| Trowbridge | |
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Trowbridge shown within Wiltshire |
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| Population | 28,148[1] |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | West Wiltshire |
| Shire county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire | |
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Bath, Somerset. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government The District Council West Wiltshire District Council has forty-four members all elected together for a four-year term of office Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Wiltshire Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing Wiltshire and Swindon in south-west England. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the Ceremonial county of Wiltshire The Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS is UK National Health Service (NHS trust providing emergency and non emergency South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities towns and villages in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A county town is the 'capital' of a County in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The River Biss is a small river in Wiltshire England and is a tributary of the Avon. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. The origin of the name is uncertain; one source claims derivation from treow-brycg, meaning 'Tree Bridge', referring to the first bridge over the Biss,[2][3] while another source states that the true meaning is the bridge by Trowle, the name of a hamlet and a common to the west of the town. Common land (a common) is a piece of land owned by one person but over which other people can exercise certain traditional rights such as allowing their livestock to graze [4]
The Kennet and Avon canal runs to the north of Trowbridge and played a large part in the development of the town as it allowed coal to be transported from the Somerset coalfields. The Kennet and Avon Canal is a Canal in southern England The name may refer to either the route of the original Kennet and Avon Canal Company, which linked the The Somerset coalfield included pits in the north Somerset, England, area where Coal was mined from the 15th century until 1973 Trowbridge has a railway station on the Wessex Main Line. Trowbridge railway station is a railway station on the Wessex Main Line between Bradford on Avon and Westbury. The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. The civil parish of Trowbridge had a population of 28,148 according to the 2001 census, making it the largest town in the county, after the city of Salisbury. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. [1] Neighbouring towns and villages include Bradford on Avon, Westbury, Melksham, Devizes, Hilperton, Southwick and Semington. Bradford on Avon (sometimes Bradford-on-Avon) is a Town in west Wiltshire, England with a Population of about 9326 Westbury is a Town and Civil parish (population 11135 in the 2001 census in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Melksham is a medium-sized English town lying on the River Avon. Devizes is a small Market town and Civil parish in the heart of the English county of Wiltshire, in the southern United Kingdom Hilperton is one of the larger villages of the county of Wiltshire, England, and is separated by only a few fields from the town of Trowbridge. Southwick is a rural village to the southwest of the County town of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in England. Semington is a medium-sized village in West Wiltshire, England
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There is evidence that the land on which Trowbridge is built was being farmed more than 3,000 years ago. In the 10th century there is clear evidence of Trowbridge's existence and in the Domesday Book the village of Straburg, as Trowbridge was then known, was recorded as having 100 residents. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey [3]
The first mention of Trowbridge Castle was in 1139 [5] while it was besieged - so it must have been built before this.
The castle is thought to have been a motte-and-bailey castle, and its influences can still be seen in the town today. nA motte-and-bailey is a form of Castle. Many were built in Britain, Ireland and France in the 11th and 12th centuries favored as a relatively Fore Street follows the path of the castle ditch, and its name is given to Castle Street and the Castle Place Shopping Centre.
From the 13th century onwards Trowbridge developed a clothing industry, increasingly becoming industrialised from the 17th century onwards. is a process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a Pre-industrial society into an industrial one However increasing mechanisation was resisted by workers in traditional trades and there were riots in 1785, 1792 and in the era of luddism due to the introduction of the flying shuttle. The Luddites were a Social movement of British Textile artisans in the early Nineteenth century who protested&mdashoften by destroying mechanized The flying shuttle was developed by John Kay ( 1704 - 1764) In 1733 he invented one of the key developments in Weaving that helped [6] Nevertheless at one point in 1820 it was being described as the "Manchester of the West" as it had 15 factories, comparable to Northern industrial towns such as Rochdale. Rochdale is a large Market town in Greater Manchester, England [7] The wool industry went into decline in the late 19th century and this decline continued throughout the 20th century — the last mill closed in 1982 and is now the home of Trowbridge Museum, dedicated to the history of the town and its former industry. A factory (previously manufactory) or manufacturing plant is an industrial Building where workers manufacture goods A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development open to the public which acquires conserves researches communicates and exhibits the [8]
In its place a bedding industry developed, initially using wool cast off from the mills — the company now known as Airsprung Furniture Group PLC was started in the town in the 1870s. Food production also developed in the town when Abraham Bowyer started his business which eventually, as Bowyers, became one of the largest employers in the town, until closure in April 2008 was announced, with production moving to the Nottingham branch. Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. The brewing company Ushers opened in Trowbridge in 1824 and developed the brewery in the town — this was finally shut in 2000 following several changes of ownership. Food production continues in the town, with Apetito. One of the oldest established businesses in Trowbridge is Knees Department Store (Est. 1879), a local family firm with premises in the town centre. The largest employers in the town are Wiltshire County Council, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye Vodafone is a Mobile network operator headquartered in Berkshire, England, UK. Virgin Mobile UK is a Mobile phone service provider operating in the United Kingdom.
