Another Adventure…

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Our first visit to Bradford On Avon. A beautiful old Town near Bath. Gorgeous soft golden stone. The houses built on a very steep slope. Many of them Georgian, and pretty grand. The Town became very wealthy in the 18th Century because it had many weaving mills for wool. Before that it was land owned by the Abbess of Shaftesbury. She took Tithes of produce from the town to fund her Abbey and its charitable works. The Tithe Barn is massive…really long (I couldn’t fit it all into my photo). It was built in the 1300s, and stands today as a refurbished example of medieval architecture. The roof is superb. The smaller barn is called the Granary Barn and is now a lovely homewares and gift shop. Before that the town had Saxon origins and a Church remains from that time (incredible!). The Church of St Lawrence (Known as The Saxon Church) was most likely built in the early 1000s, although it could be earlier. The style of the architecture is what guides the dating, but the Town is much older…from the 700s. The Saxon Church was built for the Abbess of Shaftesbury as a refuge for the relics of St Edward The Martyr which were at that time kept in Shaftesbury Abbey. The idea was that in the event of an attack by Vikings on Shaftesbury, which was one of King Alfred’s Burgh Hidages (safe places) bones could be carried away to safety in Bradford On Avon. Thankfully it never happened, and this little Church is the closest we have to an idea of what the original Saxon Abbey in Shaftesbury would have looked like before the Normans came and built the massive Romanesque Cathedral which was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1539.

The Kennet and Avon Canal runs above the river Avon, and we had a very pleasant walk along it to Avoncliffe where we ate lunch outdoors in the sunshine and enjoyed the sound of the Weir beside the Mill. After that we strolled back to Town and explored the Norman bridge (with its ancient little chapel) and the shops. We didn’t make it into the famous Tea rooms, but maybe next time.

• 10 Mar, 2025
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