Award-winning historian Tom Holland will give a virtual talk for the Devizes-based Wiltshire Museum this evening.

Tom Holland, born in Broad Chalke near Salisbury, will give a lecture on both the ancient and modern aspects of his native county.

The academic, who is currently in London, said the talk was a chance to re-visit the vast history of Wilthsire while also raising funds for the museum.

'What Goes Around Comes Around: Wiltshire, from Stone Circles to Corn Circles' kicks off at 7.30pm.

“The Wiltshire Museum is the third oldest county museum in the country I believe, and of great international significance," said Tom.

“If you come along, you’ll be helping the museum continue their work long after lockdown.

“In Wiltshire there is this fascinating sense of history that attaches itself to circles.

“The county has this sense of mystery and you see the circle happening again throughout history.

“Stonehenge provided the inspiration for the architect who was working on the Circus Bath, who believed Bath to be the great centre of history for druids.

“The Circus is modelled on the measurements of Stonehenge, and in turn provided a model for traffic roundabouts across the county. And, as we know, the most famous roundabout of all is in Swindon – the Magic Roundabout!”

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

“You’ve got these strange echoes that ripple through Wiltshire’s history and that’s essentially the theme of the talk.”

Tom, who is the presenter of BBC Radio 4's Making History, looks forward to this evening’s lecture, but admitted that the virtual stage was a very different one to what he was used to.

He said: “What you can't do is engage with the audience. A huge part of giving talks is having interacting on a personal level with the audience, but you can't do that virtually.

“But of course it’s much better than having no contact at all, like everyone in this pandemic you do the best with what you’ve got.

"I think lockdown has really taught us to appreciate history. There's all kinds of things I took for granted that I now can't wait to see.

“The feelings that people have about particuarl sites or monuments are enhanced by lockdown. Many people can't wait to get out and explore, including me.

“I'm in London, so this talk has been a way for me to get to re-visit Wiltshire in my research."

Tickets are £7 and can be bought until 5pm this evening.

The lecture is due to start at 7.30pm and will be held online using Zoom Webinars.

The lecture begins at 7.30pm on February 18. Tickets cost £7 per household and can be bought at wiltshiremuseum.org.uk