Malmesbury Wiltshire
I spent several years living in Malmesbury, located on the edge of the Cotswold’s in the county of Wiltshire. For a small country town it is well served with all the necessary shops, many of their buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th-century, but what makes it unique are the places of interest and its long and rich history. It is thought to be the oldest continually inhabited town in England and lays in the shadow of the imposing and beautiful 7th century Abbey and Abbey House Gardens.
Records reveal details and history of the town as far back as the 5th century, and excavations in recent times have revealed the remnants of an Iron Age Fort, which could infer, that it was a settlement as far back as 500 BC. St. Aldhelm founded the monastery in AD 675 and the site quickly became somewhere of pilgrimage and learning. During the 10th Century, the first king of (all) England Athelstan, the grandson of Alfred the Great, made Malmesbury his capital. It is believed that he is buried under the abbey itself.
During the English Civil Wars the town was fiercely fought over and it is said to have changed hands seven times. The south facing side of the abbey still shows the scars of gunshots and cannon fire. The abbey is still a place worship today and hosts many interesting festivals and events throughout the year.