Malmesbury's First Bypass
When you look at John Ogilby's 1675 map of the Oxford to Bristol road, you notice that it shows an alternative route past the village of Purton; very possibly the first ever documented bypass.
The alternative route runs from Packhorse Corner, where the old Packhorse pub once stood and heads west across the flat ground on the north side of Purton, before rejoining the main road at the bottom of Pavenhill.
It would have offered an easier route for packhorse trains and carts, saving them a journey up the hill into Purton and down the hill on the other side.
This got me wondering whether other towns along the route had a similar bypass, even though they weren't marked on Ogilby's map.
Malmesbury was a key town along the route and so it was an obvious place to go in search of an ancient bypass.
The North Wessex Way comes into Malmesbury from the east, down Blick's Hill and up Holloway, and then leaves the town over the Truckle Bridge and out along the Foxley Road. In past centuries, if you were driving a train of packhorses or an ox cart, the last thing you'd want to do is fight your way up the hill into Malmesbury and through the narrow streets, especially if it wasn't your final destination.
The current bypass was built in 1973 to take through-traffic out of the town centre. Looking at current and old maps, there is clearly a route round the south of the town which once formed Malmesbury's first bypass, marked today by footpaths, bridleways and bypasses. The route takes you from the North Wessex Way in Milbourne, down across St.Johns Bridge out past Arches Farm before rejoining the North Wessex Way to the west of the town.
- As you pass Arches Farm, it's worth pausing to admire the view of Malmesbury Abbey. Imagine how it would have looked to a traveller in the 13th or 14th Century; twice the size it is today, with a spire taller than Salisbury Cathedral. If you were seeing it for the first time, it would have been a potent symbol of the power and authority of the Church in those days.
- Continue to follow the bridleway until it becomes the road past Thornhill Farm.
- Eventually you arrive at Common Road. Take a left and right into another short byway and you eventually arrive on the Foxley Road, the route of the North Wessex Way,
- Turn right and walk back towards the town, crossing the River Avon at Truckle Bridge, and follow Bristol Street until you reach the Triangle.
- Here you can reward yourself for your efforts with a refreshing pint at The Three Cups, a delicious sausage bap at Michael's and a scrumptious gelato at The Cosy Cone.