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58-566: The Westbury Hill Fair , or Westbury Hill Sheep Fair , was an annual fair which took place on the first Tuesday in September on high ground at Westbury, Wiltshire , England, near the north-western corner of Salisbury Plain . The main business was the sale of sheep. The fair was well-established by the mid 19th century and had come to an end by 1942. The origins of the Westbury Hill Fair are uncertain, but according to one source

116-491: A bequest was made in 1775 to provide a guinea once a year to pay for a sermon to warn the young people of the nearby village of Bratton against the dangers of the Hill Fair. This is evidence that by then an annual fair already existed in some form. In all the records of it, the chief business at the fair was the sale of sheep, and as with all country fairs there were also other entertainments and goods for sale. The site of

174-582: A cinema and arts centre, it is now a theatre and centre for the community. Facilities at the Lakeside Pleasure Grounds (run by Warminster Town Council) include children's play activities, tennis courts, a skate park, children's splash pool and a boating lake leading to the Henford's Marsh nature reserve; the park was opened by Thomas Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath , in 1924 on the site of the town's former rubbish tip. A children's play area

232-407: A local newspaper reported "Successful Hill Fair. — Westbury Hill Fair was held in ideal weather on Tuesday, and attracted not only a large company of farmers and dealers but also a large number of the fair sex and children." At this time, sheep were commonly sold on a handshake, with the price to be paid later. Horses were also traded, with some being sent from Ireland by boat and train, to be walked up

290-475: A lukewarm, stagnant, bankrupt state." However, by that year the town had begun to adopt new trades in brewing and iron-founding , which eventually grew enough to mitigate the loss of other business. One example was the Woodcock Ironworks, set up by John Wallis Titt in the town in the mid-1870s to make agricultural machines. During the 20th century, Warminster's economy became more dependent on

348-470: A railway line from Westbury was opened, and then in 1856 the line was continued to Salisbury . The railway had a devastating effect on the town's market, which fell away almost to nothing; the shops and inns lost most of their business, and the local industries declined. In 1907, a committee was put together to advertise the town, creating a town guide and advertising in national publications. The committee could not come to an agreement with Lord Bath over

406-578: A second time in 1839; notable ministers included Daniel Fisher (1752 to 1771) and Geoffrey Nuttall (1938 to 1943). Numbers fell in the 20th century, and after the 1983 amalgamation the chapel was demolished in 1987. The Baptist chapel in North Row, off the High Street, was built in 1810 using red brick with stone dressings; by 1829 there were 250 in the congregation. Its interior was remodelled c.1850. St Giles' Garrison Church, Imber Road,

464-423: A selection of independent shops and restaurants, as well as a thriving community, including a choral society called 'The Athenaeum Singers'. Annual events in the area include an illuminated carnival, a vintage bus run and heritage open days. The Athenaeum is an 1858 Grade II listed building and Wiltshire's oldest working theatre venue. Originally a literary institution, with lectures, plays and concerts, and later

522-558: A total period of about six weeks, drawing goods and customers from much of Europe. The Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany, still the largest trade fair for the publishing industry, began in the 12th century as a fair for manuscript books. Fairs were usually tied to special Christian feast days , such as the day of the saint of the local church. Stagshaw in England, is documented to have held annual fairs as early as 1293 consisting of

580-573: A very dull trade, at barely the recently improved rates. Thus at Westbury-hill fair there was a very large supply of sheep – the largest ever known but the trade was heavy, and a clearance could not be made." In the 1870s, the fair was reported as a large annual event and was held on the first Tuesday in September. In September 1872 the Salisbury and Winchester Journal reported the sale of good lambs and ewes from Imber , Norton Bavant , Knook , Chitterne , Heytesbury , and Sutton Veny , with "most of

638-510: Is Grade II. The chapel of St Lawrence, on the High Street near the market place, has been a chapel-of-ease to St Denys since at least 1290. Its tower is from the late 13th or early 14th century, but the rest was rebuilt in 1855–7. The people of the town bought the chapel in 1574, giving it the status of a non-royal peculiar outside the jurisdiction of the Church of England. Since then has been administered by feoffees (trustees) on behalf of

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696-406: Is Wiltshire's oldest working theatre and has been showing films since 1897. At the triangular junction of Vicarage Street and Silver Street stands a tall stone obelisk, crowned with a reeded urn and pineapple, which was erected in 1873 on the site of an earlier high cross to commemorate the inclosure of the parish. Warminster Town Hall , at the junction of the High Street and Weymouth Street,

