Bradford on Avon
Encyclopedia
Bradford on Avon is a town
in west Wiltshire
, England
with a population
of about 9,326. The town's canal
, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurant
s make it popular with tourists.
The history of the town can be traced back to Roman
origins. It has several buildings dating to the 17th century, when the town grew due to the thriving English woollen textile
industry.
y countryside between the Mendip Hills
, Salisbury Plain
and the Cotswold Hills. The local area around Bath provides the Jurassic
limestone
(Bath Stone
) from which the older buildings are constructed. The River Avon
(the Bristol
Avon) runs through the town.
settlements above the town. In particular, archaeological digs have revealed the remains of a large Roman villa
with a well-preserved mosaic
on the playing fields of St Laurence School
. The centre of the town grew up around the ford
across the river Avon, hence the origin of the town's name ("Broad-Ford"). This was supplemented in Norman
times by the stone bridge that still stands today. The Norman side is upstream, and has pointed arches; the newer side has curved arches. The Town Bridge and Chapel is a grade I listed building. It was originally a packhorse bridge
, but widened in the 17th century by rebuilding the western side. On 2 July 1643 the town was the site of a skirmish in the English Civil War
, between Royalists who seized control of the bridge on their way to the Battle of Lansdowne
.
On the bridge stands a small building which was originally a chapel
but later used as a town lockup. The weather vane on top takes the form of a gudgeon (an early Christian symbol), hence the local saying "under the fish and over the water".
The river provided the power for the wool mills that gave the town its wealth. The town has 17th century buildings dating from the most successful period of the local textile
industry. The best examples of weaver's cottages are on Newtown, Middle Rank and Tory Terraces. Daniel Defoe
visited Bradford in the early 18th century and commented : "They told me at Bradford on Avon that it was no extra-ordinary thing to have clothiers in that county worth £10,000 to £40,000 per man" (Equivalent to £1.3M to £5.3M in 2007 http://www.measuringworth.com/index.html).
With improving mechanisation in Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
the wool weaving
industry moved from cottages to purpose built woollen mills adjacent to the river Avon where they used water and steam to power the looms. Around 30 such mills were built in Bradford on Avon alone and prospered further until the English woollen industry shifted its centre of power to Yorkshire in the late 19th century. The last local mill closed in 1905. Many have since stood empty and some became derelict.
A notable feature of Bradford on Avon is the huge grade II* listed tithe barn
, 180 feet long and 30 feet wide, which was constructed in the 14th century and is now part of Barton Farm Country Park
The barn would have been used for collecting taxes, in the form of goods, to fund the church.
Several notable buildings in and around the town centre have been designated for renovation and redevelopment by 2012.
In 1997 the Wiltshire Music Centre
was opened in Bradford on Avon, on the grounds of St Laurence School
.
On 8 October 2003, Bradford on Avon was granted Fairtrade Town
status.
Notable is the Saxon church
(dedicated to St. Laurence
), which may have been founded by St. Aldhelm
around 705, and could have been a temporary burial site for King Edward the Martyr
. It was re-discovered by Canon William Frampton in 1856, having been used for secular purposes (apparently becoming a house, a school and part of a factory). In his research Canon Frampton, who had an interest in archaeology, found reference to the church in the writings of William of Malmesbury
.
In addition to the Saxon
church, the town has four Church of England
churches, one Church of England
chapel
, two Baptist
chapels, a United Church (Methodist and United Reformed Church
), a free nonconformist church, a community church, a Quaker (Society of Friends) meeting house and a Roman Catholic church.
The original parish church
has a dedication to the Holy Trinity, and is located near the town centre by the river. It is Norman in origin, and it is possible that the chancel
was built over the remains of an older church. Several chapels were added on the north side, and the wall in between was later opened up and the chapels now form the north aisle. A squint, or hagioscope
, near the altar is claimed to be England's longest. The tower
and spire
was built around 1480, replacing an older one, and the south wall was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. The church has a ring of eight bells
, with the tenor
(heaviest bell) weighing 29-2-26 (1.5 tons) and is tuned to Dflat.
The other Anglican church has dedication of Christ Church
, and is entirely a Victorian
construction. The Catholic church
, dedicated to St. Thomas More, occupies the building that used to be the town hall.
, a manufacturer of rubber
products for the automotive and other industries. Today, it is the headquarters of the Alex Moulton
bicycle
company. It has several other small scale manufacturing enterprises.
The town's main business is retail
shopping
, tourism
and day to day servicing of a population largely made up of families, commuters and the retired
.
