Chippenham
| Chippenham | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 51 ° 28 ′ N , 2 ° 7 ′ W | ||
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| Residents | 42,060 | ||
| administration | |||
| Post town | CHIPPENHAM | ||
| ZIP code section | SN14, SN15 | ||
| prefix | 01249 | ||
| Part of the country | England | ||
| region | South West England | ||
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire | ||
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire | ||
| British Parliament | Chippenham | ||
Chippenham is a market town in the English county of Wiltshire , about 13 miles east of Bath and 163 miles west of London . It has about 35,000 inhabitants. The city was founded at a ford of the Avon in pre-Roman times and Alfred the Great had a hunting lodge here during his reign. The city grew to its present size in 1841 when the Great Western Railway Company added it to its rail network. Today the market town has changed to that of a commuter town.
geography
Chippenham lies on a ford of the Avon, between the Marlborough Downs to the east, the Cotswolds to the north and west, and the Salisbury plain to the south. The area around the city is characterized by a barren landscape and various forest areas, such as the Bird's Marsh, Vincients Wood and Briars Wood.
Chippenham has the following suburbs: North Cepen Park, South Cepen Park, Pew Hill, Monkton Park, Pewsham, Frogwell, Hardenhuish, Rowden Hill, Derriads, Lowden, The Folly, Redlands, Queen's Crescent, Lackham, Fenway Park
history
The first settlements in the urban area took place in pre-Roman times. Remains of Romano-British buildings can still be found on the wall behind the former district court. In the course of the city renovation, further remains from this period were found.
name of the city
The actual city was founded by Saxony around the year 600 . In the Anglo-Saxon chronicles the city is called "Cippanhamme". This is said to be derived from "Cippa" owns a fenced-in property ("Hamm") on the river meadow. Another theory is that the name comes from the Anglo-Saxon "Ceap", which means "market". Over the centuries the name changed frequently: Cippanhamm (878), Cepen (1042), Cheppeham (1155), Chippenham (1227), Shippenham (1319) and Chippyngham (1541)
middle Ages
In 853 AD Ethelswitha, the sister of Alfred the Great , married the King of Mercia in Chippenham . The wedding was held at St. Andrew's Church. Alfred, who was only four years old at the time, often stayed in Chippenham and later also built a hunting lodge there. He later married himself in Chippenham.
In 878 the city was captured by the Danes after a siege , but Alfred escaped. Thereupon he defeated the Danes decisively in the Battle of Edington . They submitted to Alfred at Chippenham and the Danelag was founded. In 1042 a church is mentioned in the chronicles. In the Domesday Book , Chippenham is mentioned as "Cepen" and its population is given as 600-700.
Where the A4 now runs from London to Bristol , there was already a road in the 14th century that connected the two cities with Chippenham. At that time this was an important trade connection, especially for the cloth trade. For this reason, the cloth merchants from Bristol raised a not inconsiderable amount of money that was used to maintain the street.
In Norman times the royal estates were divided into the manors of Cheldon, Rowden and Lowden. The city itself continued to expand, up to the area of Langstret (today's Causeway) in 1245 and up to 1406 to today's New Road (then Le Newstret). Throughout the period Chippenham was a well developing market town.
Beginning in 1295, Chippenham was also represented by a seat in parliament and in 1554 gave Queen Mary I , the town charter .
The age of some buildings could be determined by dendrochronology . The Yelde Hall was built after 1458. The Shambles and Buttercross was built after 1570. The Shambles were destroyed in a fire in 1856, and Yelde Hall was saved in this fire.
The Chippenham area also includes the site where the village of Sheldon stood in the Middle Ages. It was depopulated by the plague ; only Sheldon Manor, Wiltshire's oldest inhabited manor (dating from 1282) remains there today.
Modern times
The wool industry disappeared in the 17th century and the plague ravaged the town in 1611 and 1636. The economic difficulties of the wool industry and maize crops in 1622 and 1623 led to a decline in the population. The cloth trade also ran into problems when a royal directive banned the cloth trade with Parliament in London during the English Civil War .
In 1747, a bribery and corruption scandal involving the two Chippenhams MPs led to the overthrow of Sir Robert Walpole's government.
