The Sense of Place Resource Room
Factual Wiltshire | |
|  | | Salisbury Cathedral - how tall is that spire? |
| | Here A Sense of Place presents a few essential facts and figures about Wiltshire, including its geographical features, historical highlights and some trivia! |
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| | FACT | Two-thirds of the county is built on chalk |
| FACT | Area - 1344 Square miles |
| FACT | The county measures 55 miles north to south and 34 miles east to west |
| FACT | 92,000 acres of Wiltshire is owned by the MOD |
| | FACT | Total Population - 573,000 (1991) |
| FACT | Largest town - Swindon, 176000 (1996) |
| FACT | Number of parishes - 274 |
| FACT | Average household in Wiltshire consists of 2.1 people (1991) |
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| | FACT | During its history, 15000 man-years of work was spent developing the site at Stonehenge. |
| FACT | Wilton, in South Wiltshire, was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex. |
| FACT | The name Wiltshire was recorded as Wiltunscir, after the former capital of Wessex, Wilton. |
| FACT | Between 1851 and 1901, the number of people employed on the railways in Wiltshire (excluding construction) increased over twelve-fold. |
| | FACT | The top of the spire of Salisbury Cathedral is 404 feet and is said to be at the same height as the first step of the Market Cross in Devizes. |
| FACT | The old steam hooter at the Railway Works in Swindon could be heard in Devizes - if the wind was blowing in the right direction! |
| FACT | Sixteen locks on the Caen Hill Flight of the Kennet and Avon Canal lift the waterway 125 feet in one mile. |
| FACT | All Saints Church in Westbury is known for its faceless clock made in 1604. |
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