Trowbridge
Encyclopedia
Trowbridge is the county town
of Wiltshire
, England
, situated on the River Biss
in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Bath, Somerset.
The Kennet and Avon canal
runs to the north of Trowbridge and played a large part in the development of the town as it allowed coal to be transported from the Somerset Coalfield
. The town was also a major centre in the textile industry in south west England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and was described as "The Manchester of the West".
Trowbridge has a railway station
on the Wessex Main Line
. The civil parish of Trowbridge had a population of 28,163 at the 2001 census
, making it the third largest settlement in the county after the town of Swindon
and the city of Salisbury
. Neighbouring towns and villages include Bradford on Avon
, Westbury
, Melksham
, Devizes
, Hilperton
, Southwick
and Semington
.
to the west of the town. On John Speed
's map of Wiltshire
(1611), the name is spelt Trubridge.
the village of Straburg, as Trowbridge was then known, was recorded as having 100 residents.
The castle is thought to have been a motte-and-bailey
castle, and its influences can still be seen in the town today. Fore Street follows the path of the castle ditch, and its name is given to Castle Street and the Castle Place Shopping Centre.
from the 17th century onwards. However increasing mechanisation was resisted by workers in traditional trades and there were riots in 1785, 1792 and in the era of luddism
due to the introduction of the flying shuttle
. Thomas Helliker
, a shearman's apprentice, became one of the martyrs of the Industrial Revolution
in 1803 when he was hanged at Salisbury
. Nevertheless at one point in 1820 Trowbridge was being described as the "Manchester
of the West" as it had over 2,000 wool-producing factories, comparable to Northern industrial towns such as Rochdale
. The wool industry declined in the late 19th century with the advent of ring-spinning and this decline continued throughout the 20th century. The last mill, Salter's Home Mill, closed in 1982 and is now the home of Trowbridge Museum
, integrated into The Shires Shopping Centre
. Clark's Mill is now home to offices and the County Court
; straddling the nearby River Biss
is "The Handle House", formerly used for drying and storage of teazle
s used to raise the nap
of cloth. This is one of very few such buildings still known to exist in the United Kingdom.
Bowyers
, became one of the largest employers in the town until closure in April 2008 was announced, with production moving to the Shaftesbury
and Nottingham
factories.
The town became the county town of Wiltshire in 1889 when the Wiltshire County Council was formed and needed a place where representatives from Swindon and Salisbury, among others, could reach and return home in one day. Trowbridge fulfilled this criterion by dint of its railway connections and thus evolved as the county town, further reinforced by the construction of the county hall in 1939.
The brewing company Ushers of Trowbridge
opened in 1824, and developed the brewery in the town – this was finally shut in 2000 following several changes of ownership. Food production continues in the town, with Apetito. The largest employers in the town are now Wiltshire Council
, apetito
, Vodafone
, and Virgin Mobile
.
There is much of architectural interest in Trowbridge, including many of the old buildings associated with the textile industry, and the Newtown conservation area, a protected zone of mostly Victorian houses. The Town Hall is in Market Street, opposite the entrance to the pedestrianised Fore Street. This "imposing building" was presented to the residents of the town by a local businessman, Sir William Roger Brown in 1889, to celebrate Queen Victoria
's fiftieth year on the throne. It is currently used for military and other inquests. The town has six Grade I listed buildings, being St James Church, Lovemead House, and 46, 64, 68 and 60 Fore Street.
, which has two platforms, is situated on the Wessex mainline between Bradford-on-Avon and Westbury
. Services from Trowbridge join the Great Western main line
at Bath and Chippenham
. Between Trowbridge and Chippenham the line is single track railway with limited services. Services from Trowbridge join the Reading to Taunton line
at Westbury.
Trowbridge is situated about 20 miles (32.2 km) from junction 18 of the M4 motorway
(Bath) and 20 miles from junction 17 (Chippenham). The A361 runs through the town connecting it to Swindon
to the north-east and Barnstaple
to the south-west.