In 1798 a branch was built from the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal to Chippenham. This created a pier in the city that was roughly on the site of what is now the bus station on Timber Street. Mainly coal was handled there.
The railroad reached Chippenham in 1841, which led to the establishment of other branches of business in the city. As a result, new houses had to be built, which Chippenham expanded to an area north of the railway line. This building boom brought construction companies to settle in the city.
The railways also changed agriculture more and more to industrial processes. In the mid-19th century, Chippenham was an important center for the production of dairy products and ham. This later led to the fact that the companies Nestlé and Mattheson’s set up factories in the city center. Railway works were also built in Chippenham. The first was the Rowland Brothers plant in 1842, which was later bought by others until Westinghouse Brake and Signals Co Ltd bought the plant in 1935. To this day, Westinghouse is a major employer in the city.
On June 14, 1937 seven kilometers of road was north, west Cirencester and just east of the village of Hullavington a military airfield of the Royal Air Force opened. RAF Hullavington existed until the early 21st century when the British Army took over the facility as Buckley Barracks . Operations at the airfield, which has been known as Hullavington Airfield since then , ceased on September 1, 2016. In September 2016, the British Ministry of Defense announced that it would give up the site.
On April 17, 1960 there was a car accident on Rowden Hill in Chippenham in which the famous singers Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran were involved. Cochran was killed in this accident. A memorial stone at the scene of the accident reminds of this and an Eddie Cochran Festival is held in the city every year.
On February 13, 1998, there was a major evacuation operation in the city. After two German dud bombs from the Second World War were found in a field behind Hardens Mead, around 1,100 residents had to leave their homes for two days until the army had detonated the bombs in a controlled manner.
Population development
Chippenham's population rose between the 1991 censuses (25,376 residents) to 28,065 in 2001, an 11% increase. This is mainly attributed to the designation of new building areas for single-family houses, some of which are completely new parts of the city. An example of this is the area of Cepen Park in the west of the city and the Pewsham building area in the east (not to be confused with the neighboring town of Pewsham). In 2007 the population was around 35,000 making Chippenham the third largest city in Wiltshire .
politics
Chippenham is currently part of the North Wiltshire general electoral district. Starting with the 2009 electoral term, a separate district was formed for Chippenham. The current MP for the city is the conservative James Gray. The most famous MP for Chippenham in 1812 was Sir Robert Peel .
The majority in the city council is currently held by the Liberal Democratic Party.
The North Wiltshire District Council is administered in the city.
Mayor:
- Maureen Lloyd is the city's mayor.
The mayor is elected annually by the city council. The election takes place in May d in a ceremony called "Mayor making". The mayor's job is to present the city to the outside world and to advertise it. Right at the beginning of their term of office, the incumbents announce the charitable organization for which they want to raise funds in the next year. Furthermore, the incumbent assumes the chairmanship of the city council and various local associations, such as B. the Twinnig Association or the sea cadets.
Town twinning
- Friedberg in Bavaria , Germany , since 1992
- La Flèche in the Sarthe department , France , since 1982
Attractions
- Buttercross: The original Buttercross stone building was built around 1570 and stood where the Barclay Bank is today. It was the center of the Shambles. Meat and dairy products were sold there.
In 1889 EC Lowndes bought the Buttercross building for 6 pounds sterling and had it demolished. He then had it rebuilt as a garden pavilion in the kitchen garden of the Castle Combe manor house, where it then fell into disrepair.
A replica of the Buttercross building was erected in its current location in 1995 by the Chippenham Civic Society . Previously, many local companies and organizations had donated money for the reconstruction. The building is now in the center of the pedestrian zone, where the market is held on Fridays and Saturdays.
- City Museum: the City Museum, which was housed in Yelde Hall until 1999 and has now moved to the old district court, shows exhibits from the city's history, from the Stone Age to the present day. By 2005, 90,000 people had visited the museum.
- Yelde Hall: The hall is one of the few remaining medieval half-timbered buildings in the city. It was originally used as a market hall, and the meeting room on the first floor was used as a meeting room or for church charity events. The court and the council met there. The room below served as a dungeon.
