Wiltshire is a landlocked ceremonial county in South West England, best known for the chalk downland of Salisbury Plain. It covers 1,346 square miles (3,485 km2) and had a combined population of 747,000 at the 2021 census. Swindon is the largest town and Trowbridge the county town.
Two unitary authorities share the county: Swindon Borough Council in the north-east and Wiltshire Council for everything else. There has been no two-tier structure here since 2009.
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Region | South West England |
| Area | 1,346 sq mi (3,485 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 747,000 (Wiltshire 513,240; Swindon 233,760) |
| Density | 214 people per km2 (555 per sq mi) |
| County town | Trowbridge |
| Largest town | Swindon (183,638) |
| Councils | Wiltshire Council; Swindon Borough Council |
| Postcode areas | SN, SP, BA |
| World Heritage Site | Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites |
Towns and Villages in Wiltshire
The gazetteer records 652 named places across the two authorities. The list below covers the county’s towns and villages, taking Wiltshire Council’s area first and Swindon borough second.
Wiltshire Council area
- Ablington
- Aldbourne
- Alderbury
- Alton Barnes
- Amesbury
- Ansty
- Ashton Keynes
- Atworth
- Avebury
- Avoncliff
- Barford St Martin
- Baydon
- Beanacre
- Beechingstoke
- Biddestone
- Bishops Cannings
- Bishopstone
- Bishopstrow
- Boreham
- Bourton
- Bower Chalke
- Box
- Boyton
- Bradford-on-Avon
- Bratton
- Bremhill
- Brinkworth
- Britford
- Broad Chalke
- Broad Hinton
- Broughton Gifford
- Brunton
- Bulford
- Bulkington
- Burbage
- Calne
- Calstone Wellington
- Chapmanslade
- Charlton
- Cherhill
- Chicklade
- Chicksgrove
- Chilmark
- Chilton Foliat
- Chippenham
- Chitterne
- Christian Malford
- Clanville
- Codford
- Codford Saint Mary
- Colerne
- Collingbourne Ducis
- Collingbourne Kingston
- Coombe
- Coombe Bissett
- Corsham
- Corsley
- Corston
- Corton
- Countess
- Cricklade
- Cross Keys
- Crudwell
- Devizes
- Dinton
- Ditteridge
- Donhead St Mary
- Downton
- Durnford
- Durrington
- East Grimstead
- East Kennet
- East Knoyle
- Easterton Sands
- Edington
- Erlestoke
- Etchilhampton
- Fifield
- Fonthill Gifford
- Fovant
- Fyfield
- Gare Hill
- Grafton
- Great Bedwyn
- Great Cheverell
- Great Somerford
- Grittleton
- Ham
- Hankerton
- Haxton
- Heytesbury
- Highway
- Hindon
- Holt
- Homington
- Huggler’s Hole
- Huish
- Hullavington
- Keevil
- Kilmington
- Kington Langley
- Kington Saint Michael
- Lacock
- Langley Burrell
- Lark Hill
- Latton
- Lea
- Leigh
- Limpley Stoke
- Little Bedwyn
- Littlecott
- Longstreet
- Lower Westwood
- Luckington
- Ludgershall
- Lydiard Millicent
- Lydiard Tregoze
- Lye’s Green
- Lyneham
- Maiden Bradley
- Malmesbury
- Manningford Bruce
- Market Lavington
- Marlborough
- Marston
- Melksham
- Membury
- Mere
- Middle Winterslow
- Mildenhall
- Milston
- Milton
- Minety
- Monkton Farleigh
- Neston
- Netheravon
- Nettleton
- Nettleton Shrub
- Newton Tony
- Norrington Common
- North Bradley
- North Wraxall
- Norton
- Oaksey
- Oare
- Ogbourne Maizey
- Old Sarum
- Orcheston
- Perham Down
- Pewsey
- Pitton
- Potterne
- Poulshot
- Purton
- Queen Street
- Ramsbury
- Restrop
- Roundway
- Rowde
- Royal Wootton Bassett
- Rushall
- Salisbury
- Seend
- Sells Green
- Semington
- Shalbourne
- Sherston
- Sherston Parva
- Shrewton
- South Newton
- Southwick
- St Katharine’s
- Stapleford
- Steeple Ashton
- Stockton
- Stoford
- Sutton Benger
- Sutton End
- Sutton Veny
- Teffont Magna
- The Common
- The Stocks
- Thoulstone
- Tidworth
- Tilshead
- Tisbury
- Trowbridge
- Uffcott
- Upavon
- Upper Seagry
- Upton
- Upton Scudamore
- Urchfont
- Warminster
- West Amesbury
- West Ashton
- West Dean
- West Grimstead
- West Stowell
- Westbury
- Westwood
- White Cross
- Whiteparish
- Whitley
- Wilton
- Wingfield
- Winterbourne Bassett
- Winterbourne Stoke
- Woodborough
- Woodford
- Woodlands
- Worton
- Wylye
- Yatton Keynell
- Zeals
Swindon borough
- Badbury
- Bishopstone
- Blunsdon Saint Andrew
- Broad Blunsdon
- Castle Eaton
- Chiseldon
- Chisledon
- Draycot Foliat
- Elcombe
- Fox Hill
- Hannington
- Highworth
- Hinton Parva
- Hodson
- Hyde
- Inglesham
- Liddington
- Little Hinton
- Medbourne
- Sevenhampton
- South Marston
- Stanton Fitzwarren
- Stratton Saint Margaret
- Swindon
- Upper Inglesham
- Upper Stratton
- Wanborough
- Wroughton
Swindon (183,638 in its built-up area at the 2021 census) is more than four times the size of any other town. Salisbury (41,820), Chippenham (37,548) and Trowbridge (37,169) come next, followed by Melksham, Warminster, Calne, Devizes and Corsham, each between 13,000 and 20,000.
