Editing Trowbridge

{{short description|County town of Wiltshire, England}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox UK place
 | type                     = [[County town]]
 | static_image_name        = Town Hall, Trowbridge.jpg
 | static_image_caption     = [[Trowbridge Town Hall]], seen from Fore Street
 | country                  = England
 | official_name            = Trowbridge
 | population               = 37,169
 | population_ref           = (2021 Census)<ref name="census">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Trowbridge: population statistics, 2021 Census |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southwestengland/admin/wiltshire/E04013047__trowbridge/ |website=CityPopulation.de |date= |access-date=26 April 2023}}</ref>
 | unitary_england          = [[Wiltshire (district)|Wiltshire]]
 | lieutenancy_england      = [[Wiltshire]]
 | region                   = South West England
 | constituency_westminster = [[South West Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Wiltshire]]
 | post_town                = TROWBRIDGE
 | postcode_district        = BA14
 | postcode_area            = BA
 | dial_code                = 01225
 | os_grid_reference        = ST856579
 | coordinates              = {{coord|51.320|-2.208|type:city(50000)_region:GB-WIL|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
 | website                  = {{URL|https://www.trowbridge.gov.uk/|Town Council}}
}}

'''Trowbridge''' ({{IPAc-en|'|t|r|əʊ|b|r|ɪ|dʒ}} {{respell|TROH|brij}}) is the [[county town]] of [[Wiltshire]], England; situated on the [[River Biss]] in the west of the county, close to the border with [[Somerset]]. The town lies {{convert|8|mi}} south-east of [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], {{convert|31|mi|km}} south-west of [[Swindon]] and {{convert|20|mi|km}} south-east of [[Bristol]]. The parish had a population of 37,169 in 2021.<ref name="census" />

Long a [[market town]], the [[Kennet and Avon canal]] to the north of Trowbridge played an instrumental part in the town's development, as it allowed coal to be transported from the [[Somerset Coalfield]]; this marked the advent of steam-powered manufacturing in woollen cloth mills. The town was the foremost centre of woollen cloth production in south west England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, by which time it held the nickname "The [[Manchester]] of the West".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://apps.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityhistory/Community/Index/228 |title=Trowbridge |department=Wiltshire Community History|publisher=Wiltshire Council |access-date=4 March 2011 }}</ref>

The parish encompasses the settlements of Longfield, Lower Studley, Upper Studley, Studley Green and Trowle Common.

==History==

===Toponymy===

The origin of the name ''Trowbridge'' is uncertain; one source claims derivation from ''treow-brycg'', meaning "Tree Bridge", referring to the first bridge over the Biss,<ref name="guid">Town Official Guide, Trowbridge Town Council, 2008</ref><ref name=straburg>[http://www.strum.co.uk/twilight/trow2.htm Origins of the name Trowbridge]: ''Strum.co.uk'' website. Retrieved on 25 January 2008.</ref> while another states the true meaning is the bridge by ''Trowle'', the name of a hamlet and a [[Common land|common]] to the west of the town.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lewis|first=Harold|title=The Church Rambler, Volume 2|publisher=Hamilton, Adams & Co.|year=1978|pages=199–226}}
</ref> On [[John Speed]]'s map of [[Wiltshire]] (1611), the name is spelt ''Trubridge''.

===Early history===
In the 10th century, written records and architectural ruins begin marking Trowbridge's existence as a village. In the 1086 [[Domesday Book]] the village of Straburg, as Trowbridge was then known, was recorded as having 24 households, well endowed with land, particularly arable ploughlands, and rendering 8 [[pound sterling|pounds sterling]] to its [[feudal system|feudal]] lord a year.<ref>{{OpenDomesday|ST8558|trowbridge|Trowbridge}}</ref><ref name="straburg" /> Its feudal lord was an Anglo-Saxon named [[Brictric]], who was the largest landowner in Wiltshire.

