To provide you with the best experience, cookies are used on this site. Find out more here.
To provide you with the best experience, cookies are used on this site. Find out more here.
The village of Box is uniquely situated at a Gateway to the Cotswolds National Landscape, on the historic Great Western Railway line and Great West Way, stretching along the beautiful By Brook valley only 5 miles east of the World Heritage City of Bath. Located in the rural county of Wiltshire, Box offers a place to stay, visit, enjoy, and relax in stunning surroundings, allowing opportunity to step back in time through its cultural heritage.
The area has been settled since Neolithic times. Box Roman villa is a Scheduled Monument, and a Roman Road forms the southern boundary of the Parish. The Parish contains many buildings of national importance. Grade I and II*, of outstanding importance, such as Box and Middle Hill Tunnel Portals, Drewetts Mill, Hazelbury Manor, Rudloe Manor, and the Churches of St Thomas a Becket in Box and St Christopher’s Church in Ditteridge. Grade II, buildings include such properties as Box School and the Poynder Fountain. The Parish has four Conservation Areas, areas of special architectural and historic importance, at Box, Ditteridge, Middle Hill, and Ashley.
Historic Box Mill was bought by Peter Gabriel in the 1980s and converted into his international renowned Real World recording studios. Notable artists who have recorded at the studios include Robert Plant, Deep Purple, Harry Styles, Coldplay, and Tom Jones, and it is the headquarters of WOMAD.
Box is probably best known for its Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s railway tunnel and quarried stone. Views of Box Tunnel combine with his Road Bridge and magnificent Middle Hill Tunnel to celebrate a wonder of the Victorian age and one of the finest views of a historic railway line in the country.
Box also lays claims to being the birthplace of Thomas the Tank Engine as the popular children’s entertainment character was conceived by Rev. W.V Awdry when he lived in Box.
Hillside and underground quarries provided stone not only for the honey-coloured historic buildings in the area but fine country houses such as Longleat and Lacock Abbey, properties in Bath, London and exported around the world. A quarryman’s village grew up on Box Hill, the ‘Hill of Stone ‘, with stone yards, shops, cottages for workers, pubs, and Methodist Chapel. Box was famous for Box Ground Stone, a durable stone. http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/ has a wealth of information on the village.
Box Recreation Ground offers a children’s playground, football ground, bowling green and tennis courts. It has thriving men’s and women’s cricket teams who play on the cricket pitch which WC Grace graced. A Rock Circus, a magnificent circle of rocks fossils and minerals, forms the centre piece of the village. Lovar Garden, adjacent, with its pond and bog garden is a haven for wildlife and a habitat for flora and fauna.
Kingsdown Golf Club, founded in 1880, is the second oldest Golf Club in the West of England (behind Westward Ho!) and a popular destination for golfers of all abilities.
The Parish has over 100 Public Rights of Way making it a hugely popular destination for people looking to explore the glorious English countryside. Long distance footpaths The MacMillan Way and Cross Cotswolds Path cross the Parish. The Box Heritage Trail a circular walk of 4.5 miles offers magnificent views of the By Brook Valley and details of quarrying, milling and Brunel’s Great Western Railway. Footpaths and bridleways pass through Commons, woods, and meadows, areas of significant habitat value for our native species of wildlife, which in some areas have been improved with tree and hedge planting. Box Common at the top of Box Hill is an example of one of the splendid viewpoints around the Parish.
A range of walking maps give details of the paths, suggested routes, and points of historical interest including https://corshamwalkingfestival.org.uk/heritage-trails/
A variety of pubs, restaurants, cafes, and shops can be found in the area, with plenty of places to stay locally from cosy B&Bs to 5 Star hotels. The village has even got its own airfield!
Box Revels which takes place every end of May Bank holiday commenced life as a medieval celebration of the patronal day of St Thomas à Becket. Box Revels has had a lot of in-carnations since then and each year brings different themes and ideas, but the two purposes remain the same; to bring together the whole demographic of the village in fun and entertainment, and to raise funds for community groups and projects.
