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THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS The Warminster Assembly Rooms, facing the Western
Car Park, were officially opened on Wednesday 3rd October 1973.
The building is now in the hands of Warminster Town Council. The
large hall seats 240 persons and lends itself to events both grand
and modest. The smaller room comfortably seats 60 persons and is
very much appreciated by the various local societies who use it
for their meetings. There is a licensed bar and with its large industrial
kitchen it is a perfect venue for receptions and all manner of functions.
LOCAL RADIO Situated at the southern end of the Assembly Rooms in
the building, which once housed public conveniences, are the studios
of Warminster Community Radio, started by local lad Barry Mole.
It broadcasts on a restricted license serving hospitals and homes
in West Wiltshire and East Somerset; frequency 87.7 fm. WCR is involved
with Kingdown Community College offering media-courses and tutoring
up-and-coming disc-jockeys and sound engineers. A second radio station,
3TR, which is commercially-based and has a full license broadcasts
on 107.5 FM from Boreham Mill and serves not only Warminster but
also Westbury and Frome.
ART, LITERATURE AND MUSIC The Wylye Valley Arts Trail, which is
held during the summer, gives locals and visitors the opportunity
to visit skilled artists - painters, sculptors, furniture makers,
potters, glass blowers and jewellers in their own homes and studios
in Warminster and the surrounding villages, either to view their
creations or to commission or purchase works that will inspire,
amuse, or prove a worthwhile investment.
The Warminster Art Society welcomes everyone from beginners to experts.
During the winter months they have workshop sessions and lectures
and in the summer all-day outdoor painting sessions are held. Twice
a year, usually in May and November, an exhibition and sale of members’
paintings and drawings is held at Warminster Library.
The Warminster Writers Circle welcome new members and visitors to
their meetings. There are many published authors and poets living
in the town. Warminster Library is a modern building of red brick,
opened in 1982, and not only provides books for the community, but
also CDs, DVDs, and internet access. A mobile library service operates
in the surrounding villages and books are also distributed to the
Hospital. The Library building also accommodates the Dewey Museum
and the Cancer Information & Support Service.
The Warminster Recorded Music Society gives like-minded people the
chance to listen to their favourites on tape. For those who prefer
live music there are many excellent performers in Warminster. The
Warminster Brass Band has existed in various guises since 1880 and
the latest addition to the musical life of the area is the recently
established Warminster Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Athenaeum Singers, Warminster’s very own choral society
was founded in 1977. It is open to all without audition and the
ability to read music is not necessary.
 THE
ATHENAEUM
The Athenaeum, on the north side of the High Street, was built
in 1858 as a lecture hall, and among its early speakers was Oscar
Wilde who gave a talk on "The House Beautiful" The present
auditorium was built in 1879 as the Charles Bleeck Memorial Hall.
From 1912 to 1964 it was the Palace Cinema and was also the venue
for amateur operatics and drama. Eric Sykes, of television fame,
was a regular cast member in a touring company which performed here
in the 1940s. From 1969 onwards the building was used as an arts
centre, with many famous names gracing the stage. Following a pause
in its proceedings during the 1990s, the Athenaeum reopened in 2000
and is now held in trust as a registered charity by and for the
people of Warminster. It is being promoted as a vibrant centre for
the community. This fine Victorian theatre (complete with balcony),
seating 235 people is certainly an intimate venue for all types
of entertainment. Users have good backstage facilities, in-house
lighting and dressing rooms.
Unfortunately there is no permanent cinema in Warminster today (there
were once two!), the nearest now being at Frome, Salisbury and the
multi-complex Odeon at Bath. The Athenaeum in Warminster plays host
to the Warminster and District Film Society which offer once-a-month
screenings. Tickets can be bought in advance. Early booking is advised,
as many of the films sell out quickly.
Codford, five miles east of Warminster, is the only village in England
to have its own theatre. It is named the Woolstore Country Theatre,
after the building’s former use as a collection and sorting
depot for fleeces. Drama, pantomimes, and children’s activities
are regularly presented and are well-supported.
THE WYLYE VALLEY VINEYARD Half a mile south of Warminster, next
to the A350, at Crockerton, is the Wylye Valley Vineyard (9 acres,
planted 1989), now renowned for its award winning wines name after
various types of fishing flies. Visitors are welcome to walk around
the vineyard. Admission is free and so are wine tastings. Guided
tours for groups of 15 to 40 people can be arranged.
EATING OUT Warminster has many cafes, restaurants and take-aways
offering something for all tastes.