The town has one mid-sized supermarket
, Sainsbury's, situated on the Elms Cross Industrial estate, a two minute walk from the Canal lock, and five convenience store
s.
Local consumers founded Bradford-on-Avon Co-operative Society in 1861, which, in the 1960s, united with other consumer co-operatives in the district to merge with a national business. Though consumer co-operation since left, Bristol workers' co-operative Bishopston Trading Company has a Fairtrade clothing shop in Silver Street, that supports the village of K.V. Kuppam in Tamil Nadu
, India.
Bradford lies on the A363 Trowbridge
to Bath road, which runs through the town from south to north. All other road routes are minor, affording access to local settlements.
Rail
Bradford-on-Avon railway station lies on what is now the Bath—Weymouth
railway line. It opened in the mid-19th century and was built by the original (pre-grouping) Great Western Railway
. Northwards the line runs past Avoncliff
and Freshford
stations, and joins the Great Western main line east of Bath. Trains run to Bristol Temple Meads
and Cardiff
. Southwards, the line is joined by the minor Melksham
branch from Chippenham
shortly before Trowbridge
. At Westbury
the line crosses the main London
to Plymouth
line. From Westbury, trains run to Southampton
, Portsmouth
or Weymouth, and occasionally to Frome
or Castle Cary
.
Waterways
Running parallel to the railway through the town is the Kennet and Avon Canal
and Bradford Lock
. The use of this canal declined as the railways grew but it was restored to full working order during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The canal provides a link through to the Avon at Bath in the west, and the Thames at Reading
in the east.
.
Bradford on Avon is a civil parish with an elected town council
of 12, 2 Conservative and 10 Liberal Democrats
. This has a mostly consultative and ceremonial role, and the chairman of the town council has the title of Mayor
of Bradford.
Since 2010 Bradford on Avon has been part of the Chippenham parliamentary constituency
.
See also:
, a specialist Arts College
.
----
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in west Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of about 9,326. The town's canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s make it popular with tourists.
The history of the town can be traced back to Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
origins. It has several buildings dating to the 17th century, when the town grew due to the thriving English woollen textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industry.
Location
The town lies partly on the Avon Valley, and partly on the hill that marks the Vale's western edge, eight miles southeast of Bath, in the hillHill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
y countryside between the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
and the Cotswold Hills. The local area around Bath provides the Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
(Bath Stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
) from which the older buildings are constructed. The River Avon
River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other River Avons in Britain, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
(the Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
Avon) runs through the town.
History
The earliest evidence of habitation is fragments of RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
settlements above the town. In particular, archaeological digs have revealed the remains of a large Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
with a well-preserved mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
on the playing fields of St Laurence School
St Laurence School
St Laurence School is a state secondary comprehensive school in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK.-Admissions:The school is also a specialist Arts College, formerly in the district of West Wiltshire. The current headteacher is James Colquhoun. It takes pupils also from Atworth, Monkton Farleigh,...
. The centre of the town grew up around the ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
across the river Avon, hence the origin of the town's name ("Broad-Ford"). This was supplemented in Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
times by the stone bridge that still stands today. The Norman side is upstream, and has pointed arches; the newer side has curved arches. The Town Bridge and Chapel is a grade I listed building. It was originally a packhorse bridge
Packhorse bridge
A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow masonry arches, and has low parapets so as not to interfere with the horse's panniers.Packhorse bridges were often built on the trade routes that...
, but widened in the 17th century by rebuilding the western side. On 2 July 1643 the town was the site of a skirmish in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, between Royalists who seized control of the bridge on their way to the Battle of Lansdowne
Battle of Lansdowne
The English Civil War battle of Lansdowne was fought on 5 July 1643, near Bath, southwest England. Although the Royalists under Lord Hopton forced the Parliamentarians under Sir William Waller to retreat from their hilltop position, they suffered so many casualties themselves and were left so...
.
On the bridge stands a small building which was originally a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
but later used as a town lockup. The weather vane on top takes the form of a gudgeon (an early Christian symbol), hence the local saying "under the fish and over the water".
The river provided the power for the wool mills that gave the town its wealth. The town has 17th century buildings dating from the most successful period of the local textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industry. The best examples of weaver's cottages are on Newtown, Middle Rank and Tory Terraces. Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
visited Bradford in the early 18th century and commented : "They told me at Bradford on Avon that it was no extra-ordinary thing to have clothiers in that county worth £10,000 to £40,000 per man" (Equivalent to £1.3M to £5.3M in 2007 http://www.measuringworth.com/index.html).
