Devizes Walk: Town Centre【4K】
Located in the county of Wiltshire, and around 20 miles southwest of Swindon, is the town of Devizes.
Geographically, Devizes is situated on the western fringe of the Vale of Pewsey, which is part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its name originates from Latin: 'castrum ad divisas', meaning 'the castle at the boundaries', in reference to its Norman castle on the boundaries of three manors - Rowde, Bishops Cannings and Potterne in the early 12th century. Over time, it became Anglicised into Devizes.
The first castle at Devizes was built in circa 1080 by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury. This was burnt down, and rebuilt in stone in 1113. During the English Civil War it was the base for the Royalist forces during the Battle of Roundway Down, and was later captured and slighted by Oliver Cromwell. The land was purchased in the 19th century by a local tradesman, who rebuilt the castle in a Victorian Gothic Revival style. This is the castle of today, which is privately owned.
Devizes has the unusual quirk of having four parish churches - three of which feature in this video. In order of appearance, they are: St James's Church (seen at the beginning), St Mary's Church (around the 8-and-a-half minute mark) and St John's Church (just before the 16-minute mark), with a fourth situated just northwest of the town centre, namely St Peter's Church. St John's and St Mary's both date from the 12th century with Grade I listed status.
In 1141 a market charter was granted to Devizes. Historic industries associated with the town include wool, brewing and milling. By the early 18th century it held the largest corn market in the West Country. The completion of the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 brought a boost in trade to the town.
In 1857 a railway station opened in Devizes courtesy of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway. This formed part of the Devizes Branch Line which connected to two main lines, namely the Reading–Taunton Line and the Wessex Main Line running between Southampton and Bristol. The station, along with the branch line, closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching cuts, where over 2,000 stations across Britain were closed in order to, supposedly, encourage road travel. Today, public transport to Devizes consists of direct buses from Swindon, Calne, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and various other nearby locations.
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Filmed: 28th July 2025
Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/mMD8BNsiBfUpU...
Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.
0:00 London Road
0:26 Estcourt Street
4:11 Southbroom Road
4:53 Sidmouth Street
6:22 Monday Market Street
7:59 Commercial Road
8:25 St Mary's Church
9:31 Commercial Road
10:39 Monday Market Street
11:06 The Brittox
12:43 High Street
14:09 Long Street
15:39 St John's Church
16:39 Long Street
18:27 St John's Street
19:05 High Street
19:40 St John's Court
20:18 St John's Church
20:49 St John's Court
21:14 High Street
21:35 St John's Street
23:08 The Market Place
27:54 Northgate Street