The nearest airport is Bristol Airport
, which is situated 30 miles (48.3 km) west.
and Castle Place shopping centres provide a wide variety of outlets. The Shires Gateway, situated by the entrance to the Shires shopping centre car park, was opened in 2009. , not all of the shops in this new development have been filled. The Civic Hall, a conference and entertainment venue, is next to the Town Park, which is also home to the tourist information kiosk.
The civic hall has recently undergone a major redevelopment due to be completed at the end of 2011, with hand over to Trowbridge Town Council in November 2011.
of 1801 showed Trowbridge having 5,799 inhabitants, while the most recent of 2001 lists 28,163. No census was taken in 1941 due to the Second World War. Since 1951, the population has increased by 103%. Trowbridge has one of the highest population of Moroccans
in the United Kingdom outside of London.
parliamentary constituency and represented by Andrew Murrison
(Conservative
). The Boundary Commission
announced changes to the constituency, and from 2009-2010 it became South West Wiltshire.
It is the centre for Wiltshire Council
, a unitary authority
created in April 2009 which replaced (for relevant purposes) West Wiltshire District Council and the former Wiltshire County Council.
The Town Council is the lowest level of government.
Trowbridge is part of the historic West Country Carnival
circuit, and has also given its name to the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival
. The Festival was originally held in the old stablehouse of The Lamb Inn public house on Mortimer Street in Trowbridge, and was founded by Alan Briars and Dave Newman, although the event is now held at Stowford Manor farm between Wingfield
near Trowbridge and Farleigh Hungerford
in Somerset
.
Trowbridge Town F.C.
is the local football club, based at North Bradley
near Trowbridge. They play in the Hellenic Football League
Division One West.
system of shorthand writing. He is remembered in the town through several memorial plaques, and his name has been taken by a pub in the town centre run by Wetherspoons
. Matthew Hutton (Archbishop of Canterbury)
was the town's rector from 1726 to 1730. The poet George Crabbe
held the same position from 1814 until his death in 1832.
John Dyer was a Trowbridge born inventor and engineer whose most important invention was the rotary fulling
machine in 1833. A version of the machine, developed for the local woollen industry, is still in use today.
Sir William Cook KCB Kt
FRS, born in Trowbridge in 1905, was involved with the development of the British nuclear bomb
at Aldermaston
in the 1950s, becoming the establishment's deputy director
.
Since 2002, there have been plans in place to redevelop significant town centre sites.
In the early 1990s the supermarket chain Tesco
changed location from their site at St Stephens Place to a site adjoining the A361 on County Way. The previous site has been dormant since being demolished some years ago, and has become notorious for its extremely large mound of crushed concrete and other remains (pictured below). Redevelopment has since suffered through several delayed starts.
Trowbridge residents have frequently voiced their desire for new facilities to be built on the site, with reference often made to Trowbridge's lack of a cinema. Developers Modus have signed up to provide a Vue Cinema
in the plan for the Waterside complex. In March 2008, an outline planning application for the proposed development was approved by West Wiltshire District Council, to include a new library, cinema, ten-pin bowling, hotel and restaurants. In the same week, the Town Council supported plans for Waitrose Supermarkets
to build a store on land at Cradle Bridge/County Way containing a derelict factory once occupied by the Peter Black Group.
The developer Parkridge has constructied a retail centre between the Shires and the railway station, bringing names to the town such as Next and Brantano.
The former Ushers brewery site has also been in the process of redevelopment for a number of years. A development on the old Ushers brewing site is well underway by Newland Homes, building town centre apartments, incorporating the old frontage of the Ushers brewery.
In April 2009, building work started on one of the town's biggest brownfield sites, the former Ushers bottling plant. This site developed into a Sainsbury supermarket, a public square and housing.
to deliver services in a more community focussed way that relates more directly to the needs and aspirations of local people via Community Area Partnerships. These community run, independent and autonomous groups are producing local Community Area Plans across the County in partnership with Wiltshire Council and other organisations, stake holders and service providers.
