St Michael's Church and its famous cannonball
The parish church sits at the heart of old Highworth, just behind the Market Place, and carries the town's most dramatic story in its stonework.
St Michael and All Angels Church
Heritage Grade I listedA church stood here by the time of the Domesday survey of 1086. The building you see today dates from the 13th century, with most of the exterior from the 14th and 15th centuries. The handsome 15th-century west tower and the high parapet along the south front give the church a fortress-like look — fitting, because during the Civil War it really was a fortress. Royalist troops garrisoned and fortified the church, and when Parliamentary forces stormed Highworth on 27 June 1645, a cannonball punched a hole in the masonry beside the west door. You can still see the hole today.
Inside, look for the carved tympanum of Samson wrestling a lion, thought to date from the early 12th century, a 15th-century font, and a 10th-century oak chest. The church was restored in 1861–62 and again in 2018–19.
Find the hole: stand by the west door and look at the masonry beside it. The church still keeps the cannonball thought to have made it — it's not usually on display, but you can ask to see it by permission.
Want the longer story of Highworth's past? Start with our history of Highworth page.
A town on a hill
Highworth's name says it all: this is the highest town in Wiltshire, and the views are part of the attraction.
Highworth stands 436 feet (133 metres) above sea level, about six miles north-east of Swindon, with the land falling away on almost every side. From the edges of town — especially the walking trails at Pentylands Country Park on the western side — the views stretch out into Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
Archaeological evidence suggests people have lived on this hilltop almost continuously for around 4,000 years. Stand at the edge of town on a clear day and it is easy to see why they picked the spot.
For the best routes to the viewpoints, see our walks around Highworth.
Market Place and the High Street
The old town centre has been a conservation area since 1976, and it rewards a slow wander.
The conservation area and its Georgian buildings
TownscapeKing John granted Highworth its market charter in 1206, and a market still runs in the Market Place every Saturday, alongside fairs and festivals through the year. Around the square and along the High Street you'll find 84 listed buildings, many of them Queen Anne and Georgian houses from the 18th century.
Highlights picked out in Pevsner's Buildings of England include Inigo House — called the finest house in Highworth, with its early 18th-century Corinthian pilasters — plus historic inns such as the King and Queen and the Saracen's Head. Sir John Betjeman is widely quoted as admiring Highworth for having more beautiful buildings than ugly ones. Spend half an hour here and you'll see his point.
Make a morning of it: browse the Saturday market, explore the shops, then settle in somewhere from our pub guide or eat & drink pages.
Highworth Museum and Visitor Centre
Yes, the museum is still going — and it lives somewhere rather unusual.
Visit Highworth: Information Centre, Museum and Craft Centre
Museum Free to visitRun by volunteers, the Visit Highworth centre occupies the former Lloyds Bank on the High Street, opposite the Market Place. The Highworth Historical Society's museum is tucked inside the old bank strongroom, with displays on the town's history — from the long-gone branch railway to the Second World War — that change regularly, plus a digital display showing Highworth through the ages.
The same building houses the Highworth Art and Craft Centre, selling pottery, textiles, prints and jewellery by local makers. And the volunteers are the people to ask — they can point you towards everything else in town.
Opening times: Tuesday to Friday 10am–3pm, Saturday 9am–2pm; closed Sunday and Monday. Hours can vary, so it's worth a quick call on 01793 764440 before a special trip.
Curious about that long-gone branch line? There's a whole page on the Highworth railway.
Walk the town's history
Two easy ways to explore Highworth's stories: a free app or a guided stroll.
Highworth Town Trail App
Free Self-guided
Created by Highworth Town Council with Visit Highworth, this free app uses GPS to flag up places of interest as you walk. It covers the town's days as a Cavalier stronghold, the Highworth postmistress who quietly served Churchill's secret resistance army, ghost stories, royal connections and more.
Free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Get the trail appGuided town tours
Guided £5 per person
Volunteer guides from Visit Highworth lead walking tours of the town, arranged on a day and time to suit you. The route is flat and the tour takes about an hour — a lovely way to get the stories behind the buildings.
Under-16s free with an adult. Book through the Visit Highworth centre on 01793 764440, subject to guide availability.
Book through Visit HighworthPentylands Country Park
Green space on the town's doorstep, with some of the best views around.
Pentylands Country Park
Country park WildlifeOn the western edge of Highworth, Pentylands is a country park of grassland, plantations and open space, bounded by Pentylands Lane, Bydemill Brook and the line of the town's old, long-closed branch railway. Walking trails give views stretching into Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, and the park is good for wildlife — look and listen for butterflies, skylarks and woodpeckers. Guided nature walks are run from time to time.
Four-legged friend in tow? Pentylands features in our dog walking guide, and there are more routes on the walks around Highworth page.
Within easy reach
Highworth makes a fine base for a day or two: all of these are a short drive away.
