Chaveywell Spring and Calne's Water Supply

There are said to be many springs under the slopes of Castlefields, but none as important as the spring known as Chaveywell. As described on the plaque that hangs above the current outlet for the Chaveywell Spring, there was an epidemic in Calne between 1880 and 1890. The water in Calne became polluted and this lead to a number of deaths, probably from Typhoid. This spring was the only spring to remain pure and was relied upon until the new supply from Calstone was available.


Chaveywell, or Clamy Spring, begins in the grounds of St. Mary's School. From the school the spring runs under Curzon Street, Quarr Barton, Marden Court, Castle Street, following a sourtherly direction to exit at Chaveywell (WANHSAFG, 2011)[1]. During the 2010 excavations in search of the Calne Castle, a trench (trench 4) was dug near the exit for the spring and it was found that the original medieval outlet for the spring was 3 metres west of the current outlet. It is assumed that movement or slippage of the ground, or collapse of the tunnel, which could have been caused by tree roots is what has caused the spring to exit at a slightly different point. Upon opening the trench the archeaologists found a well constructed stone arch, which is now bricked in, with the water exiting via a metal pipe. They report that an iron or lead bath used to collect the water, but it is assumed that this was taken for the War effort during WWII.

These days the pure water from the spring flows into a trough which leads to the canal.
The water is wonderfully clear, with the trough being a favoured place of dogs wanting a cool down and a drink!

Back in the 1870s - 1880s, water supply and sanitation in Calne was known to be poor. In nearby Highway, the Calne rural sanitary authority's inspector visited a case of Typhoid and cautioned the residents from using their well, which was contaminated by sewage[2].

A report entitled "Dr. Blaxall's Report to the Local Government Board upon the Sanitary Condition of Calne in connexion (sic) with an Outbreak of Diphtheria and Typhoid Fever in that Town" [3] reported on the water supply and sanitation of Calne. The report, written by George Buchanan in 1884 as an update to his previous report in 1874, states that in the interim period that some 'good work' had been done, little or nothing had been done in other matters, for example with cesspit privies still in general use. Even the water closests that did empty into the sewers (built around 1881) weren't supplied with water for flushing meaning that the waste lodged in the drains - certainly not a Calne we'd imagine living in today.

Where Buchanan was pleased was the water supply where he states: "Here a great improvement has been effected". At this point the town no longer had to rely on local wells, such a Chaveywell due to the reservoir that has been built two years earlier in 1882.

Reservoir at Calstone Wellington.

The reservoir was built in Calstone Wellington near the source of the Marden, the river that flows north west up into Calne, then flows westerly to meet the Avon on the east of Chippenham. At Calstone Wellington there are many springs and it provided "a plentiful supply of good water". However, at the point when Buchanan wrote his report, only 100 houses of approximately 732 houses (in the 1881 census as quoted by Buchanan, 1884) were supplied from the new source, which was supplied via gravity and iron pipes. Even though there was a plentiful water supply from Calstone, the rest of the houses were still using local wells that were subject to pollution, in Buchanan's view, "a circumstance of the highest sanitary importance".

Over time all houses were moved to a Calstone supply and sewers were completed. Wells and local springs lost their importance and Chaveywell is the only spring in the area to still have a name (if any others ever did?). Although there was a farm located at Chaveywell until the 1920s, as can be seen in the book Calne Revisited by Peter Treloar. However, with water supply coming from one large source, there was potential for a lot of damage to be done to residents using the supply with one act of terror. The Gazette and Herald, in their "From the Files" articles reprinted a story from around 1914 whereby Calne Water Company had to arrange for the reservoir to be under 24 hour guard as two suspicious invididuals were seen loitering in the vicinity of the reservoir. This lead to rumours spreading that their intention was to poison the water supply [4].


However, this type of situation was rare and today while the Chaveywell Spring is celebrated as saving the lives of Calne inhabitants due to the pure water that flowed from it; the Calstone reservoir is due to by mothballed as the 'good water' is found to be bad.

