24/12/2019
Timeline Calne: 24 December 1899, Second Boer War Memorial Service
The afternoon of Sunday 24 December 1889 saw a well attended memorial service for the fallen soldiers of the Second Boer War was held at St. Mary's church.
The Second Boer War had started a few months earlier, on 11 October 1899, after Britain rejected the untimatum issued by the Transvaal, which led to the South African Republic and Orange Free State declaring war. The ultimatum demanded all disputes between the two states by settled by arbitration, that British troops would be withdrawn from their borders, and the solders headed for South Africa by ships would not disembark[1].
The Calne contingent of Volunteers under the command of Lieutenant Woodward attended and were played to at the church by the Calne band. "Eternal Father, strong to save" was one of the hymns song with special reference to the troops en route to South Africa by sea.
The vicar of the time felt that this war was 'unavoidable' and that an honourable peace would soon be established. A positive outcome of this service was the creation of the Transvaal War Fund however the war would continue for another two years, ending with a British victory (although there were many deaths on both sides), on 31 May 1902[2].
References:
[1] BBC - History - The Boer Wars. 2019. BBC - History - The Boer Wars. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/boer_wars_01.shtml. [Accessed 19 December 2019].
[2] 'Calne' Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, Saturday 30 December 1899 [ONLINE] Available from: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001557/18991230/152/0006 [Accessed on 19 December 2019]
01/12/2019
Place Names of Calne: Alma Terrace
Alma Terrace is named to commemorate the Battle of Alma that took place on the River Alma during the Crimean War (1853-1856).
During this battle, which took place on 20 September 1854, the British, French, and Turkish forces battled the Russian forces, who were defending the Crimean peninsula. The Russians made their stand at Alma Heights, which is south of the River Alma. Eventually, due to the superior rifle power of the British, the Russians were forced to retreat, leading to an allied victory. However, of the 8600 casualties and loses, 2000 of them were British[1].
Alma Terrace |
The land that Alma Terrace was built on was sold in the 1850s, with both terraces built by 1885, with the north side developed initially and a terrace and semi-detached (see photograph) developed later[2]. A board at Calne Heritage Centre details that the street wasn't named until 1870, 16 years after this battle took place. This shows the terrible impact this war had on the people of Britain and the Commonwealth, with many streets and pubs named after the event from London and Sheffield to Vancouver and Fremantle[3].
In 1916 a house at the end of Alma Terrace was aquired by St. Mary's school and named St. Prisca's. The junior forms were transferred to this house, along with some borders, with the tiny kitchen used for teaching cooking. This house was enlarged in 1928 to provide a large room for cookery, with dormitory above, named for Arthur Dunne[4].
The question of whether Alma Terrace should be taken over by the council or remain a private road cropped up many times in the early 1900s. However the owners of the houses were always unwilling to bring the road up to standard and it wasn't until 1937 that the road was finally 'made up', with St Mary's footing £177 7s 1d of the £221 13s 10d cost that the council finally adopted the road[5].
To discover more about the place names of Calne, buy the book:
References:
[1] Battle of the Alma - Wikipedia. 2019. Battle of the Alma - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alma. [Accessed 25 January 2019].
[2] Calne: The town in the 19th century | British History Online. 2019. Calne: The town in the 19th century | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp41-44. [Accessed 25 January 2019].
[3] Tate, T., 2018. A Short History of the Crimean War. 1st ed. London: I.B.Tauris and Co Ltd..
[4] Stedmond, K., 1986. St. Mary's School Calne 1873-1986. 1st ed. Nailsworth: B. A. Hathaway Printers, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire.
[5] 'New Highways' Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, Saturday 13 February 1937 [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001557/19370213/108/0006 [Accessed on 5 December 2019]
10/11/2019
Bremhill War Memorial
Bremhill War Memorial |
Bremhill War Memorial, which sits in the churchyard of St. Martin's church, was dedicated in November 1920 'in memory of the Men of 'this Parish who laid down their lives in the Great War, 1914-1918.
Each place of worship within Bremhill Parish was also presented with an illuminated and framed Roll of Honour bearing the names of the men who served the parish during the Great War by Mr Bull of East Tytherton.
