WILTSHIRE County Council is considering putting up a trophy for the winner of a poll to find the county's favourite heritage site after a suggestion by the Gazette.

The Window on Wiltshire website heritage project has narrowed down to a short list of 12 for local people's most popular historic places.

Internet surfers are now being asked to vote for their top choice. Votes can be registered at www.wowheritage.org.uk/favourites.

Helen Shalders, assistant project officer for Window on Wiltshire, said: "Most of the people who have voted are from Wiltshire, but we are hoping that the competition will attract people from further afield to visit the county and see what else it has to offer.

"Most people will have heard of Avebury or Stonehenge, but perhaps not Swindon Railway Village. It might make them want to come to Wiltshire.

"But the main purpose of the website is to encourage Wiltshire residents to take more pride in their county.

"We hadn't got as far as thinking about what we have in mind for the winner. A trophy might be a possibility. We will give it some thought."

The 12 candidates are:

Avebury: The famous stone circle near Marlborough that has been attracting visitors since the 17th century and was given a boost in the 1920s when marmalade heir Alexander Keiller bought the village and excavated the circle.

Box Tunnel: Classed as one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's great works, the tunnel between Corsham and Box, remains famous as a feat of construction.

Figsbury Ring: This hillfort at Firsdown, near Salisbury, covers some 15.5 acres. There is some dispute as to its age, but most archaeologists agree it dates back to the Iron Age, shortly before the Roman invasion.

The Kennet and Avon Canal: Stretching from the tidal Avon near Bristol to Reading in Berkshire, a significant section of the Kennet and Avon Canal is in Wiltshire. The canal includes such features as the flight of locks at Caen Hill and the dramatic aqueducts at Dundas and Avoncliff.

Malmesbury Abbey: The earliest monastic activity is said to be the arrival of a hermit called Maildubh sometime in the seventh century, but the abbey was extended considerably in the 13th century.

North Meadow, Cricklade: The North Meadow on the banks of the Upper Thames is a rare survival of lowland hay meadow. Few examples of this type of land use survive in Europe.

Old Wardour Castle: One of the most romantic ruins in Wiltshire, the castle was built in the late 14th century by the fifth Lord Lovel.

Salisbury Cathedral: The cathedral boasts the tallest spire in England, the largest cloister, Europe's oldest working clock, and the Chapter House has an original copy of the Magna Carta. The building work was completed in a century, giving it a unified feel unlike any other in England.

Stonehenge: On the southern edge of Salisbury Plain is the final version of a henge and stone circle which has undergone many alterations since it was built during the later Mesolithic era 5,000 years ago.

Stourhead: In 1717, Henry Hoare bought the old Stourton House and replaced it with a Palladian mansion. His son Henry was responsible for the famous landscaped gardens.

Swindon Railway Village and Works: Before 1840 Swindon was a market town with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants. The construction of the Great Western Railway, supervised by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, began in 1840.

Westbury White Horse: Below an Iron Age hillfort, the present horse is not the original. The first horse is believed to have faced to the right and had a long body, short legs and a tail which curved upwards with a fork at the end.