Tim Martin
Tim Martin


Timothy Graham Martin came to live in Bratton in the early sixties and lived at Upper Garston with his parents and younger brother. His father died at a rather young age and Tim, his brother and mother moved to Luccombe Terrace.

Tim was born with a spanner in his hand and pockets full of nuts and bolts! Always full of enthusiasm he took on jobs that most would shy from. A builder friend of his was doing restoration work in Marlborough and required new wooden pillars for the overhanging first floor. He had tried in vain to find a company that could produce them. Asking Tim for a way forward Tim said he would make a lathe to produce them. No mean task as the supplied timber was twelve inches square and ten to twelve feet long and rather heavy! The pillars needed were produced on this homemade lathe.

He did much work for the village and would often not charge for his effort. Many will have seen the re-discovery of St Catherine’s Well in Stradbrook, marked by Tim’s ironwork, in newspapers and magazines and anyone using the handrail at the side of The Ball will appreciate his handiwork to aid the climb to the top.

His day to day work was much involved in getting treasured cars through the annual MOT. His interest in England’s railways was so complete that he could name any railway viaduct in the Country. Another interest was his Lancia Lambda car, an interest inherited from his stepfather Air Commodore Buckle.

One could say that Tim was Bratton’s Fred Dibnah.




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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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