With improving mechanisation in Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution changed the nature of work and society. Opinion varies as to the exact date, but it is estimated that the First Industrial Revolution took place between 1750 and 1850, and the second phase or Second Industrial Revolution between 1860 and 1900. The three key drivers in...
the wool weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
industry moved from cottages to purpose built woollen mills adjacent to the river Avon where they used water and steam to power the looms. Around 30 such mills were built in Bradford on Avon alone and prospered further until the English woollen industry shifted its centre of power to Yorkshire in the late 19th century. The last local mill closed in 1905. Many have since stood empty and some became derelict.
A notable feature of Bradford on Avon is the huge grade II* listed tithe barn
Tithe barn
A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church....
, 180 feet long and 30 feet wide, which was constructed in the 14th century and is now part of Barton Farm Country Park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
The barn would have been used for collecting taxes, in the form of goods, to fund the church.
Several notable buildings in and around the town centre have been designated for renovation and redevelopment by 2012.
In 1997 the Wiltshire Music Centre
Wiltshire Music Centre
Wiltshire Music Centre is a unique contemporary building in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. It has a first class 300 seat concert hall with superb acoustics plus nine other teaching and workshop spaces of various sizes....
was opened in Bradford on Avon, on the grounds of St Laurence School
St Laurence School
St Laurence School is a state secondary comprehensive school in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK.-Admissions:The school is also a specialist Arts College, formerly in the district of West Wiltshire. The current headteacher is James Colquhoun. It takes pupils also from Atworth, Monkton Farleigh,...
.
On 8 October 2003, Bradford on Avon was granted Fairtrade Town
Fairtrade Town
Fairtrade Town is a status awarded by a recognized Fairtrade certification body describing an area which is committed to the promotion of Fairtrade certified goods...
status.
Churches
St Laurence's Church, Bradford-on-Avon
St Laurence's Church, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, is one of relatively few surviving Saxon churches in England that does not show later medieval alteration or rebuilding....
(dedicated to St. Laurence
Saint Lawrence
Lawrence of Rome was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258.- Holy Chalice :...
), which may have been founded by St. Aldhelm
Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne
Aldhelm , Abbot of Malmesbury Abbey, Bishop of Sherborne, Latin poet and scholar of Anglo-Saxon literature, was born before the middle of the 7th century. He is said to have been the son of Kenten, who was of the royal house of Wessex...
around 705, and could have been a temporary burial site for King Edward the Martyr
Edward the Martyr
Edward the Martyr was king of the English from 975 until he was murdered in 978. Edward was the eldest son of King Edgar, but not his father's acknowledged heir...
. It was re-discovered by Canon William Frampton in 1856, having been used for secular purposes (apparently becoming a house, a school and part of a factory). In his research Canon Frampton, who had an interest in archaeology, found reference to the church in the writings of William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
.
In addition to the Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
church, the town has four Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
churches, one Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, two Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
chapels, a United Church (Methodist and United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
), a free nonconformist church, a community church, a Quaker (Society of Friends) meeting house and a Roman Catholic church.
The original parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
has a dedication to the Holy Trinity, and is located near the town centre by the river. It is Norman in origin, and it is possible that the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was built over the remains of an older church. Several chapels were added on the north side, and the wall in between was later opened up and the chapels now form the north aisle. A squint, or hagioscope
Hagioscope
A hagioscope or squint, in architecture, is an opening through the wall of a church in an oblique direction, to enable the worshippers in the transepts or other parts of the church, from which the altar was not visible, to see the elevation of the host.Hagioscopes were also sometimes known as...
, near the altar is claimed to be England's longest. The tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
and spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
was built around 1480, replacing an older one, and the south wall was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. The church has a ring of eight bells
Church bell
A church bell is a bell which is rung in a church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding, funeral, or other service...
, with the tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
(heaviest bell) weighing 29-2-26 (1.5 tons) and is tuned to Dflat.
The other Anglican church has dedication of Christ Church
Christ Church, Bradford-on-Avon
The Anglican Christ Church is located in the northern Hillside Terraces neighborhood Conservation District of Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. It is in the Bradford Deanery of the Diocese of Salisbury....
, and is entirely a Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
construction. The Catholic church
St Thomas More, Bradford-on-Avon
Located near the historic Town Bridge and opposite the Swan Hotel and the Dandy Lion Pub, the Catholic Church of St. Thomas More is a large and impressive structure. It was designed as the small town's town hall and incorporated a police department on its first floor and several other municipal...
