Episodit
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Another location recording and once again it didn’t quite go to plan. The never ending rain led to some of the worst flooding we’ve seen in years and when faced with the sight of a car marooned up to its windows in a flood we decided the sensible thing to do would be to turn round and find another location. But as ever you will have to listen to the podcast to find out where we were.
In this episode we welcomed a guest. Emma Heard runs the Weird Wiltshire website, and we asked Emma to join us to tell us some of the stories she’s gathered over the years about strange goings on in Wiltshire.
But first we had a quick rundown of what the Hidden Wiltshire team have been doing since the last podcast.
Glyn delivered a talk at Trowbridge Museum about all things hidden Wiltshire. He must have done something right as they’ve asked him to go back and do another one!
We wanted to congratulate our friend Paul Whitewick after he clocked up 100,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel. He began by making films about abandoned railway lines, canals and roads but this has evolved over time. Basically anything intriguing that Paul has discovered from looking at old maps is fair game. You’ll find a link to his channel in the links section below.
Meanwhile our own Paul attended a public drowning in Salisbury. This was not some sort of gruesome form of Medieval torture but a demonstration of how drowners would have flooded meadows years ago in order to raise the temperature of the fields to promote earlier grass growth. The demonstration was at the water meadows in West Harnham and was attended by a couple hundred people. We’ve talked about this practice often at Hidden Wiltshire so it was fascinating to see it in action, and interesting to hear that the practice may be reintroduced in some places as a flood defence measure. You can find out more at the Harnham Water Meadows Trust website using the link below.
Glyn wrote a blog about Rybury Camp in the hills above Pewsey Vale after he was asked by local farmer Tim Daw to take some drone footage of the area. Tim is famous for building a modern day long barrow at All Cannings. (We interviewed Tim a couple of years ago in Podcast 35 – there’s a link to this below.) Glyn filmed the area in a time of drought when crop marks can reveal many previously hidden historical features. Tim had a theory that there may once have been a henge in the area. You can read Glyn’s blog using the link below.
Next Elaine talked about her blog on the subject of the Knights Templar entitled Temple Bottom and of the Last Templar. She gave us a brief history lesson on the Knights Templar and their link to the Knights Hospitaler. You can read Elaine’s blog by using the link below.
Finally Paul talked about his most recent walk in the countryside around Tisbury. You will find a link to the associated blog below. This walk included visits to three castles - two obvious ones (Old and New Wardour Castle) but also the lesser known Iron Age hillfort of Castle Ditches that commands the heights above Tisbury.
We then moved onto the special topic of this episode of the podcast. Emma Heard began Weird Wiltshire as a lockdown project in 2020. Since then it has developed and grown, and despite having a day job Emma spends a lot of her time exploring and listening to stories of ghosts, spirits and strange goings around Wiltshire, thereby keeping alive a folklore tradition dating back many hundreds of years. She shared with us just a few of the stories she has come across, and we finished by sharing some of our own.
Then on to the wrap up for this episode:
There are still a few copies of the Hidden Wiltshire book available on the website – link below.
Thanks as always go to Steve Dixon for the music. As usual the piece at the beginning and the end of the podcast is called “The Holloway”, whilst the piece in the middle is called appropriately enough, “Play Dead”.
Podcast Specific Links:
Paul Whitewick’s YouTube channel can be found here Paul Whitewick
The Harnham Water Meadows Trust website can be found here Harnham Water Meadows Trust
Our interview with Tim Daw can be heard here All Cannings Long Barrow - An Interview with Tim Daw
Glyn’s blog about Rybury Camp can be found here Rybury Camp
Elaine’s blog, Temple Bottom and the Knights Templar can be found here Temple Bottom and the Last Templar
You can read Paul’s blog about his most recent walk in the countryside around Tisbury here Tisbury and its Three Castles
You can find Emma Heard’s Weird Wiltshire website here Weird Wiltshire. She is also on Twitter (or whatever it is called these days) where she is known as @WeirdWiltsBlog and Bluesky (whatever that is!) at Emma Heard Bluesky
Other Links:
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on this website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop -
It only seemed like a few days since our last podcast recording – and that’s because it was! Glyn, Elaine and Paul assembled at a secret location to record our first podcast since June. There was much to catch up on and, though we say so ourselves, it went swimmingly with much hilarity and spontaneity. However, there was one small problem – the mics failed to record. Anything. Anything at all. So we reconvened three days later in the same outdoor location to do the whole thing again. You will have to take our word for it when we say that the loss of the original recording will forever be a loss to humanity!
We’re not going to tell you where we recorded. You will have to listen to the podcast to find out. But it provided lots of wonderful ambient noise as we waffled on!
But first we opened with a review of some of what has been going on in the Hidden Wiltshire world since June. And there was a surprising amount to talk about. So we picked out some of favourite moments.
In what was a busy six months Elaine highlighted her blog entitled The Selwood Triangle, which you can find using this link - The Selwood Triangle. It had over 5,000 views in just four months and whilst the record is held by Glyn’s Boxhill Circular Walk blog with over 12,000 views that particular blog was published a few years ago. However, Elaine’s blog attracted a huge amount of attention on social media and sadly brought out some of the worst of the social media warriors with one or two particularly unpleasant comments. But the overwhelming number of people enjoyed it, understanding that it was just a bit of fun!
Elaine also highlighted her Fisherton Anger blog which you can read here - The Lost Settlement of Fisherton Anger. A little known village whose name has long since been lost as it became subsumed by Salisbury. But some of its streets and monuments can still be found if you know where to look. Fortunately Elaine does as she used to live there.
Paul had his usual sojourn across the Channel in the last couple of months so his activity was mainly confined to November with two longer walks - Egbert's Stone, The Harrow Way and a Splendid Bottom, and Tisbury and Oddford Vale. Both were suggested by Hidden Wiltshire follower Jill Caudle. The first provided a rather neat connection with the location for today’s recording.
Meanwhile Glyn has been concentrating on his talks and delivered one at Royal Wootton Bassett Library and another at Salisbury Library. Glyn also led three walks for Wiltshire Museum in support of Anna Dillon and Hedley Thorne’s exhibition there entitled Wessex Airscapes, which was accompanied by a wonderful book – Elevating Wiltshire written by Anna’s father Patrick Dillon and illustrated with her paintings and Hedley’s aerial photography. Finally Glyn wrote an article on his Top Ten Secret Spots for Emma Heard’s Weird Wiltshire.
Before moving onto our main theme we had a good old rant. We have been collaborating with the aforementioned Hedley Thorne and Paul Whitewick (of YouTube fame) to highlight the challenges the public have in accessing many of our green and blue spaces. In particular we talked again about the anomaly of Open Access areas in which there is a right to roam, but as an example of extreme irony cannot be reached without trespassing in so many cases. Paul Whitewick supported by Hedley Thorne recorded a great YouTube video about this which you can see here - How is it illegal to access public land.
Our main theme in this podcast was a look at some of the 39 rivers that flow through Wiltshire, which include three River Avons and even the Thames! But it was also an opportunity to have a bit more of a rant – this time about the pollution of our rivers. However, on a more positive note we focused on some of our better known rivers including the Bourne and the Hampshire Avon. Of course Paul got in more than one mention of his beloved Till. And we couldn’t not mention the Wylye and in particular Steve Dewey’s blog The River Wylye and of course his blog about The Nine Mile River. Which isn’t. Nine Miles. Nine Mile River
Then on to the wrap up for this episode:
There are still a few copies of the Hidden Wiltshire books available on the website – link below.
Thanks as always go to Steve Dixon for the music. As usual the piece at the beginning and the end of the podcast is called “The Holloway”, whilst the piece in the middle is a new one from Steve entitled, appropriately enough, “Sprung”.
Other Links:
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on this website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop
and a link to Glyn’s blog about our latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
Puuttuva jakso?
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Glyn, Elaine and Paul are back with another episode of the Hidden Wiltshire podcast, and once again have returned to record outside at a mystery location. You’ll have to listen to find out where we were. There are lots of links to things we discussed in this episode in these show notes.
Before we moved onto the main topic we had the usual run down on what we’ve been up to since the last podcast. And there was an awful lot to talk about so some of it was consigned to the cutting room floor!
Glyn led a Wiltshire Museum walk with David Dawson which was timed to enable a visit to Oare House whose gardens were open to the public for the day. They took in some of the scenes for paintings by Eric Ravilious who was invited to stay there in 1932. The walk took in Gopher Wood, one of the most stunning sites for bluebells in the county.
Glyn also ventured north, not to Yorkshire but to Royal Wootton Bassett to deliver his Wiltshire Blind House talk at the library.
Meanwhile Elaine has been as busy as ever and has posted a few new blogs on the website including one based on the border of Hampshire where she followed the Shire Rack footpath and discovered connections with Jack the Ripper! You can read her blog here: The Borderlands, Shire Rack and Jack the Ripper
Elaine also touched the border of Dorset with a soggy but inspiring visit to Mere, a town worthy of an entire blog in itself. You can read about her visit on the Hidden Wiltshire Facebook page.
Glyn also finally wrote up his visit to another Wiltshire town, the beautiful and historic Malmesbury with tales of flying monks and tigers. You will find his blog on the website here Malmesbury - St Aldhelm, King Athelstan and Eilmer the Flying Monk
Paul has only recently returned from his Spring residency in France (complete with wife who broke her ankle there) so had little to share that was Wiltshire related. However, it was interesting to discover that on Wiltshire Day, 5 June, the Thames Path National Trail tweeted a recommendation of Paul’s walk around Inglesham Church and the Thames Path which you will find in his blog on the website here Medieval Inglesham - Three Counties Walk
Long term followers of Hidden Wiltshire may be familiar with the story of Alan Dodson who contacted us after our podcast about Imber, podcast number 2! Alan lived in Warminster for a few years as a child when his father was transferred here in the last war. Alan was trying to locate a cottage he used to visit somewhere on the Imber Range, long since demolished. Some people may be aware of the archaeological dig which is taking place at Imber at the moment led by Operation Nightingale, the veterans’ charity. Paul contacted them about Alan’s story and within a day or so two people both identified a possible location for the cottage. Paul has written to Alan to see if he thinks this is the place.
