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Wilton
Wilton maps
Historic maps of Wilton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Wilton maps
Wilton area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about Wilton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Wilton
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Wilton.
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or of a photo of Wilton.
Ugford
This is a little hamlet called Ugford, just beyond the edge of Wilton before you get to Barford on the A30. The cafe in the middle of the photo was a single storey building, as far as I remember, with a verandah - very low-key and modest, but okay for a cup of tea or a Coke. My friends Jennie and Julian and I walked up through Grovelly Woods one summer holiday afternoon, crossed the A30 to have a cold drink in the cafe at Ugford, and then walked through the fields up to Bulbridge. Not sure you can still do that, but I remember we got our feet wet - it was quite boggy, even in summertime!
Ye Olde Gate House
This picture is of the Old Gate House, taken from the West Street side. The sign over the front door was "Ye Olde Gate House". It was a very old house and is shown on some of the old maps of Wilton. It had two addresses - The Gate House, West Street, Wilton, and No 1 St John's Square, Ditchampton.
My Grandparents, Arthur and Selina Loveless lived in the house from 1912, and my Mother Audrey Loveless was brought up there with her sisters. Mum often told me how West Street flooded when she was a child and people had to use small boats to go up the street.
The house had a living room, a parlour and a scullery downstairs, and a toilet outside joined onto the side of the house. Inside the toilet there was a cavity high up, at the top of the wall, which accessed a "secret room". My grandfather always told me Dick Turpin the highwayman hid there from the law officers,... Read more
Levers The Butchers
My memories of Wilton are very fond and still are as my grandparents owned Levers the Butchers in North Street. Finding this site was a real pleasure as I can remember some of the later photographs from when I was a child. I would be really pleased if you had any photographs or history of the Levers as my grandparents are now dead and so is my father and aunt. I often visit Wilton just for nostalgia!
If you are interested, I may have some photographs of the shop and North Street so please let me know if you are.
Levers
I saw the memories of the lady whose grandparents owned Levers butchers. I remember my mum taken me there when I was tiny to get steak and kidney etc. My mum died in 1974 so it was a long time ago.
Wiltshire memories
First Job
My first job on leaving school in 1964 was at East Grafton, at the poultry packing station, known as CC Chinnery but run by Charles Eady (I believe stepson of the late Mr Chinnery.
I spent 5 happy years working there with a great crowd of people. The site of the packing station is now an upmarket housing estate, with no sign of the previous use. Sadly I went to the funeral of Charles a year or two ago.
Did you or anyone you know work for "Charley"? If so get in touch.
When I Was A Child.
My father was born in Great Bedwyn, his name Arthur Maurice Hatter. When I was young in 1952 we were invited to stay with a member of his family in 47 High Street, I remember they had a wonderful garden, layered with full flower beds, also they had a summer house in the garden, today it may be called a conservatory, that is where we stayed.
Almost opposite number 47 was a garage that looked like a wooden barn and we had our old Humber repaired there.
In Church Street on the right hand side was a stonemason and the names of some of his family was engraved above the entance to the shop, these were from family killed in the first world war. In St Mary's Church there are headstones with the family name, I would dearly like to know more as I know very little of my father's family only that he had a brother named Raynor [not sure of the spelling] and his father was a preacher... Read more
My Childhood Days
My memories of Great Bedwyn are spending my holidays with my gran and grandad William and Beatrice Alderman in Castle Rd and my uncle Dennis. My uncle and grandad were both signalmen at Great Bedwyn and I used to go down to take their tea. It was lovely to watch the steam trains go by. My gran took me on lovely walks up through the forest where we would sit and I would make daisy chains with my cousin Shirley. We would go to the man who made baskets and I can still remember my gran buying me a little basket with orange weaved around it. I also loved going to the bakers where there was the lovely smell of bread and cakes especially the lardys which they still make. When I got older I used to spend nearly all my weekends there. Sadly my gran and grandad and uncle are no longer alive but I still visit the church yard where they are buried along with my uncle Bill.... Read more
