Tim Havenith's Blog, page 8
November 10, 2022
Calne Curiosities: The 'Two Pigs' Purloined
A grievous incident occurred in the early hours of 2 October 2017. This act so shocked the town of Calne that a nationwide media campaign was immediately undertaken.
For many places, the theft of a sculpture may not have caused much of a fuss. However, Calne, even while it is a growing town, is still a close-knit community .
The sculpture, known as 'Two Pigs' has been around for many decades, so what was the end goal with this theft?
Let us begin with a brief history of Calne's earliest, and perhaps most beloved, piece of public art.
The origin of this tale begins with local artist, Richard Cowdy and his purchase of the old Guthrie school in 1973. After developing a foundry at the site, Cowdy became known as a sculptor of farm animals.
Outside of The White Horse pub, now Coral bookmakers at Phelps Parade, a planter had been constructed. Each time a tree had been planted, it had been destroyed by the rowdy clientele, with the planter filled with broken glass and rubbish. In 1978, Cowdy was approached by Dr Arnold Hare, chairman of Calne Civic Society with a proposal for a sculpture to replace the tree and resolve the litter issue.
In 1978, Cowdy was approached by Dr Arnold Hare, chairman of Calne Civic Society with a proposal for a sculpture outside of
Cowdy cast a small version two pigs in bronze as a visual cue for the proposal.
While residents, both adults and children alike, enjoy the sculpture - a permanent reminder of Calne's long association with the Harris bacon company, in its many forms - this wasn't always the case.
The sculpture required consent the of Calne Town Council before it could be installed. One particular councillor was strongly against the sculpture, fearing that young children would be attracted to it and run over by vehicles. It's safe to say that as a town we are fortunate that this councillor was unable to make the final meeting. She had the flu and the sculpture was voted through by just one vote!
The final design, known as 'Two Pigs', installed in July 1979 and unveiled by Lady Lansdowne, resolved the litter problem and is a vandal-proof sculpture. Or so we all thought...
2 minutes and 45 seconds. This is the time it took on that fateful night in 2017 for the sculpture to be wrenched off the plinth that they'd adorned for 38 years.
The town awoke to the news on the 2 October 2017 that the sculpture had been stolen. It was impossible to avoid the news, it was, thankfully, everywhere.
Due to such good news coverage, the owner of Ronson Reclaim, a reclamation yard in Gloucestershire, called the police to report that he had purchased the pigs before realising the sculpture was the one stolen from Calne.
On the 6 October, the two pigs were picked up by Calne Town Council. Work on the plinth commenced soon after by Calne Council Ground Staff who upgraded the method of fixing the statue to the plinth. The base of the statue was repaired by Andy Blackford of Blackford Engineering free of charge.
The afternoon of 10 November saw the Calne Pig sculpture was back in place. Marketed as the 'Pig Unveiling', the sculpture was unveiled by Tony Trotman, Mayor of Calne, at 4pm, with Richard Cowdy in attendance. The unveiling was completed with masses of applause and the pigs were climbed upon my multitudes of children, as they had been innumerable times in the past. This presentation also featured a specially written piece of music performed by Calne Folk and Acoustic Group after the speech by the Mayor.
It would seem that the lads involved through that the sculpture was solid bronze. Such a sculpture would have been worth a pretty penny. However, the sculpture is hollow.
What of the lads that were involved? PSCO Mark Cook, of the Calne Community Policing Team was involved in the case and won the Assistant Chief Constable’s Certificate of Recognition for his initial investigative work into the theft. PSCO Cook provided an update of the police outcomes in this case.
While four males were believed to be involved in the theft, two were let off without further police action after questioning as there was not enough evidence to confirm involvement.
The other two, from the Swindon area, attended court. One received a fine of £433, the other £283 (and ordered further compensation of £67), both included court costs and compensation.
The theft of the pigs not only reignited the passion for this and other sculptures in town, but seems to have reignited a passion for public art in the town. Many ceramics and murals have been designed and installed in the years following this petty criminal act.