Finally in our round up we wanted to mention the work of some friends – Hedley Thorne (Hedley Thorne), and Paul and Rebecca Whitewick (Paul and Rebecca Whitewick). They are prolific bloggers, You Tubers and podcasters (Wessex Ways) writing and filming about ancient trails, railways and canals amongst other things, much of it in Wiltshire. We share a common passion about rights of ways and in particular blocked or lost footpaths and bridleways. In the podcast we had an extended chat about this, particularly as both Elaine and Glyn have had walks thwarted by blocked rights of ways recently. We mentioned the tool that has been developed by The Ramblers called Don’t Lose Your Way which seeks to save lost paths before the Government closes the book forever in 2031 on any chance of having them reinstated. You can read about the tool here Don't Lose Your Way.
We then began our discussion of some of our favourite woods in Wiltshire. Elaine chose the much loved Bentley Wood just to the south of Salisbury close to the border with Hampshire, a historic Royal hunting ground mentioned in the Domesday Book but which dates back even further. We mused over the origins of the name which Elaine subsequently established derives from the following – “the name Bentley comes from the Old English words beonet and leah, meaning "the clearing where bent grass grows". It was written in the past in various ways, such as Bentelwoda, and first recorded in the 13th century.” Elaine and Paul collaborated on a blog about Bentley which you will find here Bentley Wood.
Elaine shared her love of Chase Woods, also down in the borderlands, this time with Dorset. Chase Wood is part of the Rushmore Estate. It’s a fantastic place for wildlife and in particular for birds. Elaine and Paul are recent converts to the Merlin phone app from Cornell Lab which is very effective at identifying birdsong. Merlin
Next up was Paul and two of his favourite woods, or are they forests? Firstly we talked about Grovely Wood. Paul wrote a blog about it here Grovely Wood and the Woodsman. Hardly hidden and well known to many but its huge scale and open access to much of it mean there are many hidden corners and opportunities to be completely alone. Its history dates back to the Romans and beyond, being the route for the Lead Road which enabled the Romans to transport lead from Mendip to the rest of southern England. It is also a place of great folklore and stories of murder and hauntings. The famous Witch Trees are to be found here and it is key to Great Wishford’s fabled Oak Apple Day which takes place each year on 29 May. We mentioned two books during our discussion - Wildwood - Roger Deakin and The House in the Woods - Mark Dawson. Grovely features in both.
Paul’s other favourite wood is Great Ridge, which is even bigger than Grovely! Sadly access is restricted to designated rights of way but that if anything adds to its mystery. Little has been written about it but you can read about Paul’s 2020 walk through the wood here Great Ridge. It seems Wikipedia also struggled to find out anything about the wood as Paul’s blog is both referenced and a chunk quoted on its page about Great Ridge! However, the Lead Road also passes through here and later history features in W H Hudson’s marvellous book A Shepherd’s Life. A Shepherd's Life - W H Hudson. Hudson was a great lover of Great Ridge and frequent visitor. There are again stories of mystery and folklore surrounding the wood. And the newly established Stone Daisy Brewery located on the Fonthill Estate, owners of Great Ridge, have picked up on the significance of the wood naming one of its excellent beers Snail-creep Hanging after this bizarrely named location in the wood.
Finally Glyn talked about his favourites. Biss Wood is where Hidden Wiltshire began. Tipped off by someone about the simply stunning Autumn colours Glyn went for a walk in the wood in 2016. On a whim he put up his drone and was staggered by the rainbow of colours seen from above. His aerial photograph is now widely known and used, and features in both of the Hidden Wiltshire books. You can read about that first visit here Biss Wood. Once just a meadow it was re-planted with trees in the 1940s/50s and is now managed by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.
Not far from Biss Wood is Clanger Wood and Picket Wood, south east of Trowbridge. Glyn’s blog about it can be found here - Clanger Wood. Managed by the Woodland Trust these woods were once part of the ancient and vast Selwood Forest recorded in the Domesday Book. Little remains of Selwood but Clanger Wood is still large enough to find seclusion without becoming lost. It is listed as one of top 10 places in England for its display of bluebells, which may explain Glyn’s love of the place.
Finally Glyn wanted to add Southleigh Wood in view of its historical connections and its mystery. When King Alfred marched his troops to engage Guthrum and the Danes at the Battle of Ethandun (Eddington) in 878AD, the Saxon Chronicles say that Alfred assembled his men at Iley Oak the night before the battle. The location of Iley Oak is not known for sure but is thought to be in Southleigh Wood. The wood is now host to the mysterious and frankly creepy Robin Hood's Bower, about which Glyn wrote in 2019. The bower consists of monkey puzzle trees planted by Lord Bath in 1965-67. Here will be found many votives and tokens together with wicker circles. It is clearly a place of relevance to some!
Then on to the wrap up for this episode:
There are still copies of the second Hidden Wiltshire book available on the website. The first book has sold out.
The aforementioned Hedley Thorne and another friend of the podcast, artist Anna Dillon, have an exhibition of aerial photographs and paintings entitled “Wessex Airscapes: Elevating Wiltshire” which opens at Wiltshire Museum in Devizes on 8 July 2023. As part of this Glyn will be leading some walks visiting some of the locations portrayed by Hedley and Anna Wessex Airscapes: Elevating Wiltshire
Thanks as always go to Steve Dixon for the music. As usual the piece at the beginning and the end of the podcast is called “The Holloway”, whilst the piece in the middle is a new one from Steve entitled “Forgive”.
Other Links:
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on this website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop
and a link to Glyn’s blog about our latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
We’re back. After a break of what feels like years, but may only be about five months, we’re reinvigorated and ready to beguile our audience with more Hidden Wiltshire nonsense.
Towards the end of 2022 Glyn and Paul had reached burn out after 41 episodes. We needed a break to think about what to do and where to go next, whilst sticking firmly to Wiltshire. Whilst we were away from the podcast we continued to pepper the Facebook page and website with blogs. But if we’re honest our survival was mainly due to the new member of the Hidden Wiltshire family – Elaine Perkins. Elaine has been posting blogs for some time now and has brought fresh impetus to what we do. But we weren’t going to let her get away with just that!
So, please welcome Elaine to the podcast. This is her first and she took to it like a duck to water.
We had planned to record this episode on location at Morgan’s Hill to the north of Devizes. But with winds of 60mph and heavy rain forecast we decided the top of a hill was not the most sensible place to be! As it was, despite being ensconced in a spare bedroom at home, Paul still sounds like he was recording in a wind tunnel.
As usual we began this episode by looking back at what we’ve been doing since the previous episode. And since that was in November 2022 the answer is - quite a lot. So we had a not so quick run through the blogs. You’ll find links to them below.
Firstly, Elaine revisited Vernditch Chase in an effort to find the mythical Kitt’s Grave (spoiler alert – she failed). Different maps show the grave in different places so is it any wonder it is so difficult to find? Folklore says it is the grave of a young woman who killed herself and, as was the custom, was buried on the parish boundary at a junction of tracks. Others say that it is a prehistoric long barrow, and one person at least claims to have found it in the adjacent wood. Will you find it?
Next Elaine wrote about her visit to Great Durnford and Ogbury Camp, an Iron Age univallate hill fort south west of Amesbury located above the Woodford Valley. The manor of Great Durford has existed since the 11th century and whilst in the village church Elaine believes she may have found evidence of a 16th century murder!
Then Elaine ventured to Clarendon Palace and the forest, which she visited shortly after Storm Eunice. A hunting ground for Saxon and later Norman kings, it would once have formed part of a much larger area of forest but it is now little more than a wood.
Next it was Paul’s turn and in February he returned to Fisherton de la Mare for the first time in nearly 30 years, where he met the current owners of a house he so very nearly bought all those years ago. From here, it was a walk across the flood plain of the Wylye River, along the road then up to the small National Nature Reserve of Wylye Down.
During Valentine’s week Elaine decided on a walk to Lover, Bohemia and Paradise all in one day! Lover is famous for its Valentine’s Day stamps that can be bought and posted from the village for those of a romantic disposition. It transpires that Paradise was misnamed, it being a wood plastered with “Private” signs.
Then Paul (together with his trusted walking buddy Stu) undertook what turned into an epic walk taking in West Lavington, Market Lavington and the Wessex Ridgeway. In heavy snow it felt like an arctic expedition. Plans to visit the churches in both villages were thwarted as they were both locked. Which is a shame as All Saint’s Church in West Lavington contains a stunning engraved window, the work of Simon Whistler nephew of the artist Rex Whistler. It can though be seen from the A360 below as you sit in queues of traffic trying to squeeze through the narrow bends to the south of the village.
Finally, Paul did the relatively short George Herbert Walk in Salisbury, following in the footsteps of poet, rector, writer and musician George Herbert who, in the early 1630s, walked twice a week from his parish in Bemerton to Evensong at Salisbury Cathedral. Modern development means it is impossible to follow what was his likely route precisely but on a warm dry day this is a delightful walk across the water meadows by the Nadder.
Eventually we got on to the main subject of this episode of the podcast. Glyn, Elaine and Paul wrote a joint blog about some of their favourite Wiltshire nature reserves. It was neatly divided up according to the volunteering that three of us do.
Paul is a volunteer for Natural England who are responsible for six National Nature Reserves in Wiltshire. Paul focused on his three favourites, all of which he has worked at as part of his volunteering duties – Pewsey Downs, Prescombe Down and Parsonage Down.
Glyn is a volunteer at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust who have nearly 40 reserves in the county. Glyn does livestock checks for them at Dunscombe Buttom but in the podcast (and in the blog) he focuses on Morgan’s Hill, Blakehill Farm and Stoke Common Meadows.
Finally, Elaine takes a look at Wiltshire’s two RSPB reserves - Winterbourne Downs and Franchises Wood. Elaine is a volunteer at the beautiful Winterbourne Downs reserve outside Newton Tony and is also helping a PhD student at Southampton University who is doing a thesis about chalk streams. This involves Elaine visiting the River Bourne, a winterbourne that flows through Winterbourne Downs and Newton Tony, on a regular basis. Francises Wood is a relatively new and small reserve close to the New Forest.
Then on to the wrap up for this episode:
There are one or two copies of the first Hidden Wiltshire book together with a few more of the second book on the website.
