IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Cornmarket, WARMINSTER, BA12 9BX

This tall statue in the Cornmarket mall is by sculptor Colin Lambert, and when unveiled at the opening of the mall in 1990, it featured a small bronze mouse at its bottom corner. Sadly, this was stolen shortly afterwards, and has not been replaced. The statue depicts corn sacks with a likeness of a young girl, Amy Flower, perched on the top. As an 18year old girl during the 1870s, Amy accompanied her brother James from their farm at Chilmark to Warminster corn market. Whilst playing around the corn sacks, she caught the eye of a 38 year old widower, William Stratton, from Kingston Deverill, who was smitten and married her in 1873. This happy marriage lasted for fourteen years until Amy died of pneumonia. She had eight children , only four of which survived her. As far as I am aware, relatives of Amy still live in Kingston Deverill.

A view looking to the southwest towards the statue at the Cornmarket mall. The corn market at Warminster was one of the largest in the South West, and one of the few which had to submit weekly reports of sales and prices to the government during the 19th century. It was a “pitched market” , so called due to the practice of pitching one open bag of grain in front of each traders other sacks, in order for buyers to sample the quality. These open bags also had a market toll of two quarts of grain removed, which was normally paid to the landlord at Longleat. Trading would commence in the early hours and be over by 1pm . Although the mall is named after the corn market, it is not on the site of the original, as this was located behind the area now occupied by Dixons and Barclays Bank in the main shopping area.

The police station in Station Road.

The exterior of the hotel dates from 1732.

Located behind the main street and in the Cornmarket. There's lots of things to enlighten the visitor, from local walks and bus services to historical facts and eating places.

Leyland Olympian bus A552SAE, in Bristol Tramways & Carriage colours, parked in a yard near Warminster town centre. Houses in Station Road can be seen in the background.

Looking north east along Warminster Market Place, contrasting the new and the old. The Anchor Hotel at left, a JAG mobile phone shop, Dorothy Perkins and M & Co, all occupying historic buildings and in the foreground cars and the ubiquitous wheelie bin. Just visible at right the corner of the Old Bell public house allegedly housing two ghosts.

Every year old buses descend on Warminster for a rally and free rides around the local countryside and to/from nearby towns.

The Market Place shop opened in November 2012, next door to the Anchor Hotel. The proceeds from the sale of donated items here help finance Blue Cross UK, a charity dedicated to helping sick, injured and homeless pets. Blue Cross traces its origins to 1897 when a group of animal lovers founded Our Dumb Friends League (the original name for Blue Cross) to care for working horses on the streets of London. In 1906, they opened their first animal hospital in Victoria, London, probably the first of its kind in the world.

Part of the Wiltshire Police force, located in Station Road, viewed from the corner of Fairfield Road.