Many thanks to PSCO Mark Cook for providing the update on police outcomes. Thanks go to the whole Calne Community Policing Team for the excellent work they do for the town.
October 31, 2022
Place Names of Calne: Woodhill Avenue and Woodhill Rise
Woodhill AvenueWoodhill AvenueThis is part of the post-war development, which started at Abberd Way. The housing here was built c. 1950s as a mix of 3 bed semi-detached and terrace housing with wide areas of grass on each side of the road.
Woodhill RiseWoodhill Rise
This street existed at the same time as Woodhill Avenue, but seems to have been a continuation of Penn Hill Road leading to the upadopted part of Oxford Road. By the time of the Calne Official Guide of 1967, it is known as Woodhill Rise. The majority of the housing on this stretch seem to have been constructed in the 1970s.
References:
[1] Cavill, P., 2018. A New Dictionary of English Field-Names. 1st ed. Great Britain: English Place-Name Society.
Calne Community AED Map
Check out this AED map for the Calne Community Area:
For more info, click here.
October 18, 2022
Route 006 Updated - Around Witch Plantation (Cherhill Down)
This route, which begins at Cook's Plantation off the A4 between Beckhampton and Cherhill, follows a 5.7 mile route with many inclines and declines around to Witch Plantation. The route begins on the Old Bath road before following Right of Way (RoW) paths around Cherhill Downs, back along the Roman Road to the A361. At this point, we'll take the safer route in the field owned by Beckhampton Stables (See important information) before re-joining the RoW paths back to Cook's Plantation.
Important Information
This route has many inclines and declines starting at around 168ft going up to 240ft, a cycle that repeats many times during the walk.
The steep parts of the walk can get very slippery and muddy, please take your time, stay safe, and wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
With this in mind, this walk is not accessible for wheelchairs, pushchairs, etc. It is good for walkers, runners, and mountain bikes.
Restricted Times: To keep the walk off the A361, Beckhampton Stables allow foot-only access on their land. They use this land to train horses between 07:00 and 12:30 Monday to Saturday. Sometimes this does include Sundays. If you would like more information, the telephone number for Beckhampton Stables is 01672 539533. Please help out by collecting some of the litter that has been dropped or thrown from cars while you walk this stretch of land.
1) There is parking available at Cook's Plantation, which provides direct access to the Cherhill Downs.It is said that c. 1859, the Mail Coach travelling past Cook's Plantation was robbed of its mail bags. The robber took the contents of the bags and soon came across a drunken man lying in a ditch. He left the empty bags beside the sleeping man. Mistaken for the robber, this poor man is said to have been hanged for stealing the bags.
2) Follow the route up to the Cherhill Downs, joining the Old Bath Road.
3) As you reach the trackway that is the Old Bath Road, you'll get your first view of the Cherhill Downs and of Witch Plantation. Turn right and join the trackway.
4) Within the trackway, there is loose hedging. After around 300 metres, the track will curve to the left and lead you to a small metal gate attached to wooden fencing. Go through the gate and continue onward.
5) At this point the track straightens up and it's an enjoyable walk with views of the downs, and Witch Plantation, for around 1km. As you come to the end of this stretch of the route, you'll see a tumulus. This type is known as a bowl barrow. There are no records of any excavation, however two Beaker sherds were found in a rabbit scrape in 1949.
This is by no means the only tumulus along this route. Keep your eye out for others.
6) Soon after the tumulus, the track will meet a main track that is still used by vehicles. Turn left to join this new track. You will continue past the barn to where the track slightly splits, with a wide metal gate to the right. Ignore this gate and follow the main track.
7) In return for all the expended effort in this upcoming section, the countryside offers many miles of fantastic views. Climb the stile to join the land entrusted to the National Trust following the fence when it turns to the left.
