Local History

Tell us what you think of the vintage photos, and share your memories of Calne.

liam
i lived in calne for 5or6 years it was lovely

Rena Edwards
My husband's grandparents were both from Calne (Edwards, Beaven, Newth families)and we are looking forward to visiting the town this spring on our trip to England from Canada. The photos present a look into his grandparents past. Charming.

Lesley Phelps
Great photo's. My ancestors came from Calne(Burgesses and Angells)lovely to see the streets they would have walked on.

colin rice
they certainley take me back to my somewhat mispent youth

Frances
My ancestors the Hopkins family were innkeepers in Wood Street Calne in the 1800's. The Inn was called Bell.Great photos

Bob Lawrence
These are all great photographs which bring back happy memories to people who have lived in Calne over the years. There are many more similar photographs in the Calne Heritage Centre. Well worth a visit if you live in or visit Calne. The Heritage Centre has a small team of active supporters and friends who work to make this possible. Why not contact them whatever your age to offer your help and support in some way. The Heritage Centre is worth supporting and there is much to learn of interest from the history of Calne.

abi
i did balat in church in 12

kevin
I worked for a while at Wansdyke Farm in the 70's (is it still there I wonder?) and I'm amazed no-one has mentioned the Pork Pie Factory! Have to say my chief memories of Calne are dominated by the sickly smell that pervaded the town centre - especially when they were making curry pies! I can't remember much else about the town (apart from the quaint little old library a bit out of town) but I CAN still remember that smell - it even comes back to haunt me in my dreams!

Richard Hopkins
Great pictures! My great great grandfather was an innkeeper on Wood stin the mid 1800's. will have to visit!R.

Nuala Hobden (nee Delahunty)
Great photo's, I can remember sitting in the town gardens with my Mum watching the mens walking race! I lived in Calne until 1974, I do not have any family there now but I do go back periodically as my Mum and Dad are buried in Curzon Street. I remember Peter Else, we lived next door to you in Abberd Way!

DEREK GILES
VERY GOOD PHOTOS TWO ERRORS................ CURZON STREET IS WOOD STREET.................ONE VEIW OF THE STRAND IS NOT THE 30s BUT THE 50s look at the austin A50 outside heaths shop

kath haines
the old memories i grew up in calne and still live here if only we could go back to how calne used to be

colin rice
great takes me back

alan ackroyd
many fond memories of CALNE,1952-1957 at RAF YATESBURY.so many happy times,best wishes to you all,thanks for the photos.

Jono Moger
I am 14 and i live in Calne. I can't beleive it's changed so much!!!

Gordon Aldrick
These photos are very nostalgic.I left Calne around 1954.It would be good to have a wider selection of views eg.The Green,London Road,Quemeford,the Pippin,and working class areas like Pig Lane.Are only the bourgeois to be remembered?

TONI WOOD
this was a lovley trip down memory lane im only 36 but even i can remember some of the great shops and people we had in calne. i agree with kath angel we didnt need to shop outside town then a trip to chippenham was a day out not a shopping day shame really our town council should take note of this and do something more than build a building with nothing to go in it another bad choice with our council tax money.

nick bell
love them so many memories of old calne !!!

John Guy
I now live in Langstone a small village located outside , Newport in South Wales. I was born at 2, Stockley Common, Stockley where my grandparents lived. My grandfather Jack Langley moved to the area having been a coal miner and who wanted to get away from the South Wales coal pits in the depression. I spent many holidays with my grandparents as I grew up and really enjoyed the country side around the area spending my school holidays cycling around. I travelled down from Wales by train and often brought my bike which I rode away to Stockley from Calne railway staion. I particularly remember the coffee shop just up from the church which had some very tasty cakes. My grandfather worked in the Compton Basset Camp as a stoker and after he retired was a gardner for the local MP, I believe named Audrey , who lived in Heddington.I often travel back to the area to revisit my memories.John Guy , retired polce officer and now a City Councillor with Newport City Council, aged 66 years.

Judy Cook
Very interesting photographs. My father often spoke of the flood on the Strand but I had never seen a photograph of it. Richard Hadrell - are you any relation to Jennifer Hadrell of Hadrell's garage, Oxford Road? She was a pal of mine in the 50s.

Janette barkley
have enjoyed looking at historic calne.I live in australia and my ancestors, the Dick's, came from there back in the 1800's. I am visiting Uk in August and intending to visit Calne. I am really looking forward to seeing these historical sights and walking the streets where my ancestors walked.

davd
I lived in Calne when I was younger(1957issh). We lived at RAF Compton Basset. I went to primary school in Cherill then to the big school in Calne. I think the old photo's of Calne are great.All the best Davd

davd
To:Mr Mike Flay:Are you any relation to Mr Terence Flay of Calne.If so, please E-mail me to: runningman27hotmail.comI would be very interested in hearing about him after many yesrsKindest RegardsDavd KaydMid Wales

Chloe
From China to CalneBy chance we passed by Clane whilst we were viewing properties in Chippenham, it was amazed that this small little town caught both our heart immdiately, there is nothing in commen with where I used to live: China and London, but just as fall in love in first sight, it does not need a reason. So we decided to move our location to Calne, are buying a house in Calne and we both believe we will have some quality time there.These pictures just proved that we are so right.We feel like Calne is backing to what it was.