Chaveywell Spring with corbels from the old Harris buildings - close up photos below. Landscaped with stones and benches.

These days the reservoir is only used at times of high demand and sadly is a risk site for Cryptosporidium, a horrid parasite that can result in diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting. With 42 positive detections found between the June and November of 2013 (the most recent Drinking Water Inspectorate report I could find mentioning Calstone reservoir) [5], Wessex Water's 2017 decision [6] to mothball the site as part of their rationalisation of assets seems to be a sensible one.

Corbels from the old Harris buildings. Tying different aspects of Calne's History together. There also used to be a pig farm near this location

So, over 100 years later, the attempts to improve Calne's water supply is ongoing, this can only be a good thing. Especially considering the hundreds of houses currently being constructed adding to the 1,935 households reported in the 2011 census [7], the water requirement of the town is heading swiftly upwards.

Appreciation of the past is evermore important these days, but at the same time moving towards greater efficiency and water safety is - as it always was - "a circumstance of the highest sanitary importance" (Buchanan, 1884).

The clear and pure water of Chaveywell Spring.

References:
[1] Wiltshire Archaeological & Natural History Society Archaeology Field Group, W., 2011. Castle Hill Calne Wiltshire Archaeological Field Evaluation And Post-Excavation Assessment.
[2] Public health and medical services | British History Online. 2018. Public health and medical services | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol5/pp318-347. [Accessed 03 September 2018].
[3] Buchanan, G., 1884. Dr. Blaxall's Report to the Local Government Board upon the Sanitary Condition of Calne in connexion with an Outbreak of Diphtheria and Typhoid Fever in that Town. 1st ed. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode.
[4] The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 2018. From the Files | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/headlines/nostalgia/11407193.From_the_Files/. [Accessed 03 September 2018].
[5] Drinking Water Inspectorate., 2014. Drinking water 2013. Public water supplies in the Western region of England.. London: Drinking Water Inspectorate.
[6] Wessex Water., 2017. Draft water resources management plan.
[7] Good Stuff IT Services. 2018. Calne Central - UK Census Data 2011. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ukcensusdata.com/calne-central-e05008340#sthash.GZereppq.dpbs. [Accessed 03 September 2018].

Welcome to Calne: Boundary Signs

During January 2018, new boundary signs were installed to replace the signs that had been in place in the 1980s, and will be discussed further down this article.

Our new boundary signs sprang to life as an idea by Heavenly, a consultancy firm hired to formulate ideas that could bring Calne to life (brand positioning) during late 2014. Out of this came the idea for an A4 tourist route, a 125 mile route connecting many iconic sites, this became known as The Great West Way. A working group was set up to look at the Wiltshire section of this route and from this a decision was made to replace the entry signs for Calne.

This project included assessing other signs around the country and getting quotes for different options. It was decided to have a continuity with the Wiltshire boundary signs and to use the Calne town colours of gold and green to match the internal signs in the town.

The branding of 'Town of Discovery' was chosen because of the people, events, discoveries, and industry that have had such a massive impact on the town over the years.

John Skinner, Calne Our Place treasurer, was the driving force behind the new boundary signs and, quite rightly, won a Civic Award from Calne Town Council for his work on this project. Thank you to John for many of the details in the above article.

Previous Boundary Signs

I am told, by word of mouth, that these boundary signs were the result of a school compatition in the 1980s. The designs were then installed at the boundaries of Calne at that time.

While this sign is clearly very different from our modern sign, they are typical of the time, but also have some very interesting features, such as in the photo above, where the Calne Coat of Arms can just about still be seen, but is very faded.

In the photographs below, we can see Calne town hall and St. Mary's church. While this was never particularly visible, a close inspection is rewarding.

Additionally, underneath the writing is an image of our famous 'Two Pigs' sculpture, which was visible and a reminder of Calne's past economic activities. 