8) Here is one such beautiful view. Follow the fence all the way to Witch Plantation. Having such a well-defined track means that you're free to be mindful of your own thoughts and enjoy the views that become available.
9) Before too long, you'll reach Witch Plantation. This is a beech woodland, as many are on the chalk of Wiltshire. A place name study makes it seem likely that this was originally a plantation of Wych Elm.
Unfortunately, Dutch elm disease devastated the vast majority of Elm trees in this country. This plantation can be clearly seen on the 1886 OS map, however it's likely that this plantation could be much older than the 1880s.
Take your time to explore this small plantation. Depending on the time of year, you'll be covered by a bright green canopy, or be able to spot fungi on the woodland floor or as bracket fungi on the trees, or be able to look up to the sky and see the beautiful bare branches and their fractal display.
10) Progressing through Witch Plantation, follow the track to the right before taking another right, where the views will massively open up for you. Not only will you have views towards Morgan's Hill to the west, but to the east is Silbury Hill.
Take the wooden gate to leave the National Trust boundary of Cherhill Down. The track becomes a bit rough as you reach a Right of Way junction. Follow the dog leg until the junction, then turn left.
After you pass the brow of the hill, you will then have Silbury Hill as your companion as you head towards it on this old Roman road for the next mile. This Roman road once connected Verlucio, close to Wans House, at modern day Sandy Lane, to Mildenhall, which is east of Marlborough.
11) When you reach the A361 you need to do two things: 1) Be very careful at this busy road. 2) Turn left.If you're on foot, as soon as possible climb the fence to continue in the field. Please remember that Beckhampton Stables use this land to train horses between 07:00 and 12:30 Monday to Saturday. Sometimes this does include Sundays. If you would like more information, the telephone number for Beckhampton Stables is 01672 539533.
While you're enjoying the comparative safety of the field, please help out by collecting some of the litter that has been dropped or thrown from cars while you walk this stretch of land.
12) When you come to the eastern edge of the field, continue within the field, turning left. At the A4, turn left again heading uphill.
Soon you will reach the car park for The Gallops, which is the name for the fields here, due to the horse training.
The car park actually marks the location where the Bath road branched from the Bristol road. The Bath road marked as a secondary road. However, it was this road which the early coaches decided follow and which later became known as the old Bath road.
When Bath became known as 'the most fashionable town in England' in the early 1800s, the road became very well used. It was one of the first roads in Wiltshire to brought under the control of turnpike trustees.
13) Keep to the field as you follow the path past the car park. Enter and pass through a lovely beech plantation at Knoll Down.
Interestingly, this part of the route was not only the Old Bath road, but these days, is part of the Wessex Ridgeway, which is a 138-mile trail running from Marlborough to Lyme Regis in Dorset.There are some good stumps here, so if you'd like, take a minute to enjoy the surroundings, knowing that you're close to the finish line.
As you reach the western end of this plantation, the path will steer you upwards and left. Follow the path turning right as you reach the top.
Leaving the woodland now is ideal, as you will now be able to enjoy the expansive views once more. Keep an eye out for the red kites and buzzards that are common in this area.
15) You will soon arrive back that the junction that brought you onto the Old Bath road near the beginning of this route.Take a right and head down, back towards Cook's Plantation.
16) It's not often that the last stretch back to the carpark is just as scenic as the rest of the journey. The views heading towards Cook's Plantation lead to Yatesbury and Windmill Hill.
Thank you for using this route!
Words and Photographs: Tim Havenith
Map from the lovely folks at OpenStreetMap. © OpenStreetMap contributors
October 4, 2022
Calne Place Names - The perfect gift this Christmas
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Place Names of Calne: Eadred's Hyde and Edred's Court
"IN nomine Domini. This is King Eadred's will. In the first place, he presents to the foundation wherein he desires that his body shall rest, two golden crosses and two swords with hilts of gold, and four hundred pounds. Item, he gives to Old Minster at Winchester three estates, namely Downton, Damerham and Calne."[1].
