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.
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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!