Buscot Park
House & gardens
An 18th-century house and gardens near Faringdon, holding the Faringdon Collection of art — owned by the National Trust but administered and run by Lord Faringdon and his family. The grounds include a celebrated water garden.
2026 season: 1 April to 30 September, 2pm–6pm. Mondays and Tuesdays grounds only; Wednesday to Friday house and grounds; plus bank holidays and selected weekends. Check before travelling.
Visit buscot-park.comColeshill — National Trust estate
Countryside Wartime history
Just over the Oxfordshire border on the B4019 between Highworth and Faringdon, the 7,000-acre Coleshill estate is criss-crossed by free waymarked circular walks through farmland, parkland and bluebell woods. It hides a remarkable secret: Coleshill was the wartime headquarters where Churchill's 'secret army' of Auxiliary Units trained, and guided walks explore the hidden Second World War base. There's also a working watermill, a Victorian model farm, and Blake's Kitchen cafe in the Old Carpenters Yard.
Free parking at the estate yard (limited; car park closes 4.45pm). Cafe open 10am–4pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
Plan a Coleshill walkLechlade-on-Thames
Riverside town
A few miles north of Highworth, Lechlade is where the Thames becomes navigable. Stroll over the Halfpenny Bridge of 1792 with its little toll house, visit St Lawrence's Church — whose churchyard inspired Shelley's poem 'A Summer Evening Churchyard' — and walk the riverside to St John's Lock, the highest lock on the Thames and home to the Old Father Thames statue. Boating, riverside walks and tearooms complete the picture.
Find Lechlade on the mapStanton Country Park
Country park Nature reserve
Between Highworth and Swindon at Stanton Fitzwarren, this 74-hectare park has ancient woodland, a lake, wildflower meadows and wetlands, with 36 hectares holding nature reserve status. There's a surfaced circular route suitable for wheelchairs, a visitor information room, toilets and the Every Cloud Cafe. The park also contains the site of a Roman villa, a scheduled ancient monument (no visible remains).
The Avenue, Stanton Fitzwarren, Swindon SN6 7SF. Open daily from 8am; gates locked about 30 minutes after sunset. Free parking. Dogs welcome.
Stanton Park detailsSTEAM — Museum of the Great Western Railway
Museum Family favourite
In Swindon, about six miles away, STEAM tells the story of the Great Western Railway in the former railway works where many of its locomotives were built. Engines, hands-on exhibits and the people's stories of 'God's Wonderful Railway' make it a great wet-weather option with children. Highworth once had its own branch line into Swindon — read about it on our Highworth railway page.
Open every day except 24–26 December: Monday–Saturday 10am–5pm (last admission 4pm), Sunday 11am–4pm (last admission 3pm). Booking online in advance is advised. Enquiries: 01793 466646.
Plan a STEAM visitBefore you set off: opening times and seasons change — please check each venue's website before travelling.
Getting here
Highworth is easy to reach by road and well served by buses from Swindon.
By road
The A361 runs north–south through Highworth, linking the town with Swindon to the south and Lechlade to the north. From the M4, leave at junction 15 and follow the A419 — the town is about four miles further on. The B4019 heads east towards Coleshill and Faringdon.
Free parking is available in town, including spaces for disabled visitors — see car parks & toilets for where to leave the car.
By bus and train
Stagecoach West route 7 runs frequently between Swindon and Highworth (Freshbrook – Swindon town centre – South Marston – Highworth), calling near Swindon railway station, with several buses an hour at busy times from early morning until late evening. Stagecoach routes 76 and 77 also link Highworth with Cirencester.
The nearest railway station is Swindon, about six miles away — hop on the 7 from there.
Sources & credits
- highworthtowncouncil.gov.uk/history/
- highworthtowncouncil.gov.uk
- highworthtowncouncil.gov.uk/whats-happening/neighbourhood-town-trail-app/
- visithighworth.co.uk
- visithighworth.co.uk/vhl-touristinfo.html
- britainexpress.com/counties/wiltshire/churches/Highworth.htm
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highworth
- bustimes.org/services/7-swindon-centre-lower-stratton-highworth
- greatwestway.co.uk — Highworth
- woodlandtrust.org.uk — Highworth Countryside Park
- buscot-park.com — opening times and entry prices
- nationaltrust.org.uk — Buscot and Coleshill Estates
- swindon.gov.uk — Stanton Park
- steam-museum.org.uk — opening times
- lechladeonthames-tc.gov.uk — the River Thames
- commons.wikimedia.org — Category: Highworth
- commons.wikimedia.org — Category: St Michael's church, Highworth
- commons.wikimedia.org — St Michael and All Angels Church photo
- commons.wikimedia.org — High Street photo
- commons.wikimedia.org — Market Place photo
Information compiled June 2026 — please check details with venues before travelling.