After the council meetings were held in the town hall from 1841, the Yelde Hall served a wide variety of organizations. These were them
- Chippenham Savings Bank
- Chippenham Volunteer Rifle Corps (stationed at Chippenham from 1846 to 1911)
- Chippenham Fire Department (from 1910 to 1945 when the Dallas Road Fire Station was built). This led to serious changes to the building, as space had to be created for the vehicles. Furthermore, two large gates had to be installed.
- Chippenham Museum The renovation work began in 1950. The opening did not take place until October 25, 1963. Over time, the space for a museum became too small and it closed in 1999.
- The building is currently the headquarters of the Tourist Information Center. It is the largest tourist information center in North Wiltshire.
Regular events
- Chippenham Folk Festival: The Chippenham Folk Festival takes place between May 26th and 30th each year. Although the character of the festival in Lacock has changed over the years, the village-like atmosphere is still there. For three and a half days there will be singing, dancing and workshops. Over 200 events take place in the village and it feels like a huge party.
The main event, called "ceilidh", takes place in the park by the river, while the smaller events take place in pubs and venues across the village.
In addition, there is a children's program, a large craft tent, gastronomy and performances in an open-air arena in the park. The High Street and historic Market Square will be closed to traffic. There street musicians and street theater groups perform and pageants take place. There is a big street fair on Mondays. The entire program is broadcast on Chippenham Hospital Radio.
- Eddie Cochran Festival: Because of Eddie Cochran's fatal car accident on April 17, 1960 in Chippenham, an annual festival is held in honor of the singer.
- Chippenham Cantata: Chippenham Cantata, the church choir of St. Andrew's, hosts concerts in town three times a year
- CAMRA Beer Festival: A popular event is the annual CAMRA Beer Festival
Sports
There is a wide variety of sports and leisure opportunities in Chippenham.
- There are several swimming pools and fitness facilities in the Olympiad Center.
- Chippenham Sports Club on Bristol Road offers cricket, bowling, tennis and hockey.
- In the western suburbs is the Chippenham Rugby Club.
- The city is also crossed by the Severn and Thames cycle route on the National Cycle Network.
leisure
- There is only one small cinema in Chippenham. However, there are plans for a multiplex cinema center as there are no cinemas in the surrounding towns of Trowbridge, Calne, Melksham, Corsham and Malmesbury, and so far you had to drive to Bath or Swindon to go to the cinema.
- The nightlife in Chippenham takes place mainly in the "New Inn", "The Rose and Crown" and "Buds 2000", with most of those interested going to Bath, 20 km away.
Economy and Infrastructure
The city has grown from the original market town to a commuter town , with workers traveling daily to Bath, Bristol, Swindon and London.
In the area, however, there are also employers with high numbers of employees, such as Westinghouse Rail Systems, which was now operated by Invensys. In 2013, Invensys was taken over by Siemens. The factory complex is adjacent to the train station. The company manufactures signal systems for railways. The city is surrounded by a number of industrial areas, the largest of which is Bumpers Farm. In 2005, Europe's second largest logistics company, Wincanton PLC, relocated its head office to the newly established Methuen Park business park and employs 350 people.
Media:
- There are two local weekly newspapers in the city, the Gazette and Herald and the Wiltshire Times.
- There are three local radio stations, Wiltshire GWR FM, BBC Radio Wiltshire and Chippenham Hospital Radio.
Shop:
- The main shopping area of Chippenhams is the area around the High Street and the market square.
- There are two shopping centers on either side of the High Street, the Emery Gate Shopping Center and the Borough Parade Shopping Center.
- While you can mainly find stores of the large chain stores in the two shopping centers, you can find small independent stores in The Causeway, New Road, Station Hill and Upper Market Place.
- Just outside of town is the Hathaway Retail Park with slightly larger shops.
- Markets: Markets are held on the Market Place on Friday and Saturday. Every fortnight there is also an agricultural market where you can buy fresh, locally grown produce.
traffic
The city is 7 km south of the M4 motorway and connects it to Swindon , South Wales and London. The A4, which runs parallel to the motorway, offers an alternative route from London via Bath to Bristol . The A420 and B4069 link the city with Bristol and Oxford.
