Workation: Bradford on Avon
From wool to rubber, mushrooms, marijuana farming, and live music. Plus: Introducing the Shift Community Calendar.
Greetings from Bradford on Avon! Iâm housesitting for a couple of weeks. Iâd planned to use BoA as a base for day trips to Bath and Bristol, but have fallen in love with its charms. Been really happy pottering about here all week.
The first person I spoke to said âitâs a rabbit warrenâ and it is. Hillside houses, footpaths and snickets (Rosemary Walk to Tory â youâd be fit living here!). Itâs a âworking historic townâ with a busy canal, 13c bridge & chapel, a Saxon church, converted mills, and creamy cottages.
Thereâs a tiny Co-op/Post Office/cashpoint in the centre (very useful - no banks), but otherwise itâs all independent shops and eateries. No vape shops either - hurrah!
An architectural feast in Church Street - medieval, Georgian and Victorian buildings. Team Eleven ad agency are in the old Lloyds bank - big neon sign on the wall with their tagline: âThe Bank of Brilliant Ideasâ. Busy earlier this week but all in darkness today (itâs Friday) so looks like they do a four-day week.
Good energy too â dunno about ley lines but itâs not far from the Mary & Michael Pilgrimsâ Way, which runs from Cornwall to Norfolk. I feel like Iâm wrapped in a cosy blanket â 600 years of wool and weaving before it became a rubber town.
Went to the Chapel of St Mary Tory this morning and said a prayer for my mum whoâs struggling with multiple health issues. Itâs on the Pilgrimâs route to Glasto so I wasnât alone for long. Fabulous views up here - a slice of Wiltshire!
Canal living
Iâve also been inspired by the canal life. Didnât expect to see so much action on the marina in winter - from vintage narrowboats to stylish submarines. The petrol-smoky smell is intoxicating - I canât get enough of it, even on drizzly days.
Gongoozler - an idle spectator aka canalspotting - my new hobby!
Mostly leisure cruisers but thereâs a shifting community of people who love the lifestyle. Every other boat has some kind of Buddha captain at the helm.
Had a chat with the owner of âJuggernautâ- his home. I could hear a kid running around inside.
âItâs a great lifestyle. But itâs hard work - thereâs a lot to do.â
âHow do you work? What do you do?â
âIâm a lorry driver. With difficulty!â
What the locals say
Iâve had chats with:
A woman outside an interiors shop who was eyeing up a Cannes lamp for her new home. Theyâve just moved here from Bath and love it. Had a Georgian house in the centre of the city, but found it too hectic and busy. 6M visitors a year and getting closer to a tourist tax.
Mark Selway - a carpenter whoâs restoring a cottage in Newtown (just found a spring in the basement!). âEverybody knows my green van.â Very chatty and passionate about BoA - told him he should be a tour guide. âHeâs always talking to someone,â his mate chuckled.
âBathâs a bit up itself. Bristol has a buzz about it (recommends Bedminster for indie vibes - lots of Londoners moving there). Best pub in BoA? âThe Shoes!! You must go to the Shoes.â (Three Horseshoes â people travel for miles to hear the bands).Lauren / Elle @rocketandhummus (she used to write a food blog). Met her in Timbrellâs Yard hotel on a date night with her little man, Archie the dog. Works in finance and travels solo a lot.
âDig a bit deeper and youâll find lots of subcultures here, which keeps it interesting.â Second person to recommend The Shoes!
Whatâs next?
Iâve been working in the library/museum - they have a ton of titles. Must be one of the most-published about places in the country!
BoA: an introduction:
Today, Bradford is a small town of 10k inhabitants that is somewhat overshadowed by its larger neighbours and looking for a new role in its post-industrial age.
Undersells it a bit I reckon. Itâs a stunning place. The only issue is the volume of traffic over the bridge - starts around 5am. They need to sort it out as you canât cross the road.
From Roger Jonesâ book: Bradford on Avon - a town like no other:
âBradford is home to commuters to Bath and Bristol but also to a growing army of homeworkers, as well as artists and craftspeople.â Thereâs still some industry - Moulton Bikes are made locally. Illegal activity was stamped out pretty quickly.
Figuring it out like the rest of us!
Bradford on Heaven or Boredom of Avon depending on your age ;)
Huge thanks to Marianne Lehnis for your hospitality. And to the BoA Preservation Society aka âGuardian Angelâ (name of their newsletter) for their hard work restoring run-down buildings.
Nika x
đȘ The Shift Community Calendar
Iâm building a community calendar â key media & journalism dates for a creatorâs diary. Some inspo to help you plan content and get out of the house / off the laptop!
Feel free to add your events â Iâd like it to be a useful, collaborative resource.