About the South West

The South West is England's leading holiday destination, offering unparalleled diversity and contrast in the counties and areas it encompasses.

From the sheltered harbours of Cornwall to Wiltshire's open plains, to the mystery of Stonehenge and the legends of the Round Table, the South West has inspired poets, writers and warriors, leaving a rich legacy for all who come to explore the region's past.

From coast to coast, the abundance of magnificent castles, including Dartmouth, Pendennis and St Mawes, bring history alive for all visitors, evoking the real dangers of invasion, whilst Tintagel Castle, King Arthur's legendary birthplace and Portland Castle, with its contemporary heritage garden, must not be missed.

Why not feast yourselves on history and heritage by visiting Stonehenge, Old Sarum and Old Wardour Castle, all close to the splendid cathedral city of Salisbury? Or if you prefer a more tranquil pace, the monastic sites of Cleeve, Hailes & Muchelney abbeys all reflect an air of calm.

AROUND THE REGION:

For more specific information about Properties in our region please go to our local property search.

BRISTOL, BATH & surrounding Unitary Authorities

The landscape around Bristol and Bath is one of narrow winding lanes and little villages providing picturesque backdrops to an enormous variety of attractions. The area also has a rich industrial heritage. Brunel’s achievements stand out, including the breathtaking suspension bridge at Clifton, the SS Great Britain, steamship and the Great Western Railway. Bristol also has its hidden gems, Temple Church ruins, bombed in Word War II but with its much earlier leaning tower , how does it stay up? 

Bristol, for centuries a great trading port has been the departure point for many adventurers, a landing place for exotic goods and a focus of industrial innovation. Bath, with its Roman and Georgian past possesses a vitality and energy with many cities of greater size would find hard to match. Close to Bath is Farleigh Hungerford Castle, originally a fortified manor house but with a long and turbulent history.

CORNWALL – KERNOW & The Isles of Scilly

Cornwall’s character stems from two clear roots. It has a Celtic tradition unique in England and parallels of its history and culture can be found in places like Brittany and Galicia in Northern Spain. Its landscapes too are unique: wild and rugged, with a harsh backbone of granite and a spectacular coastline, battered by the Atlantic’s waves.

For this reason, sheltered harbours have always been a feature of Cornwall. Many have had castles built to protect them, including Pendennis Castle, Cornwall’s greatest fortress at Falmouth and Henry VIII’s picturesque coastal castle in St. Mawes.

The secluded nature of many harbours and the picturesque fishing villages climbing up hills behind, have been a driving force behind its appeal to tourists.

Hidden away you can find more secluded remnants of ancient history. There are stone circles, fogous (underground passages) , burial chambers and Celtic settlements, like Chysauster Ancient Village, dating from the second century AD, but built on an even earlier Iron Age site.

Most spectacular of all is Tintagel Castle, the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. Built on a spectacular headland and now in ruins it catches perfectly the Arthurian mystical spirit of this rugged county. Carrying on a royal connection, Restormel Castle was once home to The Black Prince, whilst more recently Prince Charles on becoming Duke of Cornwall, received historic fuedal gifts at Launceston Castle.

The Isles of Scilly are thought to have a much older history. Evidence survives of settlements by Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age man, burial chambers, a mound and village remains can all be visited. But above all it is the beautiful scenery, tiny harbours and gently landscape that make the Scillies special.

DEVON

No single image can capture the essence of Devon. The boggy moorland of Dartmoor contrasts with the genteel towns of the coastal areas. The northern coastline can be rugged and bracing, while the southern coastline enjoys some of the mildest weather in the country.

Dartmoor once supported many farming communities. Evidence of Bronze Age settlements can be found at Grimspound and Merrivale. A deserted medieval village can be found at Hound Tor, as the population moved from the harsh landscape to the surrounding valleys, building communities at Okehampton and Totnes ruled over by the local lords in their castles. As time progressed defensive castles became palatial homes. The Elizabethan remains of Berry Pomeroy Castle can be found a few miles east of Totnes.

