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![]() Marlborough: Deliciously English
Every building is different and most are constructed of old red brick instead of the usual yellow Cotswold stone, topped by old brown tiles.
Shops, alleyways and cottages mingle quite happily in a rustic setting.
Like many British rural towns, Marlborough has collected modern buildings around itself. This, however, is not a problem for visitors, who are simply charmed by its busy but very English character. It is this ethos of "Englishness" that attracts me.
Before that the town grew from a small village, having witnessed the presence of Neolithic man, Bronze-age tribes and Iron-age families,
Roman Legions, and every other era right up to the present day. It is, then, one of the oldest habitation sites in Europe, as the surrounding
countryside with its ancient burial mounds prove.
Marlborough is the legendary home of Merlin, King Arthur's magician. The very name of the town comes from "Merle Barrow" or Merlin's Tomb...he is said to be buried in the grounds of the elite Marlborough College, which was built on the site of a much earlier royal castle, close to the town centre.
Marlborough is what you expect an old rural English town to be, and does not disappoint. It is not an invention, where local planners have
devised mock traditions or pseudo-old buildings to draw tourists who know no better. This is the real thing - quintessential England, hearkening
back to much gentler, nicer times.
Because it is genuine, the town affects its people, who are themselves rustic and gentle in the best of senses. Live in modern brashness and you
become brash...live in old England and you become truly English.
And, of course, there are more than enough traditional, old pubs, for those pub lunches and slow drinks during a
warm summer afternoon (or a winter day is just as good!). The larger places, like The Ivy House Hotel, offer
traditional British meals, too. Added to the old architecture, that's a bonus.
Carrying on the traditional theme, locally produced cheeses, hand-made preserves, and wines are all available in
another typically British shop, Mackintosh. There are many old shops to choose from - just wander around and
take delight in every one, knowing they are not the usual run-of-the-mill places selling tired old mass-produced stuff.
The town is twinned with its American name-sake, Marlborough, Connecticut, which is suitably small in size,
with about 5000 inhabitants. Also like Marlborough, England, its businesses are family-run. Good choice of twins!
© March 2006 Barry Napier.
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