Right in the centre of Pewsey there is a prominent stone statue of King Alfred, unveiled in June 1913 to commemorate the coronation of George V.
This is the heart of the village and during Carnival in September, many of the events take place here.
The bridge next to it is relatively modern, as it used to be a shallow ford through which horses and carts would pass. The carts had wooden wheels with metal frames and would specifically go through fords such as this – and stand there for some time – in order to get the wood to swell and fill the metal frames.
King Alfred the Great owned Pewsey as a royal estate and local legend ties him to the village’s annual Feast and Carnival, when, after defeating the Danes, he proclaimed that 14th September (Holy Cross Day) would be a feast day, a tradition that continues today with the modern carnival taking place as close to the date as possible.
