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Audiobook edition · 10 h 29 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What can a country lane reveal about a kingdom whose name outlives its rule?
In Wanderings in Wessex, Edric Holmes explores the southern country between the valleys of the Itchen and the Otter. Old towns, village life and open countryside sit close together here. The journey invites you to see a landscape not just as ground to cross, but as a place shaped by history.
Wessex begins as the kingdom of the West Saxons, yet its name carries a region's character and memories long afterward. Holmes belongs to the English tradition of walking and touring writers. His subject rewards a slower pace: country lanes, old bridges and church towers draw attention to what a hurried traveller might miss.
What you’ll discover
- A kingdom in the landscape Explore how the name Wessex holds together a region and its memories.
- Two rivers frame the journey Let the Itchen and the Otter mark the bounds of your exploration.
- The pleasure of going slowly Find room to notice hedgerows, old bridges and church towers along the way.
- History close to village life Discover a southern landscape where old towns and open country meet.
- Places that still invite exploration Picture cathedral towns, market squares and country paths that remain part of England's south.
Who will love it
Readers who love old churches, ruined castles and village legends, and who enjoy a guide with strong opinions. It suits walkers, armchair travelers and local historians.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Winchester holds the whole story of Wessex
- Southampton and the New Forest look outward
- Purbeck packs pirates, castles and cliffs together
- Dorchester shows how layers of time pile up
- Weymouth and Portland face the sea
- Lyme and East Devon trace a king's flight
- The Somerset border is full of Camelot and abbeys
- Salisbury is a city built on a single plan
- Great houses and quiet churches fill the Nadder and Wylye valleys
- Stonehenge and Avebury keep their secrets
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Andanzas por Wessex
by Edric Holmes · 1922
A walker crosses Wessex from the Itchen to the Otter, meeting Corfe Castle, Stonehenge and a cathedral spire.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEspañol
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In short
Where does England begin? Edric Holmes answers by walking.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Winchester holds the whole story of Wessex
Holmes opens in Winchester because he thinks no English city carries more history. Cerdic made it his capital around 520, and Egbert was crowned King of the English here in 827.
The cathedral is the center of the visit. It is 556 feet long, the longest Gothic building in the world apart from St Peter's in Rome. Holmes admits that visitors are first let down by the squat tower and then won over by the interior.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1922
- Language
- Español
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Holmes, Edric. Wanderings in Wessex. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/wanderings-in-wessex.
Holmes, E. (2026). Wanderings in Wessex. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/wanderings-in-wessex (Original work published 1922)
Holmes, Edric. Wanderings in Wessex. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/wanderings-in-wessex.
@book{holmes2026wanderings,
author = {Holmes, Edric},
title = {Wanderings in Wessex},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/wanderings-in-wessex},
note = {First published 1922}
}
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What is Wanderings in Wessex about?
It is a guided tour of the old kingdom of Wessex, from the River Itchen in Hampshire to the Otter in Devon, describing towns, villages, churches, castles, legends and prehistoric sites along the way.
Where is Wessex and what area does the book cover?
Holmes sets the southern edge from the Meon River to the mouth of the Otter, with the chalk ridge from Inkpen Beacon to the Marlborough Downs as its northern limit, taking in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and parts of Somerset and Devon.
Is the Wessex in Thomas Hardy's novels the same place?
Largely yes. Holmes names Hardy's places throughout, such as Casterbridge for Dorchester, Kingsbere for Bere Regis, Melchester for Salisbury and Sandbourne for Bournemouth, so the book works well beside the novels.
The author
Edric Holmes
1875–1949 · British topographical writer
Edric Holmes (1875–1949) was a British author who wrote non-fiction about places and landscapes. His books included Wanderings in Wessex, published in 1922. He wrote about southern England, including the region known as Wessex. He lived during the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries.
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