The Wiltshire Times[1] reported on November 13, 1920, that after the cross was dedicated by Archdeacon Bodington, it was unveiled by Lady Lansdowne, who said:
"This ceremony is one of a great many in which, not only throughout our own country but throughout the British Empire, our people have been taking part during the last few months. How much these unveilings mean to us mothers. They are the expression of our gratitude to those who during the Great War, laid down our lives for us, and for all that we hold most precious, the love we felt for them while they were with us, and for the respect which we feel for their memory. It is because we desire that these feelings shall survive when we are no longer here that we are setting up in almost every village, a permanent memorial such as this, which shall remind our successors of the debt which they owe to these brave men"
Bremhill War Memorial Dedication |
The stone is inscribed with the following:
'SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO / WENT FROM THIS PARISH TO SERVE THEIR / KING & COUNTRY & WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN DEFENCE OF RIGHT, JUSTICE AND LIBERTY IN/ THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918'
The 20 names that follow are:
Henry George Aspeck
Thomas Baker
Walter John Cook Brittain
George Charles Chubb
Clement James Eatwell
Charles Fortune
Reginald James Freegard
Albert James Harding
Frederick James Henley
Oliver Arthur Henley
Harold King
Jesse Edward Lewis
Percy James Matthews
Edwin Minty
Arthur Francis Ponting
Tom Ponting
Frederick Charles Robins
Herbery Henry Rumming
Sidney Selman
James Henry Summers
The Grade II listed memorial is constructed of Portland stone. Upon a tall, octagonal shaft, itself set on a square plinth and two stepped hexagonal base, is a Maltese Cross variant. A Maltese Cross consists of four 'V' or arrow shaped concaved quadrilaterals which converge at right angles in the centre. It developed from earlier forms, which consisted of eight-pointed crosses, and is known as a heraldic cross variant from the Knights of Malta. Malta was a medical recovery outpost during WWI.
References:
[1] Wiltshire Times, Saturday 13 November 1920 [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001557/19201113/299/0012 [Accessed on 8 November 2019]
03/11/2019
Timeline Calne: 3 November 1863, Calne's Unofficial Holiday
The Calne branch of the railway opened to passengers on Tuesday, 3 November, 1863. On this day an unofficial holiday took place with all shop closed and the 4th Wiltshire Volunteer Corps Band paraded through the streets. As with most English holidays, it apparently rained heavily on this day in 1863!
The excusion train to Bath opened the line, with an estimated 1000 passengers travelling on that first train, with many left behind due to lack of space.
The branch railway, of 5 and a quarter miles, cost £54,000 and was opened with nearly no debt. All stone required for the build, including bridges, came from Mr. Benjamin Baily's land. A standard run from Calne to Chippenham took 10 minutes in 1863, with 12 passenger trains running daily.
Reference:
Tanner, G., 1972. The Calne Branch. Oxford Publishing Co.
The excusion train to Bath opened the line, with an estimated 1000 passengers travelling on that first train, with many left behind due to lack of space.
The branch railway, of 5 and a quarter miles, cost £54,000 and was opened with nearly no debt. All stone required for the build, including bridges, came from Mr. Benjamin Baily's land. A standard run from Calne to Chippenham took 10 minutes in 1863, with 12 passenger trains running daily.
Reference:
Tanner, G., 1972. The Calne Branch. Oxford Publishing Co.
01/11/2019
Place Names of Calne: Plants
Some of the many plant-related street names in Calne. |
In 2018, the Royal Mail reported that a quarter of British streets and houses are named after plants (flowers, trees, seeds, etc.)[1][2]. While Calne doesn't have such a high percentage locally, at least 43 street names are named after plants, see table below.
Why have plant names become so common?
Well as we can see from the table below, a few of the newer estates have adopted a flower theme, such as the 10 plant-themed streets spanning off Lavender Drive and the 6 streets leading off Woodsage Way. With only 8 being what I've classed 'lone streets', basically streets that don't have an obvious (to me) theme and may have been built as single streets, perhaps sometimes as infill. Not only that, but as areas become built up, it can often separate us from nature, so these names can help make us feel good by their association to nature, particularly the native choices as we're likely to have a personal history with them - such as climbing an Oak, or being viciously attacked by a Hawthorn hedge that your mother has tasked you with pruning!
These themed estates can be useful in that locals may instantly know where a road is based on a theme. It can able be useful for emergency services and visitors to the town when an estate has a theme, particularly if it is different from neighbouring streets and housing estates. Interestingly, in Calne most plant-themed housing developments are on the edge of current housing, presumably where there is enough room for 6-10 different streets.
With some of the newer estates, the suffixes may not have any connection with that location in the past. So, Hazel Grove, which is part of the Lavender Drive estate, is unlikely to have previously been a grove of Hazel trees - it may have been, but it may be best to consider that it's a case of providing unique and interesting names for each development. Some streets like Elm Grove are named for houses near the site, or that have been demolished to make way for development.
