West Wiltshire District Council’s Warminster Town Centre Conservation Area Character Assessment, Informative Document, Consultation Draft/Cabinet Draft, of December 2006, includes the following notes:
Definition of Special Character of Warminster Town Centre.
The town is contained within open countryside and wooded downs on the western edge of Salisbury Plain, which provides a beautiful setting and also plays an important role in the history and function of the town. Warminster is believed to have derived its name from the River Were and the Minster Church that was erected by the Normans.
Warminster has functioned as a market town for most of its existence. The corn market which existed in medieval times continued to be successful for over 600 years, forming an important commercial centre for the region’s farmers. The corn market boomed until the mid 19th century, largely due to the fact that the town was by then on important trading routes between London, Bristol and the South. Other industries that flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries were malting and inns, which were related to the local farming industry, and iron, cloth and leather manufacturing, all of which have both left their mark on the town centre.
Market Place formed part of a 14th century extension and has become the focal point of the town that continued to develop in a linear fashion. Land ownership was generally divided into burgage plots. This has resulted in building layouts that are tightly packed along the main street frontages and a number of narrow streets and alleyways running back from the main streets.
The increasing importance of the roads as primary trading routes also created a number of inns, resulting in the creation of service yards surrounded by ancillary buildings and stables, a number of which are still in evidence.
As with many towns a number of the earliest remaining buildings erected in the town were ecclesiastical. However, Warminster has managed to retain a number of historic houses as well as commercial and industrial buildings all of
which enrich the built environment. During the prosperous 18th and 19th centuries many fine buildings were erected along the main street frontages whilst some older buildings were re-fronted. Consequently, the fabric of the main streets consists mainly of 3-storey stone fronted terraces with varying heights and Georgian or Victorian architectural features.
Away from the market centre the predominant building form is small terraced housing, although the more distinctive buildings are those that now house Warminster’s numerous schools and the remaining industrial buildings.