Discover 9 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Trowbridge (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Holy Trinity Church, and Trowbridge Town Hall. Also, be sure to include Trowbridge Museum in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Trowbridge (England).
Table of Contents
Farleigh Hungerford Castle
Castle in Farleigh Hungerford, England. Farleigh Hungerford Castle, sometimes called Farleigh Castle or Farley Castle, is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England. The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir Thomas Hungerford, who made his fortune as steward to John of Gaunt. The castle was built to a quadrangular design, already slightly old-fashioned, on the site of an existing manor house overlooking the River Frome. A deer park was attached to the castle, requiring the destruction of the nearby village. Sir Thomas's son, Sir Walter Hungerford, a knight and leading courtier to Henry V, became rich during the Hundred Years War with France and extended the castle with an additional, outer court, enclosing the parish church in the process. By Walter's death in 1449, the substantial castle was richly appointed, and its chapel decorated with murals.
The castle largely remained in the hands of the Hungerford family over the next two centuries, despite periods during the War of the Roses in which it was held by the Crown following the attainder and execution of members of the family. At the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle, modernized to the latest Tudor and Stuart fashions, was held by Sir Edward Hungerford. Edward declared his support for Parliament, becoming a leader of the Roundheads in Wiltshire. Farleigh Hungerford was seized by Royalist forces in 1643, but recaptured by Parliament without a fight near the end of the conflict in 1645. As a result, it escaped slighting following the war, unlike many other castles in the south-west of England.
The last member of the Hungerford family to hold the castle, Sir Edward Hungerford, inherited it in 1657, but his gambling and extravagance forced him to sell the property in 1686. By the 18th century, the castle was no longer lived in by its owners and fell into disrepair; in 1730 it was bought by the Houlton family, Trowbridge clothiers, when much of it was broken up for salvage. Antiquarian and tourist interest in the now ruined castle increased through the 18th and 19th centuries. The castle chapel was repaired in 1779 and became a museum of curiosities, complete with the murals rediscovered on its walls in 1844 and a number of rare lead anthropomorphic coffins from the mid-17th century. In 1915 Farleigh Hungerford Castle was sold to the Office of Works and a controversial restoration programme began. It is now owned by English Heritage, who operate it as a tourist attraction, and the castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[1]
Address: Farleigh Castle A366, BA2 7RS Norton St Philip
Holy Trinity Church
Commissioners' church in Trowbridge, England. Holy Trinity Church, Trowbridge is a Grade II* listed 19th-century Church of England church in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, which had parish church status until 2011. It is commonly known in Trowbridge as 'The Church on the Roundabout', as it is encircled by a one-way traffic system.[2]
Address: Stallard St, BA14 9AA Trowbridge
Trowbridge Town Hall
Trowbridge Town Hall is a municipal building in Market Street, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Trowbridge Urban District Council, is a Grade II listed building.[3]
Trowbridge Museum
Museum in Trowbridge, England. Trowbridge Museum, in the town of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, is a centre for the history of West of England cloth production.[4]
Address: The Shires, BA14 8AT Trowbridge
St James's Church
St James's Church is the main Church of England parish church for the town of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. The 15th-century Grade I listed building is the town's most prominent landmark.
Those buried in the church include the poet George Crabbe, rector from 1814 to 1832, and in the churchyard the executed alleged-Luddite and Trade Union martyr Thomas Helliker.[5]
Address: Church St, BA14 8RU Trowbridge
Widbrook Wood
Widbrook Wood is a small forest to the north of Trowbridge and to the south-east of Bradford on Avon, in Wiltshire, England, growing in the valley of the Bristol Avon.
It is made up of a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees and several types of fruit tree. Planted in late 2000 for conservation reasons it is an important haven for wildlife, especially many birds and. It is bordered on the south by the Kennet and Avon Canal, and to the north by the Avon. The River Biss flows through the south-eastern section of the woods, and the Widbrook, from which it takes its name, flows through the west.[6]
Southwick Country Park
Museum, Zoo, Nature and wildlife, Outdoor activities, Park, Relax in park
Studley Green Community Centre
Address: Lambrok Road, Studley Green, Trowbridge
Wiltshire College
College in England. Wiltshire College & University Centre is a tertiary college of education founded in 2002 by the merger of Chippenham Technical College, Lackham College and Trowbridge College. Consolidation was completed with the merger of Salisbury College, which commenced in January 2008. In 2020-21 the institution offered over 1,000 courses and had approximately 3,300 full-time and 6,000 part-time students, with over 800 enrolled on degree-level courses.
The college was assessed as 'good' by OfSTED in July 2018, and this was confirmed by a short inspection in May 2018.[7]
Address: College Rd., BA14 0ES Trowbridge