WHETHER Marlborough' claim to links with King Arthur's fabled magician Merlin would ever stand thorough scrutiny is doubtful.

But there is certain magic about the town that is surrounded with pre history.

The town itself has Saxon roots although some researchers doubt that The Green was its Saxon centre as claimed.

There was more probably, they say, a Saxon settlement on the edge of what has become a flourishing town and very desirable place to live.

History oozes out of the very fabric of the town and most of the older buildings in the town centre would have stories to tell.

The Merchant's House, currently under restoration and open to the public in the summer, has a known history. Rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1653 that destroyed most of the core of the town, this house was rebuilt for a wealthy silk merchant.

St Peter's Church at the west end of the High Street - now redundant but used as a community centre - had famous links.

Thomas Wolseley who was later to become Cardinal, Archbishop of York, was ordained in this church in 1498 not long after it was built. Eglantyne Jebb who founded the Save the Children Fund taught at St Peter's School and would have worshipped in the church.

Pewsey is a village by name although it is larger than some towns.

It is a close-knit community where most people know each other and support each other in times of need.

Pewsey has links with King Alfred although they are rather tenuous.

It is believed that Alfred's army camped near Pewsey and some say the actual site was near the Swanborough Tump between Pewsey and Wilcot.

The are boats the River Kennet, the Hampshire Avon that meanders through Pewsey and the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The two rivers are rated among the top trout fishing streams in the country while the canal provides leisure and please not only for boaters but also for coarse anglers.

The area teems with history, round barrows, long barrows, standing stones and massive monuments like Silbury Hill and the Mound in the grounds of Marlborough College.