Maurice Fells steps back in time and heads for Hollywood in Wootton Bassett. Pictures: Richard Hudd

WOOTTON Bassett may well be a small town compared with "big brother" Swindon, just half a dozen miles down the road. But it's certainly got a lot to shout about.

Not only does this bustling town have a rich and fascinating history but its name travels around the world thanks to the major role it plays in the film industry.

Bassett, as locals affectionately call their home, has a history that can be traced back to 681AD, when it appears in Malmesbury Abbey charters as "Wudetun", later becoming Wootton. In the 13th century, the Bassett family became the lords of the manor, giving the place the second part of its unusual name.

This is a typical market town, with the High Street, half a mile long, fringed on both sides by numerous small shops. Along its length are notable Georgian buildings, which have been sympathetically adapted to house the shops and offices that serve modern-day needs.

The street is broad enough for a weekly market, which is held on Wednesdays, a tradition dating back to the early 13th century when King Charles II granted Wootton Basset its market charter. Local farmers also come to town once a month to hold their own market.

High Street is where you will find the town's best known landmark. The half-timbered black and white Town Hall was built at the end of the 17th century and owes its existence to the political ambitions of the Hyde family (the Earls of Clarendon) who presented the building to the town.

Its upper floor was a council chamber built on 15 stone pillars, while below there was a storeroom for market goods and also a Blind House, or lock-up, in which drunks were detained overnight.

The building was extensively restored in 1889 when the Blind House disappeared. It now houses a museum of town life, approached by an open oak staircase rising from the pavement.

Away from High Street, there are other fine buildings which retain a link with the past. What is now the Civic Centre, in Station Road, for example, began life as the National School, a solidly built affair, constructed by Isaac Lansdown, a local builder. It opened, together with an adjoining schoolmaster's house, in 1861.

Wootton Bassett was a market town of some importance when Swindon was an insignificant hilltop village. From the time of Henry VI until the Reformation Act of 1832 disenfranchised it, the town ranked as a chartered incorporation and sent two members to Parliament.

However, in the first half of the 19th century, neighbouring Swindon expanded with the arrival of Brunel's Great Western Railway works. In the second half of the 20th century, the M4 motorway brought new industry, commerce and homes to Swindon, making it one of the fastest growing towns in the country.

But it all meant a big spin-off for Wootton Bassett. The extensive housing estates which have been built on either side of High Street since the 1960s have been largely as a result of Swindon's expansion.

Another modern development is the shopping and office centre which has been built on the Borough Fields, off High Street, where the town's burgesses once had their allotments. It links up with High Street through a number of corridors.

Wootton Bassett's closeness to the busy M4 motorway has also helped to attract several international firms to its Interface Business Park. Dolby Laboratories has had its European manufacturing, marketing, sales and technical support here since 1993, when it was opened by Princess Anne.

It's here that Dolby makes and tests sound equipment for blockbuster films such as Star Wars Episode II and Austin Powers: Goldmember. The firm's special sound units have been installed at more than 5,000 cinemas around the world. But the staff are responsible for far more than the manufacture of the equipment. They also help to shape film soundtracks.

Another of the town's big employers is one of Dolby's neighbours, the fresh produce supplier Del Monte. Other employment opportunities for Wootton Basset's population of 12,000 people rest on several industrial estates and in retail around the High Street.

"This is a busy town with an interesting history and heritage which has got a great community feel," says Owen Collier, the town crier and civic sword bearer.

"It's a lively place and I guess there are about 200 community organisations, from tea dance groups to rugby and football clubs, as well as many church organisations. It's a very sociable place.

"I try to go out crying along the High Street two or three times a month. I'll announce anything that the community wants publicised, a coffee morning, a jumble sale or anything to do with the town." Owen, who was appointed four years ago, adds: "I was deputy until then and succeeded the man who had been doing it for 30 years. The first one was appointed in 1720."

Next month the town will be hosting the Wootton Bassett Town Crier championships. "There'll be 19 criers from as far as Devon, Somerset and Wales, besides all the criers from Wiltshire. They'll be competing for our own special trophy. This is a bi-annual event and attracts lots of interest," explains Owen.

"Next year we'll be having the big one, the Annual Championships of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers."

The competitions will be held in the middle of the High Street. Afterwards, competitors will be able to quench their thirsts in any of the town's many historic pubs, which include the Five Bells dating from the 1600s, the only thatched building left in Wootton Bassett.

The Waggon and Horses claims to date from about the same time, while the history of the Cross Keys Inn can be traced back to 1742.

Other hostelries which date back to the 18th and 19th centuries survive, along with their traditional names, including the Angel, the Crown Inn, Borough Arms and the Curriers Arms.