Queen Victoria was new to the throne when Arnos Vale opened in 1839. Arnos Vale was to be a garden…
Conveniently located just off the A303, The Brush & Broom offers a warm welcome to all. Whether you…
Shires Yard (formerly Milsom Place) is located at the heart of fashionable Milsom Street, set…
Discover award winning, and sustainable real ales and spirits. Crafted from the land around us, we…
See gold from the time of Stonehenge! Wiltshire Museum is home to the best Bronze Age archaeology…
Curated Visits Steeped in British Elegance Windsor Carriages creates privately hosted visits…
Number of results: 184
, currently showing 85 to 105.
Reading
Twelve hands-on galleries including Roman Silchester, changing art gallery, Box Room, Britain's Bayeux Tapestry and the world's only biscuit gallery, Huntley & Palmers.
Salisbury
Built in 1880 as a grain mill, Fisherton Mill is the south of England’s largest independent gallery with an award-winning onsite café & artist studios. Soon to celebrate 25 years under the ownership of Michael & Deborah Fox, it is a haven for…
Windsor
Windsor Carriages offers guests something few ever experience: a curated journey through Royal Windsor, hosted by a team with over 170 years of estate knowledge and carriage expertise.
Chippenham
Ultimate motoring thrills for adrenaline junkies.
Caversham
Thames Rivercruise is a family business based at the heart of the Upper Thames and cruise through some of the most stunning reaches of the Thames from Henley and Sonning up to Goring and Streatley.
Calne
Motor museum with vintage, post-vintage and classic cars, including American models. The Museum also houses an impressive collection of Lorries, Motorcycles, Mopeds, Push bikes, a large selection of vehicle manuals and other archive material.
Stourton, Warminster
Stourhead estate on the Wiltshire-Somerset border is the perfect day out for everyone. A breathtaking 18th century landscape garden with lakeside walks, grottoes and classical temples is only the beginning.
You can also visit Stourhead House, a…
Corsham
The Pound arts centre, run by local charity Pound Arts, is the hub of Corsham’s arts offering, with three annual seasons of professional performances, film, participatory arts events and exhibitions.
Reading
The Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL) is England’s most extensive museum dedicated to farming, food, craft, rural life and countryside issues.
Reading
We are a family run business, established in 1989. You are welcome to visit without obligation, and when you purchase from us we offer sound advice and support for as long as you need it.
Whether you are just starting out your your alpaca…
Swindon
The Wyvern Theatre offers a mixed programme of concerts, comedy, dance, drama, musical theatre and local amateur productions. The theatre was opened by Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness Prince Phillip in September 1971.
This is the only museum in the UK solely dedicate to arts and culture from East and South East Asia, with a collection of over 2,000 objects representing 7,000 years of artistry and craftsmanship. Just a few metres off The Circus in central Bath,…
Marlborough
This extremely popular multi-generational learning experience will take place over four weeks during Summer.
Stoke Bishop, Bristol
The University of Bristol Botanic Garden cultivates some 4,500 plant species from over 200 plant families within its five-acre site. This diversity of plants is unique and not found anywhere else in the Bristol area.
Special collections at the…
West End, Bristol
Visit Bristol Cathedral as part of your trip along the Great West Way.
Bristol’s beautiful and historic Cathedral is located on College Green in the West End of the city. A church has almost certainly stood on the site for over a thousand years,…
Chippenham
The Museum is housed in a fine 18th century grade II listed building. The displays tell the story of the historic market town from prehistoric times to the present day.
Chippenham Museum open: Monday to Saturday 10am – 4pm
Bank Holidays except…
Montacute
This glittering golden mansion, adorned with chimneys and parapets, is a magnificent example of Elizabethan elegance. In the longest Long Gallery in England you’ll discover some famous faces from the past.
Bath
Follow the trail to find out about Jane Austen’s life around Sydney Gardens.
Reading
I am a Blue Badge Tourist Guide based in Royal Berkshire. I am qualified to lead tours of Wiltshire and all its surrounding counties, by coach, or on foot, with groups from 2 to 50.
Bristol
See displays and artefacts explaining the history, construction and maintenance of the world famous Clifton Suspension Bridge
Yeovil
The garden, complete with working kitchen garden and orchard, lies in the charming village of Tintinhull, Somerset.
© Great West Way 2025.
.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
