Corsham is an unspoilt Wiltshire town with a history stretching from Saxon times to Poldark. Mingle with its free range peacocks and discover its many delights.

 

Foreign travel is so accessible these days that it is easy to succumb to its allure, causing us to overlook equally interesting places that are on our own doorstep.

I was reminded of this the other day on a visit to Corsham, a Wiltshire town I visit frequently. However, this time I decided to expand on my usual mundane circuit and explore it as if I were a tourist . It was a delight to discover its charms anew. And again this was a wake up call: look around with fresh eyes and explore different facets of a place and suddenly that which is familiar can suddenly offer a totally new fascinating aspect.

Corsham is a lovely little town that does not feature very highly on the radar when one thinks of Wiltshire towns – and I don’t know why as it has a lot to offer. It easily repays a days exploring and must have one of the most lovely well preserved high streets in England – so much so that when scenes for Poldark were filmed here in 2014, they really only had to disguise the phone box and move the vehicles.

The town’s prosperity grew with the wool trade and when that declined, Bath Stone quarrying took over. The Ministry of Defence made use of the old tunnels during the last war for ammunition storage and factories, then a top secret underground village known as the Burlington Bunker was created during the Cold War. It had 60 miles of roads and was designed to take 4000 people, but luckily it was never necessary and it was decommissioned in 2004.  Unfortunately, the bunker has asbestos and it is not open to the public. Access was from the nearby Box Tunnel, itself of interest as it was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway and was the longest tunnel of its time – it still carries the main London to Bristol line today.

Within town, the main draw is Corsham Court, its rather modest name disguising a stunning manor dating back to 1582. Its spectacular yew hedges billow over the walls of the main street and its resident peacocks can often be seen wandering around.

The house ticks all the boxes: interiors and landscaping by Capability Brown and John Nash, furniture by Robert Adam and Chippendale. The design of the carpet in the 72 foot picture gallery matches that of the ceiling, and there is a notable art collection. My husband greatly admired the ingenious swivel-armed alcohol dispensing table in front of the fireplace!

Just to the right of the main entrance to the Court is St Bartholomew’s church which dates back to Saxon times. Surrounded by a picturesque jumbled assortment of tombs, it is well worth a look. I particularly like the Methuan  Chapel which has three very different memorials, the oldest being the 1627 one to Alice Cobb. The poignant 1847 white marble statue of a sleeping child depicts Constance Methuan who was just two when she died but my favorite is that to Eleanor, Lady Methuan, who died in 1958. There is a lovely alabaster tomb at whose foot is a charming little statue of Eleanor sketching – she was a talented artist.

 

There is pleasant parkland rambling around the Court and church and a lovely avenue of tall trees leads to the Hungerford Almshouses with their flamboyant 1668 coat of arms. They were built by Lady Margaret Hungerford, then resident of the Court, for six poor people and incorporated a schoolroom for ten needy scholars. Virtually unchanged since the 17th century, they are still lived in today though I am not sure whether Lady Hungerford’s 45 rules of behavior are still enforced.

 

 

A more modern day attraction is the Pound Gallery, a local arts and community project just down the road from the almshouses which has a diverse programme of films, live performances, art exhibitions and classes – the cafe isn’t bad either.

Finally just have a general wander in the town and enjoy the historic buildings (see if you can spot the beehive) and the various shops and cafes. There is a nice bookshop, a butcher and the John Parker Gallery has a good range of prints and pressies.  The Flemish Weaver is a cosy pub on the main street and the smart Methuen Arms at the other end of town is the more upmarket option with b&b.

One other curiosity I tracked down in the area: mysteriously buried in a wall in the middle of a lonely field, there is a large stone memorial to John Hanning Speke, the Victorian explorer and discoverer of the source of the Nile. He died here when his gun accidently went off while shooting on September 15th 1864. It’s near the tiny hamlet of Lents Green, but ask for directions at the friendly Tourist Office in town.

Sometimes it is the less obvious discoveries that give the greatest pleasure!