Malmesbury – England’s oldest borough
Malmesbury is the oldest Borough in England and is the gateway to the southern end of the Cotswolds an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This small town is perfect for exploring in one day or using as a base for exploring more of the villages in the Cotswolds.
![Malmesbury Abbey with blue sky behind](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-abbey.jpg)
Exploring Malmesbury
Leaving the M4 motorway as a distant memory the road to Malmesbury wanders through small villages. Picture perfect with their Cotswold stone and cottage gardens full of summer colour these villages are some of the most beautiful in England.
Sited on a flat-topped hill encapsulated by the River Avon, sits Malmesbury, the southern entrance to the Cotswolds. An old town with 1000 years of history and the title of being the oldest Borough in England.
Malmesbury Abbey and gardens
In the Middle Ages, these borough towns were self-governing and by Mediaeval times they could appoint their own members of parliament. The abbey, still in use today, was a centre for learning during Anglo-Saxon times and was significant even earlier when Æthelstan, the first king of England was buried in the abbey in 939. His remains were lost during the Reformation but in the furthest corner of the abbey, the tomb remains in his honour.
At one time this Abbey, which partially survived the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, had a spire taller than Salisbury Cathedral. Today it is partially ruined but is still in use as a parish church, a conversion that prevented its total destruction in the 1500’s.
Look carefully at the walls of the abbey and you will see marks from musket balls. The town was a Royalist stronghold but fell to the Parliamentarians. The understanding is that leaders of the Royalists were taken to the abbey grounds when the town fell and executed in the grounds. Is this true and where it actually happened – we will never know for sure.
Even more of a story is the grave of Hannah Twynnoy which is located in the churchyard of the abbey. On her crumbling memorial stone is the following poem –
In bloom of LifeShe’s snatchd from hence,
She had not room
To make defence;
For Tyger fierce
Took Life away.
And here she lies
In a bed of Clay,
Until the Resurrection Day.
This young barmaid died in October 1703, apparently mauled by a tiger that she had tormented. Now Malmesbury is the last place you would expect to find a tiger, but a visiting menagerie to the town was passing through so there may just be some truth.
![A corner of Malmesbury ruins](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-ruin-corner.jpg)
![Ruins of Malmesbury abbey from Abbey gardens](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-ruin-trees.jpg)
![ruins of Malmesbury Abbey behind trees](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-ruins.jpg)
![the vaulted roof inside Malmesbury Abbey](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-roof.jpg)
The nearby Abbey Gardens provided for the needs of the Abbey and today are a space of tranquility and calm from the bustle of the town centre beyond the high walls and hotch-potch of buildings that surround the lawns.
![a stone arch in Malmesbury with Abbey Gardens behind](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-stone.jpg)
![yellow pom pom flowers](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-yellow.jpg)
![green man face in tone](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-face.jpg)
![An archway looking into the Abbey Gardens](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-arch.jpg)
Malmesbury town
As well as being the oldest borough in England and the longest continually inhabited town, Malmesbury also has the oldest hotel in England – The Old Bell. That is an awful lot of ‘old’ for one small town in Southern England.
The honey-coloured buildings are a jumble of 17th and 18th Century shops and public houses with the 7th Century Abbey standing dominant, watching over the town as it has grown through the centuries.
Even the Market Cross has a history of being one of the oldest and best preserved in England. This sits at the top of the high street just before the Abbey.
The United Reformed Church, built in 1867 was built close to the home of Thomas Hobbes, one of the greatest European philosophers who was born in Westport in Malmesbury on 5th April 1588. From this small town, he travelled the world, but always remembered his roots.
There is no need to find a route around this town. Everything is so close that wandering will take you from one place to another. The Almshouses, the Tower House and the Old Courthouse are all within sight of each other and between each landmark are smaller details not to be missed.
![The market place in Malmesbury](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-market.jpg)
![A green archway with building behind](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-green-corner.jpg)
![an old wooden door in Malmesbury](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-door.jpg)
![one of the streets in Malmesbury with the bell tower at the end](https://meanderingwild.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/malmesbury-bell-tower.jpg)
River Avon
The River Avon winds its way through the centre of the town. There are some beautiful old buildings that are built on the river banks. One of these is Avon Mill a late 19th Century silk mill that is part of the town’s long history. The buildings give way to wide-open water meadows with circular walks along the banks away from the town. From St Aldhelm’s Mead, one of the meadows there are views back towards the town where the Bell Tower is clearly visible.
Getting to Malmesbury
Malmesbury is located on the A429 just a few miles north of junction 17 of the M4. Road is the easiest way to get here as there are no nearby train stations. There are options with buses from Bath, Tetbury and Swindon but all take a while to get to the town.
Parking in Malmesbury is only possible in pay and display car parks which are clearly signposted. Make sure you do display a ticket or pay online as the inspectors are active!
- 6 miles north of junction 17 of the M4
- Malmesbury on Google Maps
- Find out more about Malmesbury