Malmesbury and the Avon

A picturesque town of mellow Cotswold stone, Malmesbury stands between two branches of the River Avon on the site of a Saxon fortified hilltop town. Much of the route of the walk is within the boundaries of Malmesbury, which the late Poet Laureate John Betjeman described as ‘a perfect English medieval limestone town'. Dominating the surviving medieval street plan are the remains of a Benedictine abbey, founded in the 7th century AD by St Aldhelm, its first abbot. Malmesbury is one of the oldest boroughs in England, the original royal charter was granted by King Alfred in AD 880 and confirmed by King Athelstan (reigned AD 925–939), when he made Malmesbury his capital, holding court just outside of the town.

Killed by a tiger

Outside the abbey is the famous grave of Hannah Twynnoy, who died in 1703, aged 33. She was killed by a tiger, which was part of a menagerie visiting the town. After the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1540s, the abbey was sold for £1,517 to local wool merchant William Stumpe, who presented the surviving nave to the townspeople for their parish church. In the following centuries several mills sprang up along the local rivers and the town became an important centre for the manufacture of woollen cloth. It later became renowned for producing fine lace and silk.

Burgesses and commoners

Among many historic landmarks visited on this walk is Abbey House, a handsome Tudor building which was built by William Stumpe in the mid-16th century on monastic foundations. It has a 5-acre (2ha) garden featuring one of Britain’s largest private collections of roses. Also part of the trail is St John’s Street, which has many ancient houses, including a collection of almshouses from 1694 built on the site of St John the Baptist’s Hospital. Incorporated in the gable wall is an early 13th-century arch. The Old Courthouse, through School Arch, is where the Old Corporation of Burgesses and Commoners have met since 1616. These are direct descendants of the men living in Malmesbury more than 1,000 years ago to whom King Athelstan gave 500 acres (202.5ha) of common land (King’s Heath) for their help in the battle against the Danes, and this land is still passed down the generations.

The tomb of King Athelstan

One of Malmesbury’s most famous landmarks is the town’s 500-year-old Market Cross, an elaborate, octagonal building with a ribbed ceiling and intricate carvings. It was built for the market traders and buyers to stand in when wet. The isolated steeple is the remnant of the 13th-century St Paul’s church, the parish church until 1541. This now serves as the bell tower for the abbey church. Among the more striking features of the abbey are the Norman porch – one of the finest in England, ablaze with exquisite carvings – the vaulted nave roof, the 14th-century stone screens in the north and south aisles, and the tomb of King Athelstan.

Close to the start of the walk is Conygre Mead Nature Reserve, which is rich in wildlife and includes 170 plant species, 18 types of butterfly and various breeding birds. On the slopes grow native wild flowers such as common knapweed. In 1993 a decision was taken to re-excavate a pond close to the river here for the benefit of wildlife. This reminds visitors of the use of the area by the local monks in previous centuries.

From the car park, keep the river to your right and walk towards the abbey and Abbey House. At the information board, bear left, then right through a kissing gate into Conygre Mead. Keep right along the path and walk along the riverbank, noting the old railway tunnel and Abbey House across the river.

At the road turn right across the bridge and descend steps to reach a stile. Keep right across Longmead to the remains of a railway line in the right-hand field corner. Take the left-hand path through the next field and walk along the riverbank to a stile and footbridge. Cross the old sluice gate and continue to the lane beside Wynyard Mill. Turn right past the bowls club, following St John’s Street to Lower High Street.

Cross the road and go through the memorial gates and bear left along the walkway parallel to St John’s Bridge to rejoin the road opposite Avon Mills. Turn right along the pavement and go through the gate on your right to follow the permissive path beside the River Avon. Cross a stile and keep to the path through gates and across various footbridges, soon to leave the river, keeping beside the hedge to a gap in the field corner and a small stone bridge.

Cross the bridge where the path becomes paved to reach a footbridge across the Avon. At a T-junction, turn left along Burnivale, then climb Betty Geezers Steps on your right to reach Abbey Row, with the Civic Trust Garden on your left. Cross the road and bear right in front of the Old Bell Hotel and enter the close to visit the abbey.

Return to the Old Bell and take the path immediately right for the Cloister Garden. Walk through the garden and turn left down steps, then right along Mill Lane back to the car park.