This Saxon king lived between 923 and 23 November 955 and was the grandson of Alfred the Great. He was the King of the English from 946 until his death and is buried at Old Minster, Winchester, which would provide a reason for Edred to be so generous to the Old Minster in his will. Edred died a bachelor, and was succeeded by Eadwig, the son of his elder brother, King Edmund I.
Both Eadred's Hyde and Edred's Court celebrate this King of England and his bringing Calne into the written world.
Edred's CourtEdred's CourtBuilt in the early 2000s (c.2003) by luxury property developers, Antler Homes, Edred's Court was developed on the site of the old iron foundry, known as Maundrell's Yard. The street has a courtyard-like appearance and is built next to Grade II listed Maundrell House.
The original foundry was built c. 1850s and was managed to c. 1885 by George Gough. Afterwards, the business was run by E.W. Maundrell, who had previously had an engineering business in the former nonconformist chapel in Back Road, off London Road. The foundry made a wide range of goods, that included manhole and drain covers (one can still be seen on North End). Until the 1920s, they manufactured equipment for C & T Harris. The foundry closed in 1957, while the site was still used for engineering until the late 1990s[2].
Eadred's Hyde
Previously a field owned, in the 1840s, by Dr. George Page, many time mayor of Calne, and commemorated by Page Close. Used as pasture by farmer Joseph Maundrell. More recently it was the site for the Wadworth's Jolly Miller, which closed in the early 2000s after a series of tenants had been unable to revive the business. It was demolished in 2006. This development of 4 dwellings was built c2008[3].
References:
[1]Translation: Harmer, F., 1914. Select English historical documents of the ninth and tenth centuries. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University press.Screenshots of section of Edred's Will: British Library. 2018. British Library [online] Available at: http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.a...# [Accessed 27 July 2018].
[2] Calne: Economic history | British History Online. 2019. Calne: Economic history | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp79-94#highlight-first. [Accessed 01 September 2019].
[3] Jolly Miller, Calne. 2019. Jolly Miller, Calne. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/wiltshire/calne_jollymiller.html. [Accessed 01 September 2019].
September 27, 2022
Many thanks to Austin Stallan - Personal Estate Agent fo...
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September 26, 2022
Calne Curiosities: Doctor's Pond
Dr Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), was an English clergyman, political theorist, and physical scientist. He made waves wherever he stayed, but is best remembered for his contributions to chemistry and the gases he discovered.
As a relative newcomer to Calne, I was informed many times that Oxygen was discovered in our ancient town.
Desperate to discover more, I discovered that this widespread rumour comes from a poorly worded plaque along the river Marden in Calne. This has led many to perpetuate the false idea that Dr Joseph Priestley discovered Oxygen at the location of Doctor's Pond.
The plaque also provides incorrect dates for Priestley's time here.
Finally, 'Priestley House' at The Green is based on an assumption, rather than known fact.
Can we explain all of these inconsistencies? I f Oxygen wasn't discovered in Calne, then where?
The life of Joseph Priestley is so full and varied that entire books have been written about the man. However, for our purposes, I have restricted the details to those that felt most relevant to telling a story of development and discovery before laying out the facts as I see them.
Joseph Priestley was born during March 1733 at Birstall Fieldhead near Leeds. This area was not only a Calvinist stronghold, but the heart of the West Riding woollen industry, so it comes are no surprise that his father, Jonas, was part of this industry. The role of Jonas was as a woollen cloth dresser, taking raw pieces of woollen cloth through their finishing processed to prepare for sale.
Joseph was sent to live with his maternal grandfather when just a year old. Being one of six children, this was not an uncommon situation as many homes could not accommodate such large quantities of children. At six, after the death of his mother, he returned home. However, he was sent off again soon after. This time to Sarah Keighley, an aunt on his father's side. He was eventually adopted by Sarah and her husband John, who died in 1745 leaving enough in the way of finances for Sarah to continue to raise Joseph.