There is much of architectural interest in Trowbridge, including many of the old buildings associated with the textile industry, and the Newtown conservation area, a protected zone of mostly Victorian houses. In the churchyard of St James one can see the memorial tombstone of Thomas Helliker. Thomas Helliker (sometimes spelled Hilliker ( 23 March 1784 - 22 March 1803) was a figure in early English Trade union The Town Hall is in Market Street, opposite the entrance to the pedestrianised Fore Street. This "imposing building" (shown left) was presented to the residents of the town by a local businessman, Sir William Roger Brown, in 1889, to celebrate Queen Victoria's fiftieth year on the throne. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [9] In 2007, it failed to be approved for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £45,000 after the previous year's Council Tax precept had been raised in anticipation of refurbishments being carried out. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc [10] It is currently used for military[11] and other inquests. [12]
The main traditional shopping focus is Fore Street, which has a wide variety of businesses, and there are also the Shires and Castle Place shopping centres. The newest names to the town's retail scene are Monsoon, M&S Food, Bodyshop and Costa as well as the well established names of H J Knee, H B Pitt and Walter Rose. The Civic Hall, a conference and entertainment venue is adjacent to the town park, where the tourist information kiosk can also be found. [13]
Several newspapers are produced and published in Trowbridge, the most popular being the Wiltshire Times. The Wiltshire Times is a weekly Newspaper published in Trowbridge, Wiltshire in South West England. [14]
Trowbridge is part of the historic West Country Carnival circuit, and has also given its name to the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival. The West Country Carnival is an annual celebration featuring a Parade of illuminated floats (termed "carts" locally in the English Trowbridge Village Pump Festival is an annual music festival held at Stowford Manor Farm Farleigh Hungerford, England. The Festival was originally held in the old stablehouse of The Lamb Inn public house on Mortimer Street in Trowbridge, and was founded by Alan Briars and Dave Newman, although the event is now held at Stowford Manor farm between Wingfield near Trowbridge and Farleigh Hungerford in Somerset. Wingfield could bePeople Sir John de Wingfield, aide to Edward the Black Prince Sir Robert Wingfield of Letheringham ( 1403 Farleigh Hungerford ( is a village in Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366, in the Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county
Trowbridge Town F.C. is the local football club, based at North Bradley near Trowbridge. Trowbridge Town FC are a football club based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. The village of North Bradley, Wiltshire, England, lies between the towns of Trowbridge and Westbury, and is now separated from the former by They are currently members of the Hellenic Football League Division One West.
The town is home to many pubs, several music venues, and two leisure centres. A local councillor once claimed that Trowbridge was "just like Ibiza", a comment which drew widespread surprise as this councillor had never been to Ibiza and many local residents suspected he had never been to Trowbridge either.