754-526: Is also close to the former Selwood Forest . A minor river known as The Were flows through the town to join the River Wylye on the south-east outskirts. The former hamlets of Bugley (west of the town on the Frome road) and Boreham (east towards Bishopstrow) are now part of Warminster's suburbs. The Domesday survey of 1086 recorded 104 households, largely craftsmen for the royal demesne , but

812-669: Is also home to Headquarters Small Arms School Corps and Headquarters Infantry, which was formed in 1996 and is responsible for the recruiting, manning and training policies of the Infantry. Harman Lines is a smaller installation nearby; in 2013, elements of the Royal Tank Regiment were here. Battlesbury Barracks (near the ancient Battlesbury Camp ) is the home of the Royal Dragoon Guards , an armoured cavalry regiment. Between 2005 and 2020, forces of

870-480: Is also home to a Center Parcs holiday village . The Warminster Journal is the local paid-for weekly newspaper . Published since 1881, it covers the surrounding villages as well as the town. The town is also within the area of the Wiltshire Times , another weekly newspaper. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West and ITV West Country . Television signals are received from

928-480: Is claimed to have had minster status, as there was a church here in the 10th century. Rebuilding was carried out in the 14th century, and in 1889 the church was mostly rebuilt, with a longer nave. As the town's population grew in the 19th century, two more churches were built: Christ Church in 1831 to serve the south of the town, and St John's in 1865 in the southeast. All three churches are listed , St Denys' and St John's churches are Grade II* and Christ Church

986-500: The British Army and its associated service industries, but other new businesses also came into the area, such as intensive poultry farming , banana ripening , and shoe manufacture. During the late 20th century and early 21st century, the leisure industry has grown in the area, with Longleat and Center Parcs Longleat Forest becoming significant employers. Warminster has a library, museum, theatre, sports centre with pool, and

1044-596: The Conservatives . There are two levels of local government: Wiltshire Council – the unitary authority for the county – and Warminster Town Council, which has 13 elected councillors. Until 2009, when it was abolished, West Wiltshire District Council acted as the second tier of local government. Warminster is in south-west Wiltshire, near to the Somerset border. The town is surrounded by six hills, providing shelter and security for early settlers. Warminster

1102-732: The Mendip and local relay transmitters. BBC Radio Wiltshire is the BBC Local Radio public service station for the county. Warminster Community Radio (WCR) is the local community station broadcasting from the Civic Centre on 105.5 FM and online. Warminster is the centre of a small commercial radio licensing area, available on 107.5 FM . The licence was first held from 2001 by 3TR FM (Three Towns Radio; referring to Warminster, Westbury and Frome ) but from 2008 went through several changes of ownership and station name. Since 2019

1160-604: The Warminster Garrison , are on the edges of the town. The origin of the root Wor is wara , the genitive plural of the Old English noun waru meaning "those that care for, watch, guard, protect, or defend." It was used as an endonym by both Goths and Jutes . Their specific ethnonym is unknown, though it likely was related to the native name of the oppidum at Battlesbury Camp during Sub-Roman times. The town's name has evolved over time; it

1218-586: The Yorkshire Regiment (latterly the 1st Battalion) were based here; the regiment's 3rd Battalion was awarded the freedom of the town in 2012. Warminster is at the junction of two primary routes, the A36 and the A350 , which both now bypass the town to the south and east. There is a service area where the two roads meet. The A303 is about 7 miles (11 km) south of the town, and junctions 17 and 18 of

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1276-550: The largest gathering anywhere in the world. Kumbha means a pitcher and Mela means fair in Sanskrit. In the United States, fairs draw in as many as 150 million people each summer. Children's competitions at an American fair range from breeding small animals to robotics, whilst the organizations National FFA Organization & 4-H have become the traditional associations. The Sirsi Marikamba Devi Fair of

1334-593: The Fair to start at 8:30 am on 2 September, with 1,275 Hampshire Down and cross-bred Ewes and Lambs having been entered by 16 August. A retrospective in the Wiltshire Times of 29 August 1942 noted that "In September came the last event of our year — Westbury Hill Sheep Fair. Thousands of sheep changed hands, and the village roads were frequently blocked with flocks moving slowly to their destination. Sheep-washing in Bratton stream ceased nearly thirty years ago. Even before

