This week we're in the magical town
of Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. 20 minutes from Bath, right on the
furthest corners of the Cotswolds. We are really looking forward to showing you
around this beautiful town on the River Avon. The River Avon runs right through the centre of
this picturesque town that draws its character and charm from both the Georgian city of Bath
and the world-famous villages of the Cotswolds. It has a wonderfully relaxed pace thanks
in part to the canal that naturally seems to slow things down and the gorgeous
countryside that surrounds it on all sides. There is plenty to see and do in and around
the town with a surprising amount of history. You can get here from Bath by bus in 30 minutes or on the train in 12 minutes
there are regular services. Parking in an old town can be a challenge,
there are a few car parks which I imagine fill up quickly. Charges are quite reasonable
with £1.20 for two hours as an example. We stayed in a Georgian manor house b&b just
outside of town which had parking and allowed us a lovely 20-minute walk into the centre along
the canal. We'll show you more on the canal later. Watch to the end to see an incredible aqueduct
that takes the narrowboats across the River Avon. Bradford on Avon has been
part of many key industries mainly centred around woolen
cloth and rubber manufacturer. The river provided power to the impressive
Abbey Mill seen here which was built in 1875 by Richard Gane on the site of a former wool
mill. Wool production took place here until 1902. Just across town, another industry was taking
shape in the mid-1800s in the redundant Kingston woollen mills. An Englishman Stephen Moulton
was involved with Charles Goodyear who had found a way of stabilizing rubber. With Goodyear's
help, Moulton set up the business in an already prepared water and steam-powered factory. It's
the perfect location. The Iron Duke named after the Duke of Wellington and designed in the USA can
be seen in Kingston Road on the site of the mills. This huge machine could bind mixed rubber and
reinforced fabrics together which when vulcanized by heat allowed the sheets to make usable
products. It did this for 120 years. Early items included waterproof capes and footwear. Moulton
also worked with Isambard Kingdom Brunel supplying rubber buffers, springs and pipes for the Great
Western railway. Just up the road from the Iron Duke is The Hall previously called Kingston House.
Moulton bought it when he acquired Kingston mills. It was closed when we visited and you can't see it
from the road hence the credited photos. Moulton's great-grandson Alex another pioneer of rubber
lived here. He was credited for inventing the rubber suspension fitted to the iconic BMC mini
and for being the designer of the Moulton bicycle. The Hall is cared for by the Alex Moulton
Charitable Trust. It has wonderful gardens and is well worth a visit. Check out their
website for event and tour information. Today the Kingston mill area is a mix
of shops restaurants and private homes. We had dinner in one of the old mill buildings next to the 13th-century bridge
that we'll talk about later. If you head to Abbey Mill
admire the building up close read the plaque and then walk along Church
Street you can find a little gem from the past. The oldest building in the town is St.
Lawrence church believed to have been built in the year 1000 a.d, although some think
it might have been as far back as 700 a.d Bradford on Avon was a very important
religious centre in Saxon times and records indicate it might have
been built for the nuns of Shaftsbury. For hundreds of years, it was hidden away
behind other buildings that are now gone. In the 17th century, it was used as an ossuary
and in the 1800s a free boys school. Now it's been restored and you can take a walk
around this fascinating relic of the past. Further up Church Street heading
back into the centre is a collection of very interesting properties.
