I have been, so far, unable to find the origin of the name
'Brewers Lane', which is relatively recent, there is a care home called
The Maltings on the Shelburne Road side. There were certainly brewers
and maltsters in Calne over the centuries and families called Brewer in the town. The road also goes by the informal name of Piggy Lane, as pigs used to be walked up the road in droves.
Brewers Lane replaced a footpath and foot bridge in 1904. A contemporary newspaper article calls it 'The Bridges Road' for the purpose of the report, but it didn't seem to have a name at that point:
The Shelburne Road side was more easy in descent than was apparently expected, however the Cow Lane (Anchor Road) junction was then as it is now 'abrupt and awkward'. However it was acknowledged that it would be of advantage to the residents to the north of the new road[1].
The road was first proposed the previous year as a way to relieve traffic in Church Street, which then as now, was a narrow thoroughfare. The expected cost was £85[2].
From the Anchor Road side, Brewers Lane would have originally been the entrance to Kew Lane Mill, which has long since been demolished. This began life as a clothing mill, which in 1228 belonged to the lord of Compton Bassett manor[3]. It belonged to the lord of Compton Bassett between the 17th and 19th centuries, during which time it was used partly for fulling. In the 1800s, the Marden could drive the machinery to make sixteen broad cloths in a week. William Pinniger, who wanted to quit the business attempted to relinquish the mill, but it continued until William Pinniger and Sons became bankrupt in 1827.
By around 1840, the mill was converted to a corn mill and remained so until the 19th century. In 1867 it was being let by Mr. Spencer of Bowood as a flour mill with two pairs of stone, which may be increased to three pairs[4].
1856 saw the tragic death of John Bush, nearly 2, who accidentally drowned close to Kew Lane Mill. The poor boy was found by Mary Ann Lodge of Kew Lane Mill, and her father brought the body out of the water. As part of the verdict, it was recommended that fencing on both sides of the bridge be made more secure[5].
At some point, by Thomas Cruse's 1828 map, probably to service the mill, the Marden was split, creating an island, which was the site of a piggery and a poultry house. In the recent past with three cottages were built, one named Island Cottage.
References
[1] 'The Bridges Road' Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, Saturday 19 March 1904 [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001557/19040319/168/0008?browse=False [Accessed on 25 September 2019]
[2] 'The proposed new road' Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, Saturday 20 June 1903 [ONLINE] Avialable from: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001557/19030620/109/0008?browse=False [Accessed on 25 September 2019]
[3] Calne: Economic history | British History Online. 2019. Calne: Economic history | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp79-94. [Accessed 25 September 2019].
[4] 'Flour mill to let' Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, Thursday 26 September 1867 [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000360/18670926/033/0002 [Accessed 25 September 2019]
[5] 'At Calne, on the body of John Bush, nearly two years old' Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, Thursday 24 July 1856 [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000360/18560724/011/0003 [Accessed on 25 September 2019]
Brewers Lane replaced a footpath and foot bridge in 1904. A contemporary newspaper article calls it 'The Bridges Road' for the purpose of the report, but it didn't seem to have a name at that point:
'The New Road from Shelburne Road to Cow Lane crossing the Marden on two separate bridges is completed this week and is now open from end to end'
The Shelburne Road side was more easy in descent than was apparently expected, however the Cow Lane (Anchor Road) junction was then as it is now 'abrupt and awkward'. However it was acknowledged that it would be of advantage to the residents to the north of the new road[1].
The road was first proposed the previous year as a way to relieve traffic in Church Street, which then as now, was a narrow thoroughfare. The expected cost was £85[2].
From the Anchor Road side, Brewers Lane would have originally been the entrance to Kew Lane Mill, which has long since been demolished. This began life as a clothing mill, which in 1228 belonged to the lord of Compton Bassett manor[3]. It belonged to the lord of Compton Bassett between the 17th and 19th centuries, during which time it was used partly for fulling. In the 1800s, the Marden could drive the machinery to make sixteen broad cloths in a week. William Pinniger, who wanted to quit the business attempted to relinquish the mill, but it continued until William Pinniger and Sons became bankrupt in 1827.
By around 1840, the mill was converted to a corn mill and remained so until the 19th century. In 1867 it was being let by Mr. Spencer of Bowood as a flour mill with two pairs of stone, which may be increased to three pairs[4].
1856 saw the tragic death of John Bush, nearly 2, who accidentally drowned close to Kew Lane Mill. The poor boy was found by Mary Ann Lodge of Kew Lane Mill, and her father brought the body out of the water. As part of the verdict, it was recommended that fencing on both sides of the bridge be made more secure[5].
 |
| Island Cottage, Brewers Lane |
References
[1] 'The Bridges Road' Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, Saturday 19 March 1904 [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001557/19040319/168/0008?browse=False [Accessed on 25 September 2019]
[2] 'The proposed new road' Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, Saturday 20 June 1903 [ONLINE] Avialable from: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001557/19030620/109/0008?browse=False [Accessed on 25 September 2019]
[3] Calne: Economic history | British History Online. 2019. Calne: Economic history | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp79-94. [Accessed 25 September 2019].
[4] 'Flour mill to let' Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, Thursday 26 September 1867 [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000360/18670926/033/0002 [Accessed 25 September 2019]
[5] 'At Calne, on the body of John Bush, nearly two years old' Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, Thursday 24 July 1856 [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000360/18560724/011/0003 [Accessed on 25 September 2019]
