An absolute gem in Wiltshire, 30 miles from Bristol and 15 miles from Swindon. It has been the site of a place of worship since the 6th century when a celtic monk founded a school and later Adhhelm, the first Englisgh Saint, founded the first monastery. In the tenth century Athelstan, grandson of Alfred The Great, made Malmesbury his capital of the united Kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia. Athelstan died at Gloucester in 939AD and chose to be buried at Malmesbury, rather than at Winchester with his illustrious ancestors. The current abbey is the third on the site, dating from the middle to late 12th century, as a Benedictine foundation. William of Malmesbury, the finest historian since Bede was a monk at the abbey during the 12th century. Thomas Hobbes, one of the founders of political philosophy was born in Malmebsury in 1588. Only the nave of the abbey remains; the central tower and spire, which rivalled Salisbury, fell in 1550, demolishing the quire.