Thanks as always go to Steve Dixon for the music. As usual the piece at the beginning and the end of the podcast is called “The Holloway”, whilst the piece in the middle is a new one from Steve entitled “Wansdyke”. Because of course we had planned to record this episode on a hill looking down on Wansdyke!
Links:
Elaine’s blog about Kitt’s Grave can be found here Searching for Kitt's Grave Revisited
Elaine’s blog about Great Durnford and Ogbury Camp can be found here Great Durnford, Ogbury and the Flood
Elaine’s blog about Clarendon Palace is here Clarendon Place After Storm Eunice
Paul’s return to a French outpost in Wiltshire (it isn’t) can be found here A French Enclave in Wiltshire?
Elaine’s search for romanticism during Valentine’s week can be found here Lover, Bohemia and Paradise
You can read about Paul’s arctic adventure on Salisbury Plain here The Lavingtons and the Wessex Ridgeway
And finally, Paul’s attempt to retrace the steps of George Herbert can be found here George Herbert Walk
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust you can contact them here Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Volunteering
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the RSPB you can contact them here RSPB Volunteering
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Natural England they tend to do it on a reserve by reserve basis so we’d suggest contacting Paul via the Hidden Wiltshire Contact page on our website at Hidden Wiltshire Contact Us
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop
and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
This episode is a bit of a special, as most of it was recorded outside over a year ago and it contains a special guest - David Carson MBE.
David's family have farmed the land around Milk Hill for over 100 years, and we recorded a video with him in 2021, where he took us through much of the local history around the villages of Alton Barnes, Alton Priors and the Pewsey Vale. The video can be found on YouTube (link here: Hidden Wiltshire video)
This podcast is the audio from that video, which it was always planned to release as a podcast special at some point !
But we also have an important announcement to make. After 41 episodes and almost two years, the Hidden Wiltshire podcast is coming to a pause. We will still be creating content for the website at www.hiddenwiltshire.com and we have plans to do more video so if you follow the website you can keep up to date with the latest information. We may be back in the future with some podcast specials.
Thanks for listening !
Links:
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop
and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
Back to recording indoors this month, and back to recording from different countries. Whilst Glyn remains in Wiltshire Paul is once again doing battle with French rural internet which seems to be arriving by means of a telephone cable lying in a ditch outside the village. But it’s amazing what Glyn can do with his editing software so the audio was fine.
Bearing in mind Paul has been away for a few weeks and Glyn has been tied up with work, there was a surprising amount to report in terms of activity since last month’s podcast.
Once again Elaine Perkins has been busily producing some terrific blogs and Facebook posts including a little history and fascinating secrets to be found in Fisherton Anger in Salisbury (Facebook post); a blog about The Village of Alderbury on the website (link below); and a blog about The Borbach Chantry also on the website (link below). Elaine seemed to spend a lot of her time trying to link two sections of a right of way interrupted by a river!
Contributors to the Closed Facebook Group will have seen some stunning aerial shots by Hedley Thorne of Hippenscombe and Fosbury Camp, and Wansdyke. The latter was part of a collaboration with You Tubers Paul and Rebecca Whitewick who posted a fascinating video about Open Access areas. You can find a link to the video below.
Facebook Contributor Colin Fry posted some images of Stanley Bridge and nearby Tytherton Lucas which were in the area of Paul’s blog entitled Maud Heath’s Causeway.
Meanwhile Paul has gone all spiritual and posted a couple more blogs featuring churches on his doorstep – the two churches at Orcheston, and St Andrew’s Church, Orcheston. Links to the blogs can be found below. But it wasn’t all about churches. Paul and his walking buddy Stu undertook a long day’s walk from Shrewton to Stapleford and back to search for the end of the River Till where it joins the River Wylye. The walk was particularly long as it involved an hour or so in the pub! A link to this blog can be found below.
To be fair to Glyn he did actually manage to get out and led the final Wiltshire Museum Guided Walk on Fyfield Down taking in the Devil’s Den and the Polissoir Stone.
But before we moved onto this week’s main subject we talked about cats. Large black cats. Whilst reading Robert Macfarlane’s beautiful book The Old Ways – A Journey on Foot, Paul came across Macfarlane’s story about his encounter with what he was certain was a black panther on the Marlborough Downs. There have been many sightings of these big cats in Wiltshire including one by Paul outside Shrewton. So Glyn has decided to start a new thread about black panther sightings on Facebook. Meanwhile there’s a link to Robert Macfarlane’s superb book below.
Finally we got onto the main subject of this episode of the podcast. A walk Paul and Stu did in March 2022 starting from Aldbourne taking in Liddington Castle and the abandoned village of Snap. You can follow the map and walk description in Paul’s blog, linked below. This is a walk rich in history from the Bronze Age right up to World War II. Aldbourne was the base for the US Army’s 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, or Easy Company as they came to be known, and as featured in the film series Band of Brothers. And of course the walk was accompanied by some spectacular wide reaching views of Wiltshire.
In the discussion about the walk Paul mentioned a website containing some great historical facts about the history to be found along the way in this walk. The site in question was actually that for Aldbourne Heritage Centre and we’ve included a link below.
Then on to the wrap up for this episode:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject is called “Round the Downs”. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Finally, don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. The first Hidden Wiltshire book has now sold out but the second book is still available from the website. The book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs.
Links:
Elaine Perkins’ blog about Alderbury can be found here The Village of Alderbury
Elaine’s blog about The Borbach Chantry can be found here The Borbach Chantry and The Woods
Paul and Rebecca Whitewick’s video about Open Access areas with aerial footage by Hedley Thorne can be found here The UK's Mystery Inland Islands
Paul’s blog about Orcheston’s two churches can be found here Orcheston and the Tale of Two Churches
Paul’s blog about Rollestone St Andrew’s Church can be found here St Andrew's Church Rollestone
Paul’s blog about the River Till and where it joins the River Wylye can be found here Stapleford and the end of The River Till
Robert Macfarlane’s book – The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot The Old Ways - Robert Macfarlane
Paul’s blog about the Aldbourne Circular Route and the Abandoned Village of Snap can be found here Aldbourne Circular Route
Aldbourne Heritage Centre’s website can be found here Aldbourne Heritage Centre
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop
and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
This could be the last outside recording of the podcast this year, unless of course this crazy weather continues. We found a spectacular location to record with views of a stunning sunset as we chatted. As ever, you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out where we were, a place so hidden even Glyn didn’t know it existed.
During our review of the last month in Wiltshire we talked about the walks and blogs that Glyn, Paul and star contributor Elaine Perkins have posted on the Hidden Wiltshire Facebook pages and website. These include a walk undertaken by Elaine in the Nadder Valley taking in Dinton and Compton Chamberlayne; visits to four churches by Paul in search of historic graffiti – the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary Old Dilton, St Mary’s Maddington, and the churches of St George and St Mary in Orcheston, each fascinating in their own way; two walks by Paul – one along Maud Heath’s Causeway and the other to Marden/Hatfield Henge, the largest henge in the British Isles. And last but not least Glyn’s walk which is the main subject of this month’s podcast. You’ll find links to these blogs below.
We also take the opportunity to name check a few people - Adrian the Brush and Ann who Paul and his walking buddy Stu met at the Moravian Church in East Tytherton; Hidden Wiltshire follower Mark Routledge of Gallybagger Learther in Devizes; and someone who has featured several times in the podcast and in blogs – sculpture, poet, wit and raconteur Mark Whelehan for whom Glyn and Paul were asked to write the blurb for the back of his new book of poems. Mark made an appearance in the Folly Wood blog and Paul’s photograph of him appears on the back of the book.
On the subject of ancient graffiti Tony Hack of the Wiltshire Medieval Graffiti Survey is doing a talk at the Bratton History Association on 18 September 2022. That should be a fascinating talk. You’ll find a link to the WMGS website below where it mentions some of the churches we’ve talked about in our blogs.
Finally in terms of links and mentions, Glyn talked about a book by Robert Twigger called Walking the Great North Line: Up England Another Way about the author’s walk from Stonehenge to Lindisfarne. Except Glyn could remember neither the name of the author nor the book whilst we were recording! You’ll find a link below.
Next we have a chat about our secret location for the recording and you’ll hear how our minds become increasingly blown by the sunset unfolding before our eyes.
So the main topic of this edition of the podcast is a walk Glyn did back in 2019. You’ll find his description, route map and YouTube video including his stunning aerial images on the website using the link below. Ludgershall Castle was the starting place for the walk. Dating back to the late 11th century it became a royal hunting lodge which was popular with Henry III who visited it at least 21 times. Collingbourne Wood is a substantial area of woodland and Glyn had it almost to himself during his first walk there and when he re-visited it recently. By following tracks through the wood you can connect with Chute Causeway at Scots Por from where you can drop into Hippenscombe. This is very much a place for peaceful contemplation and it is unusually under-utilised in comparison to Savernake Forest not so far away.
Then on to the wrap up for this episode:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject is called “Canopy”. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”. By the way Steve, we’re still waiting for the new pieces you promised!
The next and final Wiltshire Museum walk for 2022 guided by Hidden Wiltshire is a repeat of the popular Devil’s Den walk we did last year. This is a ticket only event and you can get these from the Wiltshire Museum website at Wiltshire Museum Walk
Finally, don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. The first Hidden Wiltshire book has now sold out but the second book is still available at a specially discounted price from the website. The book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs.
Links:
Elaine’s blog about her walk in the Nadder Valley can be found here A Walk Around the Nadder Valley
Paul’s blog about Old Dilton Church can be found here Old Dilton Church
Paul’s blog about St Mary’s Maddington and its graffiti can be found here St Mary's Maddington
And Paul’s blog about Orcheston’s two churches can be found here Orcheston and the Tale of Two Churches
The blog about the Maud Heath’s Causeway walk can be found here Maud Heath's Causeway
The blog about the walk that takes in Marden/Hatfield Henge can be found here Britain's Largest Henge and the Hanging Stone
The blog starring Mark Whelehan can be found here Folly Wood and the Tale of the Headless Horseman
Glyn’s walk around Ludgershall Castle and Collingbourne Wood can be found here A Walk Around Collingbourne Wood, Ludgershall
Wiltshire Medieval Graffiti Survey Wiltshire Medieval Graffiti Survey
Robert Twigger’s book Walking the Great North Line: Up England Another Way Walking the Great North Line
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on this website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop
and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
We’re making the most of the weather again and recording the podcast outside on location. As before you’ll need to listen to find out where we were.
