Ramsbury is a charming village steeped in history, dating back to Roman times. It features a range of well-preserved historical buildings, including the Grade I listed Holy Cross Church, which showcases impressive architectural details. The village also boasts a number of traditional thatched cottages, adding to its rustic charm.
Nature lovers will appreciate the natural beauty surrounding Ramsbury. The village is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is surrounded by rolling hills, woodlands, and meandering rivers. This makes the village an ideal destination for outdoor activities such as walking, cycling, and fishing.
Ramsbury is everyone’s idyllic idea of an English village with its pub/restaurant in the centre with a café to one side, offering a relaxing place to enjoy your surroundings. It also has a selection of local shops, a post office, and a few charming independent shops, as well as a primary school and doctor’s surgery. Ramsbury is also home to the famous Ramsbury Gin and Vodka as well as having a brewery.
Marlborough High Street is one of the widest in the UK and is lined by beautiful old buildings. The town displays the confidence of wealth from times past, yet today stays vibrant and progressive with its own chic restaurant and café culture and many independent shops – recently ranked as the second best place to shop in England. The town hosts many events during the year, including the very popular Marlborough College Summer School offering a wide variety of adult courses.
The market town of Hungerford lies about 5 miles away and is perhaps best known today as a centre for antique shops and fairs as well as other unique shops and boutiques. It sits on the Kennet and Avon Canal and has a wharf where barges leave on boat trips.
Swindon town may not be as architecturally beautiful as the market towns of Hungerford and Marlborough but it has extensive shopping, recreational and retail facilities as well as a mainline station and a large modern hospital.
Swindon is now known for being a regional centre for business, and is home to many technological and pharmaceutical companies, as well as having national headquarters for international companies. The town is also a regional retail and leisure hub including The Designer Outlet.
For steam enthusiasts there is the Museum of the Great Western Railway, set in a restored station, which has old locomotives and train carriages, including Queen Victoria’s Royal Saloon from 1897. The Museum of Computing traces the history of computing and digital development, and in the Old Town, Swindon Museum & Art Gallery is known for its 20th-century British art collection, plus displays of local fossils.
