Malmesbury
Malmesbury lays claim to being the oldest borough in England. King Alfred is reported to have granted a charter in 880, though there is no direct evidence of this.

Athelstan, the first King of all England in the 13th Century was also buried here.. The grandson of Alfred the Great, Æthelstan succeeded his father, Edward the Elder, to the throne of Wessex.

He was the first English sovereign ever to be crowned on the King's Stone at Kingston-upon-Thames in 925. Incorrectly claimed by some to be the first King of All England, Æthelstan was a great warrior, nonetheless, whose fame stemmed from his conquests in Cornwall and Wales, and his defeat of a combined force of Scots, Welsh and Vikings at the battle of Brunanburh in 938.

Æthelstan was a patron of monastic communities and especially supported the monastery at Malmesbury, where his tomb can be found, today, though it does not contain his remains.

In 1010 Eilmer, a monk was best remembered after his attempt to fly. Eilmer made his wings and launched himself off the abbey roof, breaking both legs but lived to enjoy a long life.

Tamworth Two
There are peaceful walks beside the River Avon, around the medieval streets and on the trail of the "Tamworth Two" pigs. These two pigs who notoriously escaped death when they broke out of a Wiltshire abattoir and spent a week on the run in January 1998.

Butch and Sundance fled into the Wiltshire countryside and it took an army of police, RSPCA workers, volunteers and journalists to track them down. The Legend of the Tamworth Two, is being portrayed in a comedy drama for television, which outlines the real-life adventures of two pigs. More...

Malmesbury Past

The town is very conscious of its historic past, numerous monasteries, fabulous buildings and there are now around 400 listed properties. It became a conservation area in 1971, and there continues to be a healthy debate about how to reconcile these responsibilities with a desire not to be locked in the past.
Yourguide: www.yourguide.org.uk/malmesbury