Chippenham station is on the main line from London-Paddington to the west of England and is known for its railway viaducts and other buildings by Isambard Kingdom Brunel , who built the railway line.
Bus routes run from Chippenham to Bath, Calne , Devizes , Trowbridge and Swindon.
The bypass road (A4) leads south around the city. It is planned to connect the A4 at Pewsham and the A350 north of Cepen Park in order to counteract the increasing traffic jams in the city and to shorten the connection to the M4 motorway by 5 km.
The A350 passes west of the city and connects the M4 to the city and surrounding towns such as Melksham and Trowbridge . Here, too, the traffic is constantly increasing, so it is considered to expand the road to four lanes. Another plan is to build a southern bypass to connect the roundabout at Pewsham on the A4 with the A350 at Lackham so that all through traffic from the east does not have to go through the center.
The National Coach Service intercity buses connect Chippenham with London, Wales, the South West, the Midlands and East Anglia.
tourism
There are many stone-built villages around the town such as Lacock, Biddestone, Bremhill and Castle Combe. A number of castles such as Longleat, Bowood House, Lacock Abbey, Sheldon Manor and Corsham Court are within easy reach of Chippenham.
education
There are 10 primary schools in the city:
- Charter - Woodlane, Frogwell, Ivy Lane, King's Lodge, St Mary's RC, Monkton Park, St Paul's, St Peter's CofE, Redland, Queen's Crescent
The oldest school is Ivy Lane. Westmead Junior School was the oldest school in town until it closed in 1989. In his 1661 will, Richard Scott had ordered that his house on Cooke's Street should be used as a school. In addition, in 1664 William Woodruffe donated 5 English pounds a year so that ten poor boys could go to school.
There are three secondary schools:
- Abbeyfield, Hardenhuish, Sheldon
Chippenham Technical College is now part of the Wiltshire College Initiative.
Religion and churches
In the 2001 census, there were 76% Christians, 16% non-religious and 7% unreported in Chippenham and the surrounding area.
Anglican:
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St. Andrew’s
The church was built on the foundations of a Saxon church. Much of the church was built in the Norman style, with the altar vault being completed in 1120. A variety of architectural styles can be recognized on the church. The steeple was completed in 1633, but the eight bells were not added until 1734, the backlit clock and the carillon in 1858. The church book dates back to 1578. The interior of the church was completely renovated in the years 1875–1878 and then again in 1990. -
Saint Nicolas
The church was built in 1779 and replaced an older medieval church in the same place. The church was designed by John Wood the Elder of Bath. The church book goes back to 1730. -
Saint Paul's
St. Paul's was built by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1845/1855 and consecrated on April 18, 1855. The church book goes back to then. -
Saint Peter's
The original construction began in 1885 and was completed on November 19, 1996. The current church, however, dates from 1968. The church is modern in design and has a copper roof and a fiberglass steeple.
Catholic:
- The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Saint Mary's
Other denominations:
There are many more denominations in Chippenham:
- Bethel Pentecostal Church, Central Methodist, Chippenham Christian Fellowship, Dayspring Church for North Wiltshire, Elim Pentecostal Church, Emmanuel Evangelical Church Chippenham, Ladyfield Evangelical Church, New Testament Church of God, Oasis Church, The Old Baptist Chapel, Religious Society of Friends, Salvation Army , Sheldon Road Methodist, Station Hill Baptist, United Reformed
Personalities
- Alfred the Great (848 or 849–899), King of Wessex
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859), engineer, joined Chippenham on the Great Western Railway
- Robert Peel (1788-1850), Prime Minister and police reformer, was briefly a member of parliament for the city
- Will Hodgson, comedian, winner of the 2004 best young artist
- Jeremy Corbyn (* 1949), Labor politician, party leader since 2015
- Danny Kent (* 1993), motorcycle racer
Web links
- Chippenham Town Council , official website (English)
- City tour
- Chippenham Hospital Radio
- Chippenhams churches
- Eddie Cochrane Festival
- Chippenham Folk Festival
- Wiltshire's city stories