Jen
I moved to Calne at the end of 2008 and I finally feel like I have come home. My whole family were born and lived in and around Calne. It's great to be walking down the same streets as my ancesters, I have managed to trace them back a couple of hundred years now and I know that one of their houses still stands in Patford Street. Pottows, Cleverlys, Rummings etc, its great to be able to see what the town was like when they were there.

Bonnie & Rocky
We live in calne now in 2009and tbh its lost all its great aspects like the railway, the cinema and the cadbury shop, it looked such an intresting place to be but its just gone down hill, we are only 14 but you can see from these pictures how much its lost.

Ray Winkler
It has been interesting looking at the photos of the town as my family came to Australia in 1845 from Calne.

Mike Flay.
Very Good To see old pictures of Calne we had more shops when i was a lad

Valerie Knights (nee Johnson)
To me Calne is the best place on earth. I have such happy memories of childhood holidays when I stayed every summer and Easter Holidays with my late dear Auntie Flo and Uncle Bert Angell, who lived at 102 London Road.....I used to travel all by myself on the Royal Blue Coach from London to Calne the journey used to take 4hrs back in the 50s.Lovely place lovely people I have very fond memories of both.

Paul Hewett
My wife coaxed me into the Heritage Centre on 08/08/08 as she wanted to buy some postcards. I was amazed at what I found there & she had to eventually drag me away from a very helpful lady who was working there.Looking through the old postcards I came across picture 21 of the High Street. The corner shop, No 1 The High St, was where my great grandfather, Philip Hewett had his outfitters business & the family also lived there. My grandfather Herbert Hewett was born there in 1892 & went to Calne County School.I looked up the Calne Heritage Centre on the web & found this great collection of historic photographs.I was wondering how I could get a copy of that postcard for family interest & at a click of the mouse I have it. Fantastic!

Richard Haddrell
Excellent photos and very interesting, but picture No 8 is incorrectly described as Curzon Street, but is actually Wood Street.

Kathy Angell
Some great pictures of calne,just look at how many shops we had (you could buy ANYTHING in calne back then) Has Calne come forwards or are we taking steps back to a village?People didnt need to go out of Calne back then, everything they wanted or needed was here!.......Can you say that now???

Anthony Whitford
I used to live in Calne as a child in the mid fifties. My father was stationed at RAF Yatesbury. My brothers and I went to West Hill School. Unfortunately it was knocked down to allow for the widening of the A4. The school was located at the top of the small green on the west side of the High St. You can just see a bit of the green in photo. No 20. The headmistress was a woman called Mrs Skeet. Apparently she had been Wing Commander Guy Gibson's (Dam Buster) secretary during the War. For a short time we lived in Vines Close and Mrs Vines was our next door neighbour - she was in her 90s then but still kept chickens in her garden.

Peter G. Patterson
How great to see these wonderful old pictures of Calne. I was born there in 1934 and went to the Bently Grammar School. After a career which took me to many places in the world I now live in Luxembourg. If any old friends from my School days would like to get in touch I would be happy to hear from them.

John Rumble
I have just come across your collection of old photographs and it stirred a lot of old memories. My family came from Calne and the surrounding area and although they moved to London I used to come back to stay for the summer holidays with Tom and Edie Cleverley at 100 London road,or Nelly Hawkins at 2 Quemeford , right beside the brook.In those days there were brown trout that used to lie in the shade of the little bridge and often we would see water voles swimming in the wider reach just in front of the mill.On the opposite bank to the mill there was a small field wherethe horses that served the mill used to be turned out at one time.I used to play in this field with Georgie Flay,son of a local butcher.and I remember clumps of sweet scented Valerian that grew all over that field.There was a low stone wall with a brick half round coping between the field and the road,a most comfortable wall, we could sit upon it,lie across it or ride it like make believe horses it was altogether a most friendly wall.When the summer came to an end and the time came for me to return to London I had to make one last visit into the field.I still have a vivid memory of leaning across that wall and I can still feel the heat from the sun warmed coping through my shirt,even after all these years.It was many years and a War later before I was able to visit Calne again but thats another storey.

Dennis Ansell
I was at Yatesbury RAF in 1954, its great to see Calne as it was years before. We always enjoyed Harris' pies in the mess! Dennis, Auckland NZ.

Peter Else
great pictures ! I lived in calne as a boy left when i was about ten but still remember a lot about living there .. i used to live on Abberd way .! Went to the green school i wonder if it is still there.

sam hunt
brilliant photos a good insight into the great town

Trevor Vincent
Great photos,pity about the amount of rubbish litteringthe little brook,spoiling its appearence

Derek Scott
Fascinating, I recognized every one, though I see some areas have undergone change. I was born in Patford St in 1938 leaving in 1956 into the Royal Navy

Barbara Farrell
I'm fairly new to Calne but generally interested in old buildings and how towns have changed over time. Would it be possible for 'now' photos to be included. It would be much clearer to newbies like myself exactly where things once were. That might also make more people realise just how many beautiful old buildings we have lost over the years.

Nita Edwards
I think these pictures are wonderful! I`ve been in this area for over 30 yrs and have seen many changes in Calne, but I can`t recognise many of these photo`s.It`s a pity they`re not all dated but one must be grateful for what one has!!Well done