20 Attractions to Explore Near Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre

Lacock Abbey is a country house with monastic roots and Britain's birthplace of photography. It is set in spacious wooded grounds, with plenty of space to picnic, and is now recognizable from films varying from Pride and Prejudice to Harry Potter. It was home to the Fox Talbot family. In the early 19th century, polymath William Henry Fox Talbot invented the photographic negative, a cornerstone in the rise of photography as both an art and a popular hobby.

Corsham Court is a beautiful Elizabethan mansion built in 1582 and much remodelled over the subsequent centuries. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul Methuen, the diplomat. It is currently the home of the present Baron Methuen, James Methuen-Campbell, the eighth generation of the Methuens to live there.

Bowood House & Gardens is the home of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne. Bowood offers a fantastic day out in Wiltshire for all the family. Famous for one of the UK’s most extensive Adventure Playgrounds, children are guaranteed the time of their lives. This house has a rich history with a wealth of art and antiques on display, and within the numerous Exhibition Rooms are remarkable collections of family heirlooms and works of art built up over 250 years.

Castle Combe Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Wiltshire, England, approximately 20 miles from Bristol. The circuit is based on the perimeter track of a former World War II airfield, and was opened for racing in 1950. Races include a home-circuit championship with classes for Saloon cars, Sports and GTs, and Formula Ford. Racing clubs from around the UK include the track in the events for their championships, including the 750 Motor Club, and BRSCC.

The only motor museum in Wiltshire. The majority of the exhibits are cars from the 1920s onwards plus a collection of motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles. There is also interesting memorabilia, the Jack Spittle Model Lorry Collection plus a reconstructed 1930s style garage complete with vehicles.

The Manor House Golf Club is nestled in 365 acres of Cotswold countryside, bordering the village of Castle Combe. The championship 18-hole golf course also houses The Clubhouse for food and drink, The Loft, our state of the art gym and The Waterfall Lodge suitable for overnight golf breaks. The Manor House Hotel enjoys a beautifully secluded setting alongside the village of Castle Combe, film location for Stephen Spielberg’s War Horse, but is just a short drive from the world famous city of Bath

A beautiful museum dedicated to showcasing the heritage of the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and their contribution to enduring engineering excellence. The Museum’s unique collection includes an extensive weapons display, historic repair and recovery vehicles, uniforms, medals, tools and test equipment.

Great Chalfield Manor is an English country house at Great Chalfield, about 2.5 miles northeast of the town of Bradford on Avon in the west of the county of Wiltshire. The house consists of a great hall, a panelled dining room, a solar with an oriel window and chambers in each gable. The moated manor house was built around 1465–1480 for Thomas Tropenell, a modest member of the landed gentry who made a fortune as a clothier. It is on the site of an earlier fortified house, of which traces remain:

Great Chalfield Manor is an English country house at Great Chalfield, about 2.5 miles northeast of the town of Bradford on Avon in the west of the county of Wiltshire. The moated manor house was built around 1465–1480 for Thomas Tropenell, a modest member of the landed gentry who made a fortune as a clothier. It is on the site of an earlier fortified house, of which traces remain: the bases of curtain walls to the east and north, and parts of two towers.

The Cherhill White Horse is the second oldest in Wiltshire and was made under the guidance of Dr Christopher Alsop of Calne in 1780, who gave instructions to a team of workers from a distance, using a megaphone. The Cherhill White Horse is one of eight remaining White Horses in Wiltshire. It is located on the edge of Cherhill Down, near both Oldbury Castle and the Lansdowne Monument, three and a half miles from the historic town of Calne.

Athelstan Museum is a small friendly museum telling the story of Malmesbury - the oldest borough in England and on a site which that may well have been occupied for 4,500 years. It is famous for its lace and its Abbey and the museum also sheds light on a number of interesting old Malmesburians, including King Athelstan, first king of all England.

Malmesbury Abbey is one of the oldest and most important religious sites in England, with a history going back to at least the 7th century. It was one of the few English houses with a continuous history from the 7th century through to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The present building dates from about 1180. Over half of the great church has disappeared, but the remainder is used as a parish church and boasts some fine Romanesque architecture and art.

Abbey House Gardens is a country house garden in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, covering 5 acres. Privately owned, the gardens – but not the house – are open to the public seven days a week from late March until late October. It is one of the main tourist attractions in the town. It was a garden of great diversity. Up to date but on an ancient hill. Bold, atmospheric, romantic, soothing yet inspiring and containing more plants than many botanic gardens. We've created it all from nothing in ten

The Courts Garden is an English country garden in Holt, near Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England. The garden has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1943 and is Grade II listed. It is now freshened and superbly planted and maintained. It is a manageable seven acres of topiary, hedges, pools and plants in satisfying harmony and typical of Arts and Crafts style gardens.

Caen Hill , is one of the longest continuous flight of locks in the country - a total of 29 locks with a rise of 237 feet over 2 miles with a 1 in 44 gradient for anyone who's counting. The locks come in three groups: the lower seven locks, Foxhangers Wharf Lock to Foxhangers Bridge Lock, are spread over 3⁄4 mile; the next sixteen locks form a steep flight in a straight line up the hillside and are designated as a scheduled monument.

The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust is a registered charity and waterway society concerned with the protection and maintenance of the Kennet and Avon Canal throughout Wiltshire and Berkshire. To protect the restored Canal from neglect, abuse and inappropriate development. To enhance the Canal, either by the direct application of Trust funds or, more likely, to unlock larger amounts through matched funding.

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is a charity based in Devizes, England which owns and manages 40 nature reserves in Wiltshire and Swindon. It is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts across the United Kingdom, which together form the largest voluntary organisation dedicated to protecting wildlife and wild places everywhere – at land and at sea.

The Wiltshire Museum, formerly known as Wiltshire Heritage Museum and Devizes Museum, is a museum, archive and library and art gallery in Devizes, Wiltshire, England. The museum maintains a collection covering the archaeology, art, history and natural history of Wiltshire. This collection covers periods of history from as far back as the Palaeolithic and also includes Neolithic, Bronze Age, Roman, Saxon, Mediaeval and more recent historical artefacts.

Cranborne Chase AONB covers 380 square miles of wonderful countryside overlapping Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset. Its protected sites range from ancient downland, herb-rich fen and river meadow to scattered deciduous woodland which includes remnants of the ancient Cranborne Chase hunting forest and the former Royal Forests of Selwood and Gillingham. This is a deeply rural area with scattered villages and narrow roads. Agriculture, both pastoral and mixed, is the major employer toget