18 Facts About Devizes

Devizes remained under Royalist control until 1645, when Oliver Cromwell attacked and forced the Royalists to surrender.

Devizes Castle was built by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury in 1080, but the town is not mentioned in the Domesday Book.

Devizes received its first charter in 1141 permitting regular markets.

Devizes remained under Royalist control until 1645, when Oliver Cromwell attacked and forced the Royalists to surrender.

In 1810 the county Militia, quartered at Devizes, mutinied and the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry were called out to quell the disturbances.

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Devizes has more than 500 listed buildings, a large number for a town of its size.

The Trust for Devizes has a Town Trail map which provides a guide to many of them.

Devizes is 90 miles west-southwest of central London, lying almost 2° west of the Greenwich Meridian, with the two-degree line running through the western edge of the town, just a few hundred yards west of the castle.

Devizes is a civil parish with an elected town council.

Devizes is part of the Devizes constituency, represented in the House of Commons by one Member of Parliament elected by the first past the post system.

Devizes has always been a market town and the market square is still used for that purpose every Thursday, and for farmers' markets on the first Saturday of each month.

Devizes has bus connections to surrounding towns including Swindon, Trowbridge, Salisbury, Bath and Chippenham, each of which have rail services.

Devizes has a daily National Express coach service to and from London Victoria, via Heathrow Airport.

Devizes has six primary schools: St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Southbroom St James Academy, Southbroom Infants' School, Wansdyke Community School, Nursteed Community Primary School and The Trinity CofE Primary School.

Devizes has four Church of England parish churches, and has had nonconformist congregations since the 17th century.

The building was enlarged in 1790 and extended in Early English style in the mid-19th century, becoming known as St Mary's Congregational Church; from 1842 Devizes was the head of the Wiltshire and East Somerset Congregational Union.

Devizes is policed by Wiltshire Police, who have their headquarters on London Road in the town.

Fire and rescue services in Devizes are provided by Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, who have a fire station with a retained staff.