Bradford-on
Avon developed as a centre for textiles, mostly wool, and the Bradford-on-Avon
you see today was shaped in these times. Many of the large mill
buildings along the river are former woollen mills, and most of
the houses up on the hill (Tory, Middle Rank) are former spinners
and weavers cottages. The wool trade died away in the area, moving
North to large industrial centres Like Bradford Yorkshire which
some say was named after Bradford-on-Avon ! The large mills were
taken over by the new and burgeoning rubber industry, and the rubber
plant was the main employer in the town for decades, manufacturing
tyres and wiper blades. Sadly that industry has moved on too, and
many of the mills are being converted to residences.
The area around Bradford-onAvon is riddled with mines, used for
quarrrying the local stone which is similar to the stone
which shaped the city of Bath. In the sixties two of the mines
in Bradford were taken over by a mushroom growing firm, the even
and humid atmosphere of the old mines being perfect for such purposes.
The mine at Westwood just outside the town was used for industry,
including the Royal Enfield motorcycle plant. During the 2nd world
war the mine was used to store part of the crown jewels which had
been removed from London for safety!
Culver Close near the centre of Bradford-on-Avon was used for
breeding rabbits mainly for food, and Conigre Hill was where pigeons
were bred mainly also for food. The Shambles is a crooked little
lane running between Silver Street & Market Street. The name
derives from the Anglo-Saxon word "scamel", meaning a bench on
which goods were laid out for sale, and is still used by shops
in much the same way, fresh fruit and veg are displayed each day
on wooden benches.
The St Thomas More Roman Catholic Church in the heart of Bradford-on-Avon
was designed in 1854 by the architecht Thomas Fuller, who also
designed the Canadian Houses of Parliament in Ottowa. Thomas Fuller
adopted an eclectic approach, and incorporated French, German and
Italian Gothic elements, resulting in this splendid Bath stone
building with its domestic Tudor style, Jacobean gables, massive
oriel window and onion dome atop an octagonal tower.
History courtesy of John Boyce www.bradford-on-avon.org |
or taxes
from the people of Bradford-on-Avon. These would be paid in the
form of produce and livestock. The building has been restored and
has one of the largest stone roofs in Europe. Some of the scenes
from the movie version of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" were shot
here.