, the area of Morocco where most the town's immigrant population originate, since 2006.
Leer
in Germany, since 1989;
Charenton-le-Pont
in France since 1996;
and Elbląg
in Poland, as part of West Wiltshire
district twinning, since 2000.
Trowbridge was the first English town to twin with an Arab Muslim country.
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated on the River Biss
River Biss
The River Biss is a small river in Wiltshire, England and is a tributary of the Avon. The name is of uncertain origin; it is claimed that the word is from the Old Norse bisa, meaning "to strive".-Progress:...
in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Bath, Somerset.
The Kennet and Avon canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
runs to the north of Trowbridge and played a large part in the development of the town as it allowed coal to be transported from the Somerset Coalfield
Somerset coalfield
The Somerset Coalfield included pits in the North Somerset, England, area where coal was mined from the 15th century until 1973.It is part of a wider coalfield which covered northern Somerset and southern Gloucestershire. It stretched from Cromhall in the north to the Mendip Hills in the south, and...
. The town was also a major centre in the textile industry in south west England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and was described as "The Manchester of the West".
Trowbridge has a railway station
Trowbridge railway station
Trowbridge railway station is a railway station on the Wessex Main Line between and . The station is south east of and is managed by First Great Western....
on the Wessex Main Line
Wessex Main Line
The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth.- Places served :The places served are listed below.*Bristol*Keynsham*Oldfield Park*Bath...
. The civil parish of Trowbridge had a population of 28,163 at the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, making it the third largest settlement in the county after the town of Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
and the city of Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
. Neighbouring towns and villages include Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
, Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
, Melksham
Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...
, Devizes
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
, Hilperton
Hilperton
Hilperton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, and is separated by only a few fields from the town of Trowbridge. The village is on the edge of Trowbridge, northeast of the town centre.There are two main parts of the village:...
, Southwick
Southwick, Wiltshire
Southwick is a rural village southwest of the county town of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in England. It is separated from Trowbridge only by the Southwick Country Park, which consists of of open fields. The majority of the village lies south of the A361, which runs through the village, linking...
and Semington
Semington
Semington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is about south of Melksham and about northeast of Trowbridge.The parish includes the hamlets of Littlemarsh and Littleton....
.
The town's name
The origin of the name Trowbridge is uncertain; one source claims derivation from treow-brycg, meaning "Tree Bridge", referring to the first bridge over the Biss, while another states that the true meaning is the bridge by Trowle, the name of a hamlet and a commonCommon land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
to the west of the town. On John Speed
John Speed
John Speed was an English historian and cartographer.-Life:He was born at Farndon, Cheshire, and went into his father's tailoring business where he worked until he was about 50...
's map of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
(1611), the name is spelt Trubridge.
Ancient history and the Domesday Book
There is evidence that the land on which Trowbridge is built was being farmed more than 3,000 years ago. In the 10th century there is clear evidence of Trowbridge's existence and in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
the village of Straburg, as Trowbridge was then known, was recorded as having 100 residents.
Castle
The first mention of Trowbridge Castle was in 1139 while it was besieged – so it must have been built before this.The castle is thought to have been a motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle, and its influences can still be seen in the town today. Fore Street follows the path of the castle ditch, and its name is given to Castle Street and the Castle Place Shopping Centre.
Wool industry
From the 13th century onwards Trowbridge developed a clothing industry, increasingly becoming industrialisedIndustrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
from the 17th century onwards. However increasing mechanisation was resisted by workers in traditional trades and there were riots in 1785, 1792 and in the era of luddism
Luddite
The Luddites were a social movement of 19th-century English textile artisans who protested – often by destroying mechanised looms – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work and changing their way of life...
due to the introduction of the flying shuttle
Flying shuttle
The flying shuttle was one of the key developments in weaving that helped fuel the Industrial Revolution. It was patented by John Kay in 1733. Only one weaver was needed to control its lever-driven motion. Before the shuttle, a single weaver could not weave a fabric wider than arms length. Beyond...
