find out more about the Kennet district

Kennet is one of five District Councils in the County of Wiltshire. It covers approximately 375 square miles and about 75,000 people. The main settlements are the historic towns of Devizes and Marlborough. Pewsey, Ludgershall and Tidworth provide further significant centres of population, although half the area's population, live in the extensive network of scattered villages.

The District is mainly rural and agricultural in character. About two thirds of the District is included within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a further 20 per cent is designated a Special Landscape Area. The major physical features are the extensive chalk downlands of the Marlborough Downs, to the North, and Salisbury Plain to the South. These upland areas are separated by the Vale of Pewsey which runs from west to east, roughly midway through the District. This route is also followed by the main railway service and the recently restored Kennet and Avon Canal. Other significant valleys have been cut into the chalk by the River Kennet and the Salisbury Avon. To the west of the District, the chalk uplands give way to the clay vale in the western part of the County.

Employment and economic activity is scattered. Historically it has centred around agriculture and Ministry of Defence Establishments. Structural changes have come from reduced opportunities in agriculture and changes in military presence following defence reviews. Unemployment is below average, but many people commute to jobs outside the District.

 

• Map of area
• School Directory
• Adult and community education