IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Hartmoor, DEVIZES, SN10 5JS

Furze Hill Lane (behind us in this image) becomes Hartmoor Road

The farmhouse and attached cottage range date from the late 18th or early 19th century. Listed, grade II, with details at https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1258949 Seen from Hartmoor Road.

From almost opposite Hartmoor Farm, a footpath starts. It soon divides, with one branch running to Potterne Road and the other branch running to Potterne village.

This road was originally the main route to Potterne, used by coaches, carts, horses and people on foot, it leads down towards Five Lanes and Whistley Road, via Furze Hill Lane. Devizes sits between the chalk downland of the Pewsey Vale and the low lying pasture land of the west Wiltshire, on a spur of upper greensand, part of which is seen here on the left of the photograph.

In the days when Devizes Castle was seen as one of the most splendid constructions in Europe, this route would have been used as the main thoroughfare between the Bishop of Salisbury's land at Potterne and the seat of power at Devizes. In later years, until the 1750s, this was the only main road to Potterne. Today it leads to Furze Hill Lane, Five Lanes and Whistley Road. On the right of the photograph is evidence of Devizes' geology - the upper greensand on which the town is built.

The roots are at the side of Hartmoor Road as it descends the escarpment in what is probably an old holloway.

Hartmoor Road descends the escarpment in what is probably an old holloway. The market town of Devizes developed around its 11th century castle. It gained a charter in 1141 and holds a weekly market in the large and picturesque Market Place. In the 16th century the town became known for its textiles and in the early 18th century held the largest corn market in the West Country. Devizes has about 500 listed buildings - a very large number for a small town.

At this point Furze Hill Lane ceases to be a byway and becomes a public road. Slightly further on it also has a change of name and becomes Hartmoor Road.

Seen from Furze Hill Lane. This is about as far as you can go on the public road, though the lane does continue as a "Byway open to all traffic". The houses on the opposite side of the valley are to the south of Devizes.