Wallington Hall dates back to 1500 and was called Old Church House
built by clothier Thomas Horton. As you can see from the plaque it changed its
purpose a few times and then became dilapidated until Albert Wallington, a mason bought
and renovated it in the early 20th century. This incredible grade two listed
building is still hired out today. The hall is nestled in between some
wonderful houses that will have you gasping at their beauty it's a
stunning street to walk along. At the junction of Church Street is
Market Street which runs from the bridge up the hill north in a direction of Bath. On
the corner is St Thomas Moore Catholic Church. Up until the 1950s, this was the town hall but
the first floor was converted, the ground floor being left as retail outlets. Regrettably, we
didn't venture inside to see how it looks now. Across the road is the Swan Hotel. The sign
says 1500 but the facade is more Georgian. In the 1700s court was held here and it
was also a place to auction properties. You can just about see an old advertising
sign on the side of the brickwork. If you walk up the hill on Market Street
there are some lovely shops to explore and a few gorgeous Georgian townhouses
reminding me of a Charles Dickens novel. The Shambles with its gold letterbox celebrating
a gold win in the London Olympics for local Ed McKeever was the site of the original
open marketplace. In the middle ages, stalls would have been set up here later more
permanent structures turned into buildings. It's a very charming passageway with shops and
you can't miss the Tudor cafe and newsagents. As you come out of the passage take
a left and a few steps up Coppis Hill to view the tightly packed gabled
houses that disappear into the distance. Back on the main busy road into town is
Silver Street. J Alex Browns was formerly the ironmongers. The Old Bear Inn has been
a pub since 1726 and the Ale and Porter was erected in 1884 as a store for the nearby
brewing company of George and Thomas Spencer. There's a lot of little passageways and
streets to get lost in, in this area. This brings us to the focal point and
icon of the town, The Town Bridge. Built in the 13th century it replaced a wooden
bridge that was damaged by flooding. Edward III decreed they could take tolls for five years
for goods passing over it to pay for repairs. You might be thinking, ah that's what
the little building on the bridge was for but you'd be wrong, as we were. In 1769 the
bridge was widened to double its size the 13th-century side has gothic pointed arches
the other side is the 18th-century edition. The small domed building was probably added
then on the foundations of a small chapel that was apparently there before it. This
became a two-cell lock up for lawbreakers. The weather vein on top is
called the Bradford Gudgeon. The cells are opened once a year for
people to peer inside the tiny space. As you cross the bridge look out for the quaint
Bridge Tea Rooms. Winner of numerous awards, you can have a lovely afternoon tea inside
or breakfast and lunch for that matter. Dating from 1502 it was at first a single
storey with the second level added in 1675. It's been the home and workshop
of a tailor, the local blacksmith and even an antique shop and eventually,
it became the tea room in 1989. Across from the tea rooms, you can
start a lovely walk along the river heading towards the tithe barn. It's a nice relaxing half a mile stroll where you
can watch the paddleboarders floating downstream. If you want to have a go yourself you can book a session from Bradford on
Avon station on this website. The Tithe barn is managed by English Heritage but
was closed when we visited. It's a 14th century, huge 51-meter monastic barn. This area
by the river is lovely for picnics. As well as the River Avon, Bradford
on Avon features part of the wonderful Kennet & Avon canal. At 87 miles long it
links up London with the Bristol channel passing through many picturesque places,
including Bath. As we mentioned at the beginning we stayed out of town so we could
walk in along the canal of an evening. As we head along the towpath towards the wharf and
lock, let's just remind you that our social media channels feature pictures and more information on
the places we are visiting in our video that week. Do please join us on these sites along
with our website memoryseekers.net where we sometimes do additional
blogs and information. You can sign up and join our mailing list and
be updated when we add new content. The wharf is a very picturesque place to
wander and watch the narrowboats chugging by or navigating the lock to head up and downstream. You can take a short narrowboat trip from
here and you can find all the information on the wharf and tours available on this website. There are a number of pubs dotted
around the banks of the canal and we preferred this area to the centre
of town for dinner. This is the Lock Inn, right on the canal itself, a great spot to
have some reasonably priced food and drinks whilst you watch the narrowboats passing by or
trying to moor up so they can enjoy a drink too. If you want a spectacular sight head to one
of the aqueducts close to Bradford Upon Avon. The first is Avoncliff and you can walk from the
canal wharf in about 30 minutes. The other about four miles away is Dundas aqueduct and we chose to
visit this one. Completed in 1810 by John Rennie, this wonderful aqueduct carries the Kennet and
Avon canal over the River Avon and the railway. Named after Charles Dundas the first
chairman of the Kennet & Avon canal company. There is parking, the angelfish cafe and lovely
walks along the Somerset coal canal that has permanent more narrowboats before you meet
the Kennet and Avon canal in the Dundas basin. This canal was built specifically to carry
coal from the coalfields to bath and bristol. There are some lovely walks around this area, a place to picnic and watch the boats
and friendly people travel past you. Oh! We've had a really lovely time here,
it's been a super place to visit for the weekend and there are so many great
places around the local area to see. Hope you've enjoyed this tour, we have
more like this on our channel so please do subscribe and give us alike. Thanks for
watching and hopefully see you again soon!
