Melksham and District Historical Association

03/06/2026

The Association held their monthly meeting on Thursday 21st May in St Micheal & All Angels Melksham Church, where 60 people enjoyed a lecture by its secretary Peter Maslen on its history along with the adjoining cemetery, and the occupants thereof. Many influential people of Melksham are buried there with significant head stones. A tour of the cemetery with a guide leaflet followed thereafter.

The next meeting of the MDHA will be on Thursday 18th June at 7pm outside the Melksham Assembly Hall where the chairman Paul Carter Jnr will conduct a Town Walk ‘emphasising unseen things’.

Those not wishing to walk can be entertained with coffee and biscuits next door in the former Arthouse Cafe by Paul Snr and Mia.

With many new residents living in Melksham these monthly meetings will tell you the history of the town you have chosen as yours. Please come along.

30/04/2026

18/04/2026

Our next talk has a change of venue

🗓️ Thursday 21st May
⏰ 19:00
📍 St Michael’s Melksham Church
🗣️Peter Maslen
💷Free for members £4 visitors

18/04/2026

**ON THIS DAY 18th APRIL 1966**

Melksham Railway station was closed after nearly 120 years of use as part of the restructuring of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain.

The station was originally opened on 5 September 1848.

Following the closure, a line through the station was removed, the station buildings were demolished and the up platform was removed.

After almost a generation, the station reopened to passengers on 13 May 1985, with further improvements in July 2018, as the platform was improved and lengthened.

The photo shows the station shortly after its closure.

16/04/2026

Today the association visited Friends of St Anne’s Bowden Hill for an enjoyable afternoon with our hosts Janet Doel & Sue West along with contributions from Chris Doel.

Thirty of us enjoyed a talk on its history along with displays of the world war fallen, and residents and events of the hamlet. Tea and cake ensured mind and body were nourished.

In 1849 Captain J.N. Gladstone, elder brother of the Liberal Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, bought Bowden Park. He built this church in 1856-7 to celebrate the birth of a son in the Gladstone family.

Often referred to as “The Church in the Clouds”, the architect was S.B. Gabriel of Bristol who designed it in the Early English style with a Romanesque north east tower. Bowden Hill parish was cut out of the existing Lacock parish to serve between 300 and 400 people in the scattered community on, and around, Bowden Hill. To highlight its importance, the 250 spaces in the cemetery were filled in 50 years!The two parishes were reunited in 1958.

Whilst the church is used much less frequently than at its peak, recent repairs to a buttress and the clock have brought the church back to its former glory and is well worth a visit.

Our next talk is AT St. Michael’s Melksham Church on Thursday 21st May 19:00-21:30 to learn of its history followed by a Tombstone Trail

Photos (c) Linda De Santiz

11/04/2026

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3dxpveqnxo

Narrowboats pulled by horses and donkeys moved goods across Wiltshire for more than a century.

19/03/2026

St Anne’s Church, Bowden Hill, the venue for our members’ visit on April 16th

19/03/2026

In our third talk of the year, 92 people (including 26 visitors) turned out to hear our speaker, Simon Welch discussed A Tale of Two Spas.

Whilst some of Melksham Spa’s history was known, Holt’s was not!

Some interesting theories as to why Melksham’s efforts at challenging Bath as a Spa destination failed made for an interesting evening.

April 16th sees a members visit to St Anne’s Church, Bowden Hill after which our talks return on Thursday 21st May hosted by and with a talk about Melksham Church at St Michael’s 7pm - 9:30, including a tombstone trail.

Membership continues to remain open at £18 and visitors are always welcome at £4.

The full programme is now available via our website http://www.melkshamhistoricalassociation.org/

06/03/2026

Our next monthly talk is;

📜 A Tale of Two Spas
🗣️Simon Welch
🗓️Thursday 19th March
⏰19:30
📍Melksham Assembly Hall
💷 Free for members £4 visitors
☕️Free tea/coffee & biscuits

Melksham Library Teresa Strange MelkshamWithout Melksham Town Council Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre Wiltshire Museum A Tale of Two Spas