Sarah was devout, with prayers twice a day and regular prayer meetings. This rubbed off on young Joseph, who would devour religious texts in his free time becoming a Unitarian. This put him at odds with his Calvinist aunt and family. However, this was likely the testing ground for his convictions.
His Unitarian faith prevented the astonishingly intelligent Joseph from attending the colleges at Oxford or Cambridge. In September 1752, he travelled to a dissenting college at Daventry, established by carpenter turned Reverend, Caleb Ashworth. Joseph Priestley became his most distinguished scholar, after entering the course of studies in the third of five years, missing the first two.
After college Joseph took the position of assistant to minister John Meadows at Needham Market. He was not well received. The stress of which brought back the stammer he had so struggled to control. With his congregation diminishing, he turned to writing after briefly attempting to start a school. One of his texts on religious doctrine was published as an anonymous pamphlet and well received.
Several successful teaching positions were undertaken in the following years, leading to Joseph being both ordained and married in 1762. His 19 year-old wife, Mary, was very sociable, which in turn brought Priestley more friends. This was followed by the birth of their first child, Sarah (Sally), in 1763.
Priestley became a Doctor of Laws in 1764 at the recommendation of his employers, the trustees of the Warrington Academy. It is around this period of time that his interest in science and technology took hold, with long hours at his scientific apparatus.
One particularly interesting discovery by Priestley was the process of artificially carbonating water. He first developed this process in 1767, during his time living next to a brewery in Leeds.
Priestley had gained permission to collect ‘air’ bubbling up from vats of fermenting beer, which he then began to investigate. He found that this ‘air’ was ‘fixed’ air, named by discoverer Joseph Black in 1756. We now know ‘fixed’ air by the name carbon dioxide.
Being heavier than ordinary air, the carbon dioxide readily dissolved in water. Priestley named the result, ‘artificial Pyrmont water’, after the natural equivalent known from many spa towns. Priestley went on to show that pouring sulphuric acid onto chalk and water would also generate carbon dioxide.
This process was pushed to the back of Priestley’s mind after 1767, as he went on to study other ‘airs’. However, in March 1772, Priestley was invited to dine with the Duke of Northumberland, as one of the guests. As an experiment, all of the guests were asked to drink some water distilled from seawater. They all agreed that the water was perfectly drinkable, but tasteless and flat.
This led Priestley to announce that he could restore the taste and freshness of the water. The guests being sufficiently intrigued, the required apparatus was assembled at friend Joseph Johnson’s house the following day. Those present were sufficiently impressed that Priestley’s ‘artificial Pyrmont water’ not only circulated through London’s high society, but he was invited to the Royal College of Physicians to provide a demonstration.
Priestley was pleased with the positive feedback from the Physicians that in June 1772, he published a pamphlet entitled, ‘Directions for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air’. Within a few weeks, the pamphlet was published in French and for sale in Paris.
However, this is where Priestley's interest stopped. It would be Johann Jacob Schweppe who would spend the following decade simplifying the process for industrial use. This eventually became the Schweppes beverage brand. The iconic 'Schweppes fountain' trade mark on the label dates back to The Great Exhibition of 1851, which was filled with Schweppes Malvern Soda Water.
It seems that Priestley was the inspiration, if not the foundation, of what has become an industry worth approximately £8.2 billion in the UK alone.
Fast forward to 1773, Priestley and his family move to The Green in Calne to take the position of companion and educational advisor to the Earl of Shelburne at Bowood. You may note that the plaque wording suggests that Priestley was in Calne between 1772 and 1779, an incorrect statement as Priestley and family arrived in Calne during June 1773.
19, The Green, is the assumed first Calne home of Joseph Priestley. This is based on the discovery of some marks on the wall of the cellar, which indicated where Priestley's apparatus had been fixed, by the Town Clerk in 1933. The issue being that all letters to Priestley were addressed 'The Green' with no house number. This house was then named 'Priestley House', which Priestley lived in between 1773 and July 1775.