The suffixes here include can provide information about what type of street your looking for, as per the Wiltshire Council policy on Street Naming[3]:
Street
Name
|
Development
|
Native?
|
Recorded in Wiltshire
|
Acorn Lane
|
Cherhill View
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Appletree Road
|
Off Abberd Way
|
Native (Crab Apple)
|
Yes
|
Azalea Close
|
Lavender Drive
|
Non-Native
|
Yes
|
Bay Close
|
Rookery Park
|
Non-Native
|
No
|
Bluebell Grove
|
Off Duncan Street
|
Native (English Bluebell)
|
Yes
|
Campion Close
|
Off Duncan Street
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Cherry Tree Court
|
Off Newcroft Road
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Clover Grove
|
High Penn Park
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Cornflower Close
|
Off Duncan Street
|
Native and introduced
|
Yes
|
Cowslip Grove
|
Off Duncan Street
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Elder Court
|
Lavender Drive
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Elm Close
|
Rookery Park
|
Native and introduced
|
Yes
|
Elm Grove
|
Off Silver Street
|
Native and introduced
|
Yes
|
Fir Grove
|
Off Quemerford
|
Non-Native
|
Yes
|
Foxglove Way
|
Off Duncan Street
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Hawthorn Close
|
High Penn Park
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Hazel Grove
|
Lavender Drive
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Heather Way
|
Lavender Drive
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Holly Close
|
Lavender Drive
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Honeysuckle Close
|
Lansdowne Park
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Jasmine Close
|
Lavender Drive
|
Non-Native
|
No
|
Juniper Close
|
High Penn Park
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Larkspur Drive
|
High Penn Park
|
Non-Native
|
Yes
|
Lavender Drive
|
Lavender Drive
|
Non-Native
|
No
|
Lilac Way
|
Lavender Drive
|
Non-Native
|
Yes
|
Lime Tree Close
|
Curzon Park
|
Native (Small-leaved)
|
Yes
|
Lovage Lane
|
High Penn Park
|
Non-Native
|
No
|
Lupin Close
|
High Penn Park
|
Non-Native
|
No
|
Magnolia Rise
|
Lavender Drive
|
Non-Native
|
No
|
Maple Close
|
Lavender Drive
|
Native (Field Maple)
|
Yes
|
Meadowsweet Drive
|
Lansdowne Park
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Oak Close
|
Curzon Park
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Penny Royal Close
|
Chilvester Farm
|
Non-Native
|
No
|
Poppy Close
|
Lansdowne Park
|
Native (Common Poppy)
|
Yes
|
Primrose Close
|
Off Duncan Street
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Rosemary Close
|
Lansdowne Park
|
Non-Native
|
No
|
Saffron Meadow
|
Chilvester Farm
|
Native (Meadow Saffron)
|
Yes
|
Tamarisk Close
|
Lavender Drive
|
Non-Native
|
No
|
Water Mint Way
|
Chilvester Farm
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Wintergreen
|
Chilvester Farm
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Woodsage Way
|
Chilvester Farm
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Yew Tree Close
|
Curzon Park
|
Native
|
Yes
|
Sycamore Drive
|
High Penn Park
|
Non-Native
|
Yes
|
Sorrel Street
|
High Penn Park
|
Yes (Common and Sheep's)
|
Yes
|
The development off Duncan Street was built in the 1980s. The Lavender Road development was built in the early 1990s.
Elm Grove was built c. 2007 by Hannick Homes, after around 10 years of attempting to gain permission to redevelop the site. In 1997, the last of 9 doctors, Dr. Richard Lawson, to practise at Elm Grove retired and was permitted to change the house use from a doctors surgery to residential[5].
High Penn Park started development in 2017. The Lansdowne Park development was built in the 2000s.
The development adjacent to St. Edmunds Catholic School (Bluebell Grove and Cornflower Close) was built c. 1985 by M.P. Pitman & Co, Calne as a development of two bedroom houses with three two bedroom bungalows.
Finally, the Curzon Park estate was built in the 1960s and 1970s, with additional development recently by GreenSquare.
To discover more about the place names of Calne, buy the book:
[1] Country Living. 2019. A Quarter Of British Houses Named After Flowers – Most Popular Flower And Tree Street Names. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/property/a20868538/quarter-british-houses-streets-flower-tree-plant-names/. [Accessed 24 January 2019].
[2] Ideal Home. 2019. The Royal Mail reveals the most popular flower and tree themed house and street names in the UK. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.idealhome.co.uk/news/royal-mail-flower-tree-house-street-names-203762. [Accessed 24 January 2019].
[3] Wiltshire Council. 2019. Street naming and numbering | Wiltshire Council. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planninganddevelopment/streetnaming.htm. [Accessed 24 January 2019].
[4] Gillam, B., 1993. The Wiltshire Flora. 1st ed. Oxford: Pisces Publications.
[5] PA: N.97.0213.F, 04/00131/S73, 07/02119/FUL.
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