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Places to stay in Tisbury
Steeped in history, Tisbury is the largest village in the Nadder Valley and has been a settlement for over 2,000 years. Tisbury is a picturesque village set amidst delightful Wiltshire countryside where you will find friendly villagers and a calm, peaceful atmosphere. This is an old village with roots stretching back to Saxon times when the village stood on an important Saxon track. It has many substantial properties, mostly built of local Chilmark stone. The village also has a magnificent cruciform church dating from the 12th-century. The church of St.John the Baptist shares its shaded churchyard with what is possibly the village's main attraction - a giant yew which is reputed to be over 1,000 years old! Other attractions in the village include a 15th-century thatched tithe barn, which at 200 ft long is one of the largest in England. The romantic ruins of Old Wardour Castle built towards the end of the 14th-century for John, the 5th Lord Lovell are of great interest. It stands in a lovely wooded location overlooking an artificial lake from the 19th-century, and is uniquely hexagonal in shape. The castle had various owners until it was bought by Sir Matthew Arundel in 1570. During the Civil War the castle was severely damaged when the Parliamentarians set siege. Sadly it was never to be restored and in the 18th-century Lord Arundel built a new grand house in the grounds close to old castle ruin. It is believed that the lavishly decorated private chapel to the house is larger than some parish churches. Interestingly the dramatic ruins of the old castle were used as a back-drop for scenes in the film Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. Stay here and you can head for local towns such as Wilton and Shaftesbury, and attractions such as Longleat, Stourhead and Old Wardour Castle - the latter, in the care of English Heritage, is just a few minutes drive away and is a fine example of a 14th century castle, although now without a roof courtesy of the Civil War.
