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Malmesbury - "Queen of hilltop
towns" the description given by the Town Council. The town of
Malmesbury is reputed to be the oldest borough in England and received
its charter in AD880 from King Alfred the Great, although there is earlier recorded evidence
noted by the Venerable Bede when the town
was called Maeldulphi Urbs. |
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The hilltop town is surrounded by two
forks of the River Avon and in conjunction with the steep slopes creates
a natural defence which was enhanced by great walls to fortify the town
and remains can still be seen.
The town is dominated by the remains of the great 7th century
Benedictine Monastery- the jewel in the crown- built by Aldhelm
a nephew of King Ina of Wessex. |
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Abbey House Gardens
Athelstan Museum
Chavenage House
Malmesbury Abbey
Police Station Museum
Westonbirt Arboretum |
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At the Dissolution in 1539, the
Abbey was sold to a William Stumpe who promptly returned the nave to the
town's people to be used as the parish church replacing the church of St
Paul which had fallen into decay. The Abbey has seen many important
visitors and the building is the final resting place of King
Althelstan who's tomb is situated in the north aisle. |
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Buses
Rail
Roads
Airports |
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Like most Cotswold towns, Malmesbury was
a wealthy wool town and some of the weavers cottages
in the High Street and the 18th century woollen mills at St Johns Bridge
can be seen.
Malmesbury has a history of "firsts", King Athelstan was the
first King of England, the monk Eilmer
became the first aeronaut when he flew a short distance from the top of
the Abbey and in more recent times the inventor James Dyson developed
and manufactured the first cyclone vacuum cleaner. |
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The town is still bustling and vibrant and
the High Street is home to a good selection of small shops but the major
retail chains are rare with two or three well known names lining the
street.
Manufacturing has played a part in the wealth of the town during the
20th century with electrical appliances being made at the old EKCO plant
on the outskirts. The site became part of Lucent Technologies and the
company closed the site in 2002. James Dyson took over the former
Linolite factory to create a workforce of around 1800 to manufacture the
vacuum cleaner and washing machines but a scale down in the production
of the products in the UK resulted in a loss of about 800 jobs to
Malaysia during 2002. |
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The town has been designated an Outstanding
Conservation Area and besides the Abbey has many buildings of
architectural interest still standing. The Old Bell Hotel next to the
Abbey was once a guest house for the Abbey , on the opposite side of the
Abbey is the Abbey House and Abbey
House Gardens and in the town centre the 500 year old market cross,
one of the finest in the country. A tour of the town will give a greater
insight to the age and developement of the town and a visit to Athelstan
Museum gives a brief look into the history of the town and
surrounding area. |
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Taxi & Private Hire, Car Hire,
Doctors,
Hospital,
Schools,
Shops,
Clubs & Groups,
Sport & Leisure
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Find out
the history of the town by following the |
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MALMESBURY
TOWN TRAIL
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