Tower and Town, December 2023

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Editorial: Christmas

It’s hard to approach December without looking towards the 25th. In early November there is a Christmas tree in one of our coffee shops and the Christmas lights on the High Street are already in place, waiting to be lit up later in the month. So why fight it?

This issue has a lot of Christmas, with a Marlborough focus.

I hope readers will enjoy being reminded of how those lights came to be – it’s a story of the community coming together, led by our High Street traders, to ensure that lack of finance would not prevent our usual display.

Our very own local historian, Nick Baxter, has written about Marlborough Castle in its heyday. It was the location for two important events in the 12th century and it’s rather amazing to think such an imposing and important structure has totally vanished .

Gill Mortimer, Musical Director of the Marlborough Choral Society, tells us how the popular Christmas concert is planned and put together.

Our Ukrainian guest, Yuliia, tells us how to celebrate the holiday the Ukrainian way.

And a few of us thought hard about which Christmas carols we loved the most.

Our cover is the work of Marlborough resident Rosie Hill, talented artist, and a good friend to many of us.

Sara Holden