Malmesbury Abbey
On the northern borders of Wiltshire stands the small market town of Malmesbury. Its origins date back to the middle of the sixth century, after the Saxons wrested final control over this part of the country from the Britons. Malmesbury is the oldest borough in England, with a charter given by Alfred the Great around 880.
According to the 16th-century writer, Leland:
'The toun of Malmesbyri stondith on the very toppe of a greate slaty rok, and ys wonderfully defended by nature'.
And indeed, the river Avon and a tributary almost completely surround the town, forming a perfect natural defence system.
The town is dominated by the now ruined abbey at its centre. Only a third of the abbey has survived, but in the Middle Ages the building had a tall central spire, reaching 7m (23ft) higher than Salisbury Cathedral's 123m- (404ft) high spire.
'...in the Middle Ages the building had a tall central spire...'
Malmesbury Abbey's founder, Maidulph, died in 675. At this time Aldhelm, a Saxon by birth and related to King Ine of Wessex, took over the leadership of the borough, and under him the town grew in stature and importance.
Around 700, Aldhelm built the first organ in England, which was described as a 'mighty instrument with innumerable tones, blown with bellows, and enclosed in a gilded case', and he is also credited with other churches in the area, including the one at Bradford-on-Avon, which stands to this day. He died in 709 and was canonised, and he has been known ever after as St Aldhelm.
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