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Funding for a huge mural in Warminster took just five days to raise from locals
In 1965, local news reports told of unusual happenings in a rural town – then the mysteries continued, with what started as sounds progressing into sightings.
The Warminster Thing was born: a series of phenomena and UFOs reported by many in the area and still remembered 60 years on. So, how much is ‘The Thing’ still a thing?
This year, a mural was unveiled in a Warminster car park – it is huge and features aliens and a flying saucer. It took five days to raise the £1,500 to pay for it from locals.
It was created by local artist Paul Boswell who was a teenager in the area in the 1980s and 1990s.
“We used to go up on Cley Hill and sort of do UFO spotting,” he said. “It used to be a thing. We’d go up there and sleep out there all night expecting to be taken away by aliens.”
Lesley Blaine is one of the people behind local social media group Heart of Warminster, which did a callout to raise money for the mural. She said whenever anything goes up on the page about The Thing, there is a big response.
Lesley Blain has worked in the information office and runs a local page – she said ‘The Thing’ is popular
“I think it’s a little bit like magic,” said Ms Blain. “If you really knew what was going on, it would take the interest out of it. I’m happy for it to be a mystery, I’m happy to enjoy it.”
Ms Blain ran the local information centre from 2005 to 2015 and said people would go in and ask for information on the phenomena from all around the world. The centre kept a file for people to look through.
Cley Hill is a popular place for UFO spotting
Cley Hill is one of the places people have reported sightings. The large hill boasts spectacular views and is also a former Iron Age hill fort on the edge of the town.
Other sites often mentioned are Cradle Hill and Middle Hill (also known as Starr Hill). They are next to the military area of the town and there are warnings on the footpath signs that military exercises might occur.
Listen: 60 years of the ‘Warminster Thing’
It has often been speculated that military activity could be behind some of ‘The Thing’ – but the military cannot always reveal what it is doing.
Katrina Collett grew up in the area and stayed until the 1990s.
“It was mentioned in conversations with people and nobody was astounded by it,” she said. “It was just part of everybody’s day-to-day life.”
She said when she was younger, nights out with friends involved going to local hills to see what might be out there – armed radios to talk to each other in different places. She said that sightings would match up.
She said she recalls “clear as day” when she saw three lights hovering in the sky above her, still for about three minutes.
Ms Collett said people were used to military activity, like beams of light and fast-flying aircraft faster, so they could eliminate some things before considering strange phenomena.
Sam Morris moved to the area recently and was thrilled to find out there was a mystery. He loves to sky watch and now has an online stream called thethingufo looking at the night sky above Warminster.
Accompanied by mascot stuffed alien Alan, viewers share their experiences with the unknown, including locals from Warminster. Mr Morris feels it is easier for people to do so anonymously.
Sam and mascot Alan run a sky watching live stream looking at the Warminster skies
“I’ve seen a few things that are strange,” he said. “I’ve seen a few things that I thought were strange and turned out to not be strange. But we’ve seen lots of lights in the sky and it’s not necessarily as exciting as close encounters of the third kind there when the ship lands but it’s still very interesting.
“I wouldn’t say it’s as active or as prevalent as it was back then, but there’s still something going on.”
In the distance, Middle Hill and Cradle Hill are hotspots for UFO spotting, but in a military area, people have to stick to paths
Back in 1965, The Warminster Thing was reported by local media and then by national media, including the BBC.
Local paper the Warminster Journal reported on it and also had people writing in letters about it.
One reporter who became especially interested was Arthur Shuttlewood, whose portrait can be seen on the 2025 mural. He interviewed lots of residents and wrote multiple books on it.
The paper was a family business until recently, when it was sold. However, Ray Shorto kept the archives and remembers being involved even as a child.
While something of a sceptic himself, he remembers Mr Shuttlewood and said he was well appreciated by people for his work – both related to UFOs and otherwise.
“Over that period, it was one of the main stories. The lions of Longleat came along and then started to take over.”
Ray Shorto used to own the local paper and remembers The Warminster Thing reports from when he was a child
There have been multiple conferences marking the Warminster Thing in the decades since, including in 2025.
One of the speakers, former police officer and detective John Hanson, keeps an archive of tens of thousands of items with details of UFO sightings all over the country.
“What’s vital is to record for posterity what people have seen. They exist, what they are and where they come from is another matter, but it’s important because it’s part of our history.”
He said those he interviews are “genuine people” and that a lot of the time, there are multiple people seeing the same thing.
Mr Hanson said he had reports of strange happenings in Warminster from as recent as five or six years ago.
Warminster mayor, councillor Andrew Cooper, was at the unveiling of Paul Boswell’s new artwork: “Whatever you do or don’t think about the folklore behind it, things like this bind a community.
“A bit of folklore is necessary. It enriches a community. It gives it something that perhaps other people don’t have.”
The Warminster Thing does live on – it still fascinates people and remains mysterious, whether someone might believe in UFOs or enjoy some interesting history.
