Around 200 years ago, Melksham was the largest town for many miles around - it dwarfed even places like Swindon. However, in the Victorian age it grew very much slower and it hasn't caught up yet. So looking around the town you'll find, hidden in odd corners, a very great deal of history.

This particular building backs on to the High Street - close to the rear of Asher's Cafe, and it seems to be a piece of history that's just lying discarded. And it's not alone


From the town centre, there used to be pathways to neighbouring towns. Some have become roads (and quite major ones). Others, such as Stratton's walk, have decreased in their importance into mere local alleyways, such as Stratton's Walk. If you follow the path beside the Baguette bar, you'll go through this uninviting passage then come out onto suburban roads and go past the Co-op... following futher, I suspect it leads into the path to Redstocks, Rowde and Devizes although with some sections missing.

But the section in town ain't pretty!


There are other cut through / alley ways that also have historic significance - but are a little further out and a little greener. Hardie Walk follows the path of the Old Wilts and Berks canal. Well - at least it's green on one side, but wouldn't it be so much more welcoming if there was indeed still a canal here?

(written 2009-06-30, updated 2013-02-23)

 M201 - Well House Manor - Around Melksham, Wiltshire
  [437] Outside of the box - (2005-09-06)
  [676] Melksham, Wiltshire - (2006-04-08)
  [805] Melksham Carnival Parade - (2006-07-16)
  [811] Melksham in Bloom - (2006-07-22)
  [830] Butterflies in a Wiltshire garden - (2006-08-12)
  [847] Image maps for navigation - a straightforward example - (2006-08-28)
  [866] A lazy programmer is a good programmer - (2006-09-15)
  [879] Tuesday night is party night - (2006-09-26)
  [929] Presenting Melksham - for a weekend away in Wiltshire - (2006-11-17)
  [957] Improving the historic town of Melksham - (2006-11-30)
  [977] Melksham and Norwich - (2006-12-10)
  [1117] Newport Male Voice Choir - (2007-03-24)
  [1137] Wiltshire Circles - (2007-04-07)
  [1177] Sorting out for a site map - (2007-05-05)
  [1206] Where and When - can you place the picture? - (2007-05-27)
  [1266] Party in the Park - (2007-07-14)
  [1271] Till the cows come home - (2007-07-19)
  [1330] While waiting for Melksham Post Office - (2007-09-02)
  [1341] Moving to Melksham? Househunting map. - (2007-09-09)
  [1343] Melksham Laundrette - (2007-09-09)
  [1360] Asda in Melksham - Welcome or not? - (2007-09-21)
  [1368] Getting the local voice heard - (2007-09-26)
  [1436] A little touring help during a business trip to England - (2007-11-18)
  [1451] More PHP sample and demonstration programs - (2007-12-01)
  [1928] Melksham Oak Community School, Melksham, Wiltshire - (2008-12-07)
  [1977] Going round the block - (2009-01-04)
  [1986] Walk to Bowerhill - (2009-01-10)
  [2008] The Month Ahead - What is happening in Melksham - (2009-01-25)
  [2043] Confidence, Customer Service and Tourism in Melksham - (2009-02-15)
  [2064] East of Melksham Countryside - (2009-03-02)
  [2066] Melksham Industrial - (2009-03-04)
  [2142] Riverside Development - (2009-04-26)
  [2168] In honour of the photograph, I present ... a walk from Reybridge to Lacock - (2009-05-10)
  [2175] Melksham in pictures - (2009-05-11)
  [2253] Walks in and around Melksham, Wiltshire - (2009-06-21)
  [2297] Standing on the corner, Melksham Carnival - (2009-07-19)
  [2329] Great to be in Melksham - (2009-08-08)
  [2349] Businesses effected by road works in Melksham - (2009-08-11)
  [2480] Pantomimes around Melksham - 2009/2010 season - (2009-10-28)
  [2497] Brown horses in Melksham - (2009-11-08)
  [2528] Melksham Christmas Lights - (2009-12-05)
  [2585] Consultation in Melksham, on Melkshams future - (2010-01-17)
  [2588] Freddies Wood and the K and A Canal - (2010-01-17)
  [2665] Early Spring walk in Melksham - (2010-03-07)
  [2691] New brochures for the Melksham area - (2010-03-24)
  [2708] The bull on the footpath - (2010-04-04)
  [2716] Melksham in Pictures - (2010-04-10)
  [2739] Melksham Scouts - (2010-04-25)
  [2829] Dauncey Gardens, Melksham - (2010-06-27)
