enjoy the view

NOTES

www.walkscene.co.uk

Footbridge over the River Avon

Maud Heath Causeway

Notes and points of interest

Chippenham Principal town in this part of Wiltshire, its most attractive feature is the River Avon, which runs through the park close to the sports centre. The town has some ancient features, but is mostly modern, with a large proportion of modern housing estates.

East Tytherington Notice a postbox erected in the reign of Edward VII - not a common sight, since this monarch, son of Queen Victoria, reigned quite a hort time. The village school is named in memory of Maud Heath. A Moravian Church (Hussite) stands alongside the village green, recalling a denomination that had significant influence on the young John Wesley.

Maud Heath A sundial beside the bridge where the causeway crosses the Avon bears this inscription - "to the memory of the worthy Maud Heath of Langley Burrell, widow, who in the year of grace 1474 for the good of travellers did in charity bestow in land and houses about £8 a year forever to be laid out on the highways and causeway leading from Wick Hill to Chippenham Cliff".
A statue of Maud Heath (complete with shopping basket!) surmounts a column on the common at the top of Wick Hill overlooking her causeway, which solved local problems of communication across the easily flooded plain.

Wick Hill "On this Wick Hill begins the praise of Maud Heath's gift to these highways" This notice can be seen on a post, almost hidden in the hedge at the top of this 1 in 6 hill. Opposite the notice is a common dominated by Maud Heath's column and offering commanding views of the plain crossed by Maud Heath Causeway.

St Giles Kellaway Chapel this tiny chapel stands alongside the causeway, shortly before the village of East Tytherington. It is still in occasional use.

Primitive Methodist chapel remnant of a more vigorous time for methodism, this chapel (now redundant) can be seen on the left shortly after Bencroft Hill Farm - but the undergrowth is trying hard to conceal it!