Geography
Chalk covers two thirds of Wiltshire. Salisbury Plain occupies about 300 square miles of it, much of that a Ministry of Defence training estate closed to the public. The Marlborough Downs carry the same rock north-east towards the Ridgeway. The Vale of Pewsey divides the two.
North-west of the chalk the land drops into the clay vales of the Bristol Avon around Chippenham and Malmesbury, with the Cotswold edge beyond. Gloucestershire lies north, Oxfordshire and Berkshire east, Hampshire south-east, Dorset south and Somerset west.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 513,240 people in the Wiltshire Council area and 233,760 in Swindon, a combined rise of about 63,000 on 2011. Density averages 214 people per square kilometre, low even by South West standards.
Swindon grew fastest and has the youngest age profile. Large parts of the south and centre are near-empty because they lie within the military training estate, which pushes settlement to the edges of the Plain.
Economy and Local Life
Defence is the county’s biggest employer. Garrisons at Tidworth, Bulford, Larkhill and Warminster house tens of thousands of soldiers and their families. The Army moved further units onto the Plain during the 2010s.
Swindon holds the headquarters of Nationwide Building Society and a broad logistics and technology base on the M4. Dyson designs at Malmesbury, and the county’s tourism runs on Stonehenge, Avebury, Longleat, Salisbury Cathedral and the Kennet and Avon Canal.
History
Wiltshire holds the densest concentration of prehistoric monuments in Britain. Stonehenge and Avebury were inscribed together as a World Heritage Site in 1986, and Silbury Hill nearby is the largest artificial mound in prehistoric Europe.
Salisbury Cathedral, built between 1220 and 1258, carries the tallest church spire in Britain at 123 metres. It also holds one of four surviving 1215 copies of Magna Carta. Swindon was a village of 2,500 until the Great Western Railway put its locomotive works there in 1843; within 60 years it was a town of 45,000.
Getting There
The M4 crosses the north of the county, with junctions 15 to 17 serving Swindon, Chippenham and Malmesbury. The A303 runs east to west past Stonehenge towards the South West, the A36 links Salisbury to Bath, and the A350 is the main north-south road.
The Great Western Main Line calls at Swindon and Chippenham, with Swindon about an hour from London Paddington. Salisbury sits on the West of England line from Waterloo to Exeter, and the TransWilts service links Swindon to Westbury through Melksham. The nearest airports are Bristol and Southampton.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Wiltshire?
747,000 at the 2021 census: 513,240 in the Wiltshire Council area and 233,760 in Swindon borough.
What is the largest town in Wiltshire?
Swindon, with 183,638 people in its built-up area. Salisbury (41,820) is second.
Is Swindon in Wiltshire?
Yes, for ceremonial purposes. It has run its own services as a separate unitary authority since 1997.
Which councils cover Wiltshire?
Two unitary authorities: Wiltshire Council, based at Trowbridge, and Swindon Borough Council.
What postcode areas cover Wiltshire?
SN across the north and centre, SP in the south around Salisbury, and BA in the west around Trowbridge and Warminster.
Where is Wiltshire?
In southern England, landlocked, between Gloucestershire to the north, Berkshire and Hampshire to the east, Dorset to the south and Somerset to the west.