1392-530: The Pound Street Maltings, which Pevsner found to be derelict in 1974; today, malt is again produced there under new management. The coming of the railway line from Westbury in 1851, continued to Salisbury in 1856, had a devastating effect on the town's market, which fell away almost to nothing, and the shops and inns lost most of their business. In 1860, Warminster was described as "a clean-swept, semi-aristocratic, decidedly poor place... in

1450-528: The Stagshaw Bank Fair with masses of people and animals and stalls inspired the Newcastle colloquialism "like a Stagey Bank Fair" to describe a general mess. The American county fair is featured in E. B. White's Charlotte's Web . Warminster Warminster ( / ˈ w ɔːr m ɪ n s t ər / ) is a historic market town and civil parish in south-west Wiltshire , England, on

1508-421: The area, especially at the nearby Iron Age hill forts : Battlesbury Camp , Scratchbury Camp and Cley Hill . Two Roman villas have been discovered in the area, as have caches of Roman coins. By the 10th century, Warminster included a royal manor and an Anglo-Saxon minster , with the residents largely associated with the estate. The royal manor was passed to new lords in the 12th century, during which time

1566-514: The churches of St Denys and St John; Byne House , Church Street, 1755; and Warminster School , 1708, endowed by Lord Weymouth , two storeys with attic, seven-bay front. Wren House, Vicarage Street, of 1720 or 1730, is described by Historic England as "a fine example of an early Georgian 5-bay house". The Pound Street maltings, at what was the western edge of the town, are a rebuilding of 1879 in rubble stone with some ashlar. The Athenaeum Centre , designed by William Jervis Stent and built in 1857,

1624-474: The clergy were keen to help the residents, and by 1833 the area was considered clean and respectable. The town centre was redesigned after 1807 when George Wansey , from a family of clothiers in Warminster, left £1,000 (equivalent to £100,528 in 2023) to improve the town, provided his money could be matched by local fundraising. The amount raised was spent on demolishing houses to widen roads. In 1851,

1682-489: The deity is held every alternate year in the month of March and taken through the city Sirsi, Karnataka . It is attended by a very large number of devotees. It is also most famous and biggest fair (Jaatre) of the India. Devotees from all around the state participate in this enormous event indulging themselves in the procession. Amusements for children, circuses, variety of shops, dramas and plays and many such things are set up for

1740-548: The early months of the Second World War , the Land Utilisation Survey noted that "Westbury's Sheep Fair today handles less than 10,000 sheep". That year’s Fair took place on 3 September 1940, and another of the firms of auctioneers, Lavington & Hooper, advertised a few days before that 1,650 Hampshire Downs had been entered with them for sale. In 1941, the same auctioneers advertised their sale at

1798-488: The end of the 19th century, it was noticed that the fair caused low attendance at local schools, including that at nearby Dilton Marsh . In the early 20th century, the fair continued to decline, with only some 20,000 sheep passing through it every year. In 1912 a notice for the fair appeared in the London Standard , announcing "Westbury Hill Fair: Pedigree Hampshire Down Sheep a Speciality". On 6 September 1924,

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1856-670: The fair was downland near the Westbury White Horse , known as Westbury Hill, a slow uphill climb if coming up from the town below, or a long journey if travelling across Salisbury Plain . The breeds of sheep traded included the Hampshire Down , the Southdown , and in earlier days the Wiltshire Horn . In its heyday, the fair rivalled a similar sheep fair held at Wilton . The fair at Westbury benefited from

1914-522: The granting of a holiday status to a fair or protections against arrest for specific laws for the duration of the fair. Officials were authorised to mete out justice to those who attended their fair; this led to even the smallest fair having a court to adjudicate on offences and disputes arising within the fairground. These courts were called a pye powder court (from Old French pieds pouldres , literally "dusty feet", meaning an itinerant trader, from Medieval Latin pedes pulverosi ). The chaotic nature of

1972-417: The hill from Westbury railway station. Some local schools were closed on the day of the fair. Gypsies camped for the summer at Beggar’s Knoll to work on the hill farms and came to the fair to sell clothes pegs and paper flowers. Dealers came for the day to sell crockery, cutlery, and other wares. In 1939, one of the auctioneers for the Fair, held on 5 September, was Dart & Son of Warminster . In 1940, in