As ever we start with a chat about what’s been happening in the world of Hidden Wiltshire since the last podcast. And if it weren’t for one or two of our wonderful contributors the answer would be “not much”.
Elaine Perkins has “delivered” once again (this seems to be the word of the month at the moment)! She posted some great photos in the contributors' Facebook Group of a short evening walk she did taking in Old Sarum, Little Durnford and the Avon Trail. Elaine also ventured on an exploration of Amesbury and the surrounding area which we have now posted as a blog on the open Facebook site and the Hidden Wiltshire website. Amesbury may not be hidden but some of what Elaine found certainly was. You’ll find a link to her blog below.
Glyn managed to squeeze in one walk before he went on holiday, based around East and West Knoyle. There’s a link to his blog and photos below. This is a beautiful part of Wiltshire and well worth a visit.
Meanwhile Paul has once again deserted the county and undertaken walks in the New Forest (just over the Wiltshire border in Hampshire) and further afield on the stunning Dorset coast. But we can’t talk about those!
There have been a couple of Wiltshire Museum guided walks since the last podcast. A select few guests accompanied Glyn on a walk in the countryside around Castle Combe, an abbreviated version of the walk Paul did just after lockdown in July 2020. You’ll find a link to Paul’s walk below but Glyn managed to shorten this to a more manageable five miles. We’ve added a map of his walk to Paul’s original blog.
Glyn’s article about Wiltshire’s Blind Houses was featured in the August edition of Wiltshire Life. His original blog can be found below.
Glyn also attracted a lot of attention on Twitter when he posted some aerial photographs of the parched landscape around Rybury Camp in Pewsey Vale. Local farmer (and constructor of long barrows) Tim Daw had noticed some interesting crop marks in his fields and invited Glyn to photograph them with his drone. You can see the photographs on both Hidden Wiltshire Facebook pages and on Glyn’s Twitter feed. There appears to be a previously unknown enclosure and henge in the fields together with multiple possibly Iron Age storage pits. Whilst the hot dry weather creates many problems it does enable the land to reveal many of its hidden secrets.
Finally in our review we wanted to mention a couple of Hidden Wiltshire followers. Firstly Bill Parncutt,who emailed us with some very kind comments about the podcast, and secondly Simon Lovett and his dad John for whom Simon bought a copy of our book as a birthday present. Paul delivered the book personally to John but stupidly didn’t get the name of his lovely wife. But it was great to meet you Mrs Lovett!
Before we moved onto the main subject of the podcast we had a chat about our location for the recording so do have a listen.
The main subject in this episode was the walk Paul and his regular walking buddy Stu did in February 2022 starting in Lacock, their target being the Wilts & Berks Canal. Everyone knows Lacock so we didn’t dwell on that for too long. But the canal is something that many don’t know about. Completed in 1810 the canal stretches for 52 miles and its primary purpose was to carry coal. Ironically its heyday was the 1830s when it was used to carry the raw materials for the construction of the Great Western Railway which was to see its ultimate demise and abandonment in 1914. Then in 1977 a group of volunteers formed to begin the monumental task of restoring its entire length, a task that continues to this day under the auspices of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust. If you want to support them in their endeavours, you’ll find a link to their excellent website below.
The rest of the walk takes in a number of fine Wiltshire houses including Ray Mill House, Pewsham House, Kilima Farm, Bowden Park and Bewley Court together with a rather pathetic looking Iron Age hillfort at Naish Hill and finally Lacock Abbey.
In all the walk was about seven miles and you will find a link to Paul’s blog with route map below.
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject is called “Dark and Lonely Water”. A rather depressing piece it includes the voiceover from a public information film from 1973 about the dangers of playing near water, narrated by Donald Pleasence! As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”. The great news is that, whilst Steve has provided us with a sizable library of music, he has of late become enthused and promised us some new work.
Finally, don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. The first Hidden Wiltshire book has now sold out but the second book is still available at a specially discounted price from the website. The book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs.
Links:
Glyn’s article about Blind Houses can be found on our website here Blind Houses
Elaine Perkins’ blog about hidden Amesbury can be found here Exploring Amesbury
Glyn’s blog about his walk around East Knoyle and West Knoyle can be found here East Knoyle and West Knoyle
Paul’s blog about the Castle Combe walk, amended to include a map of the shorter walk Glyn did, can be found here Castle Combe and a Hint of Ancient History
Paul’s blog about the Lacock and Wilts & Berks Canal walk can be found here Lacock and The Wilts & Berks Canal
The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust website can be found here Wilts & Berks Canal Trust
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop
and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
Another location recording this month where we pack up the equipment and take to the Wiltshire landscape. As with last month you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out where we were, but it wasn’t Bincknoll Castle or Broad Town White Horse. As a clue – it was very windy!
Before we got onto the main topic, we did our usual review of activity and news since the last podcast, which was a whole month ago.
Regular contributor Elaine Perkins wrote an excellent blog for the website following her exploration of Clearbury Ring, and the villages of Odstock and Nunton. All of it new to us. Once again her photographs are superb. There is a link to her blog below.
After a long break Paul and his regular walking buddy Stu completed a superb walk on the border of Dorset starting at Win Green before exploring the Iron Age hill fort at Winkelbury Hill then on through the Rushmore Estate to Tollard Royal before returning to Win Green via Guy Ritchie’s Ashcombe Estate. This had the potential to be controversial due to a blocked Open Access area but had a happy ending. You’ll find a link to Paul’s blog below.
We have also undertaken a couple of guided walks for Wiltshire Museum since the last podcast – Hippenscombe and Folly Wood, both of which we have written blogs about in the past and for which you can find links below. Unless you listen to the podcast on a Sunday morning, by the time you hear this Glyn will have led another walk based on Castle Combe. It starts at 2:00pm on Sunday 3 July. Paul will be absent from this particular walk.
We then have a chat about our location for the recording before moving on to our main topic. - Bincknoll Castle and Broad Town White Horse. The strong wind at our location had the potential to disrupt our recording as Glyn wrestled with his notes to stop them blowing away. But our recording equipment seems to have done a great job of screening out the wind noise.
You can follow Glyn’s blog about his walk to using the link below. This was an eight mile walk that Glyn completed in March which meant it was boggy in places. The summer would be a great time to try it though. It starts and finishes at Wroughton, and being close to Swindon we couldn’t resist a few jokes about the town. But we love Swindon really. Maybe.
During the recording Glyn talks us through his best Tommy Cooper impression as he passes back and forth repeatedly through not one but two isolated gates that served no useful purpose other than to act as a comedic prop. We needed no further invitation as the podcast degenerated into farce.
Bincknoll Castle is best viewed from the air where its location can be appreciated, and Glyn has posted some drone shots in his blog. The same can be said of Broad Town White Horse where this almost childlike depiction of a horse is hidden by long grass from ground level. Again Glyn’s drone shots in the blog show it in all its simple glory.
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject today is called “From the Edge of Grey to Green”. We tend to use this piece in podcasts that feature white horses. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”. The great news is that, whilst Steve has provided us with a sizable library of music, he has of late become enthused and promised us some new work.
Finally don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. The first Hidden Wiltshire book has now sold out but the second book is still available at a specially discounted price from the website. The book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs.
Links:
Elaine Perkin’s blog about Clearbury Ring can be found here Clearbury Ring, Odstock and Nunton
Paul’s blog about this walk from Win Green can be found here Win Green, Winkelbury Hill and the Rushmore Estate
The blog about the Hippenscombe walk can be found here Tidcombe, Hippenscombe and the Devil's Waistcoat
The blog about Folly Wood can be found here Folly Wood and the Tale of the Headless Horseman
And Glyn’s blog which is the main topic of today’s podcast can be found here Bincknoll Castle and Broad Town White Horse
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud. He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
In this episode of the Hidden Wiltshire Podcast we pack up the recording gear and head for the hills to record the whole podcast outside. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out where we were, but suffice to say it wasn’t Grovely Wood!
We begin with our usual canter through what we’ve been up to in Wiltshire since the last podcast. Since we’re now recording once a month you’d think we had loads to talk about but since Paul was in France for the entire time and Glyn has been exploring the Avebury landscape in depth there hasn’t been a huge amount of activity. But we still managed to post a couple of new walks on the website.
The first walk was described in a blog by Elaine Perkins who has rapidly become a popular and valued contributor to Hidden Wiltshire. Elaine did a shorter walk in the Vale of Wardour taking in the pretty villages of Teffont Magna and Teffont Evias. There is a link to her blog below.
Meanwhile Glyn did a seven mile walk from Calne to the Bowood Estate on which he photographed hidden corners of the estate and the wider landscape, including a length of the Wilts & Berks Canal. You will find a link to his blog below.
We also completed our first guided walk of the season for Wiltshire Museum, undertaking a shortened version of the walk around the Fonthill Estate that we posted on 9 April 2021. If you’d like to join us on future walks you’ll find a list on Wiltshire Museum’s website using the link below. Wiltshire Museum has also just launched a new exhibition entitled Hardy’s Wessex and again you’ll find details on their website. The exhibition is spread across four museums – Wiltshire Museum in Devizes, The Salisbury Museum, Poole Museum and Dorset Museum in Dorchester. It runs from 28 May to 30 October 2022.
The main subject of this episode of the Hidden Wiltshire podcast was the walk that Paul and his regular walking buddy Stu did to Grovely Wood. We mentioned it in the last episode but we have a longer discussion about it today. But not before we talk about the location for our recording which prompted a wide ranging discussion about the landscape in this part of Wiltshire and of course its prehistoric past! Francis Pryor’s fantastic book Scenes From Prehistoric Life has been a great source of information for both of us and we discuss the book in this episode of the podcast, hence the link to it below.
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject today is called “Eyes Looking East”. We used this because of Grovely Wood’s role in the Second World War, as you’ll hear in the podcast. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. The first edition of the Hidden Wiltshire book has now sold out but the second edition is still available at a specially discounted price from the website. The book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs.