, dedicated to St. Thomas More, occupies the building that used to be the town hall.
Economy
Bradford has been the headquarters of Avon RubberAvon Rubber
Avon Rubber p.l.c. is a manufacturer of high technology rubber-based products for a number of manufacturing sectors. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index...
, a manufacturer of rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
products for the automotive and other industries. Today, it is the headquarters of the Alex Moulton
Alex Moulton
Dr. Alexander Eric Moulton CBE is an English engineer and inventor, specialising in suspension design.Moulton is the great-grandson of the rubber pioneer Stephen Moulton, the founder of the family business George Spencer Moulton & Co...
bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
company. It has several other small scale manufacturing enterprises.
The town's main business is retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
shopping
Shopping
Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....
, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and day to day servicing of a population largely made up of families, commuters and the retired
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
.
The town has one mid-sized supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
, Sainsbury's, situated on the Elms Cross Industrial estate, a two minute walk from the Canal lock, and five convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
s.
Local consumers founded Bradford-on-Avon Co-operative Society in 1861, which, in the 1960s, united with other consumer co-operatives in the district to merge with a national business. Though consumer co-operation since left, Bristol workers' co-operative Bishopston Trading Company has a Fairtrade clothing shop in Silver Street, that supports the village of K.V. Kuppam in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India.
Transport
RoadBradford lies on the A363 Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
to Bath road, which runs through the town from south to north. All other road routes are minor, affording access to local settlements.
Rail
Bradford-on-Avon railway station lies on what is now the Bath—Weymouth
Heart of Wessex Line
The Heart of Wessex Line, also known as the Bristol to Weymouth line, is a United Kingdom railway line that runs from Bristol to Westbury to Weymouth...
railway line. It opened in the mid-19th century and was built by the original (pre-grouping) Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. Northwards the line runs past Avoncliff
Avoncliff
Avoncliff is a village in Wiltshire.It is the point at which the Kennet and Avon canal crosses the river and railway line via the Avoncliff Aqueduct, which was built by John Rennie and chief engineer John Thomas, between 1797 and 1801...
and Freshford
Freshford
Freshford is a village and civil parish in the Avon valley south-east of Bath, in the county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 530...
stations, and joins the Great Western main line east of Bath. Trains run to Bristol Temple Meads
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
and Cardiff
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
. Southwards, the line is joined by the minor Melksham
Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...
branch from Chippenham
Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
shortly before Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
. At Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
the line crosses the main London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
line. From Westbury, trains run to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
or Weymouth, and occasionally to Frome
Frome
Frome is a town and civil parish in northeast Somerset, England. Located at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, the town is built on uneven high ground, and centres around the River Frome. The town is approximately south of Bath, east of the county town, Taunton and west of London. In the 2001...
or Castle Cary
Castle Cary
Castle Cary is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and south of Shepton Mallet.The town is situated on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett.-History:...
.
Waterways
Running parallel to the railway through the town is the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
and Bradford Lock
Bradford Lock
Bradford Lock is situated at Bradford on Avon on the Kennet and Avon Canal, England.It was in Bradford on Avon that the first sod was cut for the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1794 and had wharves above and below the lock. The lock has a rise/fall of 12 ft 6 inches .There are moorings above...
. The use of this canal declined as the railways grew but it was restored to full working order during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The canal provides a link through to the Avon at Bath in the west, and the Thames at Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in the east.
Local government
The most significant local government functions (including schools, roads, social services, emergency planning, leisure services, development control, and waste disposal) are carried out by Wiltshire CouncilWiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
.
Bradford on Avon is a civil parish with an elected town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
of 12, 2 Conservative and 10 Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. This has a mostly consultative and ceremonial role, and the chairman of the town council has the title of Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Bradford.
Since 2010 Bradford on Avon has been part of the Chippenham parliamentary constituency
Chippenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Chippenham is a parliamentary constituency, abolished in 1983 but recreated in 2010, and represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
.
See also:
- West Wiltshire Council election, 1999West Wiltshire Council election, 1999Elections to West Wiltshire District Council were held on 6 May 1999. The whole council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats held their overall control, winning twenty-seven seats while the Conservatives took ten, Independents four and the Labour Party two....
- West Wiltshire Council election, 2003West Wiltshire Council election, 2003Elections to West Wiltshire District Council were held on 1 May 2003. The whole council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats lost their majority, leaving the council with no overall control....
