STREET LIFE Right, top to bottom: Fiona Leach relocated her business, Secondhand Rose from Widcombe, Bath, to Bradford on Avon; Lee Orton of Orton Jewellery established in 2001
Confidence this is a flourishing region is demonstrated by Timbrell’s Yard’s recent and extensive £1.5million refurbishment of a previously empty rundown pub into a gastropub with 17 en suite rooms. “Timbrell’s perfectly balances its historic foundation with contemporary style,” says deputy manager Mike McKinlay. “Old beams, deep window seats and three-metre-wide fireplaces sit alongside the modern, the stylish and the quirky. Our renovated flagstone courtyard by the river looks out over the gardens of Holy Trinity Church opposite.” Another residence merging the new with the old, and high-end luxe with a sense of history is the Woolley Grange Hotel, as marketing manager Caroline Mackay explains, “The building dates from 1665 when Bradford on Avon, as the epicentre of the wool boom, was one of the wealthiest towns in England. It was bought by Nigel and Heather Chapman in 1988 when it was dilapidated, and they transformed it into a luxurious, family-friendly hotel set in 14 acres.” The residents and traders also know how to embrace and celebrate their history, while still moving forward, as Tom Bowles owner of Hartley Farm explains. “I grew up living and working on the farm, which can be traced back to before the 1900s. After university, I returned but was concerned there wasn’t much of a future for a small family farm.” However, in 2008, Tom and his family, utilised their passion for great food and their strong farming heritage to open a produce shop on the farm and in doing so constructed a successful future for their business. Lee Orton of Orton Jewellery, which was established in the town in 2001, is proud of the town’s progression but is equally appreciative of its past. “We are seeing it settle down with a good, solid core of fabulous restaurants, pubs and indie businesses,” he says. “But it will always be loved as a great place for a stroll along the river or canal to just relax and soak up the natural beauty of the town. These things are still important to Bradford on Avon.”
THE AREA ALSO HAS A SMALL, TIGHT-KNIT
BUSINESS
COMMUNITY
THE ESSENTIAL BRADFORD ON AVON DIRECTORY
Dutch Barton Dental Practice www.dutchbartondental.co.uk
The Longs Arms www.thelongsarms.com
Timbrells Yard www.timbrellsyard.com
Bathrooms at No 5 www.bathbathrooms.com
Fat Fowl www.fatfowl.com
Orton Jewellery www.ortonjewellery.co.uk
Travel Options www.traveloptions4u.co.uk
Bunch of Grapes www.thebunchofgrapes.com
The George at Woolley www.thegeorgebradfordonavon.co.uk
Piha www.piha.co.uk
Widbrook Grange www.widbrookgrange.co.uk
The Cheese Shop www.cheese-shop.co.uk
Hartley Farm www.hartley-farm.co.uk
Ruby Red wines www.rubyredwines.co.uk
Wiltshire Music Centre www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk
The Dandy Lion www.thedandylionboa.co.uk
The Iford Festival www.ifordarts.org.uk
Sebastien’s Bistro www.sebastiens.co.uk
Woolley Grange www.woolleygrangehotel.co.uk
The Dog & Fox Inn www.dogandfoxinn.co.uk
Jeremy Jenkins www.jeremyjenkins.co.uk
SecondHand Rose tel: 01225 867707
92 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk