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:

References:
[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.

Timeline Calne: 29 October 1863, First train at Calne station

The first train to arrive in Calne was a goods train carrying 100 pigs, along with other goods, such as coal.

The train arrived on the broad gauge track on 29 October 1863 at 8:30am.



Reference:
Herbert, G., 1972. The Calne Branch. Oxford Publishing Co.

Place Names of Calne: Jelly Alley

Jelly Alley is the affectionate name given to the alleyway between what is currently Co-op and Marden Cafe.

The building was constructed in the 1970s and was home to Gateway supermarket, which in the early 1990s rebranded itself as Somerfield, which was subsequently aquired by the Co-op in 2008. Some time between 2002 and 2006, Somerfield took over the rest of the main building, which had previously been Europa News and Crusty Bloomers bakery[a].
Apart from when it has stood vacant, there have been various owners of Marden Cafe in the smaller unit on the other side of the alleyway.

By the late 1970s it seems that someone had thrown cubes of jelly at the ceiling of the alleyway, with others following suit, using the Gateway brand of jelly[1]. This has continued on and off ever since, until July 2018, when Catherine Crofts of the Calne Cleanup Crew posted about an opporunity for artists to help with murals or artwork in Town[2].

After meetings with Calne Town Council came to nothing, the owners of the Co-op building were approached and agreed to a mural in the alleyway. Along with volunteers, Natasha Deacon and Toby Welsby have created an excellent piece of art in an alleyway that was dingy with a ceiling riddled with decades of jelly cubes.

The atmosphere of the alley now matches the sweet name that locals have called it for years.

 

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

References:
Many thanks to Natasha Deacon for the information on the current project.

[a] Experian, 2002 and 2006, Calne, Plan number: 4102AC, Experian GOAD Limited, Welwyn Garden City. Thank you to Caroline Newbury for reminding me of the businesses here.
[1] The Real Shout Out Calne shared a post. - The Real Shout Out Calne | Facebook. 2019. The Real Shout Out Calne shared a post. - The Real Shout Out Calne | Facebook. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/therealshoutoutcalne/posts/2002327213133406?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDW4Vn8XOF4pRK98SAePh-P6mEKAnwCbWZv5fA8SoNvvM7TvwRQdO2ZLzb3W1X4kKABmKZ-bracOkuuINzLBlrqBvPZg2Q5XkIB8fD0MNEn_OamY5INaU3aF9yQILVUjkTKfBtLJbg9TAjARTXsbqU4BNfQDCV_mcpdzGo7fNgBTJu-PUaZN8W07cgCSuf5c3Ivr37OUqJ8BLr07FuwX4IB9Q7P05l67m9mPJXKjwcQvn1Sh8xwheSx3BOUuGV7f3ZOqf0JgN3hg8HAyrY4jP_QhdqOSrY2Hypuiw3IqrqJn1pbWAdAnjbsnqzo6nmH36Dq6Uovc-lG38zrBuYYsQFN2H-3L8XVo31oBVBMdwEjx_4oP-Yr8CZ_DGlET3-zR0bIcssE1NjIq4yWTiY2vDn-Cx_xPbu3MNrVcTg9nMTFZAWr_9oIEicWrZx0R77R90laJzaUwOwRfH1xjvR3Xpla7hb8EYcxlDR4gg_YzCKLQqfl9w&__tn__=-R. [Accessed 25 September 2019]. 
[2] Calne in Photographs public group | Facebook. 2019. Calne in Photographs public group | Facebook. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CalnePhotographs/permalink/445279136062084/. [Accessed 25 September 2019]. 

Timeline Calne: 18 September 1965, Last passenger train

Calne Branch Railway at Calne Heritage Centre.

The last passenger train to run on the Calne branch was the Calne to Chippenham. It carried 142 passengers with a capacity of 262, leaving at 11:20pm. No passengers boarded at Stanley Bridge Halt, however a single passenger boarded at Black Dog Halt, a Mr. Douglas Lovelock, the last fulltime railwayman to be stationed at the Halt.

The driver was Frank Cannon, a railway man of 30 years standing. Railway police were also aboard to ensure safety, while fog detonators were exploded.

Between Calne and Black Dog Halt, 102 fog detonators were exploded - one for each year this branch line had been in operation.

After celebrations, the train that made this journey was put into the passenger sidings at the Chippenham station.

Reference:
Tanner, G., 1972. The Calne Branch. Oxford Publishing Co.

Place names of Calne: Carnegie Road, Carnegie Mews, Carnegie Building

Carnegie Road, Carnegie Mews and Carnegie Building are all named for Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). Born in Scotland and later moving to the US, Carnegie was an industrialist known for founding the Carnegie Steel Company.This lead to very generous philantropic acts, such as the founding of the Carnegie Library.


The Carnegie Library scheme lead to libraries being built around the world, which included 600 in the UK, of which the Carnegie Building on New Road was one.


It was built in 1904, with the foundation stone being laid by the Earl of Kerry in the July of 1904. This fascinating building was first listed as Grade II on 8 July 1976.

The building served as a library from 1905 until 2001 when the library service moved into the new building in the town centre. During the second World War, however, the library was used as a Food Office and for the issue and stamping of Ration Books[1]. Since 2004 the building has served as Calne's Heritage Centre.

Carnegie Mews, which is built next to the old Carnegie Library, was built on what was previously the over-powering Harris Bacon factory. This development, which included Bank Row, was completed in 1995 and opened by Michard Needham, MP on 27 October 1995.

Both Carnegie Mews and Bank Row, were built by  ARC properties, designed by Aaron Evans Associates, with funding from the Housing Corporation by a partnership between the District Council, the Knightsbridge Housing Association and Cowlin Developments. The final development consists of 22 houses, 6 flats and
3 shop units designed as terraces

Carnegie Road is part of the Porte Marsh industrial estate developed in the late 1980s as a response to the loss of the Harris company and now provides a great deal of diverse employment opportunies for the town.

 

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

References:
En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Andrew Carnegie. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].
Calne Heritage Centre 
[1] Boddington, S., 1993. A Source of Price: A Brief History of Calne Library. 1st ed. Wiltshire: Wiltshire County Council Library & Museum Service.