2030-531: The late 18th century some 200 dwellings had been built under squatter's rights near Warminster Common, many of them substandard and overcrowded. William Daniell, a 19th-century Methodist minister, reported the reminiscences of a woman born there in the 1770s: unplastered hovels with earth floors, and piles of filth which poisoned the Cannimore Brook, bringing typhus and smallpox . The people were considered rude and drunk criminals. Daniell and members of

2088-416: The location of a new hotel. The headquarters and factory of luxury glovemakers Dents moved to the town in 1937, where it has remained since. Between 1937 and 1965, a significant military presence formed at Warminster, with the addition of camps, a permanent barracks at Battlesbury , married quarters, a School of Infantry, and workshops for vehicle repairs. St Denys's Church is the town's oldest, and

2146-540: The market, and in 1686 it was ranked fourth for number of places to stay in Wiltshire, with 116 beds. By 1710 there were approximately fifty inns and alehouses in the town. The town was an early adopter of the Turnpikes Act to improve the roads around the town. Unlike many roads improved at the time which would link to towns, Warminster chose to improve seven roads around the town, all under three miles long. By

2204-501: The midst of a fine corn-country', and Warminster's market provided the backbone of the economy through the 16th to 19th centuries. Alongside cereals, wool and clothing were traded and there were a number of maltings in the town. Warminster's clothing trade suffered greatly in the early 19th century, as there was no suitable river to power machinery during a period of industrialisation. At the same time its malting trade declined but remained important. In 1855, William Morgan commissioned

2262-688: The opening in 1853 of the Westbury station on the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway , and as Westbury became established as the junction of the Reading to Taunton line with what is now the Wessex Main Line , its transport links improved. However, the Wilton sheep fair also grew during the 19th century, with 40,000 sheep reported from there in 1883, a figure rising to some 95,000 in 1901. Notice

2320-447: The people. It depicts the story of the goddess killing Mahishasura . Fairs attracted great numbers of people and they often resulted in public order issues and sometimes riots. The holding of fairs was, therefore, granted by royal charter . Initially they were only allowed in towns and places where order could be maintained due to the presence of a bishop, sheriff or governor. Later various benefits were granted to specific fairs, such as

2378-420: The period and was regarded as the second largest corn market in the west of England in 1830. Unlike many markets of the time where farmers would take only samples to market, Warminster's corn market required a sack from each load of corn to be available to customers; each purchase was to be agreed between 11am and 1pm and paid for by the end of the day. The town had a large amount of accommodation for visitors to

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2436-467: The population had grown by 1377 to 304 poll-tax payers, making Warminster the tenth largest village in Wiltshire. In 1665, the population had increased to 354 households, approximately 1,800 people. The area contained by the turnpike gates included 2,605 people in 1781. Census: 1801–2011 As Warminster is in an area of fertile land, much of its early economy was through farming, especially cereals. William Daniell commented in 1879 that Warminster lay 'in

2494-542: The primest of the ram Iambs making 6 guineas each". In 1882 applications for entry to the Westbury Hill Sheep Fair were to be made to Mr. W. Beaven at Pound Farm, Westbury. In 1890, the Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette noted that the fair was shrinking in size and reported that "trade was dull and slow", but Mr Justice Lopes had done well in making thirty shillings each for a hundred mixed lambs. By

2552-581: The religious nature of the fairs contravened the prescribed practice of Judaism . In the Middle Ages , many fairs developed as temporary markets and were especially important for long-distance and international trade , as wholesale traders travelled, sometimes for many days, to fairs where they could be sure to meet those they needed to buy from or sell to. The most famous were the Champagne fairs in northern France, which were spread over six towns for

2610-604: The retirement of the last nun in the early 21st century, the order operates as a grant-making charity. Warminster has one Grade I listed building: Portway House, to the north of the town centre, built for a wealthy clothier in 1722. The Bath stone house has a seven-bay front flanked by later extensions, and is set back from the road behind ornamental ironwork dated 1760. Other Bath stone houses include 38–40 Market Place, late 18th century or early 19th, now shops at street level; and The Chantry, 34 High Street. Both are Grade II* listed. Further Grade II* listed buildings include

2668-477: The sales of animals. Along with the main fair held on 4 July, the city also hosted smaller fairs throughout the year where specific types of animals were sold, such as one for horses, one for lambs, and one for ewes. The Kumbh Mela , held every twelve years, at Allahabad , Haridwar , Nashik , and Ujjain is one of the largest fairs in India, where more than 60 million people gathered in January 2001, making it