I have to say that the plan worked on me. I find the new signs bold, vibrant, and to be honest, a bit posh! Driving to Chippenham and Melksham emphasises, to me, how much this project was needed and just how well it has been executed.

I very nearly didn't get any photographs of the old sign because I always thought, "oh, I can photograph it any time", then the boundary signs changed and I thought all was lost! This one is currently stored at Calne Heritage Centre, which I saw just by chance while visiting for a different reason, and can be seen during their opening hours.


Great West Way Resources:
Great West Way
Great West Way: 2015 Update

Custard and the Wiltshire flag

The Wiltshire flag was registered on 1 December 2009 following support from Wiltshire County Council and certified by Graham Bartram, Flag Institute Chief Vexillologist.

The flag was designed by Mike Prior and daughter Helen Pocock. At its centre, the flag features the bustard, a bird that was native to the county, until it became extinct in the country in 1832. However, since 2004, the Great Bustard Group has released many chicks on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. Having a bustard in gold as the centre of the flag shows the significance placed on having this previously lost species back within our county borders.

Other elements of the flag include the solid green circle, to represent the open grassland of Wiltshire, which is bordered by a circle of alternating green and white to represent the famous stone circles of Averbury and Stonehenge. These alternating portions also represent the 6 counties that border our own: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset, and Somerset.

The photo on the left shows the flag in action at County Hall, Trowbridge.









Custard the bustard

Custard the bustard lives at the Trowbridge branch of the Wiltshrie library. This sculpture was created after Councillor Jane Scott commissioned it for Wiltshire Council after seeing a collection of similar sculptures during the Queen's visit to Salisbury.

A competition commenced during September and October 2012, for under 12s to name the sculpture. Out of 40 entries, James Coles and Freya Mitchell won, when they both submitted "Custard" as their name choice.

Amesbury Artist, Anna Marie Anderson, painted the sculpture in colours matching the Wiltshire flag.

Custard the bustard was officially unveiled during November 2012.

You can visit Custard yourself during library open hours!

The engraved plaque that sits on the sculpture plinth.

References:
The Flag Institute. 2018. Wiltshire - The Flag Institute. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/flags/wiltshire/. [Accessed 19 July 2018].
Wiltshire Times. 2018. Custard the Bustard unveiled at Trowbridge County Hall | Wiltshire Times. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/10079818.Custard_the_Bustard_unveiled_at_Trowbridge_County_Hall/?ref=arc. [Accessed 19 July 2018].

Facebook Groups

This year I've created two Facebook groups. The first focusses on photographs of Calne from any period of time, the other concentrates on the history and heritage of our town.

Both groups allow a radius of 6 miles, which stretches through Calne, Calne Without, and a little further - as nothing, especially history happens in isolation. Plus this let's us see the beauty that surrounds us here in Calne!

The groups have been quite successful so far and are active with lots of friendly members. 

Check us out and join if you'd like!

Road Strip Map: The Road from London to Bristol, 1753

The Road from London to Bristol. Photographed at Chippenham Museum during their
Georgian season exhibition.

'Caln' and the Arms of Calne.

This 1753 map was one of many that appeared in Britannia Depicta, an illustrated road atlas covering Britain. It was first printed in 1720 and subsequently updated with engravings by many artists until the 1800s. Britannia Depicta was printed by Emanuel Bowen and John Owen's firm and is based from earlier work by John Ogilby.

This strip map covered the journey from London to Bristol and covered pages 22-26. This page is of interest because is covers Calne, not only showing the familiar castle and feathers that are still included in our coat of arms, but also because it records the name of our town as 'Caln' and 'Calne'.

Other local places covered by this book are Chippenham (which is on the other side of the Calne page), Marlborough, and Devizes, which includes a short history of the castle.

The entire book is available on the Archive.org website. To access or download the book, click this link, or navigate to the website and search from there.