Trowbridge
| Trowbridge | |||
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| Coordinates | 51 ° 19 ′ N , 2 ° 13 ′ W | ||
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| Residents | 33,108 (as of 2011) | ||
| Population density | ? Ew./km² | ||
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| Post town | Trowbridge | ||
| ZIP code section | BA | ||
| prefix | 01225 | ||
| Part of the country | England | ||
| Website: Town Council www.trowbridge.gov.uk/ Town Council | |||
Trowbridge [ ˈtroʊbrɪdʒ ] is an English city in the county of Wiltshire . The Kennet and Avon Canal flows north of Trowbridge and played a not inconsiderable role in the development of the city. It was used to bring coal from the Somerset coal fields.
The origin of the name is not exactly known. On the one hand it is assumed that the name is derived from "Tree bridge" and indicates the first bridge over the Biss, on the other hand it is assumed that it comes from the bridge at Trowle. Trowle is a small town west of the city.
geography
Trowbridge is located at the Bite about 19 km southeast of Bath .
The Kennet and Avon Canal flows north of the city . A few kilometers to the east is a small military airfield, Keevil Airfield .
Neighboring towns are: Bradford on Avon , Westbury , Melksham , Devizes , Hilperton , Southwick and Semington .
history
There is evidence that the Trowbridge area has been inhabited for 3,000 years. The first records of Trowbridge can only be found in the 10th century, when the city is listed under the name Straburg in the Domesday Book . At that time the city had 100 inhabitants.
Trowbridge Castle is first mentioned in 1139. Since this is referred to as a siege, the castle must have been built earlier.
It is a so-called motte castle and this can still be seen in the cityscape today. "Fore Street" follows the moat and "Castle Street" and the "Castle Place Shopping Center" indicate the location of the castle. The castle stood where the Trowbridge Museum is today.
From the 13th century Trowbridge was a center of the clothing industry, which developed rapidly from the 17th century through the use of machines. Since this made many workers superfluous, there were unrest in the years 1785, 1792 and in the age of the machinist when the mechanical loom was introduced. In 1820 Trowbridge was referred to as the "Manchester of the West". At that time there were 15 factories in the city and its size was comparable to the industrial cities of the north, such as Rochdale .
The decline of the wool industry began in the late 19th century and continued throughout the 20th century. The last wool manufacture closed its doors in 1982. The Trowbridge Museum is now located in the premises of this factory.
With the withdrawal of the wool industry, bed factories were set up which processed the wool waste. The "Airsprung Furniture Group PLC", which still exists today, was founded in 1870 in the city.
Another branch of industry emerged when Abraham Bowyer and his company "Pork Farms Bowyers" became one of the largest employers in the city. In 2008 the company relocated to Nottingham.
From 1824 to 2000 the Usher Brewery was based in Trowbridge.
Attractions
- There are many architecturally interesting buildings in the city, particularly the old textile industry buildings and the listed Victorian houses in the Newton neighborhood.
- The Town Hall in Market Street , opposite the pedestrian zone, is an imposing building. It was donated to the city in 1889 by local entrepreneur Sir William Roger Brown on the occasion of Queen Victoria's 50th anniversary to the throne.
- The city hall is located at the city park, where the tourist information can also be found.
freetime and sports
- The main shopping street is the well-stocked Fore Street with the pedestrian zone, as well as the two shopping centers "Shire center" and "Castle Place".
- The city has a variety of pubs and two leisure centers, and there are many musical events.
- The Wiltshire Times is the most widely read newspaper in town, along with several other newspapers.
- Trowbridge hosts part of the traditional West Country Carnival and the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival. This folk festival was formerly held in the converted stables of the Lamb Inn on Mortimer Street, but is now held at Stowford Manor Farm between Wingfield and Farleigh Hungerford.
- The local football club is Trowbridge Town FC in North Bradley. You play in Division One West.
politics
Residents
The city had 28,148 inhabitants at the 2001 census.
Trowbridge has the highest number of Moroccan residents in the UK outside of London.
Urban development
Since 2002 there have been plans to redesign the city. In the early 1990s, the Tesco supermarket chain relocated from St. Stephen's Place to the busy A361. The old site was demolished and a mountain of rubble was left there, popularly known as "Mount Crushmore". This location is now being rebuilt. A survey of the population showed that a leisure center should be built there, which should again contain a cinema. The first plans for this were presented in March 2008. At the same time, plans were also approved to build a Waitrose supermarket on the corner of Cradle Way and County Way, where the ruins of a plumbing factory currently stand.
The site of the former Usher brewery has also been under construction for years. Apartments and a supermarket are to be built there.
Town twinning
Personalities
Sons and daughters:
- Sir Isaac Pitman (1813–1897), inventor of his own shorthand. There are several memorial plaques in town and a pub is also named after him
- Bradley James , British actor
- Matthew Hutton , who later became Archbishop of York and Canterbury , was the city pastor from 1726 to 1730
- George Crabb , poet, was also the parish priest from 1814 until his death in 1832
- John Dyer , English engineer and inventor, whose most famous invention was the rotary fulling machine in 1833. This machine, which was developed for the local wool industry, is still in use today.
- Alan Bullock (1914-2004), British historian
- Sir William Cook (1905–1987), nuclear researcher, Order of Bath and member of the Royal Society; was in a leading position in the development of the English atomic bomb at Aldermaston in the 1950s
- Trevor Heeks, once world crier champion, also lives in Trowbridge
- Stephen Lee (* 1974), British snooker player , started his career at the Trowbridge Snooker Club
- Daniel Talbot (* 1991), sprinter