 The
earliest settlement in Bradford-on Avon was over 2500 years ago when
an Iron Age tribe arrived on the promontory above Tory , and Bradford
on Avon has been in existence as a community more or less since then.
The Town Bridge crosses the 'broad ford' on the Avon which is most
probably the origin of the name Bradford-on Avon . There may have
been a wooden or tree bridge over the ford in Saxon times but the
Normans built the first stone bridge. It was narrow and dangerous
and built without parapets so that people kept falling into the
river.
 On
the bridge is a small building which was originally a chapel the
fish on the weather vane is a Gudgeon, an early christian symbol.
However, the chapel was later used as a small prison or "Blind
House" where local Bradford-on-Avon drunks and troublemakers
were left overnight to cool off!
In later times, Bradford-on Avon developed as a centre for textiles,
mostly wool, and the Bradford-on-Avon you see today was shaped in
these times. Many of the large mill buildings along the river are
former woollen mills, and most of the houses up on the hill (Tory,
Middle Rank) are former spinners and weavers cottages. |
This
historic city has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage
Site and presents some of the finest architectural sights in Europe,
most notably the famous Roman Baths. The Baths are not alone in
being one of many great tourist attractions to be housed all within
the boundaries of one city – take for example the ancient
thermal springs, which are now numbered as one of the UK top five
tourist attractions. 
telephone
