devizes in the Civil War and the battle of Roundway Down 1643, our Churches, historic and listed houses , the Railway in Devizes, existing and past Schools, and the old Prison with details of some public hangings. 

Below is St, John's Church; this was built at the same time as the Castle in the early 12th century.

 The town developed around the Norman castle and Churches; the archaeological evidence is discussed. This is a developing section and it contains only a small section on Avebury but this will develop over time.

 

    Click OPEN SPACES for information about the Green, the Downs around Devizes, Roundway Hill and Oliver’s Castle, Drew's Pond, our White Horses and footpaths.

 

  Click CONTACT  to talk to Devizes Heritage, add useful material to the website or send us corrections.  

 

  Click GALLERIES for photos on heritage topics.  

 

Devizes Heritage is currently researching the Battle of Roundway , potential Burial sites for this battle and the exact location of Bromham House the important medieval "palace" home of the Baynton family.

 

 Below: Oliver's Castle, an iron age hill fort in Bromham Parish.  

Below: One of the Potential burial site for the 600 dead at the Battle of Roundway in 1643. There are 60 yew trees at this site.

Comments, corrections, ideas for new pages and contributions are very welcome. Please e-mail Devizes Heritage via the Contact page or phone Alan Carter on 01380 723519.

 

 

Devizes from Roundway Hill. The green park land in the foreground is part of the New Park which from the early 1700s to 1955 was home to 4 very significant Devizes families. See the Roundway House page.

The white building (back right) is Hillworth House.  Hillworth House is the focal point of Hillworth Park which will shortly undergo a £1.9 million improvement programme. This will vastly improve play facilities for children, provide a building with a café with a meeting room and conserve and improve the grade 2 18th century Pavilion. The project is a Devizes Town Council initiative with joint funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Hillworth Park Gazetteer documents the Park and its history.

 

Above: is an unusual photo of Devizes Castle .  This photo was taken from the Tower of St. James Church - this church was originally part of Bishops Canning and it is set next to the historic   Crammer Pond and Green below.  

The market place provides a venue for summer and May fairs. Below is a Devizes Morris dancing group.  Devizes market is held in the historic  Market Square every Thursday. French markets are held there too from time to time.

Below - the much loved Wadworth Shire Horses deliver beer every day to Wadworth's chain of pubs in Devizes.

Below: Pewsey Vale poppies.s.