Melksham & District Historical Association

It is always pleasing to see such a good attendance at our meetings on these dark winter evenings, report Melksham & District Historical Association.  

“The talk at the February meeting was well worth the effort.  The title might have had a very long title:- Milling, Rag & Paper production & Brewing in the By Brook Valley, but was a fascinating subject and excellently illustrated and narrated by Mike Stone.

“One could be excused from not really knowing where the By Brook Valley is but roughly it runs between the A420 and A4. Obviously the mills needed water power from the By Brook which flows south from Castle Coombe, through Slaughterford and then runs parallel to the A4 to flow into the River Avon at Bathford.

“Hard to imagine that this beautiful rural area was once a hive of industry, with the number of mills, (woollen, rag & paper and maltings) running into the teens at one time. Working conditions were grim and poverty was rife – no different from the industrial towns in the north.  We all learned a lot that evening.

“Our next meeting will be bringing us more up to date with retired policeman, Keith Hickets, telling of his experiences in the local Police Force.  He calls his talk A Policeman’s Lot …

The meeting is on Thursday 19th March in Melksham Assembly Hall at 7.30pm. Visitors are always welcome (£3).