Bratton History Association industryandtrade

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Industry and Trade

We currently think of Wiltshire as a mainly rural, agricultural county. However it has had a considerable amount of industry and Bratton is no exception. There were several cloth mills but perhaps most significantly Reeves Ironworks, which included a foundry, was situated in the centre of the village for about 100 years until 1970.

Reeves Iron Works

Reeves Iron Works occupied a prominent position in the centre of the village for well over 100 years until it was demolished in 1973 having gone into receivership in 1970.

Dennis Gardner, a long-standing Bratton resident, has researched the history of the Ironworks and has obtained many photographs and memorabilia.

His summary of the history is presented here and it will be revised with more detail in due course.

Bratton Mills

A comprehensive survey of the woollen and grist mills that have existed in the village since the middle ages. Bratton’s stream – known as the Milbourne or Stradbrook – provided the essential water power until steam engines were introduced. Bratton then participated fully in the west country cloth industry until its decline in the late 19th century.

Download Bratton Mills pdf

Pleasure and Health Destination

At the conclusion of the 19th century Bratton's population had shrunken by half to 560 within the previous hundred years. The last of the four mills, that once drew power from the Stradbrook, had closed. The village had no gas or electricity supply, no mains water, no street lighting, telephone or railway links. And yet, within the first decade of the 20th century, Bratton would become a pleasure and health destination, described in the Warminster and Westbury Journal as “A fine place to spend a holiday at”.

Download Pleasure and Health Destination pdf

Bratton History Association.

The Bratton History Association aims to provide all those curious about local history with an opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and discover more about the history of Bratton and Wiltshire. Activities include monthly meetings, talks by professional historians, visits to places of interest to historians, and our own local history project.

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