Links:
Glyn’s blog about his walk through the Bowood estate can be found here Bowood - a circular walk from Calne
You can read Elaine Perkins’ blog about her walk around the villages of Teffont Magna and Teffont Evias here A Short Walk in the Vale of Wardour
You can find a list of the guided walks we lead in conjunction with Wiltshire Museum here Wiltshire Museum Hidden Wiltshire Walks
You can read Paul’s blog about Langford Lakes and Grovely Wood here Grovely Wood and the Woodsman
Francis Pryor’s wonderful book Scenes From Prehistoric Life can be found here as well as many other good book sellers Scenes From Prehistoric Life
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloudHe is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
In this episode of the Bluebell Podcast Glyn is joined by our French correspondent – Paul! And without any messing about we start the podcast with a mention of both bluebells and France, and Paul’s endless battle to stop his French ruin from crumbling around him (OK it’s not that bad but maintaining it is like painting the Forth Road Bridge. Or owning a yacht. Or a horse!)
Once again it’s bluebell season and regular followers of Hidden Wiltshire will know we like the odd bluebell (or clochette as they’re called in France). We’ve seen some nice bluebell photographs in the Facebook Group from both Elaine Perkins (Bentley Wood) and Glyn (Oakfrith Wood) and we’ve no doubt there will be a lot more to come! They are present in abundance in France (both blue and white) as well as early-purple and green-winged orchids but we won’t be sharing photographs of those as it’s not Wiltshire!
It’s been around three weeks since the last podcast now that we’ve moved to monthly broadcasts. But with Glyn’s week on Dartmoor and Paul having relocated to France for a while, we’ve not got a lot to report. But before he went Paul and his usual walking buddy Stu did manage a walk to Grovely Wood which began with sublime coffee and cake at the café at Langford Lakes. Whilst many people know of the Lakes it’s surprising how many have never visited, or at least haven’t been for years as was the case for Stu and Paul. It’s well worth the effort. Similarly, whilst most people are familiar with Grovely Wood, the guys had an amazing encounter there in a hidden part of the wood. You can read all about this in Paul’s blog on the website using the link below. This may well feature in a future podcast as this delivered one of life’s special and unexpected moments.
In conjunction with Wiltshire Museum we’ve put together a new programme of guided walks led by Glyn and Paul. These are ticket only events and Wiltshire Museum will be advertising them on their website soon. We will let Hidden Wiltshire followers know as soon as tickets become available but if you subscribe to alerts about new blogs on the website you won’t miss out.
The main feature of this episode of the podcast is an interview we did with farmer Tim Daw a few weeks ago. Tim has farmed in the Pewsey Vale for decades and is now semi-retired. (Do farmers ever retire?) But instead of buying a yacht or taking up golf, in 2014 he decided to build a long barrow which he calls a Novolithic Long Barrow. As his website says “It has internal chambers with niches and is used as a columbarium or place for cremated remains in urns to be kept.” And “The Long Barrow at All Cannings is a spiritual place where people of any or no faith can come to remember and give thanks for the lives of their loved ones.”
It was a real privilege to interview Tim on a beautiful sunny day at the long barrow and to have a guided tour of the interior. Despite being surrounded by the remains of so many people it really was the most calming and spiritual of places. And like any good long barrow it is aligned to the sunrise of the winter solstice when the sun illuminates the internal stone passageway.
It is possible to book a tour of the interior of the long barrow at Tim’s website linked below. The entry fee goes towards the upkeep of the barrow, but you can visit the exterior for free at any time. However we think it’s worth every penny to see the interior which is a very special place indeed.
Our conversation with Tim was wide ranging and fascinating. Just like his near neighbour and farmer David Carson, Tim Daw has a keen interest in history and archaeology. How can you not living in Pewsey Vale? So apart from a conversation about the long barrow itself we also chatted about the wider area and in particular the mythical “white donkey”!
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject today is called “Play Dead”. But there was no play acting in Tim’s long barrow! As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. Both Hidden Wiltshire books can be purchased there. The second book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs.
Links:
You can read Paul’s blog about Langford Lakes and Grovely Wood here Grovely Wood and the Woodsman
All Cannings Long Barrow All Cannings Long Barrow
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloudHe is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
Glyn was hoping for an easy edit for this episode of the podcast as he had less time than usual to do it. This was all the invitation Paul needed to say exactly what he wanted knowing that Glyn didn’t have the time to cut it out! But being responsible podcasters we stuck to the brief. The main feature was a glorious walk we put together for Wiltshire Museum based around Hippenscombe Bottom, so beautifully painted by Eric Ravilious in 1937. And there was a special announcement at the end of the podcast.
But first we discussed our news since the last podcast.
In that podcast Glyn talked briefly about his visit to Bincknoll Castle and Broad Town White Horse. Since then he has written and posted a blog to the website about it (see link below). But apparently Bincknoll is pronounced “Bynol’ in Wiltshire! Which begs the question “how do pronounce Long Knoll and Little Knoll”?
Meanwhile Paul has travelled to the far northwest of the county to the Cotswolds west of Malmesbury, for a walk around Brokenborough and Easton Grey. There’s a blog about this walk on the website (link below). He has also written a blog about his visit to Bentley Wood, a collaboration with Hidden Wiltshire contributor Elaine Perkins, who suggested the route and provided a number of the photographs. You’ll find a link below to that blog.
Elaine also posted a description of her recent visit to Sherrington and Boyton, off the beaten track in the beautiful Wylye Valley, where she found some fantastic hidden treasures. We’ll be pulling that together as a blog along with some of Elaine’s lovely photographs in due course.
And whilst on the subject of the Wylye Valley, we mention the café and gallery at Langford Lakes Nature Reserve run by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. The gallery and café is open from 10:00 to 16:00, Wednesday to Sunday. At the moment there is an exhibition there entitled “Woodlands” featuring art, photography and 3D work including the photographs of brilliant woodland photographers Stephen Davies and, a friend of Paul’s, Nigel Hudson. The exhibition is on from 2 April to 2 May 2022 and you’ll find a link below.
This podcast’s main feature is the stunning landscape and history of Hippenscombe Bottom. Paul wrote a blog which was an amalgam of some five visits to the area which he posted on the website on 21 January 2022. There’s a link to the blog below. This walk was put together at the request of David Dawson at Wiltshire Museum and we’ll be doing a guided walk with the museum there later in the year. There are many route options but the highlights of this walk are the tiny village of Tidcombe and its “humble” church, Tidcombe Long Barrow, Fosbury Camp (an optional extension but well worth the effort), Chute Causeway, the Devil’s Waistcoat and the glorious Hippenscombe Bottom itself. Paul discovered this bottom purely by chance following a momentary glimpse as he drove up Conholt Hill towards Chute Causeway a year ago. Screeching to a halt in the road above he grabbed a photo of the bottom that coincidently was from the exact location that Eric Ravilious painted it in 1937. Little has changed since 1937 although we suspect the shooting estate is now operating on a far more industrial scale.
Parking for this particular walk is a challenge. As shown the walk starts from the church in Tidcombe but at best it is only possible to park three cars here. Scot’s Poor is a slightly better option with parking on the wide verge on the byway. The route map has been amended in the blog to include this location in order to provide alternative parking options.
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject today is called “Shadows Travel Fast” because that’s exactly what they do in this part of Wiltshire. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
And so to the special announcement. Well you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out what it is!
Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. Both Hidden Wiltshire books can be purchased there. The second book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs.
Links:
Glyn’s blog about Bincknoll Castle and Broad Town White Horse can be found here: Bincknoll Castle and Broad Town White Horse
Paul’s blog about his walk round Brokenborough and Easton Grey can be found here: Brokenborough and Easton Grey
Paul’s blog about his walk in Bentley Wood can be found here Bentley Wood
WWT Langford Lakes Art Exhibition Langford Lakes Art Exhibition
Paul’s blog about Hippenscombe can be found here Tidcombe, Hippenscombe and the Devil's Waistcoat
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloudHe is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
A slightly shorter episode this week, although not by much. Whilst we have plenty of subjects in the pipeline to talk about we’re beginning run out of ideas. It’s not that we’ve said everything there is to say about Wiltshire but that finding the time to get out and explore is increasingly difficult. So we’re contemplating recording the podcasts on a monthly basis rather than every two weeks, just to give us the time to visit more interesting locations. We’d really appreciate ideas about new locations from followers of the podcast.
In the two weeks since the last podcast Glyn has again been pretty much tied to his desk, although he did manage to do a muddy eight mile walk to Bincknoll Castle and the Broad Town White Horse near Wroughton. It sounded like the mud tempered his enthusiasm!
Paul has done a few walks, albeit one was in Sussex on the border of the Surrey Hills. He walked to the top of the highest point in Sussex, which is not on the South Downs as he’d always thought, but on Black Down near to Haslemere. The hill was very reminiscent of the New Forest.
Inspired by Hidden Wiltshire contributor Elaine Perkins, Paul re-visited Newton Tony to look at its past role as a transport hub. It once had an important railway but long before that a Roman road passed nearby. There is a blog about the walk on the Hidden Wiltshire website and it’s linked on the Facebook pages but we will record a podcast about it sometime in the future. Elaine has also written her first Blog for the website. You’ll find a link below.
Another walk Paul did was in Bentley Wood, again with useful tips from Elaine Perkins. This was Paul’s first visit and he put together a route that also included Hound Wood and Blackmoor Copse. Whilst most of the route was in woodland the varied nature of the woods and copses was very noticeable. Probably not one for a podcast but a short blog and photos may follow soon.
Meanwhile, Glyn and Paul met with Tim Daw and recorded an interview with him at the modern day long barrow he built at All Cannings, something he has called a Novolithic long barrow. The perfect name we thought. We’ll be putting out a podcast with this fascinating interview soon.
Glyn has also received another hand written letter together with a book written by the grandfather of one of his Twitter followers Jonathan Steadman. The book, by A R Steadman (who was the head teacher of Marlborough Grammar School), is about the countryside around Marlborough from prehistoric times through to the 1960s. It would make an interesting comparison with the book The Land of Lettice Sweetapple which is about the history of the same area.
And finally Hidden Wiltshire has once again featured in another publication. Glyn wrote an article about Blind Houses for the March edition of the Wiltshire Buildings Record Newsletter. If you can get hold of a copy there are many hidden Wiltshire gems in there.
The main feature this week is Wiltshire’s Chalk Badges. The county’s military links are well known and long lasting. As far as we have been able to identify there are four locations where regimental badges can be found carved into chalk hillsides, albeit one is not strictly a regimental badge.