- West Wiltshire Council election, 2007West Wiltshire Council election, 2007Elections to West Wiltshire District Council were held on 3 May 2007. The whole council was up for election and the Conservatives took control.Most wards had boundary changes or were new...
- Wiltshire Council election, 2005Wiltshire Council election, 2005Elections to Wiltshire County Council were held on 5 May 2005. The whole council was up for election and the Conservatives held onto control.Most electoral divisions had boundary changes, and several were new, including three new two-member divisions, in Salisbury and Trowbridge.As with other...
- Wiltshire Council election, 2009Wiltshire Council election, 2009Elections to Wiltshire Council, a new unitary authority, were held on 4 June 2009.The whole council of 98 members was up for election, with each member elected in a single-member electoral division...
Education
The town has one secondary school, St Laurence SchoolSt Laurence School
St Laurence School is a state secondary comprehensive school in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK.-Admissions:The school is also a specialist Arts College, formerly in the district of West Wiltshire. The current headteacher is James Colquhoun. It takes pupils also from Atworth, Monkton Farleigh,...
, a specialist Arts College
Arts College
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...
.
Notable people
- Peter HammillPeter HammillPeter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano...
, singer-songwriter - Henry ShrapnelHenry ShrapnelHenry Shrapnel was a British Army officer and inventor, most famously, of the "shrapnel shell".Henry Shrapnel was born in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England....
, inventor of the 'shrapnel shell' - Miles KingtonMiles KingtonMiles Beresford Kington was a British journalist, musician and broadcaster.-Early life :...
, journalist - Simon R. Green, science-fiction/fantasy author
- Rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
players Will CarlingWill CarlingWilliam David Charles Carling, OBE is a former Rugby union player for Harlequins, and a former captain of England from 1988 to 1996, winning 72 caps.-Early life:...
, Phil de GlanvillePhil de GlanvillePhilip Ranulph de Glanville is a former English rugby union player who played at centre for Bath and England.-Rugby career:...
, and Jon SleightholmeJon SleightholmeJonathan Mark Sleightholme is a former rugby union footballer who played on the wing for Wakefield, Bath, Northampton Saints, Yorkshire, England Sevens and England.... - Hugh ScullyHugh ScullyHugh Scully , is a British television presenter. He is best known as the host of the BBC show Antiques Roadshow from 1981 to 2000.Scully joined the BBC in 1965 as a freelance journalist...
, television presenter - Jonathan NewthJonathan NewthJonathan Newth is a British actor, best known for his performances in television.Credits include: Emergency Ward 10, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Ace of Wands, The Troubleshooters, Z-Cars, Callan, Van der Valk, The Brothers, Softly, Softly, Poldark, Doctor Who, Notorious Woman, Secret Army , The...
, actor - Rob NewmanRob Newman (footballer)Robert "Rob" Newman is an English football coach and former player.-Career:Newman signed for Bristol City as an apprentice in October 1981 and played 483 games for the club, serving as club captain before being sold to Norwich City for £600,000 in 1991...
, ex-footballer and current football manager - Andy PearceAndy PearceAndrew Pearce is a retired English football defender. He spent his career in England, starting at Halesowen Town, then moved to Coventry City and, after 3 seasons at Highfield Road moved to Sheffield Wednesday where he achieved cult status following his goal against Sheffield United in a memorable...
, ex-footballer - Stephen VolkStephen VolkStephen Volk is a British screenwriter, whose first produced work was Ken Russell's film Gothic in 1986.His most famous work is Ghostwatch, a controversial drama shown on BBC One on Halloween 1992. It is commonly misrepresented as a hoax documentary, but this was never the intention...
, TV scriptwriter, TV series Afterlife, Dark Corners - Pop groups Jesus JonesJesus JonesJesus Jones are a British rock band. The Wiltshire-based group, formed in late 1988, recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s. They are best remembered for their track, "Right Here, Right Now", an international hit and subsequently globally appropriated for...
and BlackbudBlackbudBlackbud are an English indie rock band from Wiltshire, comprising Joe Taylor , Adam Newton and Sam Nadel...
were both formed in the town
External links
- Bradford on Avon Town Council
- Historic Bradford-on-Avon photos at BBC Wiltshire
- English Towns: Bradford-on-Avon - A 35 minute BBC TV programme made in 1981 examining Bradford-on-Avon's Georgian buildings and architecture
- Day Out: Bradford-on-Avon - A 30 minute BBC TV programme made in 1978 of a day spent exploring Bradford-on-Avon
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