Nearer the coast, the rivers open out into beautiful estuaries. At the mouth of the Dart lies the once busy port of Dartmouth. Protected by a series of forts, the impressive and much developed  Dartmouth Castle still stands – one of the earliest designed for artillery.

A great port which still retains its status is Plymouth, marking the western edge of Devons southern coastline. Since the time of the Spanish Armada it has been the base of the Royal Navy, with a proud seafaring tradition.

DORSET

Thomas Hardy wrote about rural Dorset facing up to the upheavals of the 19th century, yet much of the rustic charm he described still survives. The county market town of Dorchester retains many of the buildings he described. It is an excellent point from which to explore Dorset.

Most of the country’s coastline including the World Heritage ‘Jurassic Coast’ has something interesting for everybody. With strange formations like Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. All along the coast there are fossils embedded in the rocks and along the cliffs. Chesil Beach, a long narrow shingle and pebble spit extends for about ten miles before finally reaching the Isle of Portland and Portland Castle a Tudor fortress now with a contemporary garden.

Alternatively, you could head north from Dorchester, where you will find the ruins of 12th century Sherborne Old Castle and villages with peculiar names like Piddletrenthide and Minterne Magna.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Stretching across Gloucestershire are the beautiful Cotswold Hills. Revealing an endless series of enchanting views, scattered with golden yellow cottages, the Cotswolds in sunshine belie their winter harshness.

This picture of Gloucestershire is famous and draws many tourists during the summer. But there is also a largely undiscovered heritage of prehistoric remains, Roman ruins and medieval buildings.

There is a Neolithic barrow at Belas Knap and another at Hetty Pegler’s Tump, near Stroud. Close to the centre of Cirencester is a hidden 2nd century Roman amphitheatre, and the remains of the great medieval pilgrimage Hailes Abbey lies near Winchcombe. In a remote western corner in the Forset of Dean lie sections of Offa’s Dyke, King Offa’s border defensive boundary and the 12th century St.Briavel’s Castle.

SOMERSET

The county has provided a home to communities since the earliest times. Prehistoric hunters sheltered in the Mendip Hills and Saxons grazed their cattle on its pastures. Somerset still has a soft rural landscape, now dotted with pretty houses and laced with winding lanes. A dramatic backdrop to this serenity is formed by the Quantock hills.

Water also plays an element in the landscape. The drained fenland of the Somerset Levels have been reclaimed from the sea and the bog over thousands of years. Lake villages were developed as early as the Iron Age. From the village of Mere, the 14th century fish House supplied the abbey at nearly Glastonbury and other hidden jewels of a monastic past can be found hidden on the levels, as with Muchelney Abbey or Cleeve Abbey in Washford’s quiet river valley.

SWINDON

Tracing its origins back to the stone age and Roman occupation, Swindon's fortunes grew in the Victorian era with the establishment of the vast engineering works of the Great Western Railway. As part of this an entire 'workers village' was built and continued to flourish for many years. Despite the demise of the links with the railway, Swindon continues to be a flourishing area, with the redevelopment of the former railway works to include a railway museum, designer shops and the home of English Heritage's National Monument Record Centre, making the area one of the largest conservation schemes in southern England.

 
WILTSHIRE

Wiltshire’s landscape is dotted with prehistoric monuments. Rising dramatically from the centre of Salisbury Plain is the world famous stone circle at Stonehenge, standing sentinel for around five thousand years.

In the north of the county lies the World Heritage Site of Avebury. The stone circles here are part of a larger prehistoric complex. The meaning and use of many of these monuments including the enigmatic Silbury Hill remains obscure, but Avebury Museum nearby may help to shed some light. English Heritage has also recently begun its own investigations to try to understand more about the mysterious mound; to find out more, click here.

The slender spire of the magnificent 13th century cathedral in Salisbury is the highest in England, can be seen clearly from the site of its predecessors at Old Sarum (the original Salisbury). In contrast there is the historic town of Bradford-on-Avon, with its many historic religious and other buildings, waiting to be explored.

Hidden away in the rolling wooded countryside is Old Wardour Castle, besieged in the Civil War, its ruin forming the centre of landscaped grounds. Truly a gem worth seeking out!