Fovant is the most famous location where eight or nine badges can still be seen carved into the hillside next to the A30. Glyn wrote a blog about it on 18 October 2018 (see link below). Mostly carved by soldiers during the Fist World War (some are later) there would initially have been around 20 badges. Many are now overgrown. Just a little further along the valley there are two more badges at Sutton Mandeville. The final badge is called the Lamb Down Badge and can be seen by the A36 at Codford. This solitary badge was carved by soldiers of the 13th Training Battalion of the Australian Imperial Forces in 1917 as a form of punishment! Finally we have the famous giant Kiwi carved in 1919 by New Zealand soldiers. At 420 feet (130m) high it’s enormous and its construction was designed to distract riotous soldiers awaiting transit home to New Zealand.
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject today is called “From the Edge of Grey to Green” because that’s what happens to the white/light grey of the chalk if it’s not regularly cleaned! As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. Both Hidden Wiltshire books can be purchased there. The second book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs.
Links:
Paul’s blog about Newton Tony and its role as a transport hub can be found here Newton Tony - its Railway and its Roman Road
Elaine Perkins’ first blog for Hidden Wiltshire can be found here Throope Down Walk
Glyn’s blog about the Fovant Badges and Chiselbury Camp can be found here Fovant Badges and Chiselbury Camp
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloudHe is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
Since the main part of this podcast is about a short five mile walk we thought this would be a shorter episode than normal. But how wrong we were. We still managed to blather on for what seemed like hours!
We kick off with some concerning news about some unedifying scenes in the Facebook Group today with a discussion about Paul’s bottom. This is a family show and we’ve no idea what prompted such a debate. Much!!
Despite eye watering petrol and diesel prices we’ve managed to get out a little in the last two weeks. Glyn had a weekend in Wells but that’s in Somerset so we’re not interested! But he did see the sad spectacle of the broken spire of St Thomas’ Church, blown down during Storm Eunice like a scene from Hot Fuzz, also filmed in Wells. Meanwhile Paul had a reminder of how grim London is, but since that’s not in Wiltshire we’re not interested in that either.
But Paul did manage to do a day long walk based in the hills around Aldbourne, visiting the site of the abandoned village of Snap on the way. We’re grateful to Andrew Rumsey, Bishop of Ramsbury, for helping us find it. There’s a link to his fantastic book, English Grounds, below. Paul posted a blog with lots of photographs of the walk on 9 March. There’s a link to it below. We’ll do a podcast about it sometime.
Another recent blog posted on the website was one about the Russian scientist Vladimir Artemovich Pasechnik who defected in the 1980s and moved to Shrewton. He worked at the UK Department of Health's Centre for Applied Microbiology & Research (CAMR) at Porton Down and went on to do some ground breaking research into tuberculosis and other drug resistant infections. He is buried in one of the churchyards in the village. You’ll find a link to the blog below.
Otherwise, Glyn has been playing with his new toy, a 360 degree camera which he’s managed to hook up to our outside recording equipment. Watch out for content produced with this gear in the future. If it ever stops raining. Meanwhile Paul has walked a few of his regular routes onto Salisbury Plain. The current extensive Army training exercises and the heavy armour have made a dreadful mess of the sodden ground on the Plains. But nearby the haven that is Parsonage Down is beginning to show the first signs of Spring and there’s been some interesting research taking place about the impact of grazing on the flora there.
Our main subject this week is the walk that Paul and his walking buddy Stu did in November 2021 which was the subject of a Blog dated 26 November entitled Medieval Inglesham – Three Counties Walk. Continuing this episode’s theme of straying beyond Wiltshire this walk in the extreme north-east of the county involved brief forays into neighbouring Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. But this was necessary in order to reach our objective.
This part of Wiltshire forms a finger shaped wedge into Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. But we began the walk in Lechlade-on-Thames in Gloucestershire, and very nearly got no further than the splendid Sourdough Revolution artisan bakery and café. We could quite happily have stayed there all morning! But we were on a mission so we re-crossed Halfpenny Bridge and followed the south side of the Thames, safely back in Wiltshire, en-route to our objective – the Church of St John the Baptist at Inglesham via a thoroughly ugly lock-keepers cottage that looked like a concrete cooling tower on the way.
We were concerned the church might be locked but were relieved to find it open. And oh my, what a sight awaited us as we opened first one door then another. We’ll leave you to read the blog and look at the photographs but suffice to say this spectacular and unique little church was thoroughly worth the trip. And of course, having forgotten what he’d had for breakfast this morning, Paul managed to also forget that he’d posted something on the Hidden Wiltshire Facebook page about a feature on Channel 5 about the church where Tony Robinson interviewed our favourite stonemason Andrew Ziminksi. It was broadcast on 8 October 2021.
From the church the walk took us to Buscot Weir via Buscot Wick before returning to Lechlade via the Thames path, criss-crossing counties as we went. We passed by the impressive Buscot Old Parsonage where American voices were to be heard. In the podcast Paul said he didn’t know who owned it after its previous owner, art collector Peter Francis Carew Stucley, died in 1964. Subsequent reading revealed it is now owned by the National Trust who also own nearby Buscot Park. Stucley’s will stated that the property should be rented furnished to American citizens actively pursuing literary, artistic or academic studies. And it clearly is to this day.
In all the walk was a flat and easy five miles, although at this time of year it may be boggy in places.
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject today is called “Fragile” because it sounds as though it was performed on a church organ! As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. Both Hidden Wiltshire books can be purchased there. The second book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs.
Links:
Andrew Rumsey’s beautiful book, English Grounds – A Pastoral Journey, can be found here English Grounds and at other booksellers of course.
The Blog about the Aldbourne Circular Route can be found here Aldbourne Circular Route
The Blog about the Russian exile to Wiltshire Vladimir Artemovich Pasechnik can be found here Vladimir Artemovich Pasechnik
You can follow the walk in this episode of the podcast here Medieval Inglesham - Three Counties Walk
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloudHe is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
It’s been a busy couple of weeks since the last podcast. The succession of storms had an impact and Paul foolishly agreed to appear on BBC South Today to talk about the deprivations of a whole three days without electricity. What an embarrassment. Thirty minutes or so after the BBC left the power came back on! Meanwhile Glyn was dodging the roof of the Wetherspoons pub that was flying low over Trowbridge.
But what we experienced in the south was nothing compared to our fellow countrymen in the north, some of whom went for weeks without power a short while ago. And certainly nothing compared to those people who live that way every day of their lives. This minor inconvenience was a sobering reminder of how fortunate we are.
Paul has also recommenced volunteering for Natural England. The Parsonage Down volunteers have been stood down since December. But the venue this week was the stunning Prescombe Down, which Paul visited during a walk in June 2020. The walk can be found at the link below and was called Eden’s Last Post. We covered it in podcast 17. Prescombe Down is part Natural England National Nature Reserve and part SSSI (which Natural England is responsible for monitoring). The Natural England team spent a day brush cutting and “tree popping” in what was a truly hidden side valley, visible only from the entrance to the valley itself or from a bridleway high on the slopes above. This really is a beautiful place with a sense of remoteness about it, often closed to the public because of the local shoot.
Glyn is also back to volunteering for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, counting sheep at Dunscombe Bottom close to Knook Camp which is busy with Army personnel at the moment.
Following in the footsteps of the last podcast and the story of Sarah Lucas and her family who last lived in Wiltshire 30 years ago, we had another of life’s wonderful coincidences. Something that would complete a circle for us. We recently received a book order from Wiltshire thatcher Brian Chalk. Since he lives only around 15 minutes away Paul said he’d deliver the book. We then received an email from Brian to say that Kay Chalk, who featured in podcast 11 and in the walk Paul did in August 2020 which was written up in the blog dated 27 August 2020 entitled Searching for Kitt’s Grave (In Memory of Kay Chalk 1929-2019), was his mother! Anyone who listened to podcast 11 will know that when he found the bench erected in memory of Kay Chalk, Paul became quite emotional as Kay was almost the same age as his own mum albeit Kay lived a lot longer. It was a poignant reminder. Brian shared some photos of his mum and told us the story of how, from the age of 5, she used to walk to school alone from her parent’s lonely cottage at Hut and Lodge Farm on Ox Drove, down Church Bottom to Broad Chalke – a distance of around 3.5kms. And the real shock for Paul was that Kay’s ashes were scattered by the bench that bears her name. This might explain why Paul was so deeply affected by the experience of being there. You can almost feel Kay’s presence. Brian shared photographs and more remarkable stories about his family who have lived in that part of Wiltshire for hundreds of years. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out more. But for Glyn and Paul, this is what makes Hidden Wiltshire so worthwhile. Joining the dots and connecting to the history of Wiltshire through its present day inhabitants.
We eventually got to the main theme of the podcast – the World War II RAF bases of Blakehill and Ramsbury. Glyn takes us on a journey through the landscape of what used to be two RAF airfields.
Blakehill Farm is now an important Wiltshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve and the north Wiltshire headquarters for the Trust (the southern headquarters is at Coombe Bissett Down (spelled “Combe” on the 1:25,000 OS map)). It adjoins Stoke Common Meadow and lies to the south west of the Saxon town of Cricklade - once home to the Royal Mint from 979 to 1100 AD. RAF Blakehill was the base for a number of tactical air transport squadrons that operated RAF C-47 Dakotas and Horsa gliders. The airfield played a key role in the D-Day landings when the Dakotas towed gliders full of airborne troops to France in support of Operation Overlord in June 1944. It also served as a listening post during the Cold War. Little remains of the airfield’s past but the runways are still evident from above as crop marks. It is now a vast hay meadow of 264 ha/650 acres and when Glyn visited in June 2017, armed with permission from WWT to fly his drone, it took him 90 minutes to walk from the entrance at Stoke Common Meadow all the way across to the far side of Blakehill Farm. You’ll find a link to his original blog with photographs and links to more information about the reserve and its past below.