2726-611: The station has been owned by Bauer Radio , and in September 2020 it was rebranded to Greatest Hits Radio which broadcasts national and regional music programmes. The British Army 's Waterloo Lines , formerly the Land Warfare Centre, is home to a number of Army specialist training schools and a sizeable portion of the Headquarters Field Army (not to be confused with Army HQ in Andover ). The site

2784-467: The town had suffered £500 (equivalent to £102,760 in 2023) worth of damages by supporting the Roundheads. The market at Warminster was the focus of the town's prosperity, with significant wool , clothing and malting trades established by the 16th century and continuing to be the economic backbone of the town until the 19th century. The market also included a significant corn trade throughout

2842-606: The town, and they invite the vicar of St Denys' to hold services. Methodists built a chapel on George Street, west of the town centre, in 1804; it was rebuilt in 1861. The congregation amalgamated with the United Reformed Church in 1983 to form the United Church. A predecessor of the URC opened a chapel at Common Close in 1720, which by 1829 had a congregation of 900, leading to the chapel being rebuilt for

2900-501: The township started to grow. In the 13th century a market was set up at Warminster, and by 1377 the town had 304 poll-tax payers, the tenth largest in Wiltshire. During the Civil War , between 1642 and 1645, the town was the site of a few incidents. A major for the " Roundheads ", Henry Wansey , was besieged in Warminster, while a force under Edmund Ludlow entered a skirmish on Warminster Common when trying to relieve him. By 1646,

2958-480: The war, Westbury Hill Fair had dwindled into a comparatively small event." After that, no traces of the fair being held have been found. Fair Variations of fairs include: The Roman fairs were holidays on which work and business such as law courts were suspended. In the Roman provinces of Judea and Syria Palaestina , Jewish rabbis prohibited Jews from participating in fairs in certain towns because

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3016-631: The western edge of Salisbury Plain . The parish had a population of 18,173 in 2021. The name Warminster occurs first in the early 10th century and the Minster Church of St Denys was begun in the 11th century. The High Street and Market Place have many fine buildings including the Athenaeum Centre , the Town Hall , St Lawrence Chapel, The Old Bell and a variety of independent shops. Several Army establishments, known collectively as

3074-488: Was added in 1938 with a grant from the national King George V memorial foundation . About 4 miles (6 km) to the west is Longleat , the country house of the Marquess of Bath , and its estate which has included Longleat Safari Park since 1966; the first drive-through safari park outside Africa, it is home to over 500 animals, including giraffes, monkeys, rhinos, lions, tigers and wolves. The nearby Longleat Forest

3132-475: Was built in 1968. St George's Roman Catholic Church, Boreham Road, in the Diocese of Clifton , was built in 1922 to designs of Bristol architect Sir Frank William Wills . James Erasmus Philipps, vicar of St Denys from 1859 to 1897, raised funds in 1860 to found a college for young men in a house on Church Street. It evolved into a missionary college called St Boniface Missionary College , and its building

3190-414: Was designed c. 1837 by Edward Blore at the expense of the 5th Marquess of Bath ; the two-storey front elevation is a replica of Longleat , with the addition of a central bellcote, clock and coat of arms. The building was sold by the district council in 1979. Warminster falls within the parliamentary constituency of South West Wiltshire , which has been represented since 2001 by Andrew Murrison for

3248-455: Was given of a Westbury Hill Sheep Fair in September in the Salisbury and Winchester Journal of 20 August 1853. In September 1862 the owner of the Westbury Hill Fair gave a silver tankard ( pictured ) to the buyer of the largest number of sheep. On 11 September 1868 The Welshman reported that "This week several important fairs and markets have been held, and from each and all the report is

3306-506: Was greatly enlarged in 1901 and 1927. From 1948 until closure in 1969, as Warminster Theological College, it was a post-graduate facility of King's College London . Today its buildings are part of Warminster School . Philipps also led the foundation of an order of nuns , the Community of St Denys , in 1879. The nuns ran St Monica's School for Girls, which merged with Lord Weymouth's Grammar School in 1973 to form Warminster School. Since

3364-552: Was known as Worgemynstre in the early tenth century and was recorded as Guerminstre in the Domesday Book . The noun minster derives from Old English mynster meaning monastery, nunnery, mother church or cathedral, and was given to the town by Saxon settlers in the seventh century. The main settlement at Warminster dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period , although there is evidence of pre-historic settlements in

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