. Thomas Helliker
Thomas Helliker
Thomas Helliker was a figure in early English trade union history who was hanged, aged 19, for his alleged role in machine-breaking at a Wiltshire woollen mill...
, a shearman's apprentice, became one of the martyrs of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in 1803 when he was hanged at Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
. Nevertheless at one point in 1820 Trowbridge was being described as the "Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
of the West" as it had over 2,000 wool-producing factories, comparable to Northern industrial towns such as Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
. The wool industry declined in the late 19th century with the advent of ring-spinning and this decline continued throughout the 20th century. The last mill, Salter's Home Mill, closed in 1982 and is now the home of Trowbridge Museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, integrated into The Shires Shopping Centre
The Shires Shopping Centre
The Shires Shopping Centre is located in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.- History :Excavations prior to the construction of the centre revealed evidence of Saxon occupation, including a church and graveyard dated to c. 850 AD, and remnants of the medieval castle...
. Clark's Mill is now home to offices and the County Court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...
; straddling the nearby River Biss
River Biss
The River Biss is a small river in Wiltshire, England and is a tributary of the Avon. The name is of uncertain origin; it is claimed that the word is from the Old Norse bisa, meaning "to strive".-Progress:...
is "The Handle House", formerly used for drying and storage of teazle
Teazle
Teazle is a Swedish computer game from Aniware AB. The game features many mini-games, which have high-score pages which are saved online. Another version is Teazle 2. Some mini games are: Mini-Golf, Duck-n-run, Slime Attack, Pool, GoCart, English Park. The game is for Windows 95 to Windows Vista....
s used to raise the nap
Nap (textile)
Primarily, nap is the raised surface on certain kinds of cloth, such as velvet. Nap can refer additionally to other surfaces that look like the surface of a napped cloth, such as the surface of a felt or beaver hat....
of cloth. This is one of very few such buildings still known to exist in the United Kingdom.
1800s to present
In its place a bedding industry developed, initially using wool cast off from the mills – the company now known as Airsprung Furniture Group PLC was started in the town in the 1870s. Food production also developed in the town when Abraham Bowyer started his business in 1805 which eventually, as Pork FarmsPork Farms
Pork Farms is a Nottingham-based British producer and distributor of mainly pork-based bakery products.-History:In the early 1940s, recently City and Guilds qualified baker Ken Parr took out a £9,000 loan to set up his own pie shop...
Bowyers
Bowyers
Bowyers was a large company based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, based manufacturer of meat products, with a particularly well known brand of sausages which are still produced today....
, became one of the largest employers in the town until closure in April 2008 was announced, with production moving to the Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is a town in Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. The town is built 718 feet above sea level on the side of a chalk and greensand hill, which is part of Cranborne Chase, the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset...
and Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
factories.
The town became the county town of Wiltshire in 1889 when the Wiltshire County Council was formed and needed a place where representatives from Swindon and Salisbury, among others, could reach and return home in one day. Trowbridge fulfilled this criterion by dint of its railway connections and thus evolved as the county town, further reinforced by the construction of the county hall in 1939.
The brewing company Ushers of Trowbridge
Ushers of Trowbridge
Ushers of Trowbridge was a brewery located in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.In 1824, Thomas Usher and his wife Hannah acquired a small brewery in Back Street, Trowbridge, renaming it Usher's Wiltshire Brewery. In 1844, the couples three sons joined the partnership, allowing the parents to retire in 1869...
opened in 1824, and developed the brewery in the town – this was finally shut in 2000 following several changes of ownership. Food production continues in the town, with Apetito. The largest employers in the town are now Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
, apetito
Apetito
apetito is a European frozen food company which started in post-war Germany. They currently serve markets in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada and France and employ over 6,000 people...
, Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
, and Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile UK
Virgin Mobile UK is a mobile phone service provider operating in the United Kingdom. The company was the world's first Mobile Virtual Network Operator, launched in 1999. Being a virtual operator, Virgin Mobile does not maintain its own network, and instead has contracts to use the existing network...
.
Architecture
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
's fiftieth year on the throne. It is currently used for military and other inquests. The town has six Grade I listed buildings, being St James Church, Lovemead House, and 46, 64, 68 and 60 Fore Street.
Transport
Trowbridge railway stationTrowbridge railway station
Trowbridge railway station is a railway station on the Wessex Main Line between and . The station is south east of and is managed by First Great Western....
, which has two platforms, is situated on the Wessex mainline between Bradford-on-Avon and Westbury
Westbury
-Places:Australia*Westbury, TasmaniaCanada*Westbury, QuebecIreland*Westbury, suburb of LimerickUnited Kingdom*Westbury, Buckinghamshire*Westbury, Shropshire*Westbury, Wiltshire*Westbury-on-Severn, Gloucestershire*Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol...
. Services from Trowbridge join the Great Western main line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
at Bath and Chippenham
Chippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
. Between Trowbridge and Chippenham the line is single track railway with limited services. Services from Trowbridge join the Reading to Taunton line
Reading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
at Westbury.
Trowbridge is situated about 20 miles (32.2 km) from junction 18 of the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
(Bath) and 20 miles from junction 17 (Chippenham). The A361 runs through the town connecting it to Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
to the north-east and Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
to the south-west.
The nearest airport is Bristol Airport
Bristol Airport
Bristol Airport may refer to:* Bristol Airport, serving Bristol, England, United Kingdom ** Bristol Airport , a docu-soap based on events at Bristol Airport...
, which is situated 30 miles (48.3 km) west.
Shopping and other facilities
The town centre is compact, and the focus for shops is the ancient Fore Street; the more modern ShiresThe Shires Shopping Centre
The Shires Shopping Centre is located in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.- History :Excavations prior to the construction of the centre revealed evidence of Saxon occupation, including a church and graveyard dated to c. 850 AD, and remnants of the medieval castle...
and Castle Place shopping centres provide a wide variety of outlets. The Shires Gateway, situated by the entrance to the Shires shopping centre car park, was opened in 2009. , not all of the shops in this new development have been filled. The Civic Hall, a conference and entertainment venue, is next to the Town Park, which is also home to the tourist information kiosk.
The civic hall has recently undergone a major redevelopment due to be completed at the end of 2011, with hand over to Trowbridge Town Council in November 2011.
Population
The first official censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 1801 showed Trowbridge having 5,799 inhabitants, while the most recent of 2001 lists 28,163. No census was taken in 1941 due to the Second World War. Since 1951, the population has increased by 103%. Trowbridge has one of the highest population of Moroccans
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
in the United Kingdom outside of London.
Government
Trowbridge is within the WestburyWestbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Westbury was a parliamentary constituency in Wiltshire from 1449 to 2010. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, and then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
parliamentary constituency and represented by Andrew Murrison
Andrew Murrison
Dr Andrew William Murrison is a doctor and Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. After serving as the Member of Parliament for Westbury from 2001 to 2010, at the 2010 general election he was elected for the new seat of South West Wiltshire.-Early life:The son of William Gordon...
(Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
). The Boundary Commission
Boundary Commission
Boundary Commission may refer to:* Boundary Commissions of the United Kingdom* Boundary Commission between the United Kingdom and Ireland* Boundary Commission of the Pacific Northwest* Boundary Commission of Maine...
announced changes to the constituency, and from 2009-2010 it became South West Wiltshire.
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
, a unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
created in April 2009 which replaced (for relevant purposes) West Wiltshire District Council and the former Wiltshire County Council.
The Town Council is the lowest level of government.
