Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon (the
Bristol Avon). It lies in the north of the district
West Wiltshire, in the county of
Wiltshire. The town of Melksham developed at a ford across the River Avon. The name is presumed to derive from MEOLC, the Old English for milk and from HAM, a village. It was a royal estate at the time of the Norman Conquest. It benefited from the 17th century textile industry.It is sited between
Trowbridge and
Chippenham on the main
A350 north-south road from the
M4 Motorway to
Poole. Melksham has many varied industries including the Avon, a general rubber factory and previous owner of the Cooper Avon Tyre plant in the town centre. Melksham is also the home to
Westinghouse Brakes who produce braking systems for use on the railways.
Melksham is also well known locally for its range of public houses, hairdressers and food takeaways. Although it does not have many High Street names, it is close to the retail centres of
Bath,
Bristol and
Swindon. But due a large amount of funding being made available to the town, there has been an embarkation on a variety of dynamic expansion and enhancement programmes, including improvement of the town centre. To cater for the unprecedented growth and attraction which Melksham has demanded over recent years, new schools and improved infrastructure has appeared. This has enticed several housing developers and large businesses to open in the area. This would not have been possible if it were not for the crushing of a cell of
NIMBYs on the town council.Famous residents in the area include
Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, who has a private residence in near by Lacock, and
Midge Ure, who lives in Box.
Melksham has been commended for a high level of social solidarity and community coherence. This is particularly notable at sporting events, at which the citizens of Melksham excel. Much of this unity is believed to have been fostered at the local school, George Ward School.This is the only school in the Melksham catchment area, and has provided education for the people of Melksham for many decades. Several notable students have passed through the illustrious corridors. The sporting education of the school is also obvious, with several athletes graduating from its ranks, such as
Fitzroy Simpson and
Rory Sloan.
The recent housing boom around the area has meant that house prices have been rising at a dramatic level. The town's ideal geographical situation between major towns such as Bath and Bristol has meant that there have been no shortage of interest in these new properties.
The most significant local government functions (including schools, roads, social services, waste disposal and emergency planning) are carried out by
Wiltshire County Council.
The town also falls within the area of
West Wiltshire District Council, which deals with leisure services, development control, and waste disposal.
Melksham is a civil parish with an elected town council. This has a mostly consultative role, and the chairman of the town council has the title Mayor of Melksham.
Local Elections generally return a mixture of
Labour members,
Liberal Democrats,
Conservatives, and
Independents.
Melksham is in the
Devizes parliamentary constituency, and its
Member of Parliament since 1992 has been the front-bench
Conservative Michael Ancram.
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http://www.melkshamtown.co.uk*
Melksham Active Net