===Castle===
{{Main|Trowbridge Castle}}
The first mention of [[Trowbridge Castle]] was in 1139 when it was besieged.<ref>[http://www.localauthoritypublishing.co.uk/councils/trowbridge/history.html First mention of Trowbridge Castle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828024531/http://www.localauthoritypublishing.co.uk/councils/trowbridge/history.html |date=28 August 2008 }}: ''Local Authority Publishing'' website. Retrieved on 25 January 2008.</ref> It was no longer in military use by the 14th century and by the 16th only ruins remained.<ref name=":1" />
The castle is thought to have been a [[motte-and-bailey]] castle, and its influence can still be seen in the town today. Fore Street follows the path of the castle ditch,<ref>{{cite book|last=Graham, Alan H.|first=and Susan M. Davies|title=Excavations in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, 1977 and 1986–1988: The Prehistoric, Saxon, and Saxo-Norman Settlements and the Anarchy Period Castle|year=1993|publisher=Wessex Archaeology|location=Salisbury|page=1}}</ref> and town has a Castle Street and the Castle Place Shopping Centre.

It is likely the Castle was built by [[Humphrey I de Bohun]]; his family dominated the town for over a hundred years.

The most notable member of the family was [[Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford|Henry de Bohun]], born around 1176, who became lord of the manor when he was about 15 years of age. It was he who really began to shape the medieval town. In 1200 he obtained a market charter, arguably the earliest for a town in Wiltshire, and one of the earliest in England. His officials were to lay out [[burgage]] plots for traders, artisans, and shopkeepers. The outline of these plots can still be seen today in the footprints of some of the present shops in Fore Street.

Within Trowbridge Castle was a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon church. Henry de Bohun turned this to secular use and instead had a new church built outside the Castle; this was the first St James's Church. In the base of the tower of the present day church, below the subsequently added spire, can be seen the Romanesque architecture of the period.

In 1200 Henry de Bohun was created [[Earl of Hereford]] by [[John, King of England|King John]]. Like other barons, Henry was later threatened by King John and his caput of Trowbridge was taken from him. Henry then joined with the other barons to oppose John's arbitrary rule and forced him to seal [[Magna Carta]] (the Great Charter) at [[Runnymede]]; and was elected as one of the 25 enforcers of the charter. Some years after Runnymede, Henry regained control of Trowbridge.

===Woollen cloth industry===
Trowbridge developed as a centre for woollen cloth production from the 14th century. Thus before the start of the [[Tudor period]], the towns of south-west Wiltshire stood out from the rest of the county with all the signs of increasing wealth and prosperity during the period of trade recovery led by exports begun under Yorkist [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]] and, still more, during expansion under [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]], when England's annual woollen exports increased from some 60,000 to some 80,000 cloths of assize.{{clarify|date=October 2016}}<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol4/pp115-147 |series=[[Victoria County History]] |title=A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 4 |chapter=The woollen industry before 1550 |pages=115–147 |editor-first=Elizabeth |editor-last=Crittall |date=1959 |via=British History Online |publisher=University of London |access-date=28 March 2022}}</ref>

During the 17th century the production of woollen cloth became increasingly industrialised. However, mechanisation was resisted by workers in traditional trades; there were riots in 1785 and 1792, and again in the era of [[Luddite|Luddism]] (1811–1816) owing to the introduction of the [[flying shuttle]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Jeff Horn|date=Spring 2005|title=Machine-breaking in England and France during the Age of Revolution|journal=Labour / Le Travail|publisher=Canadian Committee on Labour History|volume=55|pages=143–166|jstor=25149563}}</ref> [[Thomas Helliker]], a shearman's apprentice, became one of the martyrs of the [[Industrial Revolution]] in 1803 when he was hanged at Fisherton Jail, [[Salisbury]]. Nevertheless, at one point in 1820, Trowbridge's scale of production was such it was described as the "[[Manchester]] of the West". It had over 20 woollen cloth producing factories, making it comparable to [[Northern England|northern]] industrial towns such as [[Rochdale]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Economic History|url=http://www.trowbridge.gov.uk/business.asp?id=222|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410071017/http://www.trowbridge.gov.uk/business.asp?id=222|archive-date=10 April 2008|access-date=16 March 2008|website=Trowbridge Town Council}}</ref>

