Boasting the widest High Street in Britain, Marlborough is definitely a city proud of its stature. This stature applies to more than just physical attributes, however, as anyone familiar with the city's myths and legends will easily attest to. Tall tales take on a new meaning in Marlborough and the inhabitants of the town are more than happy to play along and even inflate some of these tales even more. Even the name of the town has to do with a bit of suspect history: Marlborough is supposedly built upon Merlin's grave. Yes, that Merlin; the wizard! Fanciful tales aside, the very name of the city is supposedly derived from the translation of "Merlin's Barrow" and his magic bones are supposed to give the city some of the unique flavor that it is known for.
Marlborough's real history, though not as far-fetched, is still rather interesting and should be given just as much attention as the fictional exploits that hog all the limelight. An Iron Age burial bucket was unearthed in the city that revealed just how long the city has been subject to human habitation. Many remains of Roman bones and coins have also been uncovered and there is still a wealth of fantastic relics waiting to be revealed to anybody willing to dig around a bit.
The city quickly became a favorite of many an English king and nobleman. William I saw fit to use the nearby Savernake Forest as his hunting grounds of choice. Both King John and King Henry III were married in this idyllic city as well. This relative peace and happiness wasn't to last, however. Just around the corner was the fateful and destructive English Civil War and nothing, not even quaint old Marlborough, would be fully spared from the carnage. The city was stormed and, though deaths were not as plentiful as in some other areas, the looting and fire bombing nearly leveled the city. Future kings and queens of England would steer clear of the city after that and to this day it is rare to see royalty in Marlborough. Sadly, the terror wouldn't end just yet. A mere decade later, in 1653, over two hundred and fifty homes were burned to the ground in a horrible and unrivaled fire known appropriately as the Great Fire of Marlborough. Two more horrific fires would rage in Marlborough before the end of the century and it was ruled that thatch roofs would no longer be allowed in the city. This effectively helped to stall any more fires other than something completely unavoidable and, thankfully, Marlborough is still largely the same city that it was ever since then. This makes it a perfect place to visit if you're fascinated by history. On the other hand, anybody who couldn't care less about history will also find much to love in Marlborough. Its incredible natural scenery is more than enough to thrill anybody with a heartbeat and its charming cityscape is similarly heartwarming. If you're backpacking across England this year, see to it that you spend a little time in Marlborough.
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