30/11/2022

Route 016: Calne Art Trail

This 2.3 mile walk will take you around the wonderfully diverse art in Calne, taking in both the urban environment of the town centre and some of the green spaces along the Abberd Brook and Castlefields park.


Important Information:

2 hours free parking available at the Church Street car park, also known as the Heritage Quarter car park. This is accessible from New Road.

For additional information on the art in this trail, lost art, and art in the neighbouring parishes, head to https://www.calneheritageandamenities.org.uk

Directions:

1) This walk begins at the Sainsbury's forecourt.

The design here was a collaborative venture between Calne Artists' Group
members and Sainsbury‘s.
The sheep bronzes are by Richard Cowdy and draw attention to Calne‘s heritage as a centre for the wool industry.
The cobbled featured paving designed by David Reeves simulates the corn circles that are so much a characteristic feature of Wiltshire.

From here, head to the pavement that will take you down and around The Pippin, past the Pocket Park, and up to Broken Cross.



2) Cross the road at Broken Cross and follow this road easter until you reach Abberd Way and the second piece of art on this trail, the Carnival of the Seasons.

The mural, designed by Sandi Sayer as a Calne Clean Up Crew project, follows the seasons from early snowdrops, on to bluebells and foxgloves. These are followed by
conkers, fungi, and finally mistletoe berries.

Walk around the corner to Abberd Way, turning right.



3) After turning the corner on to Abberd Way, you will reach 'Be Kind' a mural to your right. 

‘Be Kind‘ is a graffiti-style work from Calne Clean Up Crew founder Catherine Crofts with the blessing of GreenSquareAccord.
This clean, yet bold design in a prominent location with a powerful message was painted over two days in April 2022.
 


4) Cross the road at The Knapp and Ogilvie Square, continuing onward as Abberd Way in turn becomes Prince Charles Drive. Keep your eyes peeled, again to the left, for your first glimpse of 'Coral Reef Frieze'.

This piece highlighting the beauty of the ocean was designed by Penny Errill and painted with assistance from Yew Woodland, Gordon Burns, Sandi Sayer, Catherine
Crofts and Samantha Payne.

This piece has been granted permission to be expanded, taking in the wall to the left, which will likely happen in 2023.


5) Round the corner, staying on the path between the gardens of Page Close and the road verge at Prince Charles Drive. As you reach the Abberd Brook, you will begin to see the mosaics of the underpass.

The first nature-themed mosaics were installed in the underpass at Prince Charles Drive in 2011. In 2014, Gill and David Reeves, along with local children produced additional mosaics with funding from The Big Lottery, Wiltshire Council, Calne Town Council, and Calne Lions.



6) Keeping to the side of approach, cross the brook, with the underpass on your left, following the same path. Following this path south will swiftly bring you to Forman Street. Turn right here, following the pavement to Angell Close and the Coleman's Farm mosaics.

The Community Centre at Coleman‘s Farm has been adorned with this mosaic comprising of birds and flowers since 2013. It was created as part of a community project spearheaded by ceramicists, David and Gill Reeves.



7) After viewing the mosaics, follow the path to the side of the community centre to join the path at Abberd Brook. Here you have two choices, you can cross the brook using the stepping stones, after which turn left. Alternatively turn left until you reach the bridge, cross the brook here, and the turn left.
Follow this path, with the brook to your left, for around 400 metres. Upon reaching the car park, turn right, following the path back up to The Pippin.
Cross straight over at the roundabout and head into the Pocket Park, crossing over the bridge to the far side of the River Marden.
This will bring you to Calne's most Church Street,  the Priestley Mosaic, and Calne's most densely populated area of public art.

This seating area which incorporates a mosaic at ground level is a decorative tribute to Dr Priestley who lived on The Green in Calne during the latter half of the 18th century,
while he carried out his scientific investigations at Bowood.
Designed by David Reeves and made with the collaboration of Vivien ap Rhys Pryce and Chris Fixsen.



8) At Church Street turn right. As you walk, the walls of Beach Terrace will become visible. The most recent set of ceramics were installed in 2022.

In 2021, several ceramic tiles were designed by Richard Cowdy and Vivien ap Rhys Price for Calne Heritage and Amenities Organisation to replace previous designs that had gone missing over the years. The theme continues the ‘Breath of Life‘ theme from the neighbouring river wall highlighting species that can be found along the River Marden.


9) Walking a few steps further on, you can enter the green bank of the Marden here to view the ceramics of the river wall.