The woollen cloth industry declined in the late 19th century with the advent of [[Ring spinning|ring-spinning]], and this decline continued throughout the 20th century, although Trowbridge's West of England cloth maintained a reputation for excellent quality until the end. The last mill, Salter's Home Mill, closed in 1982 and is now the home of Boswell's Café and [[Trowbridge Museum]] and Art Gallery,<ref>''The Trowbridge Woollen Industry as Illustrated by the Stock Books of John and Thomas Clark, 1804–1824'', John Clark & Thomas Clark & R. P. Beckinsale, Wiltshire Record Society/Biddles Ltd, 1973.</ref> integrated into [[the Shires Shopping Centre]]. There are also working looms on display. Clark's Mill is now home to offices; straddling the nearby [[River Biss]] is the "Handle House", formerly used for drying and storage of [[Dipsacus|teazles]] used to raise the [[nap (textile)|nap]] of cloth. This is one of very few such buildings still known to exist in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apps.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityhistory/Question/Details/507|title=Wiltshire History Questions |date=26 April 2007|publisher=Wiltshire Council|access-date=8 November 2010}}; another example is at [[Bowlish]] near [[Shepton Mallet]].</ref>

<gallery caption="Buildings associated with the textile industry">
File:TrowbridgeClarksMill.jpg|Clark's Mill from Wicker Hill
File:TrowbridgeHandleHouse.jpg|Handle House adjacent to Clark's Mill
File:TrowbridgeAshtonMill.jpg|Ashton Mill, once a major employer
File:ShiresTrowbridgeInterior.jpg|Salter's Mill, now the centrepiece of [[the Shires Shopping Centre]]
</gallery>

===1800s to present===

In its place a bedding industry developed, initially using wool cast off from the mills; the company now known as [[Airsprung|Airsprung Furniture Group]] was started in the town in the 1870s. Food production also developed in the town when [[Abraham Bowyer]] started his business in 1805 which eventually, as [[Pork Farms]] [[Bowyers (company)|Bowyers]], became one of the largest employers in the town until closure in April 2008 when production moved to the [[Shaftesbury]] and [[Nottingham]] factories.

The town became the [[county town]] of Wiltshire in 1889 when [[Wiltshire County Council]] was formed and sought a place which representatives from Swindon and Salisbury, among others, could reach and return home from in one day. Trowbridge fulfilled this criterion by virtue of its railway connections and thus was chosen as the county town, further reinforced by the construction of the county hall in 1939.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://apps.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityhistory/Question/Details/51 |title=Wiltshire Community History Questions |publisher=Wiltshire Council|access-date=7 May 2011 }}</ref>

The brewing company [[Ushers of Trowbridge]] opened in 1824, and developed the brewery in the town. This was finally shut in 2000 following several changes of ownership and its equipment was sold to [[North Korea]], where it forms the core of the [[Taedonggang]] brewery, just outside [[Pyongyang]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/4475589.How_Ushers__Trowbridge_brewery_is_now_the_toast_of_North_Korea/|title=How Ushers' Trowbridge brewery is now the toast of North Korea|newspaper=Wiltshire Times|date=2009-07-05|access-date=2009-11-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/kim-jong-ale-how-did-ushers-brewery-of-trowbridge-end-up-in-north-korea-producing-pyongyangs-number-9268051.html |title=Kim Jong-ale: How did Ushers brewery of Trowbridge end up in North Korea producing Pyongyang's number one beer - and what did it take to set up a taste test back in Wiltshire? |newspaper=independent.co.uk |date=18 April 2014 |access-date=2016-10-08}}</ref>