FLERS TWINNING ASSOCIATION Warminster’s European ties were
cemented in 1973 when the town was twinned with Flers in France.
Members of the Warminster-Flers Twinning Association regularly visit
each other on both sides of the English Channel and social events
continue to forge friendships.
THE SPORTING LIFE
Warminster abounds with clubs covering just about every sport imaginable,
and activities as diverse as archery, Subbuteo, table tennis, ladies
football and wrestling have all been enjoyed over the years. Today
in Warminster the opportunities are greater and facilities are much
improved. Kingdown Community School (designated a Sports College
in September 2000) and Warminster School both have all-weather floodlit
astro-turf pitches for football and hockey.
The Sports Centre at Woodcock Road is much used by the local community
and has several innovative facilities for families. A crèche
is available and the Fun House Club for children allows parents
to relieve stress during the school holidays. The Club provides
activities for youngsters and also holds birthday parties with different
themes. The Sports Centre is the venue for many club activities,
including five-a-side football, Taekwon-do, karate, kick boxing,
badminton and fencing. There is an air-conditioned gym, two glass-back
squash courts, an aerobics studio, and a 25 metre heated indoor
swimming pool.
Warminster Town Football Club originally played on a field near
Holly Lodge at Boreham Road in the 1890s, but is now at home at
Weymouth Street, where the “Reds and Blacks” have a
modern club house and floodlighting. The Highbury Club, with its
ground at Woodcock promotes youth football with juniors of all ages.
Warminster Rugby Club is based at Folly Lane and as well as its
senior male fifteens, has sides for juniors and women. Warminster
Cricket Club, established in 1838, has its pitch at Sambourne Road
and adjacent to its modern pavilion is the Cricket Academy which
offers expert tuition and encouragement to all budding batsmen and
bowlers. Warminster Running Club, which meets at the Cricket Club
on Wednesday evenings, hosts the annual Forest 10 race which takes
competitors along paths through the scented-pine woodlands around
Shearwater on the Longleat Estate. The more gentle pursuit of bowling
can be enjoyed at Ash Walk. Warminster Bowling Club is the oldest
of its kind in Wiltshire, having been founded in 1898. Present members,
with the help of Lottery cash, local grants and home-grown fundraising
recently raised sufficient money to replace their old concrete clubhouse
with a spacious new pavilion. The Fudge Trust (a Warminster charity)
paid for the addition of toilets with access for the disabled.
West Wilts Golf Club has an 18 hole course on the top of 650 feet
high Arn Hill, which began as a nine hole course in November 1891.
It was designed by J. H. Taylor. On chalk subsoil the greens and
fairways are nearly always dry and fit for play. Practice facilities
(out and indoor) are available. The course is of a links character
and gives players of all standards a fair test.
During the summer months Deptford Field Barn, a farm adjacent the
A303, is the venue for mountain boarding. Safety equipment and boards
can be hired and qualified coaches show novice boarders how to negotiate
the downhill slope. A small fee is charged to cover the cost of
insurance and for towing boarders by quad bike back to the top of
the course.
An Adventure Sports Club has recently been started in Warminster
and its current membership of 20 have already experienced survival
weekends indoor and outdoor climbing, canoeing, mountain biking,
shooting, snowboarding on dry ski slopes and deep-water soloing.
Meetings are held once a quarter. There are two or three organised
events every month and there are other informal activities.
OUTDOOR LEISURE
Good walking has been enjoyed in and around Warminster for many
years. There are hundreds of footpaths and nearly all are well-signposted
and adequately provided with stiles. Most landowners are walker-friendly
and there is a good choice of routes ranging from short in-town
perambulations to long-distance treks such as the Wessex Ridgeway.
The Imber Range Perimeter Path which skirts around the Military
Training Area of Salisbury Plain is clearly defined with waymarkers
and is a circular walk of 30 miles that can be joined or left at
many places. For those who want to walk as part of a group there
are organisations, such as the West Wilts Ramblers, who arrange
walks from advertised starting points on a regular basis.
As well as walking, the Warminster vicinity provides excellent cycling
opportunities for individuals or groups along byways and other routes
and through terrain as diverse as the Great Ridge Woods or Salisbury
Plain. The latter is the chosen course for a Challenge Competition
held at New Year; its route includes the roads in the northern part
of Warminster Parish. Many locals turn out to watch and cheer on
the mountain bikers and other entrants. For those who prefer a less
energetic ride the Wiltshire Cycleway features six circular routes.