Looking across the river from Church Street one can see animals, birds, fish and other images in a number of niches in the river wall.
These ceramic bas-reliefs have been made by Richard Cowdy and Vivien ap Rhys Price to reflect and symbolise the 'Breath of Life' theme, reinforcing the life-giving nature of
oxygen.



10) Back on Church Street make your way to The Strand and ascend the steps to view our next installation, The Head.

In 2000 the then Town Mayor initiated an international competition for a sculpture, to celebrate the millennium, which was won by the sculptor Rick Kirby. The theme of the sculpture reflects both the past and the future of Calne in symbolic terms.
The sculpture was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Calne on 7 December 2001.



11) Approaching the entrance to Calne library, you will see the bronze relief of Jan Ingenhousz. Looking away from the library you will see the pavement designed to look like a leaf.

Jan Ingenhousz is the genius who solved the mysteries of photosynthesis.
He was buried within St Mary‘s Church, Calne, in 1799 and is remembered by this bronze relief head at the entrance to Calne Library. The head is surrounded by a star shape representing the sun.
Snaking down from this bronze relief towards The Head is paving in the form of a leaf, made from dark grey and white granite setts.
David Reeves designed the paving and made the ceramic inserts, while the modelled head of Ingenhousz is by Vivien ap Rhys Pryce.



12) Using the pedestrian crossing at the lights towards New Road, we move away from the town centre. Notice the Indian Bean tree, one of the trees celebrating Calne Twinning, more of which will be discussed in point 18. A wide variety of diverse art forms still await. Look at the railings at the front gardens of Carnegie Mews.

The theme of this metalwork reflects the nature and topography of the Wiltshire downs.
They were designed by Calne Artists' Group member Peter Collyer and made by local
blacksmith Arthur Cole.



13) Continue along New Road towards the roundabout, crossing at the refuge island. Follow the pavement round to Station Road and then take the path to Calne Bowl for Calne's most dynamic art.

Calne Bowl was re-built in 2015 with boards provided by Calne Town Council for the purpose of graffiti. The dynamic nature of this art form mean that the designs are constantly changing.


14) Follow the path back out of Calne Bowl and to the left entering Castlefields park via the bridges. Stay to the left of the canal boat and take the left-most path, which follows the River Marden. Keep your eyes peeled for the brass rubbings depicting nature that are around Castlefields park.

In 2006, Celia Stevens led a project with Calne Watch Group, a junior branch of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.
Local artist, David Reeves helped the children of the Watch Group develop their ideas into the eight brass rubbings, which are mounted on posts around Castlefields Park.



15) As the path curves with the river, another path will join it from the right and flow towards Chaveywell bridge. You will pass the first example of the decorative kissing gates. Taking a short diversion to the left, away from Chaveywell bridge will provide more examples.
When you have finished observing the gates, cross Chaveywell bridge.

The entrance to the North Wilts Rivers Route near Chavey Well Bridge in Castlefields, is adorned with an entrance arch and kissing gates designed by Calne Artists‘ Group members Richard Cowdy and David Reeves.



16) Turn right off Chaveywell bridge and cross over the outlet from the spring here. Walk on until you see an incline to the left. Take a left here, coming back on yourself as you enter upper Castlefields. Follow the path to the right of the two circles of trees and eventually a left to rest in, and admire, the Garden of Reflection.

As a legacy of the shocking tragedy of the Derry Hill crash in 2020, a garden of reflection has been caringly designed and planted.
The objective of the garden‚ ‘is to create a safe space for family and friends to remember the boys as well as a quiet and reflective location for the whole community'.
The garden was designed by landscape architect, Paul Jolliffe and project managed by Su Johnson. The masterpiece of the design is a bespoke circular armillary, handcrafted by Capal Tenison of Border Sundials, placed on a stone plinth.



17) When leaving the Garden of Reflection, follow the path left and down a short decline to the entrance of Castlefields park.

The entrance into Castlefields Canal & River Park is an impressive assemblage including many forms of art. These include the magnificent gate designed by David Reeves, depicting a canal boat riding the waves of the canalised part of the Marden.
Exploring further in, there are ceramics encircling the Music and Arts Festival tree. The Castlefields pocket park has embedded ceramics in the path and an animal mosaic
on the fence. Back in the main park is the adapted canal boat known as the Jubilee Queen, for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.