RAF Ramsbury, to the south west of the village of Ramsbury, started life as a base for the Training Units from RAF Bomber Command. Pilots were trained on two-engined Airspeed Oxfords before moving on to four-engined Avro Lancaster bombers located at other bases. But following America’s entry into the war it became a base for the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) for troop carrying operations. As with RAF Blakehill, C-47 Dakotas operated from Ramsbury but this time they were USAAF aircraft. Apart from carrying paratroopers they also towed American Waco as well as British Horsa gliders. Again, Ramsbury played a critical role in supporting the D-Day landings in June 1944. Little remains of the airfield now but you can read more about it in Glyn’s two blogs dated 14 March 2019 and 15 June 2019 linked below. There are lots of photographs. There’s also a link to a website about the history of the airfield below.
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject today could only be “Eyes Looking East” for a host of obvious reasons. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. Both Hidden Wiltshire books can be purchased there. The second book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website.
Links:
The Eden’s Last Post blog about a walk that takes in Prescombe Down can be found here - Eden's Last Post
The Searching for Kitt’s Grave (in Memory of Kay Chalk 1929 - 2019) blog can be found here - Searching for Kitt's Grave
Glyn’s 2017 blog about Blakehill can be found here - HW Blakehill Farm and Stoke Common Meadows
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s page about Blakehill Farm and Stoke Common Meadows can be found here - WWT Blakehill Farm and Stoke Common Meadows The webpage includes a link to the RAF Blakehill Farm website.
You can find Glyn’s brief blog about his first visit to RAF Ramsbury here RAF Ramsbury Commemoration
You can find Glyn’s blog about his second visit to RAF Ramsbury here RAF Ramsbury Memorials
More about the history of Ramsbury Airfield - Ramsbury Airfield
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloudHe is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
Glyn has a new toy. A 360 degree camera which he assures us will be used for nothing more suspicious than making videos for the Hidden Wiltshire YouTube channel whilst out walking. So watch out for more news on this, and more of our ugly mugs. Meanwhile Paul is traumatised having sold all his camera gear without having the foresight to sort out a replacement kit.
Unfortunately we’ve received another complaint from a Mr Jenkins about how long it takes us to get to the main subject of each podcast. In the last podcast it took us 29 minutes (apparently) to get to the point. We’ll see if we can do better and maybe get through an entire episode without getting to the point. Some would argue we already do!
Back on the subject of videos the countdown is on for the YouTube premier of Hidden Wiltshire’s first serious crack at making a film. Our 40 minute film starring local historian David Carson is based around the villages of Alton Barnes and Alton Priors and the surrounding hills, taking us on a historical journey from Neolithic times up to the English Civil War and the Swing Riots of the 19th century. The film premiers at 7:30 pm on Tuesday 15 February and viewers can use the Chat function to talk to the Hidden Wiltshire team as we watch the video together. There’s a link to the YouTube channel below.
We posted a blog a few days ago about the walk Paul did based around Lacock and the Wilts & Berks Canal. For those who don’t use Facebook it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the Hidden Wiltshire website for regular blogs. You can subscribe to alerts which will notify you when new blogs are posted. There’s a link to the Wilts & Berks Canal walk below.
A quick mention also of the exhibition by aerial photographer David Abrams called Ancient Sites from the Air. David’s incredibly detailed photographs include many in Wiltshire and can be seen at Salisbury Museum until Sunday 15 May. More details in the link below.
Finally, before we get on to the main subject, we thank some of our lovely Facebook Group contributors for their posts about their walks and finds. A special mention goes to Elaine Perkins who’s posted details and photos of some terrific walks recently. Just the sort of thing we’re looking for.
The main subject of this episode of the podcast is the walk Glyn and Paul did recently together with Hidden Wiltshire follower Bo Novak, around Old Winsley and Turleigh which took in the curiously named “The Elbow”. We recorded some audio as we walked so this podcast is a mixture of indoor and outdoor recording. We’ve mentioned this walk a few times but we were inspired to do it following correspondence with Sarah Lucas. Sarah moved away from Wiltshire some 30 years ago and listening to the podcast brings back memories of her youth. She lived with her family in Old Winsley and during the last war her mother worked as a nurse in what was a TB clinic and is now Avonpark Retirement Home. Her grandparents owned a house by the Kennet and Avon Canal called The Elbow. Sarah asked if we would do a walk and take some pictures in the area. We were happy to oblige. It’s an area Glyn and Paul knew little about so it was great to have Bo along to act as our guide. You’ll find a link to the blog about the walk below.
Then on to the wrap up:
Thanks as usual to Steve Dixon for the music. His piece leading into our main subject is called “Canopy”. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. Both Hidden Wiltshire books can be purchased there. The second book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website.
Links:
To watch the Premier of the video click here Alton Barnes, Alton Priors, Pewsey Vale - A History
You can find the blog about the Lacock and Wilts & Berks walk here Lacock and the Wilts & Berks Canal
Details of David Abram’s exhibition at Salisbury Museum can be found here David Abrams: Ancient Sites from the Air
You can follow the walk on the blog on the Hidden Wiltshire website at Old Winsley, Turleigh and The Elbow
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud, He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
It’s the eleventy seventh of January and we’re sick of the endless grey days but Spring is in the air. We’ve seen snow drops and crocuses, and the River Till behind Paul’s house has finally risen from its dry river bed. It won’t be (that long) before we’re out taking photos of bluebells again, although in an act of extreme provocation Glyn has already posted bluebell images on his Twitter feed.
Things have been a bit busier since the last podcast. The Hippenscombe walk has finally been posted on the website and Facebook pages. It’s been a real labour of love with Paul returning to the location five times in all to refine the walk and capture photographs in something other than flat grey light. It’s been quite a struggle to get the right balance of distance for the walk whilst taking in all the locations that really should be seen in this part of Wiltshire. Since we had to admit to not being finely tuned athletes some of the climbs along the walk proved to be pretty challenging, one of which saw Paul prostrate in the mud!
It was also good to get the Quaker’s Walk blog up on the website after we did the walk as part of a podcast with Steve Dixon.
Since the last podcast Glyn has delivered his talk to the Bratton History Association on the subject of Wiltshire Blind Houses, the main topic for this episode of the podcast. Glyn plans to visit every Wiltshire Blind House, just as he undertook to visit every Wiltshire hill fort (seems he may have been beaten to this)! We then managed to disappear down an enormous rabbit hole talking about hill forts and whether they were really forts at all. Rather than muse about the purpose of these from a base of our limited understanding we thought it would be far more sensible to invite an expert onto the podcast to speak about them. Watch this space.
Meanwhile we’ve got a few more walks planned which Paul and his walking buddy Stu will be scheduling over the next month or two. Meanwhile Glyn and Paul will be joined by long-term Hidden Wiltshire follower and contributor Bo Novak (who was responsible for the guided walk Glyn led in Bradford-on-Avon last year) on a walk based around Winsley. A walk that we were asked to do by Sarah Lucas who lived there some 30 years ago before she moved to Scotland. We’re planning to record some audio whilst we walk for a future podcast.
Speaking of recording, we are almost ready to release the film we made with David Carson last summer around Alton Barnes and Alton Priors, and the surrounding hills. This will be posted on YouTube. It’s been a long haul and a lot of work!
Then on to the main topic of this episode of the podcast - Wiltshire’s Blind Houses. When Glyn delivered his talk he illustrated it with a number of slides, and you can see the photographs in his blog from 24 January 2021 (see link below). We talk about the origin and purpose behind these little lock-ups which in fact had a relatively limited life, having become redundant once Wiltshire’s constabulary was founded in 1839.
They were built for the temporary detention of troublemakers, drunks, criminals and miscreants, but were also used to detain prisoners in transit from the assize courts to gaol. They come in various shapes and sizes – round, square, octagonal but are always small buildings designed to house one or two prisoners for short periods. Glyn was armed with a range of fascinating and amusing stories about individual blind houses. One was even constructed for the set of the BBC series Cranford and seems to have been a replica of the Steeple Ashton blind house. The replica now resides on a West London housing estate!
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject could only be the curiously titled “Holgar the Can Man” for obvious reasons. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. Both Hidden Wiltshire books can be purchased there. The second book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire’s libraries. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website.
Links:
You will find the Glyn’s blog and photographs used to illustrate his talk here Blind Houses
Glyn’s photographs can be found on his Instagram feed @coy_cloudHe is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
Something a little different in this episode – not a walk but a whole area!
We open with a mention of Glyn’s talk at the Bratton History Association on the subject of Blind Houses at 4:00pm on Sunday 16 January. The event will be held at Bratton Church Institute. It is but a vicious rumour that Glyn will be performing his talk as dance.
After saying we’ve had a quiet two weeks we then embark on an extended round up of the last two weeks, in which mud featured large. Lenka Stokes asked in the Facebook Group whether anyone could recommend a walk that didn’t involve mud. This was a tricky one! The answer wasn’t quite a resounding “no” but people did struggle with ideas.
Meanwhile, Paul has done two walks this week, one in Wiltshire and one just outside. The walk outside Wiltshire was just over the border in Oxfordshire taking in a stretch of the Ridgeway, which of course extends into Wiltshire and includes Avebury. Being a little closer to home than North Uist and France (Paul having taken some flack for a Facebook post about prehistoric monuments in these two places) it’s well worth venturing over the border to see the Uffington White Horse, Uffington Castle and Wayland’s Smithy. He did though make comparisons with similar monuments in Wiltshire in order to justify the mention! This part of south Oxfordshire did though trump Wiltshire for mud. It was shocking!
Paul’s other walk was firmly in Wiltshire, albeit not too far from the Hampshire border. David Dawson at Wiltshire Museum has asked us to lead a walk to include Tidcombe long barrow, Hippenscombe and the Kinwardstone (aka Kenwood Stone or Devil’s Waistcoat). So, accompanied by his trusted walking buddy Stu, Paul knocked together a route which he proceeded to trial. The weather was grey and drizzly so did not show this beautiful part of the world in its best light. Watch out for a blog and podcast about this in due course. But despite the weather and the mud Paul and Stu did complete the walk, throwing in an extension to include the Iron Age bivallate hill fort of Fosbury Camp – a worthwhile deviation.
Hippenscombe features in British water colourist Eric Ravilious’ famous painting “The Causeway”. Recently both Glyn and Paul have been to see the unique exhibition of his paintings, entitled Downland Man, at Wiltshire Museum in Devizes. It was interesting to compare the landscape that Ravilious painted in 1937 to how it looks today. The area now hosts industrial scale game shooting, something that is not so evident in Eric’s beautiful painting. He also painted the aforementioned Uffington White Horse, thereby completing the circle! The exhibition is on until the end of January so there is not long left before the pieces are returned to their owners. The Causeway in particular will henceforth be kept in a dark room for several decades to reduce light damage so for many of us this will be the last chance to see it. It should be noted the exhibition is now getting very busy so it would be wise to book ahead.
