While waiting for Melksham Post Office

"That's the longest queue I've ever seen here" said the chap outside Melkshm Post Office yesterday. It was the first of the month, it was Saturday, and it was within about an hour of lunchtime to I suppose it was no wonder that the crowd control lines were full and then the line headed out through the door and onto the street. All of which gave me an excellent opportunity to take a few pictures to update my library while I waited for my visitor to get through the queue.

St Micahels and All Saints, Melksham

The Church of St Michael and All Angels sits just behind the town, and dates back many hundreds of years. I chuckle when I see they've added "All Angels" to St Michael, as if to have an insurance policy in case Michael himself should fail them.

The Prize Loos in Melksham

Melksham is proud of its Public Loos, which have won "best in the county" prizes for a number of years. Those of us who live locally probably don't know them very well - indeed, I can't recall ever being caught so short that I can't get back to the hotel or home. I suppose I should try them out sometime for the experience.

Melksham War Memorial

Cannon Square, again just off the town centre, is a quiet and beautiful historic triangle (but they call it "SQUARE" for some reason!) with the war memorial set in a small garden in the middle - beautifully tended as you'll find of so much of Melksham; we're a thriving town with much beauty, but a handful of eyesores too which I have chosen to miss out of this post.

St Michaels, Melksham

Beyond the Church, you can walk through the Church Yard and on down to the Conigre Mead Nature Reserve and the Riverside walk. Although not navigable at present, the Wilts and Berks Canal Society plan to bring boats through the town - in my view, a plan to be commended but certainly a plan which has divided local opinion. To be fair, the plans are in the early days and need to be refined a little through a committee stage.

Church Lane

In 1800, Melksham was the largest town for many miles - much larger than Chippenham or Swindon, for example - and that means that there are many old properties. It was a Wool and Milk town in Medieval times ("Melk-Sham" = "Milk-Town") ((but see footnote below)) and there's still much to see. Here is Church Walk, still just within a hundred yards of the post office.

Melksham's a hidden gem - well worth an overnight stop on your way to the West Country ... and you may even decide to stop for the whole weekend. Here's Well House Manor - just five minutes walk from the centre, where you can stay in 3/4 acre of grounds in what are probably the best hotel rooms for miles.

Footnote. I have been challenged with regard to my comment "It was a Wool and Milk town in Medieval times ("Melk-Sham" = "Milk-Town")", and it's probable that the challenge is correct, even though the Melk DOES come from Milk. I am asked "I think it was just a wool town, with the river running through so valuable to trade that they called it their 'milk'...that was my interpretation."

My thoughts: In hindsight, it's unlikely that there was much milk export from the area at the time the name came about. Milk was probably produced locally in all areas and consumed without transport due to the perishable nature. Only when the railways came, long after place names were established, did milk become a commodity that it was practical to ship around over great distances, and that's long after place names were established. At that time, Melksham did come to have a big connection with the milk industry. Have a look at this history of Melksham page. Here's a short quote from it

.... The 20th century reversed the decline of the weaving trade as new industries developed. Engineering and tyre manufacture became increasingly important by the turn of the 20th century as did milk and dairy produce production.

Melksham is one of the larger Wiltshire towns and an excellent base from which to explore the Wiltshire countryside and beyond ....

(written 2007-09-02, updated 2007-09-04) 461d

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