Entertainment and communications
The Arc Theatre (West Wiltshire's playhouse), based in Trowbridge, shows international theatre and dance.Trowbridge is part of the historic West Country Carnival
West Country Carnival
The West Country Carnival is an annual celebration featuring a parade of illuminated floats , in the English West Country. The celebration dates back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The purpose is to raise money for local charities....
circuit, and has also given its name to the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival
Trowbridge Village Pump Festival
Village Pump FestivalStarted over 30 years ago in a barn at the lamb Inn Trowbridge, it then moved to Stowford Manor Farm, Farleigh Hungerford, England...
. The Festival was originally held in the old stablehouse of The Lamb Inn public house on Mortimer Street in Trowbridge, and was founded by Alan Briars and Dave Newman, although the event is now held at Stowford Manor farm between Wingfield
Wingfield, Wiltshire
Wingfield is a village in the county of Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom.- History & Amenities :Wingfield is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086-7 as Winefel, when it was held by the Bishop of Coutances....
near Trowbridge and Farleigh Hungerford
Farleigh Hungerford
Farleigh Hungerford is a village within the civil parish of Norton St Philip in Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366, in the valley of the River Frome....
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
.
Trowbridge Town F.C.
Trowbridge Town F.C.
Trowbridge Town F.C. are a football club based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, and they play at Woodmarsh on the southern edge of the town. They are currently members of the Hellenic Football League Division One West.-History:...
is the local football club, based at North Bradley
North Bradley
The village of North Bradley, Wiltshire, England, lies between the towns of Trowbridge and Westbury, and is now separated from the former by only a couple of fields.Most of the hamlet of Yarnbrook is part of North Bradley...
near Trowbridge. They play in the Hellenic Football League
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League is an English football league covering an area including the English counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Buckinghamshire, southern Herefordshire, western Greater London, and northern Wiltshire. There is also one team from Hampshire.The league...
Division One West.
Notable people
Trowbridge was the birthplace of Sir Isaac Pitman, developer of the Pitman ShorthandPitman Shorthand
Pitman shorthand is a system of shorthand for the English language developed by Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman , who first presented it in 1837. Like most systems of shorthand, it is a phonetic system; the symbols do not represent letters, but rather sounds, and words are, for the most part, written...
system of shorthand writing. He is remembered in the town through several memorial plaques, and his name has been taken by a pub in the town centre run by Wetherspoons
Wetherspoons
J D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...
. Matthew Hutton (Archbishop of Canterbury)
Matthew Hutton (Archbishop of Canterbury)
Matthew Hutton was a high churchman in the Church of England, serving as Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury...
was the town's rector from 1726 to 1730. The poet George Crabbe
George Crabbe
George Crabbe was an English poet and naturalist.-Biography:He was born in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, the son of a tax collector, and developed his love of poetry as a child. In 1768, he was apprenticed to a local doctor, who taught him little, and in 1771 he changed masters and moved to Woodbridge...
held the same position from 1814 until his death in 1832.
John Dyer was a Trowbridge born inventor and engineer whose most important invention was the rotary fulling
Fulling
Fulling or tucking or walking is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker...
machine in 1833. A version of the machine, developed for the local woollen industry, is still in use today.
Sir William Cook KCB Kt
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
FRS, born in Trowbridge in 1905, was involved with the development of the British nuclear bomb
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
at Aldermaston
Aldermaston
Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...
in the 1950s, becoming the establishment's deputy director
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
.
Town redevelopment
In the early 1990s the supermarket chain Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
changed location from their site at St Stephens Place to a site adjoining the A361 on County Way. The previous site has been dormant since being demolished some years ago, and has become notorious for its extremely large mound of crushed concrete and other remains (pictured below). Redevelopment has since suffered through several delayed starts.