The main subject in this episode of the podcast was Whitesheet Hill near Stourhead, and the surrounding area. We discuss the myriad prehistoric monuments on Whitesheet Hill, nearby Long Knoll, and Park Hill Camp at Stourton as well as medieval Mere Castle, and memories of the Second World War by way of Zeals aerodrome and the poignant Dakota Memorial close by Whitesheet at Beech Clump. As usual in our part of the world, there are immense views everywhere, including across Dorset and Somerset.
In the podcast Paul mentions the connection with the late 18th/early 19th century poet Percey Bysshe Shelley with this area, and in the process gets it completely wrong. Paul said Shelley met his first wife, Harriet Westbrook here. In fact it was his first love, Harriet Grove, whose family owned Ferne House at nearby Donhead St Andrew. This must be a first – issuing a correction at the same time as the podcast is released! What is even more hilarious is that we discovered that Wikipedia cited Paul’s Hidden Wiltshire blog about Long Knoll and Little Knoll on their page about Long Knoll. If only they knew!
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading into our main subject is entitled “Downland” for obvious reasons. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. Both Hidden Wiltshire books can be purchased there. The second book is also available at Devizes Bookshop and Wiltshire Museum in Devizes. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website.
Links:
Details of the Eric Ravilious exhibition at Wiltshire Museum, Devizes can be found here Eric Ravilious - Downland Man
We talk in further detail about the whole area around Whitesheet Hill in a number of blogs on the Hidden Wiltshire website – links as follows
Whitesheet Hill
Zeals and Dakota Memorial
Castle Hill, Mere
Park Hill Camp, Stourton
Long Knoll and Little Knoll
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on the Hidden Wiltshire website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far -
A Happy New Year to all our listeners. A new year and the start of our second year as podcasters. We still can’t believe it.
Our usual round up of the last two weeks in Wiltshire was pretty spartan. Neither Glyn nor Paul have done anything other than enjoy Christmas with our families. Paul had COVID in the house so spent the best part of the 10 days up until Christmas Eve isolating to keep his son company. A diet of walks onto the Plain from home kept him sane.
Both Glyn and Paul have been doing a lot of reading and in the links below you’ll find some of the books that have been keeping them busy. And speaking of books, we’re still busy packaging up and sending out copies of the Hidden Wiltshire book. Both books are available to order from the Hidden Wiltshire online shop (link below) whilst the second book, Hidden Wiltshire from Near and Far, is also in stock at Wiltshire Museum and Devizes Bookshop. It will also be available for loan from Wiltshire Libraries later in January.
The main subject of the podcast is our first walk involving the whole Hidden Wiltshire team. Glyn and Paul were joined by Steve Dixon and we recorded our exploits as we walked. We’d been planning to do the Quaker’s Walk in Devizes for a long time. Since this is Steve’s hometown and he spends so much time walking the area it was great to have him along to share his knowledge and wit!
From Quaker’s Walk we headed up to Roundway Hill and Oliver’s Castle. From there we continued to King’s Play Hill then followed the Wessex Ridgeway for a stretch before turning to head back towards Roundway Hill.
The weather forecast predicted a 10% chance of a shower. What we got was continuous torrential rain for several hours with Roundway Hill cloaked in thick cloud as we approached. We were drenched. And to add insult to injury Glyn took an involuntary lie down in the mud on Oliver’s Castle. On the tops we were then greeted by a howling gale which blew Paul off his feet whilst on King’s Play Hill. We struggled to record our observations as we went, including reading a short description of the Battle of Roundway which took place nearby on 13 July 1643.
Along the stretch of the Wessex Ridgeway we came across an ancient milestone. James Rawlings posted about this in the Hidden Wiltshire Facebook Group in April 2021. We know it’s a milestone (which apparently has an Ordnance Survey mark on it) but we’d be intrigued to know whether this track was a coach road or whether the Wessex Ridgeway has milestones along its entire length.
Anyway, we returned to Devizes Wharf tired and covered in mud but contented after our 10 mile walk. And what a transformation. A beautiful still evening with a sunset revealing powder blue skies streaked with pink clouds. We couldn’t believe that seven hours earlier the weather was so appalling the thought of abandoning had crossed our minds!
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading to our recording of our walk is entitled “Gatherings” as the drum led us to imagine the sound of a drummer boy in the Battle of Roundway Down. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Thanks again for all your support during our first year of the podcast. Don’t forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you’d like to help us keep the lights on. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website.
Links:
The books mentioned in the podcast:
English Grounds: A Pastoral Journal - Andrew Rumsey
The Land of Lettice Sweetapple - Fowler & Blackwell
The Land of the White Horse - David Miles
A History of Bentley Wood - Baskerville & Lambert
The Secret History of Here - Alistair Moffat
Glyn’s photographs can be seen on the Hidden Wiltshire website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the book, how to purchase a copy here Hiddden Wiltshire from near and far -
Episode 26 of a fortnightly podcast means we’ve made it to the end of our first year of podcasting. And with the dreaded COVID-19 rampaging through the country again we don’t seem to have come very far. But this episode is a Christmas Special and when we look back over the last year we realise just how much we’ve covered and how far we’ve come.
But first our final look for 2021 at the last two weeks in Wiltshire.
Notwithstanding a couple of days’ tractor driver training at Parsonage Down for Paul, it’s all been about the Hidden Wiltshire book so not much walking and photography going on. We had the official book launch on Friday 10 December which we are most grateful to Wiltshire Museum in Devizes for hosting. Tickets were limited so that people could be distanced from one another and there were a few no shows. But we had a great evening with some lovely people and even managed to sell (and sign) a few books. Glyn and Paul blathered in true podcast style for about an hour before chatting to people afterwards over wine and nibbles. It definitely wasn’t a party! The book was available for pre-order before the launch so we’ve been busily parcelling them up and sending them out.
We’ve sold nearly half the first print run which is incredible. Sadly the Christmas rush and pressure on the Royal Mail to deliver huge numbers of COVID test kits has meant a lot of books are taking a long time to arrive. Added to which we calculated the postage incorrectly on the early orders so some people have been asked to pay additional £1.50 by Royal Mail. If you have been affected please contact us and we will arrange a refund of the additional postage.
We had a most welcome and unexpected piece of news this week. We were contacted by the British Library who asked if they could enter the podcast in the British Library Sounds Archive. This is a huge honour for us, although we’re not sure whether it means we will now be stored in a basement somewhere in London. Or fired into space to be discovered by aliens in a million light years’ time.
The main part of the podcast was a review of some of our favourite events of the year. Looking at the analytics software we use it’s been amazing to see how many overseas listeners we have, and from such a diverse range of countries. Of the nearly 10,000 listens around 10% have been by people outside of the UK from places as far as the USA, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong, to countries closer to home such as Malta, Luxembourg and Montenegro (wherever that is)!
Some of our favourite podcasts have been those where we discovered some remarkable characters any mysterious legends such as The Fonthill Estate and the Gold Suited Doorman, and Folly Wood and the Headless Horseman. But we’ve an absolute ball doing some recording outside so you’ll hear clips from the decidedly eerie Furze Knoll (the Wiltshire Clumps podcast), Fyfield Down (where we were spooked late in the evening by some terrifying sounds) and the Coffin Trail podcast where we interviewed the marvellous Andrew Ziminski on the roof of Staple Ashton church just as the bells began to chime. We’ll be making a lot more use of the outside recording equipment next year and we may even get to use it in time for the next podcast, if only Steve Dixon would give us a date when he is available to record it!
You’ll find links to the featured podcasts below.
Whilst we’ve travelled to the far corners of the county, we have a lot more walks planned. But we want to get further out to the borders of the neighbouring counties. Paul was hoping to avoid Swindon since it is its own separate Unitary Authority but Glyn assured him it was still in Wiltshire! But we must visit places like the pretty town of Malmesbury and the area south of Salisbury towards the New Forest. If listeners have any suggestions we’d love to hear them. We’ve had one or two via the Facebook Page and Group already. If you want to submit your own photo blog for inclusion on the website we’d happy to consider your material, or if you are a member of the closed Facebook Group you can post blogs on there direct.
We finished the review of the year with another mention of Steve Dixon who, following Glyn’s appearance on Radio Wiltshire, was featured on one of their programmes talking about his piece “Hills Hiding Hangars”. The station has also asked him to write and record some music for them. The boy would be nowhere without us!! And speaking of “Hills Hiding Hangars” we used this music in our soon to be released video featuring David Carson and the landscape around Alton Barnes and Alton Priors. Watch out for more news on this soon.
Then on to the wrap up:
Steve Dixon’s piece leading to our main subject is entitled “Bright Thaw”, although there doesn’t seem to be much prospect of there being anything to thaw this Christmas. Another T-shirt and shorts Christmas we fear. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website.
A final thanks to Tim Kington at TKC Sales, the UK distributors of Lowa walking boots and shoes, and for the 20% discount on their products available to listeners of the podcast. This will be the final opportunity to make use of the discount as the code will no longer work after the end of the year. Listen to the show for the discount code. You’ll find a link to Lowa Boots’ website below where you can place your order and utilise the discount code.
And finally, help us keep the lights on by heading to the Hidden Wiltshire Online shop. Link below. Did we tell you there’s a second Hidden Wiltshire book! That can be ordered in the online shop or you will find it in the shop in Wiltshire Museum in Devizes.
To sign off we’d like to wish all our listeners a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for your support and for lending us your ear.
Links:
The podcasts featured in this episode can be found here:
The Fonthill Estate and the Gold Suited Doorman
Folly Wood and the Headless Horseman
Wiltshire Clumps
The Valley of the Stones and Devil's Den
The Coffin Trail
Glyn’s photographs can of course be seen on this website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud
Paul’s photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist
Steve Dixon’s sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative
You can find Lowa Boots UK at Lowa Boots UK
And finally you’ll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn’s blog about the book, how to purchase a copy here Hiddden Wiltshire from near and far - Näytä enemmän