18) To view the penultimate piece of art on this trail, head out of Castlefields through the wonderfully decorative gates. This leads out to Patford Street, where you will take a right towards the Marden House Centre and a left to walk the path between the Wharf sheltered housing and the canalised section of the River Marden.

Walk past Calne Town Hall and cross Cox's Hill to The Strand and continue onward to Market Hill at Curzon Street. Here you can ascend the steps, or walk around the corner to the incline.

Three indian bean trees were planted, at the suggestion of Cllr Eric Porter, in 2000 to celebrate
the twinning of Calne with Charlieu, Eningen and
Caln, Pennsylvania. The trees are situated in front of Bank House, outside the Lansdowne Strand
Hotel, and on Market Hill.
Each tree was originally surrounded by a special cast-iron tree grill with squirrel motif, sadly only the grill at the Calne-Charlieu tree at Market Hill remains. Letters carved into slate celebrating the anniversaries of the twinning. 

How long this final grill will last is anyone's guess.



19) After making your way back to the pavement at Curzon Street, take the pedestrian crossing over to High Street, heading north.
As you reach the top of High Street, turn left and you will soon see Calne's very first piece of public art, a sculpture known as, Two Pigs, at Phelps Parade. 

The ‘Two Pigs' piece was commissioned in 1978 by Calne Civic Society and made by local sculptor, Richard Cowdy. The subject reflects Calne's long-standing association
with the C&T Harris business which dominated the town for over a hundred years until its factories were demolished c.1984.

You are now at the end of the trail. Continuing along Phelps Parade and across the zebra crossing will bring you back to the beginning of the trail, otherwise you can stop at this point and continue as you wish.

Thank you for using this route!

Words and Photographs: Tim Havenith
Map from the lovely folks at OpenStreetMap. © OpenStreetMap contributors



25/11/2022

Calne Built Environment Map

As part of the Built Environment group of the Calne Community Neighbourhood Plan I was asked to create a map showing the development of Calne over time and the dates of some of the developments in the area.

This is to ensure that the character of each area is taken into account in the technical documents of the plan. Eventually, those documents will be what developers and planners will need to refer to when designing developments and making planning decisions to ensure that they are high quality and context-driven. There are two primary layers. The first, labelled 'Development Periods by Colour' has the developments in ascending date order. Up until the 1900s, each century a separate colour. Then a different colour for the years between 1900-1949. Finally, each decade from the 1950s to now has its own colour.

The second layer, labelled 'Calne Through the Ages', shows how Calne has grown from the Early Medieval period, through the 1700s, 1800s, and finally the 1900s.

20/11/2022

Calne Walks: A collection of eight easy to moderate walks in Calne and surrounding countryside

 

There is no question that Calne, nestled in the Marden Valley of North Wiltshire, is blessed with much fascinating history. While much development has occurred in recent history, those all important links to the wider countryside still remain.

It is this countryside that we will be exploring as we venture out of Calne to nearby Bremhill, the Bowood Estate, and the wider Castlefields green space.

We will, of course, encounter much history both from the built environment and the natural world as we explore this wonderful town and its countryside.

After a short introduction to the history of Calne, there is a selection of eight walks to choose from. Walks vary in length between less than a mile and up to 7 miles

  • Walk One Calne Art Trail
  • Walk Two Horsebrook Nature Trail
  • Walk Three Abberd Brook and The Recreation Ground
  • Walk Four Castlefields Park
  • Walk Five The River, the Canal, and the Railway
  • Walk Six Around Witch Plantation
  • Walk Seven Around Morgan's Hill
  • Walk Eight Bowood Circular

Each trail is clearly mapped with OpenStreetMap and has an information panel detailing: distance, time, terrain, start/finish location, and parking along with any relevant additional information.

Check out some photgraphs of the book below:




10/11/2022

Calne Curiosities: The 'Two Pigs' Purloined

A grievous incident occurred in the early hours of 2 October 2017. This act so shocked the town of Calne that a nationwide media campaign was immediately undertaken.

For many places, the theft of a sculpture may not have caused much of a fuss. However, Calne, even while it is a growing town, is still a close-knit community.

The sculpture, known as 'Two Pigs' has been around for many decades, so what was the end goal with this theft?


Let us begin with a brief history of Calne's earliest, and perhaps most beloved, piece of public art.

The origin of this tale begins with local artist, Richard Cowdy and his purchase of the old Guthrie school in 1973. After developing a foundry at the site, Cowdy became known as a sculptor of farm animals.

