Devizes

Devizes is a little gem. For a town of its size the market square is huge and with the Kennet and Avon Canal passing nearby it must have been a thriving centre to the town.  Devizes is one of the few towns to have kept its medieval street pattern.  The town grew up on the perimeter of a Norman castle and although the castle has gone, a private Victorian house stands in its place.  The new castle bears the same form and some of the ancient masonry.  The medieval aspects of the town can be traced in a fine town trail, available free of charge from the Devizes Visitors Centre.

Approaching the town from the Trowbridge side, you cannot miss the towering Northgate Brewery building, where Wadsworth beer has been brewed since 1885. The brewery is still family owned and beer is still delivered locally by traditional dray pulled by the company's handsome shire horses - Royal, Max, Prince and Tom.  The brewery features one of only six working coopers in the whole country. The Brewery is now open to the public and its visitors' centre traces the jistory of brewing in Devizes and the brewing process.

The Kennet and Avon Canal Museum and Trust HQ is on the wharf. On Long Street, my favourite street in Devizes is the Wiltshire Heritage Museum and associated Library and Art gallery which holds collections covering the archaeology, recent history, natural history and art of Wiltshire.  A highlight is the collection of Bronze Age finds which has been designated a significant part of England's cultural heritage.

Perhaps the reason why Devizes is so synonymous with Wiltshire is the fact that the Crammer (the town pond), located on the green, is said to have given rise to the nickname that Wiltshire people are proud to be known by: Moonrakers.  The story goes that in the days of contraband, a group of smugglers had hidden their stash in the pond and were in the process of trying to recover it when they were disturbed by the Excise Men.  Asked what they were doing, they pointed to the reflection of the moon in the water, saying that someone had dropped a cheese in the pond and they were trying to get it out.  The Excise Men went on their way shaking their heads at the naivety of the yokels, and the yokels promptly recovered their stash without being arrested by the Excise Men.