Trowbridge residents have frequently voiced their desire for new facilities to be built on the site, with reference often made to Trowbridge's lack of a cinema. Developers Modus have signed up to provide a Vue Cinema
Vue (cinema)
Vue Entertainment , formerly known as SBC International Cinemas, is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC acquired 36 Warner Village cinemas. There are now 69 Vue cinemas, with 654 screens totaling 140,500 seats, including the rebranded...
in the plan for the Waterside complex. In March 2008, an outline planning application for the proposed development was approved by West Wiltshire District Council, to include a new library, cinema, ten-pin bowling, hotel and restaurants. In the same week, the Town Council supported plans for Waitrose Supermarkets
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
to build a store on land at Cradle Bridge/County Way containing a derelict factory once occupied by the Peter Black Group.
The developer Parkridge has constructied a retail centre between the Shires and the railway station, bringing names to the town such as Next and Brantano.
The former Ushers brewery site has also been in the process of redevelopment for a number of years. A development on the old Ushers brewing site is well underway by Newland Homes, building town centre apartments, incorporating the old frontage of the Ushers brewery.
In April 2009, building work started on one of the town's biggest brownfield sites, the former Ushers bottling plant. This site developed into a Sainsbury supermarket, a public square and housing.
TCAF
Trowbridge Community Area Future (TCAF) is responsible for the production of the Trowbridge Community Area Plan, which will help influence service providers to improve Trowbridge and guide future development. This is part of a County-wide commitment by Wiltshire CouncilWiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
to deliver services in a more community focussed way that relates more directly to the needs and aspirations of local people via Community Area Partnerships. These community run, independent and autonomous groups are producing local Community Area Plans across the County in partnership with Wiltshire Council and other organisations, stake holders and service providers.
Town twinning
Trowbridge is twinned with four towns: OujdaOujda
Oujda is a city in eastern Morocco with an estimated population of 1 million. The city is located about 15 kilometers west of Algeria and about 60 kilometers south of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the Oriental Region of Morocco and the birthplace of the current Algerian president,...
, the area of Morocco where most the town's immigrant population originate, since 2006.
Leer
Leer
Leer is a town in the district of Leer, the northwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the river Ems, near the border with the Netherlands....
in Germany, since 1989;
Charenton-le-Pont
Charenton-le-Pont
Charenton-le-Pont is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe....
in France since 1996;
and Elbląg
Elblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
in Poland, as part of West Wiltshire
West Wiltshire
West Wiltshire was a local government district in Wiltshire, England, formed on 1 April 1974, further to the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the former urban districts of Bradford-on-Avon, Melksham, Trowbridge, Warminster and Westbury, along with Bradford and Melksham Rural District and...
district twinning, since 2000.
Trowbridge was the first English town to twin with an Arab Muslim country.
See also
- List of places in Wiltshire
- List of towns in England
- West Wiltshire Council election, 1999West Wiltshire Council election, 1999Elections to West Wiltshire District Council were held on 6 May 1999. The whole council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats held their overall control, winning twenty-seven seats while the Conservatives took ten, Independents four and the Labour Party two....
- West Wiltshire Council election, 2003West Wiltshire Council election, 2003Elections to West Wiltshire District Council were held on 1 May 2003. The whole council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats lost their majority, leaving the council with no overall control....
- West Wiltshire Council election, 2007West Wiltshire Council election, 2007Elections to West Wiltshire District Council were held on 3 May 2007. The whole council was up for election and the Conservatives took control.Most wards had boundary changes or were new...
- Wiltshire Council election, 1993Wiltshire Council election, 1993Elections to Wiltshire County Council were held on 6 May 1993. The whole council was up for election and the result was no overall control, with the Liberal Democrats as the largest party...
- Wiltshire Council election, 1997Wiltshire Council election, 1997Elections to Wiltshire County Council were held on 1 May 1997. The whole council was up for election and the result was no overall control, with the Conservatives as the largest party....
- Wiltshire Council election, 2001
- Wiltshire Council election, 2005Wiltshire Council election, 2005Elections to Wiltshire County Council were held on 5 May 2005. The whole council was up for election and the Conservatives held onto control.Most electoral divisions had boundary changes, and several were new, including three new two-member divisions, in Salisbury and Trowbridge.As with other...