Potterne: Architectural History, Landscape and Pantomime

Potterne lies south of Devizes on the A360 towards Amesbury and Salisbury. Potterne offers several different points of interest to help you plan: St Mary’s Church and historic houses, its geological setting and streams, and the Potterne Pantomime. This gives you the chance to decide whether architectural history, landscape or an event date should be the focus of your stay.

Church and historic houses

St Mary’s Church is a Grade I listed church. It dates from the 13th century; work was carried out on the tower in the 15th century, and Ewan Christian restored the building during the Victorian era. If the church is part of your itinerary, bear the parking situation in mind: parking around St Mary’s Church is extremely limited, particularly on Rookes Lane. Check the parking situation before your visit.

Whistley House was built around 1730 for the Kent family and contains fragments of an earlier building. Its red-brick façade has ashlar dressings; the hipped roof, with its valleys, is covered with Bridgwater tiles. These technical terms refer to different building elements: ashlar dressings are worked stone elements on the façade, while valleys are the internal junctions between roof slopes. Porch House belongs to an earlier period: it was most likely built around 1480 by the Bishops of Salisbury. There are around 250 years between the approximate dates of Porch House and Whistley House. The two houses therefore represent different building periods, not a shared phase of construction.

Landscape and orientation

Potterne lies on Gault and Upper Greensand between the chalk areas of the Marlborough Downs and Salisbury Plain. The parish has two streams: the northern one flows east, while the southern one initially flows south and then east. The geological setting describes the wider context of the place; within the parish, the streams differ in their position and course. Part of Whistley Road follows the course of a stream from Potterne.

Little Tree on One Tree (Little Tree) Hill stands at the summit of Potterne Field, 145 metres above sea level. According to local tradition, Little Tree is said to commemorate the 1815 Battle of Waterloo.

A possible reason to visit in February

The Potterne Pantomime takes place every year during the February half-term holidays at Potterne Village Hall; public evening performances run from Tuesday to Saturday. The event is therefore tied to a seasonal period. Architectural history and the geological setting, by contrast, are not tied to this week of performances. As dates and schedules can change, check the specific performance dates for your year of travel.

Discover more destinations: Wylye, Sutton Benger, Cricklade, Temple, Steeple Ashton, Crudwell, Downton, Christian Malford.

For the broader travel overview: Wiltshire.