Markets were first held here in 1219, and the square still bustles with traders every Tuesday and Saturday (from 8am to 4pm), when you can pick up anything from fresh fish to discount watches. The narrow lanes surrounding the square reveal their medieval specialities: Oatmeal Row, Fish Row and Silver St. The nearby 15th-century Poultry Cross is the last of four market crosses that once stood on the square.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
25.13 MILES
Bournemouth's 1920s heyday is beautifully evoked at a subtropical enclave containing plants from the Canary Islands, New Zealand, Mexico and the Himalayas…
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20.5 MILES
The Chained Library, in Wimborne Minster, was established in 1686 and is stacked with some of the country's oldest medieval books, 12th-century lambskin…
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12.99 MILES
Six-sided Old Wardour Castle was built around 1393 and suffered severe damage during the English Civil War, leaving these imposing remains. The views from…
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25.45 MILES
A 50m-high folly with wonderful views. It's part of the National Trust property Stourhead, some 8 miles south of Frome.
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0.07 MILES
This stately church was built for cathedral workmen in 1219 and named after Thomas Becket. Its most famous feature is the amazing doom painting above the…
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8.31 MILES
Woodhenge is a series of six concentric rings that would once have been staked out by wooden posts (today, concrete markers do the job), and may have…
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18.09 MILES
These hilltop ruins mark the site of what was England's largest and richest nunnery. It was founded in 888 by King Alfred the Great, and his daughter,…
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16.7 MILES
Features a local labourer's cottage (complete with socks drying beside the fire), potato dibbles and a cider press. The minifilm makes for an accessible…
Nearby attractions
0.05 MILES
Dating from the 15th century, the Poultry Cross is the last of four crosses that once stood on the town's market square.
0.07 MILES
This stately church was built for cathedral workmen in 1219 and named after Thomas Becket. Its most famous feature is the amazing doom painting above the…
0.21 MILES
An ornate facade and elaborate crest distinguish the College of Matrons, which was founded in 1682 for the widows and unmarried daughters of clergymen. It…
0.23 MILES
Magnificent plasterwork ceilings, exceptional period furnishings and a sweeping carved staircase grace this fine Queen Anne (1701) building. All that made…
0.29 MILES
Collections include a cannonball from the American War of Independence, Victorian redcoat uniforms, and displays on 19th- and 21st-century conflicts in…
0.39 MILES
Parts of the former Bishop's Palace date back to 1220; it's now the Cathedral School.
2.86 MILES
The 22 acres of parkland and gardens of Wilton House are bordered by the rivers Wylye and Nadder, and were largely laid out by the famous landscape…