The Wylye Valley Route, from Salisbury to Horningsham (to Mere)
is 41 miles and is indicated by blue background signs with white
lettering and a bicycle motif. Welcoming pubs and village shops
can be found along the way, and the routes link up with off-roading
tracks and national byways. The nearest cycling club for Warminster
residents is the Westbury Wheelers who hold various rides out, races,
time trials, and social events.
For the horse-rider there are several stables in the Warminster
area offering liveries to pony-trekking. Point-to-point is also
popular.
For those who prefer messing about in boats Shearwater, a large
lake on the Longleat Estate, near Crockerton, is the venue for dinghy
sailing by members of the Shearwater Sailing Club. A club house
and mooring area is to the north east of the lake and the regattas
provide not only a colourful spectacle but also an exhilarating
thrill. The lake is also used by local fishermen (and women) including
members of the Warminster Angling Club. The River Wylye, one of
the finest chalk streams in Wiltshire, offers good trout fishing
(remember to get your licence!), and for those who enjoy shooting
there is a club at Fisherton Delamere (10 miles from Warminster).
Clay pigeon shooting is also held at various times, usually for
cash prizes at local charity events and game fairs.
A HOLIDAY HAUNT For those who want to combine taking it easy with
enjoying history and fantastic scenery Warminster is an ideal holiday
destination. Whether you want to camp, caravan, stay in bed and
breakfast, self-cater, or prefer to be pampered in a luxury hotel,
Warminster has something for everyone and the Warminster Information
Centre is the first port of call for booking accommodation.
Which ever method is chosen for a stay in Warminster the town is
also a perfect base for those who want to explore the many attractions
and delights of the surrounding area.
Longleat House, the "greatest treasure house in the West Country"
is on the doorstep, and, who knows, while visiting you might bump
into the 7th Marquess of Bath, famous for his murals and his memoirs,
and known locally, like his father, for being a generous benefactor
to Warminster. On the site of an Augustine priory, work commenced
on the building of Longleat House in 1567. Longleat Park, landscaped
by Capability Brown, has now got some amazing animal neighbours
- lions, tigers, wolves, gorillas, giraffes and rhinos are just
a few of the animals to be seen in the Safari Park on a wonderful
day out. Overlooking Longleat Park is Heaven's Gate which can be
approached by a grassy walkway between rhododendrons and azaleas.
It was here that Bishop Ken, while a guest at Longleat (1689 to
his death in 1711), wrote his famous hymn "Morning".
Stonehenge, one of the great wonders of the world, is within easy
travelling distance of Warminster, as is Avebury, a set of Neolithic
stone circles in the shadow of Silbury Hill and close to the West
Kennet Long Barrow, a well-known area for the appearance of elaborate
crop circles in corn fields.
Archaeology is also plentiful in the immediate Warminster area.
Rome has seven hills and so does Warminster: Cley Hill, the highest
at 800 feet, was donated by the Thynnes of Longleat to the National
Trust in the 1950s; Arn Hill is a nature reserve and golf course;
Copheap is a memorial to the fallen of the Second World War; Battlesbury
is one of the country’s greatest Iron Age hill forts; Cradle
Hill and Middle Hill are renowned for UFO spotting while Scratchbury
is another splendid hill fort with earthworks and burial mounds.
All these prominences are accessible by public footpaths - well
worth the exhilaration of the climbs - and give splendid views across
the wonderful countryside.
Also within easy reach of Warminster is Stourhead, a National Trust
property, with its 18th century pleasure garden landscaped around
a lake and complete with temples, grottos, statues and monuments
such as the old Bristol High Cross. Nearby is Alfred’s Tower
built in 1772 on the site where King Alfred the Great is said to
have gathered his army prior to defeating the invading Danes in
878 A.D.
A FRIENDLY COMMUNITY “The locals are so friendly,” is
an oft-heard remark from visitors to Warminster, and it is this
sociability that has earned Warminster a proud reputation for being
an excellent town in which to live, work and play. CCTV cameras
funded by the Town Council and additional policing by Community
Officers have made the town safety conscious. Wiltshire is one of
the safest counties in the United Kingdom. Many people from elsewhere
have taken up residence in Warminster after holidaying here or being
stationed for a while at the town’s barracks. They all agree
that the relaxed atmosphere of the town combined with the surrounding
natural wonders of the hills and chalk downland on the edge of Salisbury
Plain plus the greenery of the water-meadows alongside the River
Wylye make it one of the best places for bringing up a family or
relaxing in retirement. Long-term residents have enjoyed these things
for a considerable time and are keen to share their good fortune.
If you are visiting Warminster or thinking about moving here you
can be assured of a warm welcome at all times!
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