===21st-century redevelopment===
[[File:BissTrowbridge.jpg|thumb|The [[River Biss]] flowing under the Town Bridge, renovated in 2007]]
Since 2002, there have been plans in place to redevelop significant town centre sites.<ref>[http://www.transformingtrowbridge.org.uk/index/about-transforming-trowbridge.htm Redevelopment plans] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616214602/http://www.transformingtrowbridge.org.uk/index/about-transforming-trowbridge.htm |date=16 June 2008 }} (since 2002): ''Transforming Trowbridge'' website. Retrieved on 25 January 2008.</ref> Trowbridge Community Area Future (TCAF) produced a Community Area Plan in 2004, to guide future development.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trowbridge Community Area Plan|url=http://www.trowbridge.gov.uk/trowfuture.asp?id=164|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820065832/http://trowbridge.gov.uk/trowfuture.asp?id=164|archive-date=20 August 2010|access-date=26 August 2010|publisher=Trowbridge Town Council}}</ref>

In the early 1990s the supermarket chain [[Tesco]] moved from St Stephen's Place to a site adjoining the A361 on County Way, and their former site remained dormant for a decade. The building was demolished but a pile of rubble, nicknamed 'Mount Crushmore' by local media, remained. [[Legal & General]] acquired the land and construction of St Stephen's Place Leisure Park began in 2012. A seven-screen [[Odeon Cinemas|Odeon]] cinema and [[Nando's]] restaurant opened in October 2013. A [[Premier Inn]] and food outlets including [[Frankie and Benny's]] and [[Prezzo (restaurant)|Prezzo]] followed in 2014.

The former [[Ushers Best Bitter|Usher's brewery]] site has also undergone redevelopment over a number of years, with Newland Homes building town centre flats incorporating the frontage of the Usher's building.

In April 2009, building work started on one of the town's biggest brownfield sites, the former Usher's bottling plant. This was developed into a [[Sainsbury's]] supermarket, a public square and housing.<ref>[http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1258369.mostviewed.supermarket_plan_for_ushers_site.php Ushers Brewery site], proposed plans for redevelopment: Wiltshire Times website. Retrieved 25 January 2008.</ref>

==Architecture==
[[File:Frome Road Well, Trowbridge.jpg|thumb|right|upright|'Studley Pump' drinking well, Frome Road; [[Victorian era|Victorian]] in origin, restored in 1977]]
[[File:TrowbridgePopulation.jpg|thumb|Changes in Trowbridge's population 1801–2001|alt=]]
There is much of architectural interest in Trowbridge, including many of the old buildings associated with the textile industry, and the Newtown conservation area, a protected zone of mostly Victorian houses. The town has six Grade I [[listed building]]s, namely [[St James's Church, Trowbridge|St James's Church]], Lovemead House on Roundstone Street, and numbers 46, 64, 68 and 70 Fore Street. The latter is referred to more commonly as [[Parade House]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=John |date=7 June 2022 |title=Leo the Jubilee Lion launched outside historic house |url=https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/20190296.leo-jubilee-lion-launched-outside-historic-parade-house/ |access-date=2022-09-30 |website=Wiltshire Times |language=en}}</ref>

[[Trowbridge Town Hall]] is in Market Street, opposite the entrance to the now-pedestrianised Fore Street. This three-storey building with an Italianate clock-tower<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1364209|desc=Town Hall|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> was presented to the residents of the town by a local mill-owner, [[William Roger Brown|Sir William Roger Brown]], in 1889 to celebrate [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria's golden jubilee]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol7/pp125-171|title=Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 7 pp125-171 - Parishes: Trowbridge|year=1953|website=British History Online|publisher=University of London|editor-first1=R.B.|editor-last1=Pugh|editor-first2=Elizabeth|editor-last2=Crittall|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> The building was the seat of local government until 1974 and subsequently accommodated the magistrates' courts until 2003.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/2977380.stm|title=Magistrates' courts to close|newspaper=BBC|date= 10 June 2003| access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref> More recently it has been used for exhibitions and community events.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Town Hall Arts |url=http://www.trowbridgearts.com/ |website= |publisher=Trowbridge Arts |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020174257/http://www.trowbridgearts.com/ |archive-date=20 October 2019 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

