As Wiltshire towns go, quite a shock
“HERE’S TO THE MISFITS. THE REBELS. THE TROUBLEMAKERS. HERE’S TO THE ONES WHO SEE THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY.” (1)
Copies of both these 1960s documents are in the new Preservation Trust archive
As he and his family prepare to leave Bradford on Avon, Gerald Milward-Oliver reflects on more than a quarter of a century in the town – and looks forward to a future of continuing non-conformity.
I crossed the Somerset border into Wiltshire and dipped into a little town that lies beside the ubiquitous Avon. It was, as Wiltshire towns go, quite a shock. The small, white stone houses clung close to the hill-side; narrow flagged lanes twisted this way and that, with lamp-posts planted about, at the direction, it seemed, of distinguished artists.
In the old inn they give you tea in the room where Judge Jeffreys did his bloody work... ‘When I came here 19 years ago,’ said the innkeeper, ‘I thought how foreign the place looked. I discovered that Bradford was rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries by Flemish immigrants, who came to spin cloth. They brought with them an un-English idea of architecture; the hills make it look like Italy’.
That account by HV Morton of his first encounter with Bradford on Avon was written in 1927 (2). In the 93 years since, much has changed but the essence of Bradford on Avon remains. To me, this can be summed up in one phrase – non-conformity. It can be seen in the number of 18th century non-conformist chapels – and I read somewhere that Bradford on Avon was at one time second only to the founding town of Rochdale in the number of active co-operative businesses.
Non-conformity has been equally apparent in reactions to some of the initiatives that have (or have not) been attempted in the past 20 years. Often it is based on a rejection of what are considered to be badly thought out proposals. Although sometimes it’s a bolshy unwillingness to either understand what is being proposed or to grasp the bigger picture!
As our family prepares to leave the town after 26 years, the traits of non-conformity, strong community, impatience with cant and a wide, internationalist outlook will remain long in the memory. And, I hope, will remain a core strength of the town.
I have been profoundly involved in town activities for most of our time here, enjoying robust argument with people across the political spectrum. But much of the past quarter-century was taken up with the consequences of the closure of Avon Rubber. For some who are new to the area, it must seem extraordinary to think of hundreds of workers pouring out of the town-centre rubber works just 30 or so years ago. It’s easy to forget that, as a result of the closure, the town was blighted for the first 15 years or more of this century – with almost zero population growth, pubs closing, a lack of cafés and restaurants, and with some stalwart retailers hanging on almost by their fingernails. Today, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the town is strong. Of course retail is a struggle, as it is in so many towns across the country. But as soon as one retailer moves on, there has soon been another. And the community base is stronger than ever.
Just a thought (or two) …
As a parting shot, a couple of observations and a couple of suggestions.
Housing
First, contrary to what some people think, we have had very little housing growth over the past half century. In the mid-1960s, when the town’s population was less than 6,000, town plan proposals envisaged a maximum by the mid-1970s of 11,450 (3). The reality has been very different: the latest ONS population estimate (mid-1919) is 10,010, still 14 per cent below the figure anticipated 45 years ago. This is partly accounted for by the fact that between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, the town’s population increased by just 73 – a clear indicator of the blight mentioned above.
It is rightly said that a town standing still ultimately moves backwards. The problem for the future is how Bradford on Avon can handle the demand for housing – particularly housing that is of high quality and generously proportioned, suitable and affordable for young people
– while staying within the constraints of geography and Green Belt. The next 10 years promise to be critical for the future evolution of the town, and central to that will be resolving the housing conundrum.
Station car park
Second, I hope that rapid progress can be made with the masterplan for the station car park site. I and a couple of colleagues first introduced the idea of working with Wiltshire Council (which owns most of the land) to develop a strong masterplan for the ‘station quarter’ back in 2014.
We saw it as critical that those parts ripe for development that are currently in non-residential use – such as the car park, surgery, fire/police station etc – should remain non-residential. If the masterplan starts from a base of 100 per cent non-residential, then there’s a greater chance of being able to do something that benefits everyone, and not just a developer and some private homeowners.
A way also has to be found to increase the area of car parking than exists today. So put it all underground. That won’t be cheap, but it can be done – and it would release so much more land for community, social and commercial development, to the benefit of everyone.
Movement
Third, the town could benefit from an overarching movement strategy – a plan that addresses how people and goods move into, out of and around the town and embracing walking, cycling, motor cars, buses, trains etc. Ambitious ideas need to be considered and discussed that go beyond the cycle of town, county and national elections – but set a path for the next 10 or even 20 years. Ideas that directly address the climate emergency.
Kingston House
Fourth, in 2016 I had to give up proposals to turn Kingston House – facing the river in the middle of the Kingston Mill site – into a co-working and innovation hub for creatives and technology startups. It’s sad that four years on, the building is still empty. Hopefully, as we begin recovery from the impact of Covid-19, the current owner will be able to resolve the future of this iconic and beautiful building.
Finally, some thoughts and ideas that never quite made it off my desk.
Bradford on Avon ‘en fête’
Think of any number of European towns in the summer, particularly those in the south: many celebrate the summer holidays with brightly coloured flags flying from buildings and lamp posts. So how about the schools run a design competition for a set of large flags (about 1.5m square) to hang, say, from May to September – using the Christmas tree brackets already fixed around the town centre. Maybe a new set every couple of years. The cost is not substantial: the impact will be dramatic, colourful and uplifting for town residents and visitors alike.
A living town museum.
How about a series of numbered interpretation panels (discreetly fixed so as to not create clutter or hinder movement), located across the town telling the story of the cloth and rubber industries, as well as celebrating Alex Moulton’s achievements – recognised globally but scarcely in his own town. This would mean having panels around the Kingston Mill site, for example, explaining what was previously located there (Kingston Mill, the Grist Mill, the Carpenters’ Workshop and so on) as well as panels outside Abbey Mill, around Greenland Mills, explaining the fulling mill that is now St Margaret’s Hall, and even the Bull Pit. Together with a leaflet and a section on the Explore BoA website, this would give meaning to our industrial history, while encouraging people to walk around the town.
This could become a joint project involving a number of town community groups, as well as the strong creative minds that work and live across the town.
Plant pavement trees to help clear the air.
Apparently some species of tree absolutely love car pollution such as nitrous oxides. It would add greatly to the look of the town centre if a number of small, columnar trees were planted wherever the pavement is wide, particularly if the trial one-way system becomes permanent post-Covid. I’ve seen some that are less than a metre wide and maybe four metres high.
Of course there are issues to address such as planting, utility pipes and cables, animal fouling, but it is surely worth exploring as a terrific option of helping with pollution, while adding to the conviviality of the town centre.
So there you are. It’s been a great joy living and working in Bradford on Avon for the past quarter of a century. Twenty years ago, people used to say, “why can’t we be like Totnes, or Ludlow, or Frome?”. We never could be. We’re Bradford on Avon and we don’t need to be a clone of some other town. We need to be ourselves. Seeing the world differently and making it happen.
My final word.
Notes
1. From Think Different advert introducing the Apple Macintosh, 1997
2. In search of England, HV Morton, Methuen 1927
3. ‘Bradford on Avon Draft Town Map’. I have given a copy of this plan, together with other documents of historical interest from the past 40 years, to the Preservation Trust for its new archive collection.
