Councillor Work: Bryans Close Road - Oxford Road Alleyway

Last year I was contacted by a resident regarding the alleyway connecting Bryans Close Road and Oxford Road.

The resident had been weeding the alleyway next to her property for years, but felt she was perhaps getting too old to continue.

After some research, I discovered that the alleyway is actually the responsibility of the four properties that adjoint it.

In this case, GreenSquareAccord are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of one quarter of the alleyway.

In response, GreenSquareAccord acknowledged this by sending a letter thanking the resident for her work over the years. They also confirmed that their part of the alleyway will be regularly visited and maintained by their Grounds Maintenance Team.

The largest single landowner in Calne is Wiltshire Council, so reporting issues to MyWilts, when you don't know the landowner, is always a good start:

https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/mywilts-online-reporting

If you have similar issues, but discover that the land in question is not the responsibility of Wiltshire Council, please do get in touch via email.

Place Names of Calne: Oldbury Prior and Oldbury Way

Both places are named for Oldbury Castle, which is a bivallate Iron Age hillfort on Cherhill downs.

The area was in use from around 1000 BC, having been dated from a Bronze Age enclosure. This then developed into a hillfort, with a later extension to the west. The back end of the hillfort shows bivallation, meaning that it is bounded by a double line of ramparts.

A 1996 survey revealed evidence for around 20 circular features along with archeaological finds. This seems to suggest that the hillfort was occupied around 2000 years ago. It is also known as a Roman finds spot, as well as being used for flint quarrying, quite possibly for the Bath Road turnpike[1].

Oldbury Way

Oldbury Way leads the way to Silbury Road on the Curzon Park estate. This street of bungalows was built in the 1960s-70s.

Oldbury Prior

Oldbury Prior is situated to the north-west of Holy Trinity Church. Prior probably relates to the street being developed on the land of a previous vicarage, mentioned in the 1840s tithe supplement. If this is the case it would pre-date Holy Trinity, which was built in 1867. The street was built by Stokebrook Homes in 1990.



References:
[1] National Trust. 2019. Oldbury Castle | National Trust. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/calstone-and-cherhill-downs/features/oldbury-castle. [Accessed 16 August 2019].