Trowbridge

Trowbridge Town Hall

Another town walk with my friend Merv, this one starting from the late Victorian Town Hall (1887-9) in Market St. Next door is the attractive Italianate Market House of 1861. It seemed to be empty, having most recently been a pub.

We headed along the pedestrianised street opposite, Fore St, and admired the upper story of a bookmaker's on the right.

We passed some elaborate Georgian banks and turned left down Wicker Hill, with a fine array of 18th century mansions on the right.

This one, currently To Let, was particularly splendid.

At the bottom there was the town lock up, right by the bridge just like the one in Bradford-on-Avon.

The bridge was a bit of s disappointment, but the background illustrates the large area of former cloth mills awaiting development.

Off to the left was a very interesting industrial survival, the Handle House. It was used to dry Teasels for raising the "nap" on woollen cloth.

We doubled back to Church St where the church of St James is to be found. Pevsner describes it as "Large and Perp (Perpendicular) throughout" ... except for a radical rebuilding in 1847-8.

This interesting little building sat on the opposite side of the churchyard, but I could not discover what it was.

Diagonally opposite the church were the impressive Union Street Almshouses of 1861.

We returned to Market St and continued along to Roundstone St to admire another couple of Georgian mansions. Firstly, Rodney House of about 1800 ...

... and Polebarn House, now a hotel, of 1789.

We turned right into Polebarn Road to find some more almshouses, Lady Brown's Cottage Homes of about 1845. They consisted on two single story blocks with huge chimneys. Very picturesque.

We returned to Roundstone St to see the rather plain Yerbury Almshouses (1679, rebuilt 1914) on a corner.

We completed our visit by seeing two sets of outlying Almshouses. Firstly, the attractive Palmer Almshouses, erected in 1892, in Islington (that's the name of the road) ...

... and then the more austere Timbrell Cottages of 1838 in Bradley Road.

Conditions: bright and sunny.

Distance: perhaps 3 miles.

Rating: four stars. An interesting town, well worth a visit.