|
Ah but where to start? Lets presume this is a paper document, ( you could print it out if you judge it worthwhile ), that you've just arrived in town and parked in the central car park behind the shops. Melksham has in the past suffered greatly at the hands of developers. For many years there was little thought given to preservation, so on this tour you will see the good, the bad and the ugly. I'll try only include the good points here and leave you to judge the remainder.
|
|
|
Leave the car park by the entrance through which you arrived. Straight ahead of you at the turn in the road is a small round building, not a "lock up" as you might think but a relic of Melksham's woolen heritage, it was a drying room. Since the passing of the woolen industry it had many other uses, including until quite recently, being the local Tourist information Centre.
Speaking of which, turn right and there is the TIC rehoused in more commodious premises nearly opposite. Pop in and find yourselves a few leaflets. On past the TIC leads into Canon Square, Canon as in it belonged to the church, Salisbury actually. Most of the buildings here are nicely and recently, preserved, it was not always so. Some indeed are much older than they seem at first glance, having had their front walls rebuilt every hundred years or so while traces of the C15 remain inside.
|
|
 |
|
 |
At the far end of Canon Square turn right along Church Walk, formerly Canonhold Lane, the smaller cottages once housed out workers of the towns woolen mills, the grander houses, their masters. You will walk past change of styles and materials covering 500 years including Victorian red brick.
The lane narrows to a pathway, at the end turn left. If you are not to take your life in your hands, cross the road as soon as you can and continue on the other side. |
|
On this side you can more safely negotiate the road junctions on the far side of the town bridge. From the far side of the bridge look back at the brick work of the former creamery on the corner with its shortened chimney.
Continue until you run out of pavement on this side before crossing back over the road. Keep straight ahead until the pavement goes up a few steps. This neglected looking road was the main route in from Bath and Chippenham before the building of the by-pass. Pass the shopfront, and stop at the first gateway on your left. Here are the Alms Houses given by Rachel Fowler to the town in 1864. I suspect that a fine view was never high on the list, but more recent development together with high hedges to the side made this difficult to photograph. Take a look through the gateway then turn back, turn right past the former shop, up an alley and you get another glimpse from the opposite end.
|
|
The narrow road leading back towards the town is "The City", the oldest part of Melksham. Passing across the end of this road and leaving the modern houses behind you brings you to the imposing block of the old Baptist Chapel, another building facing onto a wall. Walk past the front door and down past the later Sunday School buildings, turning to look back as you go.   Take the road back to town, keeping to the left hand side to avoid the traffic. The other side of the road was once a mixture of houses and shops, many bulldozed to make way for car parking. The building themselves may seem a loss of our heritage but presumably the shops were already failing and the motor car ,or at least the manufacture of its tyres put food on many Melksham tables. |
|
