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Wiltshire
Wiltshire (
/ˈwɪltʃər/ or /ˈwɪltʃɪər/, formerly /ˈwɪlʃər/; or the County of Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers 3,485 km2 (861,000 acres).[1] The ancient county town was Wilton, but since 1930 Wiltshire County Council and its successor Wiltshire Council (from 2009) have been based at Trowbridge.Wiltshire is characterised by its high downland and wide valleys. Salisbury Plain is famous as the location of the Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles and other ancient landmarks and as the main training area in the UK of the British Army. The city of Salisbury is notable for its medieval cathedral. Important country houses open to the public include Longleat, near Warminster, and the National Trust's Stourhead, near Mere.
Selected article
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) west of Amesbury and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. It is at the centre of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.
Archaeologists had believed that the iconic stone monument was erected around 2500 BC, as described in the chronology below. One recent theory, however, has suggested that the first stones were not erected until 2400-2200 BC, whilst another suggests that bluestones may have been erected at the site as early as 3000 BC. The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986 in a co-listing with Avebury Henge monument. It is a national legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stonehenge is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage, while the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust.
Selected biography
Billie Piper (born Lianne Piper, 22 September 1982, in Swindon, Wiltshire) is an English singer and actress.
She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then progressed to acting. Her most famous role is as Rose Tyler, companion to the Doctor in the television series Doctor Who from 2005 to 2006, a role she reprised in 2008 and 2010. In 2007, Broadcast magazine listed Piper at no. 6 in its "Hot 100" list of influential on-screen performers, the top woman on the list. Since 2007 she has starred as the high flying escort Belle de Jour in the TV series Secret Diary of a Call Girl.
After an extended break, Piper decided to end her pop career in 2003 and return to her original ambition: acting. She took acting lessons while living in London. Piper gained very positive reviews for these appearances, critics seemingly feeling that she was a far better actress than she was a singer.
In the news
Selected picture
Credit: Ashley Pomeroy
Salisbury Cathedral looking from the southwest in Salisbury, Wiltshire.Categories
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Articles:
Wiltshire | History of Wiltshire | Salisbury | Salisbury Plain | Stonehenge | Swindon | WarminsterLists:
List of civil parishes in Wiltshire | List of schools in Wiltshire | List of Parliamentary constituencies in Wiltshire | List of places in WiltshireRelated portals
WikiProjects
See WikiProject Wiltshire.
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