Wiltshire’s rich heritage goes on-line

Submitted by PaulM on Saturday, 03 May 2003 Page Views: 1043

**Stonehenge.** submitted by winnits : The bright evening sun shines under the lintel of this section of the monument. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Wiltshire’s varied historical treasures are revealed on new web pages for the county's archaeology and museums services. The web pages allow visitors to search interactive maps of the county for heritage walks, sites and places of interest. Searches can be made by time period (for example, Iron Age, Roman and Medieval), by type of site (e.g. castle, hill fort), or by town or district.

The maps open up Wiltshire's ancient landscape to the public and highlight well known sites such as Stonehenge and some of the county's lesser known archaeological gems.

By clicking on the place they are interested in, visitors can access a full description of the site, information about the terrain, disabled access, parking and other facilities, the best time of year to visit, and more detailed maps of the area.

Stunning aerial photographic views of historical sites give a different perspective on the county's heritage. The maps also suggest a series of heritage trails or walks associated with some of the sites featured.

These include Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Sites trails, a Cricklade Saxon town trail, a Pewsey Downs trail, and Salisbury Plain trails.

The maps can be accessed through the new web pages for Wiltshire County Council's archaeology service, which can be found at here and the museum service can be reached at here.

The new museums web pages feature a complete record of the county council's touring photographic exhibitions from the last five years.

These include Crowning Occasions, an exhibition of royal visits and events in Wiltshire covering three centuries - the exhibition is currently touring Wiltshire libraries.

The new web pages are part of Window on Wiltshire's Heritage. WOW Heritage is an innovative £425,000 project - funded by the New Opportunities Fund - to set up a major web-based resource revealing Wiltshire's history and culture.

WOW Heritage project officer at Wiltshire County Council, Kate Turnbull, said: "The new archaeology and museums web pages include some really interesting and useful features, such as the sites and trails map and the on-line exhibitions.

"The maps are interactive and are ideal for anyone who is interested in exploring Wiltshire's heritage. The on-line exhibitions feature hundreds of images from the county council's photographic exhibitions over the last few years."

The WOW Heritage web site will improve public access to a wide range of information about the county - covering heritage, culture and the natural environment.

Members of staff at Wiltshire County Council are leading the project. The home page is now on-line and the project will take a further two years to complete.

The Window on Wiltshire's Heritage homepage can be found here. The project involves total of 19 partner organisations. The WOW Heritage web site will act as a portal, connecting to the partner sites. You can also vote for your favourite aspect of Wiltshire's Heritage.

Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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