Westbury is in Wiltshire, one of the south-western counties of England, and is bounded by Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset.

The town of Westbury is a small town that lies not far from its famous White Horse hill-carving [White Horse page] at the western extremity of Salisbury Plain. It is a very old town and it is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. There is also evidence that the area was inhabited in the Iron and Bronze Ages, and in more recent times even the Romans settled here.

Westbury was known locally for its woollen industry and glove making, both of which were carried out until about 1970, the industries benefiting from the plentiful supply of local spring water. Another industry in the area was iron making and this was started firstly by the Romans, then when the railway was being built in 1841 iron ore was rediscovered and the Westbury Iron Works, situated near the railway station, was built to process it and send it out via the Great Western Railway. This carried on until the 1930's when the works closed.

Westbury as a name is used to include the local areas of the town such as The Ham, Frogmore, Newtown, The Butts, Chalford, Leighton, Westbury Leigh, and Eden Vale. Near the centre of the town, adjoining the Market Place, is the Parish Church of All Saints, which is one of a number of churches in Westbury.

Westbury has a fair number of shops, mostly in the paved High Street, some in Edward Street, Bratton Road, Warminster Road, Haynes Road, Maristow Street and the Market Place, together offering the shopper goods for their everyday needs as well as occasional items, such as bicycles, window glass, and local pottery.

Note. Neither the author nor anyone else associated with this site makes any claim as to the validity or accuracy of the information presented on this site. Useage is at the user's own risk.

Go to the top.

Produced for Westbury, Wilts by Michael Badger © 2000 Michael Badger Updated: June. 2006