DERELICT SUNDAY

We had a great service at church this morning and although we didn’t have a full complement of the congregation there, everyone joined in, the singing was excellent and our sermon series is giving us lots to think about, especially with Pentecost not that far away.

After church, we decided to go out on the same road as last week, because we knew that just past the skew bridge on the road from Royal Wootton Bassett to Lyneham, was a derelict house.  

I have looked online to try and find out more about this house and even “phoned a friend” but can’t find out much about it.  The friend thinks that it was involved in a house fire some years ago and has never been rebuilt since.  It is obviously classed as being dangerous, as there are tall wire barriers all round, as can be seen from the photograph.  It would certainly need a huge amount of work before anyone could live in it again.

On one of the websites, it was suggested that this could have been the Skew Bridge Inn, now a “lost pub” in Royal Wootton Bassett, but I can’t find out anything else - however, I will keep looking.  

On one of the images for the derelict house, it is suggested that “Perhaps the house was abandoned because of the danger from traffic approaching and negotiating Skew Bridge, where there is no provision for pedestrians.”   I have to admit, I did take my life in my hands when walking along the front of the property to get a photograph of the rear.  

Interestingly, the skew bridge, known as Hunts Mill Bridge and which has a skew of 41 degrees (any men reading this will probably know what that means!), was built by between 1839 and 1841 to take the main road over the railway line.  It is Grade II Listed and Historic England quotes it as having “a characteristic Isambard Kingdom Brunel design with an elegant skew.”  

Google provided information that “Surviving contract drawings for bridges and other structures on this section of the railway line carry the signature of I.K. Brunel, reflecting his involvement with every aspect of the project.”

There are two bridges very close to one another and the skew bridge is never easy to negotiate, and today, when it was drizzling, it was even worse.  However, at the side of the property is quite a large driveway, so we were able to go onto that so that I could take my photograph.  In fact, on one image of the bridge online, it says that it is “an awkwardly narrow and humped bridge over the Great Western line to Bristol.”

So unless someone reading this who comes from Wootton Bassett, or my friend, who works in a pub there can find someone who knows anything about this derelict house, all I can say is it provided me with a Blip for today!  I apologise for it being another collage, but thought you might like to see the whole building.  I have to say that the daisies and other wild flowers were very pretty.

“Every ruin gives you a clear message: 
     Even your most durable things 
          will turn into ruins!” 
Mehmet Murat ildan

P.S.  Thank you for all your comments, stars and a heart for yesterday’s Blip - I apologise for not responding but was very tired and had an early night - quite unusual for me.  However, I was pleased to learn from Sue that the total raised for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance is £350 and rising, which is great news.