Corsham, Cotswolds, Wiltshire, South West England
Pretty Corsham on the fringes of the Cotswolds in Wiltshire is an historic market town with much to see and do.
Stately Corsham Court
The present-day town has a population of just over 10,000 people. Its former prosperity was built on the back of local agriculture and the wool trade, allied to its strategic location on the London-Bristol turnpike.
Nowadays the Ministry of Defence is a major employer and the period buildings and Bath Stone quarries are often used as locations for film and TV productions.
The pretty town is also associated with Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers – as the small village of Pickwick featured in the book is now incorporated within Corsham.
Famous previous residents of Corsham include Camilla Parker Bowles and her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles. The couple lived at Middlewick House from 1986 to 1995. It was rather mischievously said of Andrew Parker Bowles that “he laid down his wife for his country” as Camilla became first the mistress and then the wife of Prince Charles.
A view of the Royal Oak pub
Attractions
Places of interest in Corsham include The Royal Oak pub, and the 16th-century manor house and grounds of Corsham Court. Also of interest are The Almshouses, built by Dame Margaret Hungerford, wife of Sir Edward Hungerford, Commander of Cromwell’s Forces in Wiltshire, in 1668. Also in the village is the lovely 12th century Saint Bartholomew’s Church. Another fine pub is The Flemish Weaver.
Saint Bartholomew’s Church
Access – Getting There
The town is at the south-western edge of the Cotswolds, just off the A4.
It is 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Bath, 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Bristol, and also just 4 miles (6 km) southwest of Chippenham.
The B3109 connects Corsham with Bradford on Avon.
Melksham is the nearest railway station almost 5 miles away. From Bath by car, Corsham is 30 minutes on the A4. For visitors coming by public transport, the X31 bus from Bath Bus Station runs approximately every 30 minutes and takes 45 minutes. Trains also connect Bath Spa Station and Bradford-on-Avon. From here the 69 ZigZag bus runs to Corsham via Melksham in about 40 minutes. Melksham Station has trains to Swindon and Westbury. In addition, there are occasional trains to both Southampton Central and Cheltenham from Melksham.
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Map of the Cotswolds
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