Firemen searching the wreckage of the pub gas explosion

Sixty Years Ago, a disaster on Box Hill

For many years Box Hill had 2 public houses, the ‘Quarryman’s Arms’, owned by Ushers Brewery of Trowbridge and the ‘Rising Sun’ owned by George’s Brewery of Bristol.  The ‘Rising Sun’ situated on the main A4 was a popular pub…
Cope nacre as a Royal Naval Store Depot

50 years of Conservation Areas

It is 50 years since the Civic Amenities Act 1967 introduced the concept of protecting the character of areas of historic and architectural interest by the designation of conservation areas. The concept of conservation areas was introduced in…
The Spackman Family

The Spackman Family

Many of our readers may have heard of the Spackman Family. They lived in Corsham High Street, and their property spanned Nos. 42 & 44.

Corsham Court – a different perspective

In amongst the 25 ‘Courts’ we find engine number 2938 ‘Corsham Court’, which was built in December 1911 and was sent to Goodwick in South Wales where it ran for many years.
Charles James Rumsey – AB Rumsey, Royal Naval Division

Grandfather’s WW1 experiences

My grandfather, Charles James Rumsey, was born in Hammersmith on Easter Sunday 1886 and at the age of 20, he was made redundant as a painter due to a recession.
1839 Tithe Map [the Malthouse and Nos 12 & 14 are ringed in red]. The kitchen block is discernible as a separate structure and the large Pickwick Brewery building complex is located to the south east of 12 Pickwick. The structure to the north of the kitchen block was demolished in 1953.
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'Old' Pickwickians

Our Editor, John Maloney's first article in the  July Spotlight, was of great interest to me, as he referred not only to his own property – 12 Pickwick, but the adjoining house No. 14. This was the home of my grandparents Bill and Rose…
Corsham Station
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An early photograph of Corsham Station

It is believed that this is the second earliest photograph taken of a train at Corsham station.  It probably dates for 1893 or early 1894.  The engine, an ‘1854’ class of saddle tank, was built at Swindon Works in November 1892 and…
Henry Smith, late 1800s

Gospel Halls in the Corsham Area

In May 1856 the first Gospel Hall was opened at Corshamside, now known as Neston, by a group of Christians wishing to worship in the brethren tradition.  We must go back 24 years to 1832 when the then Vicar of Corsham, the Rev. John Andrew…
Aerial view of MoD Corsham (formerly Basil Hill Barracks)

Corsham - a Garrison Town

When did Corsham become a favourite of the military ? It appears to have started in 1927, when the security at  storage sites elsewhere had come into question,and  a search was on to find other possible safe storage for ammunition, and…
Cope nacre as a Royal Naval Store Depot

Demise of the Copenacre site

We must all have been very relieved to see the demolition of those badly abused buildings take place over the last few months. Just to have the eyesore removed from the entrance to Corsham can only be an asset to how the town might be viewed…