Bradford-on-Avon
Sasha's Walking Tour - April 1999 (page 1)

Bradford-on-Avon is situated about 9 miles SE of Bath, click here to see a map. The town's name comes from 'broad ford' before the bridge was built over the river Avon. The population is about 12,000 (I think) and was the weaving (textiles) capitol of the country until the advent of powered machines in the industrial revolution. The architecture is quite interesting and the mix of weavers cottages (small old cottages circa 15th-16th century) and clothiers houses (big Georgian houses) that gives the town a unique feel.

Bradford is home to quite a few pubs. I am not sure how many there are now, but there were I think close to 50 at the turn of the century. This list only includes pubs right in the town and not outlying areas.
  • The Dandy lion
  • The Bunch of Grapes
  • The Beehive
  • The Swan
  • The Bear
  • The Canal Tavern
  • The Rising Sun
  • The Castle
  • The George
  • The Bear
  • The Kings Arms
  • The Barge
  • The Riverside
  • The Masons Arms
  • The Three Horseshoes
    • The worst thing about town is that there is too much traffic because the main traffic route runs through the center of town.

    Below are photos I took on my most recent visit home in April 99. My Dad and step-mother just moved into the center of town from Winsley which is about 3 miles away. I love the fact that I can now walk to the pub from their new house!


    The Preachers House
    This is the house that my Dad just bought.  It is up an alley behind Market Street.  This front wall of the house seems to date from c.1750 but we think that the rest of the house may be much older. (putting Georgian fronts on older houses seemed to be trendy in those days)
    The living room spans the whole bottom floor as seen in the photo on the left.  The kitchen is off to the right but can't be seen in either of these photos.  It is a nice cozy room with a low ceiling (I especially like the wooden beams).


    The Annex

    This building also belongs to the Preachers House. Dad keeps his grand piano in here, there is a spare bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Dad also does all his pottery in here.
    The front door is hidden up an alleyway from the main road.  It means the house is nice and secluded, away from the traffic, but there is no where to park a car.
    This is the alley leading up to the front door.  The funny looking tower is part of the catholic church that is on the other side of the road, just opposite the Swan Hotel (below).

    Market Street
    The big white door on the left leads to the alley up to the house. This building dates from the 1400's and the back of its roof can be seen from the alley (above right)

    The Swan Hotel
    They do moderately decent pub food, but I don't know many people who go there. There is another pub downstairs at the back which is more popular with the younger folk.

    Silver Street
    The brick building (one of the only ones in town) is the chemists and I think has been for ever.  To get your bearings you can just see the catholic church tower in the center of the frame.
    The Bunch of Grapes
    ('the grapes')
    Now, this is the place to go.  My friends and I have been going here faithfully since we were about 16 or 17. It is always packed.  The beer of choice here is Smiles (a local brew).
    The pub is the white building on the right at the end of the road.

    The Town Bridge
    This is the classic view that is on all the postcards.  The river is the Avon.  The bridge was first built in the 13th centruy and then widened during the 1700's.
    The Lockup
    The lockup was built some time after the bridge was widened in the 18th century.  It is difficult to see in this photo but the weather vane is a Gudgeon (fish) rather than the typical cockeral. Hence the name of our town community play in 1990 - 'Under the fish and over the water'.

    Other Bradford-on-Avon links



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