Wootton Bassett
Wootton Bassett
Wootton Bassett is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, about 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of central Swindon.
Business & Employment
With its thriving High Street and market every Wednesday, Wooton Bassett offers an excellent mix of shops including big brands such as Boots and Peacocks and a healthy range of more specialist independents. And because of its excellent links to the M4, the town is also the home to a variety of business services and larger employers.
Community
The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded its population as 11,043, indicating that the town has tripled in population total during the previous 50 years.
The town is known for the informal public mourning held as hearses carrying the bodies of soldiers killed in Afghanistan pass through the town from RAF Lyneham. As a further example of the national symbolism of Wootton Bassett, there was a mass parade of bikers in March 2010, with associated charity fundraising is reported to have reached £100,000. Motorcyclists from The Royal British Legion Riders Branch, many of whom are former service personnel, attend every repatriation held in the town.
Local Tourism & Shopping
Wootton Bassett’s best known landmark the Town Hall was built at the end of the 17th Century, it owes its existence to the political ambitions of the Hyde family (the Earls of Clarendon) who presented the building to the town, and also had the market charter renewed.
The upper floor of the hall was a council chamber built on 15 pillars, while below there is a store room for market goods and also a Blind House or lock-up, in which drunks were detained overnight. The building was extensively restored in 1889 when the Blind House disappeared. It now houses a museum of town life which currently opens on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Wootton Bassett’s Jubilee Lake is to be found a short distance out of town on the Malmesbury Road, a wooded trail leads off a small car park and takes you through a steeply-wooded area to the lake, a popular spot for walkers, dog owners and anglers.
The lake was formed at about the time of the first world war when the Thunder Brook was dammed. The area is rich in bird life and contains wetland habitats, ancient woodlands and grass areas and is a designated Nature Reserve.
Wilts & Berks Canal – On the 30th January 1793 the Earl of Peterborough chaired a meeting in Wootton Bassett Town Hall which eventually led to the building of the Wilts & Berks Canal. The canal was officially opened on the 14th September 1810, linking the Kennet & Avon Canal at Semington to the River Thames at Abingdon. Nine years later a branch was constructed joining Swindon to Latton on the Thames & Severn Canal. By 1900 boat movements had almost totally ceased and in 1914 the canal was officially abandoned.
In 1977 a group was formed called the Wilts and Berks Canal Amenity Group (W&BCAG) whose aim is to totally restore the canal using as much of the original route as possible. In recent years, to publicise the restoration and as a mark of the progress made, boat rallies have been held in a rewatered section at Templars Firs./p>
St Bartholomew and All Saints church underwent great renovations and is now 15th century except for a 14th century window with modern glass. On Monday nights the sound of the bells ring out in Wootton Bassett High Street, the earliest bells date back to the four that were cast in 1633, it was only much later, between 1669 and 1871, that the church tower was built. The tenor bell, one of the original four, which weighs almost a ton and bears the inscription “Come when I call to serve God all”. The restoration was commemorated in 1662 with the addition of another bell. The final three, bringing the total to the current eight, were added in 1889.
At Christmas time, the High Street is especially popular because of its great range of quality gift shops, jewellers and other specialist retailers. Deacon & Son, Swindon's oldest and most established Jeweller and Watchmaker, also have had a shop in the Town for nearly 30 years and have recently moved 'across the street' to even larger premises.
The High Street also boasts a number of smaller shopping areas just off the main thoroughfare. In 'Boroughfields' for instance you will find a number of specialist shops for things like travel, books and crafts as well as well-known names such as Peacocks and Budgens. The tourist information centre and library is also located here, plus the Delicias coffee shop and wine bar - the ideal place to grab a drink and a bite to eat, day or night.>
Explore the Town some more and you'll find other outlets just off the beaten track. Across the road is Potter's Walk, a tiny off-shoot boasting a superb delicatessen, Delicias, (the sister shop of the cafe and wine bar), a florist and picture framing experts Framing and Stamping.
Prime examples of the type of shops you'll discover elsewhere include a wonderful emporium of flowers and gifts at The Guelder Rose; a music connoisseur's heaven at Brian Tayor Music; an electrical aladdin's cave at Bassett Electrical Services in the Arcade; and an unbeatable range of high quality bridal and dress fabric at Cloth of Gold.
For those needing to do their weekly grocery shop while in town, Wootton Bassett is also ideally served by their main supermarket, Somerfield's, perfectly located at the bottom end of the High Street, just opposite the Town Hall.
Transport Links & Car Parking
The town is close to Junction 16 of the M4 allowing easy access to other towns and cities of the M4 corridor as well as London, located around 82 miles (132 km) east of the town. Since the construction of the M4 the town has become attractive to commuters, many travelling to the towns and cities of Swindon, Chippenham, Bath and Bristol. The town also has a significant RAF population due to its proximity to RAF Lyneham, with the base situated 4 miles (7 km) to the south.