Trowbridge has the highest population of Moroccans in the UK outside of London. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. [15]
Trowbridge was the birthplace of Sir Isaac Pitman, developer of the Pitman Shorthand system of shorthand writing. Sir Isaac Pitman ( January 4 1813 &ndash January 12 1897) knighted in 1894 developed the most widely used system of Shorthand Pitman shorthand is a system of Shorthand for the English language developed by Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman ( 1813 – 1897) who first [16] He is remembered in the town through several memorial plaques, and his name has been taken by a pub in the town centre run by Wetherspoons. J D Wetherspoon plc (commonly referred to as Wetherspoons or Spoons) is a British Pub chain, founded by Tim Martin in 1979 [17] Matthew Hutton (Archbishop of Canterbury) was the town's Rector from 1726 to 1730. [18] The poet George Crabbe held the same position from 1814 until his death in 1832. George Crabbe ( 24 December 1754 - 3 February 1832) was an English Poet and naturalist. [19]
John Dyer was a Trowbridge born inventor and engineer whose most important invention was the rotary fulling machine in 1833. A version of the machine, developed for the local woollen industry, is still in use today. [20]
Sir William Cook KCB Kt FRS, born in Trowbridge on April 10, 1905, was involved with the development of the British nuclear bomb at Aldermaston in the 1950s, becoming the establishment's deputy director. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Aldermaston is an award-winning Rural Village and Civil parish in Berkshire, South East England, with a population [21]
Professional snooker player Stephen Lee's career developed whilst practising the game in a Trowbridge snooker club. Stephen Lee (born 12 October 1974) is a professional Snooker -player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, noted for his Trevor Heeks, a past winner of the World Town Crier Championship, is also amongst its residents,[22]
Since 2002, there have been plans in place[23] to redevelop significant town centre sites. A town crier is a person who is employed by a Town council to make public announcements in the streets Janet Anderson (born 6 December, 1949) is a British Labour Party politician Solomon Andrews (1835 - 1908 was an Entrepreneur. He was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Christopher Benjamin is a British Actor, born 27 December 1934 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. Alan Louis Charles Bullock Baron Bullock ( 13 December 1914 - 2 February 2004) was a British historian who wrote an influential Humphrey Burton, CBE (born 25 March 1931) is a British classical music presenter broadcaster director producer and biographer of musicians Keri Davies is a Radio producer and Scriptwriter, best known for his work on the BBC radio Soap opera The Archers. Nathan Antone Jonah Dyer (born 29 November 1987) is an English footballer currently playing for Sheffield United on loan from Southampton Lewis Oliver Haldane (born 13 March, 1985 in Trowbridge) is a Welsh football Striker, who is currently on loan at Thomas Helliker (sometimes spelled Hilliker ( 23 March 1784 - 22 March 1803) was a figure in early English Trade union Gemma Hunt (born April 1 1982 in Wiltshire) was a CBBC presenter who used to be on the TV series Xchange. Joan Mervyn Hussey ( 5 June[[ 907]] &ndash 20 February[[ 006]] M Stephen Lee (born 12 October 1974) is a professional Snooker -player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, noted for his William Horace Mann ( 28 July 1878 - 24 February 1938) was an English Cricketer who played a single first-class Bel Mooney (born December 17, 1946) is an English journalist and broadcaster born in Liverpool. Christopher Newbury (born 10 November 1956, Trowbridge, England) is an English politician a member of the Congress of the Council Jamie Pitman (born 6 January 1976 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire) is a former English footballer who is currently physiotherapist at William Redfern (c1774 – July 1833 was a leading surgeon in early colonial New South Wales. Here Be Monsters! is a novel written and illustrated by Alan Snow. David Stratton (born 10 September 1939 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England) is an Australian Film critic and The River Biss is a small river in Wiltshire England and is a tributary of the Avon.
In the early 1990s the supermarket chain Tesco changed location from their site at St Stephens Place to a site adjoining the A361 on County Way. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain The previous site has been dormant since being demolished some years ago, and has become notorious for its extremely large mound of crushed concrete and other remains, known locally as "Mount Crushmore". Redevelopment has since suffered through several delayed starts. [24] The plans for the site can be viewed by consulting an image made of them. [25]
Trowbridge residents have frequently voiced their desire for new facilities to be built on the site, with reference often made to Trowbridge's lack of a cinema. Developers Modus have now signed up to provide a Vue Cinema in the plan for the Waterside complex. Vue is a cinema company in Ireland and the UK. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC International Cinemas bought Warner Village [26] And in March 2008, an outline planning application for the proposed development was approved by West Wiltshire District Council, to include a new library, cinema, ten-pin bowling, hotel and restaurants. [27] In the same week, the Town Council supported plans for Waitrose Supermarkets to build a store on land at Cradle Bridge/County Way, currently containing a derelict factory, previously occupied by Peter Black Toiletries. Waitrose is the Supermarket division of the John Lewis Partnership, with 192 branches as of September 2008 [28]
The developer Parkridge is also about to commence construction of a new retail centre between the Shires and the railway station, bringing new names to the town.
The former Ushers brewery site has also been in the process of redevelopment for a number of years. Ushers Best Bitter is a brand of Bitter ale brewed in the United Kingdom. A development of new apartments is underway by Newland Homes and a supermarket and further residential units is planned for the former bottling plant site. [29]
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Pumpkin Tower (a modern folly) in Bythesea Road |
The Sensory Garden at the end of Trowbridge Town Park |
"Feelie Board" for Braille users of the Sensory Garden |
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Another view of the Sensory Garden |
The War Memorial in the Park |
closer view of The War Memorial |
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Almshouses in Polebarn Road |
Lake in the Park |
Clark's Mill, home of the County Court |
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The "Blind House", overnight lock-up for drunks, in Wicker Hill |