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Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon shown within Wiltshire
Population	9,326
OS grid reference	ST823605
District	West Wiltshire
Shire county	Wiltshire
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Bradford on Avon
Postcode district	BA15
Dialling code	01225
Police	Wiltshire
Fire	Wiltshire
Ambulance	Great Western
UK Parliament	Westbury
European Parliament	South West England
List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire

Coordinates: 51°20′49″N 2°15′04″W / 51.346908, -2.251064

Bradford on Avon (sometimes Bradford-on-Avon) is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326.^[1] It is the smallest of the five towns in West Wiltshire. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists.

The history of the town can be traced back to Roman origins. It has several buildings dating to the 17th century, when the town grew due to the thriving wool textile industry.

The town lies partly on the Vale of Pewsey and partly on the hill that marks the Vale's western edge, eight miles southeast of Bath, in the hilly countryside between the Mendip Hills, Salisbury Plain and the Cotswold Hills. The local area around Bath provides the Jurassic limestone (Bath Stone) from which the older buildings are constructed. The River Avon (the Bristol Avon) runs through the town.

The town lies on what is now the Bath—Weymouth railway line. It opened in the mid-19th century and was built by the original (pre-grouping) Great Western Railway. Northwards the line runs past Avoncliff and Freshford stations, and joins the Great Western main line east of Bath. Trains run to Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff. Southwards, the line is joined by the minor Melksham branch from Chippenham shortly before Trowbridge. At Westbury the line crosses the main London to Plymouth line. From Westbury, trains run to Southampton, Portsmouth or Weymouth, and occasionally to Frome or Castle Cary.

Running parallel to the railway through the town is the Kennet and Avon Canal and Bradford Lock. The use of this canal declined as the railways grew but it was restored to full working order during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The canal provides a link through to the Avon at Bath in the West, and the Thames at Reading in the East.

The Town Bridge over the river Avon. The small domed building on the right is the lockup, where the town's troublemakers were put for the night.

The earliest evidence of habitation is fragments of Roman settlements above the town. In particular, archaeological digs have revealed the remains of a large Roman villa with a well-preserved mosaic on the playing fields of St Laurence School. The centre of the town grew up around the ford across the river Avon, hence the origin of the town's name ("Broad-Ford"). This was supplemented in Norman times by the stone bridge that still stands today. The Norman side is upstream, and has pointed arches; the newer side has curved arches. The Town Bridge and Chapel is a grade I listed building. It was originally a pack horse bridge, but widened in l7th century by rebuilding the western side.^[2]

On the bridge stands a small building which was originally a chapel but later used as a town lockup. The weather vane on top takes the form of a gudgeon (an early Christian symbol), hence the saying "under the fish but over the water".

The river provided the power for the wool mills that gave the town its wealth. The town has seventeenth century buildings dating from the most successful period of the textile industry.

Tithe Barn

A notable feature of Bradford on Avon is the huge grade II* listed tithe barn,^[3] The barn would have been used for collecting taxes, in the form of goods, to fund the church.

In 1997 the Wiltshire Music Centre was opened in Bradford on Avon, on the grounds of St Laurence School.

On October 8, 2003, Bradford on Avon was granted Fairtrade Town status.

St Laurence's Church

Notable is the Saxon church (dedicated to St. Laurence), which may have been founded by St. Aldhelm around 700, and could have been a temporary burial site for King Edward the Martyr. It was re-discovered by Canon Jones in the 19th century, having been used for secular purposes.

In addition to the Saxon church, the town has two Church of England churches, one Church of England chapel, two Baptist chapels, a United Reformed Church (Methodist and United Reformed), a free nonconformist church, a non-denominational charismatic Christian Fellowship, a Quaker (Society of Friends) meeting house and a Catholic church.

The original parish church has a dedication to the Holy Trinity, and is located near the town centre by the river. It is Norman in origin, and it is possible that the chancel was built over the remains of an older church. Several chapels were added on the north side, and the wall in between was later opened up and the chapels now form the north aisle. The tower and spire was built around 1480, replacing an older one, and the south wall was largely rebuilt in the 19th century.^[4] The church has a ring of eight bells, with the tenor (heaviest bell) weighing 30cwt (1.5 tons).

The other Anglican church has dedication of Christ Church, and is entirely a Victorian construction.^[5] The Catholic church, dedicated to St. Thomas More, occupies the building that used to be the town hall.^[6]

Bradford is the headquarters of the Alex Moulton bicycle company. It has several other small scale manufacturing enterprises. In the past Bradford was the headquarters of Avon Rubber, a manufacturer of rubber products for the automotive and other industries.

The town's main business is shopping, tourism and day to day servicing of a population largely made up of families, commuters and the retired.

The town of Bradford-On-Avon has one main supermarket, Sainsburys of Bradford-On-Avon is situated on the Elms Cross Industrial estate and is a two minute walk from the Canal locke.

The most significant local government functions (including schools, roads, social services, waste disposal and emergency planning) are carried out by Wiltshire County Council.

The town also falls within the area of West Wiltshire District Council, which deals with leisure services, development control, and waste disposal. At the last district elections in 2007, it elected four members, all Liberal Democrats.

Bradford on Avon is a civil parish with an elected town council of 12, 2 Conservative and 10 Liberal Democrat. This has a mostly consultative and ceremonial role, and the chairman of the town council has the title of Mayor of Bradford.

See also:

• West Wiltshire Council election 2003
• West Wiltshire Council election 2007

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The origins of the band Jesus Jones can be traced back to the town. In 1986 Mike Edwards, Simon Matthews and Alan Doughty formed the band Camouflage, which later enjoyed million-selling success as Jesus Jones in America and the UK.

• The indie rock band Blackbud were also formed in the town, at St Laurence Secondary School.

Also at St Laurence School, parts of the highly acclaimed television adaptation - The Ghost Hunter (TV series). - was filmed.

• Other well-known residents or ex-residents include

Henry Shrapnel (inventor of the 'shrapnel shell')

Miles Kington (journalist)

NY Times Bestselling science-fiction/fantasy author Simon R. Green

Rugby union players Will Carling, Phil de Glanville, and Jon Sleightholme

Hugh Scully (television presenter)

Jonathan Newth (actor)

Rob Newman (ex-footballer and current football manager).

• Bradford on Avon is especially proud of its resident Stephen Volk, writer and founder member of the literary and artistic circle The Saddos, among whose many credits include the TV series Afterlife and a recent collection of short stories called Dark Corners.
• Bradford-On-Avon is the home of amateur paranormal investigation team [Twelfth Hour Investigations,] who are known for their interesting investigations into the strange goings on all across the county of Wiltshire.

• Community Website
• Bradford on Avon Tourism Association
• Bradford on Avon Town Council
• Bradford on Avon Calendar/Video

v • d • e Wiltshire
Districts:	Kennet • North Wiltshire • Salisbury • West Wiltshire
Unitary authorities:	Swindon
Main Settlements:	Amesbury • Bradford on Avon • Calne • Chippenham • Corsham • Devizes • Malmesbury • Market Lavington • Marlborough • Pewsey • Ramsbury • Salisbury • Swindon • Tidworth • Tisbury • Trowbridge (County Town) • Warminster • Westbury • Wilton
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