In July 1775, Priestley and his family moved to Grade II listed, The Vicarage on Mill Street. It is during his time here that a pond was installed, along with a genuine laboratory at the home. Prior to this Priestley had only two available laboratories: Bowood, and Shelburne House in London.
Now we have arrived at the crux if of the issue. The pond wasn't in place until at least 1775, but Priestley had discovered Oxygen in 1774. This pond cannot have been the location of this discovery. Let's look at a timeline of events:
The experiments were performed over a period of nearly a year, firstly at Bowood and then in London:
1774: 1 August at his laboratory at Bowood House. Priestley first discovered oxygen and found that 'a candle burned in this air with a remarkably vigorous flame'.
1775: February/March at his laboratory at Shelburne House, London. Priestley continued his experiments and began to realise the importance of the discovery as it could be breathed, even writing that at some point in the future, pure air might become a fashionable luxury. His findings were read at the Royal Society on 23 March, 1775, followed by a paper in the Royal Society's scientific journal titled "An Account of further Discoveries in Air".
There were some prior experiments, but Priestley did not recognise oxygen at this point. It is much more likely that the water required for these experiments would have been collected from the lake at Bowood, completed by Capability Brown by 1766.
During his time in Calne, Priestley attended and preached on occasions at a chapel on the corner of Bollings Lane and Back Row. Approximately where the flats of Linden Close now reside, with the chapel demolished in 1960.
What of Doctor's Pond?
This pond no longer exists. In a 2013 letter to The Times, the person living in The Vicarage, advises that the pond is on the far side of the river Marden, under the car park, which until recently was used by the Co-op store.
A pond definitely did exist there, and is shown on the 1886 map of Calne. However, this pond was in the land of another property. It seems more likely that the pond was within the grounds of The Vicarage and over time was backfilled. It seems odd to this researcher as to why a pond would be created on the other side of an accessible water source, such as the Marden. Surely, logic would dictate that an artificial water source would be more convenient than the natural water source?
As the working relationship with Shelburne became untenable, Priestley left Calne for Birmingham in August 1780. After dismissal, Shelburne honour the agreement to provide Priestley an annuity of £150 until death. Priestley moved around with his family, first to London in 1791, followed by America in 1794, sadly without daughter Sally whom he never saw again. It was in American that he died, on the morning of 6 February 1804.
So, it seems reasonable to suggest that Joseph Priestley arrived in Calne during 1773 to work for Lord Shelburne. He first lived at a house on The Green, which may have been 19, The Green. He discovered Oxygen at Bowood House before moving to The Vicarage at Mill Street and installing a pond. After the working relationship between Lord Shelburne and himself, Priestley left Calne in 1780 to move to Birmingham.
Perhaps a more accurate plaque would read:
"Doctor's Pond, an area so named after JOSEPH PRIESTLEY,
who discovered Oxygen at Bowood House,
while dwelling in Calne. 1773 - 1780"
August 31, 2022
Place Names of Calne: Woodroffe Square
Original housing on Woodroffe Square.This development was named for William Woodroffe. Woodroffe's 1670 will provided 50s a year to pay for 5 poor boys born in Calne Borough* to be taught freely.
This was done at a school on Church Street, which closed in 1829, but the endowment carried on at the National School for Boys, which still stands as a private residence on The Green. Woodroffe's endowments were eventually combined with that of Fynamore's and Bentley's and provided a scholarship at Calne county school[1].
The original 1960s development was regenerated in 2019, with the demolition of numbers 49 to 60 Woodroffe Square, which comprised of 12 flats over 36 underlying garages. These were replaced by 24 properties of 15 two and three bedroom houses and 9 two bedroom apartments[2].
Some of the new properties on Woodroffe Square.*Calne ceased as a borough in 1974.
References:
[1] Calne: Education | British History Online. 2019. Calne: Education | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp111-114. [Accessed 30 August 2019].
