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There's been a settlement at Bradford on Avon for over 2,500 years. An Iron Age tribe were first on the scene to be followed by Saxons, the Romans and the Normans. The Saxon Church is still here, there was an impressive Roman villa here and the Normans were the first to build a stone bridge across the river. In fact, the town is well-known for the Town Bridge which has a small, ancient building at one end. This used to be a small chapel but was later used as the town ‘lock-up’ for drunks and troublemakers.
Bradford on Avon developed around the wool industry. The large buildings along the river were once mills and the cottages were one those of spinners and weavers. As the wool industry moved north, the mills became home to a rubber industry that produced tyres and wiper blades. Inevitably, today the old mils are now apartments.
The town is also remarkable for mines from which local stone was quarried for the building of Bath. Latterly the mines have been used for growing mushrooms, making Royal Enfield motorcycles and, during the second world war, for storing the crown jewels!
There’s a crooked little lane that runs between buildings dating from early medieval to the early twentieth century, that is a shopping delight. However, one of the most colourful sights in Bradford on Avon is the narrowboats on the Kennet and Avon Canal passing through the lock in the town. A pleasure cruise from here along the canal is a special pleasure as the scenery is stunning.
Other places to visit in Wiltshire:
Bath
The Cotswolds
Lacock
Chippenham
Longleat Safari Park
Castle Combe
Cheddar Caves
Wookey Hole
01225 703700
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Beechfield
House Luxury Country House Hotel, Beanacre, Chippenham, near Bath, Wiltshire,
SN12 7PU |
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