Outside of The White Horse pub, now Coral bookmakers at Phelps Parade, a planter had been constructed. Each time a tree had been planted, it had been destroyed by the rowdy clientele, with the planter filled with broken glass and rubbish. In 1978, Cowdy was approached by Dr Arnold Hare, chairman of Calne Civic Society with a proposal for a sculpture to replace the tree and resolve the litter issue. 

In 1978, Cowdy was approached by Dr Arnold Hare, chairman of Calne Civic Society with a proposal for a sculpture outside of 

Cowdy cast a small version two pigs in bronze as a visual cue for the proposal.

While residents, both adults and children alike, enjoy the sculpture - a permanent reminder of Calne's long association with the Harris bacon company, in its many forms - this wasn't always the case.

The sculpture required consent the of Calne Town Council before it could be installed. One particular councillor was strongly against the sculpture, fearing that young children would be attracted to it and run over by vehicles. It's safe to say that as a town we are fortunate that this councillor was unable to make the final meeting. She had the flu and the sculpture was voted through by just one vote!

The final design, known as 'Two Pigs', installed in July 1979 and unveiled by Lady Lansdowne, resolved the litter problem and is a vandal-proof sculpture. Or so we all thought...

 

2 minutes and 45 seconds. This is the time it took on that fateful night in 2017 for the sculpture to be wrenched off the plinth that they'd adorned for 38 years.

The town awoke to the news on the 2 October 2017 that the sculpture had been stolen. It was impossible to avoid the news, it was, thankfully, everywhere.

Due to such good news coverage, the owner of Ronson Reclaim, a reclamation yard in Gloucestershire, called the police to report that he had purchased the pigs before realising the sculpture was the one stolen from Calne.

On the 6 October, the two pigs were picked up by Calne Town Council. Work on the plinth commenced soon after by Calne Council Ground Staff who upgraded the method of fixing the statue to the plinth. The base of the statue was repaired by Andy Blackford of Blackford Engineering free of charge.

The afternoon of 10 November saw the Calne Pig sculpture was back in place. Marketed as the 'Pig Unveiling', the sculpture was unveiled by Tony Trotman, Mayor of Calne, at 4pm, with Richard Cowdy in attendance. The unveiling was completed with masses of applause and the pigs were climbed upon my multitudes of children, as they had been innumerable times in the past. This presentation also featured a specially written piece of music performed by Calne Folk and Acoustic Group after the speech by the Mayor.

 

It would seem that the lads involved through that the sculpture was solid bronze. Such a sculpture would have been worth a pretty penny. However, the sculpture is hollow.

What of the lads that were involved? PSCO Mark Cook, of the Calne Community Policing Team was involved in the case and won the Assistant Chief Constable’s Certificate of Recognition for his initial investigative work into the theft. PSCO Cook provided an update of the police outcomes in this case.

While four males were believed to be involved in the theft, two were let off without further police action after questioning as there was not enough evidence to confirm involvement.

The other two, from the Swindon area, attended court. One received a fine of £433, the other £283 (and ordered further compensation of £67), both included court costs and compensation.

 

The theft of the pigs not only reignited the passion for this and other sculptures in town, but seems to have reignited a passion for public art in the town. Many ceramics and murals have been designed and installed in the years following this petty criminal act.

 

Many thanks to PSCO Mark Cook for providing the update on police outcomes. Thanks go to the whole Calne Community Policing Team for the excellent work they do for the town.

01/11/2022

Place Names of Calne: Woodhill Avenue and Woodhill Rise

Woodhills, as it was known in the 1840s, was a collection of fields in this area of Calne. The majority of the land in this area was owned by Marquis of Lansdowne, Henry Petty Mitzmaurice, although it was occupied by various people who used the land primarily for pasture. Names with 'wood' as prefix of mean that the land adjoins a wood[1].

Woodhill Avenue
Woodhill Avenue
This is part of the post-war development, which started at Abberd Way. The housing here was built c. 1950s as a mix of 3 bed semi-detached and terrace housing with wide areas of grass on each side of the road.










Woodhill Rise

Woodhill Rise
This street existed at the same time as Woodhill Avenue, but seems to have been a continuation of Penn Hill Road leading to the upadopted part of Oxford Road. By the time of the Calne Official Guide of 1967, it is known as Woodhill Rise. The majority of the housing on this stretch seem to have been constructed in the 1970s.






To discover more about the place names of Calne, buy the book:

References:
[1] Cavill, P., 2018. A New Dictionary of English Field-Names. 1st ed. Great Britain: English Place-Name Society.