[2] Staff Reporter. 2019. Woodroffe Square Development Complete In Calne. [ONLINE] Available at: https://calnenews.com/index.php/calne-news/808-woodroffe-square-development-complete-in-calne?fbclid=IwAR1f3RyHUqkTHAQolcKrTiz2ZU6S5EFdkWnsI4scuaoP2-R4EFHoOhkmeCc. [Accessed 30 August 2019].
Calne Curiosities: Calne Water Supply Poisoned?
In was rumoured in 1914 that the water supply from Calstone reservoir was poisoned. 'Suspicious' individuals were seen at the reservoir, which supplied the town of Calne with clean water, leading to the area being guarded day and night.
Was the reservoir poisoned? A trick gone wrong? A hoax?
Read on to discover more...
Calstone ReservoirIf the reservoir supplying the town of Calne had been poisoned, it could have been disastrous for the c. 3,600 residents that had relied on this single supply for all of their water needs since 1882.
Between the 1870s - 1880s, water supply and sanitation in Calne was known to be poor. In nearby Highway, the Calne rural sanitary authority's inspector visited a case of Typhoid and cautioned the residents from using their wells, which was contaminated by sewage.
A report entitled "Dr. Blaxall's Report to the Local Government Board upon the Sanitary Condition of Calne in connexion (sic) with an Outbreak of Diphtheria and Typhoid Fever in that Town" reported on the water supply and sanitation of Calne. The report, written by George Buchanan in 1884 as an update to his previous 1874 report, stated that in the interim period that some 'good work' had been done, little or nothing had been done in other matters, with cesspit privies still in general use.
Even the water closets that did empty into the sewers (built around 1881) weren't supplied with water for flushing meaning that the waste lodged in the drains - certainly not a Calne we'd imagine living in today.
Where Buchanan was pleased was the water supply where he states: "Here a great improvement has been effected". At this point the town no longer had to rely on local wells, such as Chaveywell due to the reservoir that has been built two years earlier in 1882.
The reservoir was built in Calstone Wellington near the source of the Marden, the river that flows north west up into Calne, flowing westerly to meet the Avon on the east of Chippenham.
At Calstone Wellington there are many springs and it provided "a plentiful supply of good water".
However, in 1884 when Buchanan wrote his report, only 100 houses of approximately 732 houses were supplied from the new source, which was supplied via gravity and iron pipes. Even though there was a plentiful water supply from Calstone, the rest of the houses were still using local wells that were subject to pollution, in Buchanan's view, "a circumstance of the highest sanitary importance".
Over time, as trust in the reservoir swelled, all houses were moved to the Calstone supply and sewer construction was completed.
Wells and local springs lost their importance and Chaveywell, the only spring to remain pure throughout, is the only spring in the area to carry a name.
However, with water supply coming from one large source, there was potential for a lot of damage to be done to residents using the supply with one act of terror.
The Gazette and Herald, in their "From the Files" articles reprinted such a story of potential terror from 1914.
Due to two suspicious individuals were seen loitering in the vicinity of the reservoir, rumours spread that their intention was to poison the water supply.
What 'suspicious' means in this context was never revealed. Neither was the reason why these individuals were not approached.
It is understandable that after decades of endemics from impure water, that local people, particularly the older generation remembering the illness and losses of family members from typhoid and diphtheria, would be triggered by any gossip of a poisoned water supply. So serious was even the rumour of interreference with the water supply that Calne Water Company arranged for the reservoir to be under 24 hour guard.
However, with no reports of poisoning in the area, we can be assured that this was a misunderstanding with no malicious intent.
Move on a hundred years and Calstone is a risk site for Cryptosporidium, a horrid parasite that can result in diarrhoea, fever, nausea, and vomiting. With 42 positive detections found between the June and November of 2013, the supply from Calstone has been mothballed. That plentiful supply of good water is found to be bad - unless you like to fish for brown and rainbow trout, that is.
