Visitor Guide 2019

“Prosperity built on textiles,
trade and transport”
> STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway
> Wilton Windmill
> Swindon & Cricklade Railway
> Crofton Beam Engines
However, outstanding examples of industrial architecture
remain, providing tangible bonds with the past. Back in its textile
manufacturing heyday, Bradford on Avon was home to more than
30 cloth factories. Today, the towering walls of Abbey Mill still
flank the river, while the cottages once inhabited by spinners and
weavers can be seen clinging to the hillside above. In Trowbridge
the history of weaving dates back over 1,000 years. The result is an
important architectural legacy ranging from the late-16 th to the mid-
19 th century. Trowbridge Museum (currently closed for renovation;
reopening 2020) has a fascinating collection relating to West
Country woollen cloth production, including working looms.
Wiltshire’s manufacturing legacy can also be experienced at
Hillbrush, in Mere, where they’ve been making cleaning equipment
since 1922. Visit Hillbrush, their visitor centre, includes not only
a gift shop, restaurant and coffee bar but also a brush museum –
the only one in the UK!
Further links with the past can be found at Wiltshire’s local
museums. At the Athelstan Museum in Malmesbury you can
trace the history of lace-making. Calne Heritage Centre tells the
story of the town and its surrounding area. Chippenham Museum
highlights aspects of trade and industry, including a working model
of a flourmill. Displays at Royal Wootton Bassett Museum depict
the town’s social, rural, commercial and industrial history.
“Outstanding
industrial
archaeology”
visitwiltshire.co.uk
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