Edington lies on the northern escarpment of Salisbury Plain. The village combines this landscape setting with medieval buildings, an annual week-long music festival and a designated walking route. There are several different focal points for planning a trip: the church and the Priory remains tell the story of architectural history, Monk’s Conduit draws attention to the use of a spring, and Walk 8 offers a specific route with a stated length and duration. The festival also has a clear timeframe: it takes place every year in August.
Church and Priory: medieval architectural history
The Church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints was built from 1352 to 1361 for William of Edington, Bishop of Winchester. The church also houses two 14th-century effigies of knights from the Church of St Giles in Imber. These details bring together different strands of history: the construction period and patron of Edington’s church, and the origins of the knights’ effigies. Those interested in church and architectural history will find both in one place, without confusing the effigies with the construction of the church building.
The remains of Edington Priory include walls enclosing two large rectangular gardens. A 40-metre-long wall of dressed limestone masonry preserves remains of a monastic building. The description of the Priory remains therefore includes both the layout of the enclosed gardens and surviving masonry with a specific length and a named connection to a monastic building. This adds another chapter of medieval architectural history to the story of the church.
Another historic structure is Monk’s Conduit, a 15th-century well house. It is located in a small valley on a spring line in the centre of Edington and has served as an outlet for a spring for over 500 years. Here, the focus is on its location on the spring line and its function as a spring outlet. Monk’s Conduit thus complements the church and monastic buildings with the long history of water management.
August music festival
Since 1956, Edington has held a week-long festival every year in August called the Festival of Music within the Liturgy. During the Edington Music Festival, four daily services are sung by three choirs. New compositions are also part of the programme. The festival’s name and the services make the connection between music and liturgy clear; the new compositions complement this focus. For travel planning, August is the main recurring timeframe to note. If you would like to plan your stay around the festival week, it is best to check the specific dates for the year in question.
Walk 8 – Edington
Walk 8 – Edington is eight kilometres long, takes about two hours and is graded moderate. The route climbs Edington Hill and continues along the Imber Range Perimeter Path (IRPP). The distance, approximate duration and difficulty level offer different points of reference for planning the day: they help you assess the route’s length, time required and level of challenge separately. The climb up Edington Hill and the subsequent stretch along the IRPP also define the route through two specifically named sections of the path.
Discover more destinations: Sedgehill, Melksham, Amesbury, Malmesbury, Christian Malford, Sutton Benger, Broad Chalke, Purton.
For the overarching travel guide: Wiltshire.