  [2854] Melksham Food and Drink Fair and Town Crier Competition - (2010-07-04)
  [2950] Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, turns first sod in Melksham Link Canal - (2010-09-09)
  [3023] Autumn walk from Bowerhill - (2010-10-31)
  [3050] Views of Melksham - November 2010 - (2010-11-13)
  [3209] Seeing Electricity Pylons near Melksham - (2011-03-21)
  [3227] Her favourite store - (2011-04-02)
  [3232] Around and about Melksham in more pictures - (2011-04-05)
  [3248] What have these pictures in common? - (2011-04-16)
  [3258] Morning in Melksham - (2011-04-23)
  [3266] Easter on the Canal - near Melksham, Wiltshire - (2011-04-26)
  [3305] Getting away from the madding crowd - an intercontinental journey - (2011-05-27)
  [3337] Home Grown Pigs, near Melksham Station - (2011-06-26)
  [3389] Plenty to do in Melksham - (2011-08-13)
  [3470] Currently pictured in Melksham - (2011-10-09)
  [3499] Images of Melksham - (2011-10-29)
  [3502] Sunday Evening ... newest and oldest Melksham pictures - (2011-10-30)
  [3507] Melksham Forward - meeting summary and pictures - (2011-11-04)
  [3520] Quintessentially English - scenes from our Wiltshire town - (2011-11-14)
  [3525] Melksham has a heart - come and see the pictures. Sunday, 11 to 3, Assembly Hall - (2011-11-18)
  [3526] Melksham has a Heart - Montage picture for sale - (2011-11-20)
  [3543] Some different pictures from Melksham - (2011-12-07)
  [3569] Images of the new year in Melksham - (2012-01-05)
  [3605] Snow comes to Melksham, Wiltshire - pictures - (2012-02-10)
  [3644] The way of the Prioress - Melksham history pictured today - (2012-03-09)
  [3646] Exploring Melksham with a film maker - (2012-03-09)
  [3647] Along the brook - East Melksham to Melksham - (2012-03-10)
  [3656] TrainWest 2012 - 14th and 15th April, Melksham, Wiltshire - (2012-03-16)
  [3657] Basham Festival, Melksham, early August 2012 - a welcome - (2012-03-16)
  [3659] Welcome to Melksham - our new communities - (2012-03-18)
  [3692] Deeper than Art - An exhibition of the tattoo Canvas - Melksham - (2012-04-10)
  [3697] Events in Melksham - read all about them, and tell us about yours - (2012-04-15)
  [3703] A Museum for Melksham History. Open from 12th May 2012. - (2012-04-21)
  [3704] The Bowerhill Villager - a newsletter for Bowerhill, Melksham - (2012-04-22)
  [3712] Some unpublished and historic pictures - Museum of Melksham - (2012-04-28)
  [3720] Melksham ATC - freedom of the town - (2012-05-05)
  [3735] A walk around Melksham this morning. Can you place all of these? - (2012-05-17)
  [3744] Short Web Addresses for Melksham - (2012-05-30)
  [3771] Fine evening, country walk from Melksham - pictures - (2012-06-21)
  [3822] Town Clean - Melksham - (2012-07-29)
  [3837] Evening behind Melksham Spa - (2012-08-12)
  [3864] Guest Guide for Well House Manor and Melksham - (2012-09-18)
  [3869] How have Melksham shops changed in 60 years? - (2012-09-24)
  [3897] Autumn scenes from Melksham - (2012-10-16)
  [3944] Melksham Christmas Lights, 2012 - (2012-12-05)
  [3949] Melksham Spa from Woolmore Farm - (2012-12-09)
  [3960] Picture - between Lacock and Melksham - (2012-12-21)
  [3962] Melksham welcomes visitors - new blue plaque trail and more - (2012-12-27)
  [4084] New Pictures - Melksham Pack Horse Bridge - (2013-05-12)
  [4119] Melksham - Flower Town - (2013-06-20)
  [4141] My pictures of Melksham Carnival, 13th July 2013 - (2013-07-14)
  [4145] After the storm - (2013-07-29)
  [4151] Tell me a bit about Melksham - (2013-08-10)
  [4169] Around and about - Melksham - (2013-09-08)
  [4357] Seeing Christmas Coming to Melksham - (2014-12-20)
  [4701] Pretty at the station too - (2016-07-06)

Back to Tcl - nice and nasty

Previous and next or Horse's mouth home

Forward to Mysqldump fails as a cron job - a work around

Travelling
A chance to do the tourist thing
Learning about others private lives
Mysqldump fails as a cron job - a work around
History is not always pretty
Tcl - nice and nasty
Important - the future of Melksham / Chamber of Commerce
Grouping rows for a summary report - MySQL and PHP
Questions I have been asked on answering the phone
Ramblings on church and state linkage in Melksham