bed breakfast bromham
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Bromham is a fairly large village containing several settlements, apart from the main village of Bromham itself. It lies four miles to the north-west of Devizes and four miles to the south-west of Calne, between the clay vale of the river Avon and the chalk downs. Much of the parish lies on the only extensive area of Lower Greensand in the county and this geology has greatly influenced the economic development of the area. In the west is Oxford clay with Corallian Limestone at Westbrook and Spye Park, while to the east the terrain rises on the chalklands. This latter area includes Oliver’s Castle and Beacon Hill at over 210 metres, while land at Spye Park is over 160 metres. The centre of the parish is around 90 to 100 metres above sea level.
The main road from Chippenham to Devizes runs from north to south through the parish. It is crossed by a more minor road from Melksham to Calne. The village of Bromham now lies on a minor road to the south of the Melksham road. There are five other settlements in the parish. Netherstreet lies to the east of the Devizes road and the main village; St Edith’s Marsh is on the main Devizes Road to the south of Netherstreet and includes the Oliver Cromwell (formerly the Bell Inn and dated 1698); Hawkstreet is ½ mile west of St Edith’s Marsh; Westbrook is one mile north-west of the main village and includes early 17th century timber framed houses and cottages and the Westbrook, formerly the New Inn. Chittoe is a very shrunken village that was once part of Bishop’s Cannings but was transferred to Bromham in 1934.
This scattered settlement is the result of the three main economic strands in the local history. The light soils provided early cultivation and good crops but the early farming pattern had a settlement of domestic industry imposed upon it. Probably from the early 14th century there was a well established weaving industry here and by the early 16th century clothiers had emerged. It is possible that several settlements grew up on wasteland and along lanes where weavers built houses and workshops. In the mid 17th century the local weaving industry dramatically collapsed and never fully recovered, although cloth was woven here until the early 19th century. Instead agriculture, and later horticulture became dominant with many small holdings and market gardens. Houses tended to be built on these cultivated holdings thus giving an even more scattered pattern of settlement.
This is a very favoured site, as is evidenced by the archaeological record. On five sites Mesolithic tools and waste have been found, indicating that families stayed in this area for short periods of time. More permanent settlement came in Neolithic times and finds have included flint tools, worked blades, scrapers and an axe head, an arrowhead and pottery, while there is a possible long barrow in the parish. Apart from flint tools, a spearhead and pottery, Bronze Age finds have included domestic hearths while two bowl barrows have also been identified. The Iron Age is dominated by Oliver’s Castle on Roundway Hill and there have been finds of hearths, pottery, coins, brooches, a finger ring, a corn quern and a whet stone.