==Governance==
The [[Town council#United Kingdom|Town Council]] is the first tier of local government and is composed of 21 [[councillor]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Councillors |url=https://www.trowbridge.gov.uk/your-council/councillors/ |access-date=20 July 2024 |website=Trowbridge Town Council}}</ref>[[File:WiltshireCouncilTrowbridge.jpg|thumb|left|[[County Hall, Trowbridge|County Hall]] in Bythesea Road]]
[[County Hall, Trowbridge|County Hall]] in Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, is the administrative centre for [[Wiltshire Council]], a [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] created in April 2009 which replaced both [[West Wiltshire District Council]] and the former [[Wiltshire County Council]], also headquartered at County Hall since 1940. Trowbridge civil parish is divided into seven electoral divisions,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Election Maps: Great Britain |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |access-date=20 July 2024 |website= |publisher=Ordnance Survey}}</ref> each electing one member of Wiltshire Council.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Your Councillors |url=https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/ |access-date=20 July 2024 |website=Wiltshire Council |language=en}}</ref>

Trowbridge is within the [[South West Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Wiltshire]] parliamentary constituency, which has been represented by [[Andrew Murrison]] ([[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]) since its formation in 2010.

== Geography ==
The [[River Biss]] enters Trowbridge from the southeast, where it flows through Biss Meadows, managed as a country park.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Country parks and open spaces|url=https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/recreation-find-open-spaces|access-date=2020-08-27|website=Wiltshire Council}}</ref> In the north of the town it is joined by the Lambrok Stream, then continues north to join the [[River Avon, Bristol|River Avon]] near [[Staverton, Wiltshire|Staverton]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=River Biss|url=https://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB109053021791|access-date=27 August 2020|website=Catchment Data Explorer|publisher=Environment Agency}}</ref>

Northwest of the town, part of the [[Avon Green Belt]] prevents expansion towards [[Bradford-on-Avon]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Wiltshire Core Strategy - Adopted January 2015|url=http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/adopted-local-plan-jan16-low-res.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902070500/http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/adopted-local-plan-jan16-low-res.pdf|archive-date=2 September 2018|website=Wiltshire Council|pages=15, 84}}</ref> To the north and northwest, housing areas in Staverton and [[Hilperton]] parishes are contiguous with Trowbridge's urban area; however, to the south and southeast, the villages of [[Southwick, Wiltshire|Southwick]], [[North Bradley]], [[Yarnbrook]] and [[West Ashton]] maintain their separate identities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Election Maps|url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/|access-date=27 August 2020|publisher=Ordnance Survey}}</ref>

==Demography==
The first official census of 1801 showed Trowbridge having 5,799 inhabitants, which rose sharply to 9,545 in 1821. The population rose by less than 50% in the 130 years to 1951, compared to a considerably larger increase in the population of the country as a whole. From 1951 to 2011, the population increased by 133%.<ref name=cen>{{cite web|title=Census: Trowbridge|url=https://apps.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityhistory/Census?communityId=228|website=Wiltshire Community History|publisher=Wiltshire Council|access-date=5 June 2015}}</ref> Coinciding with this increase, a considerable conversion of arable fields and some riverside meadows to residential estates took place.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;"
|+ Census Population of Trowbridge (parish)<ref name="cen" /><ref name="census" />
! Year !! 1801 !! 1811 !! 1821 !! 1831 !! 1841 !! 1851 !! 1881 !! 1891
|-
! Population
| 5,799 || 6,075 || 9,545 || 10,863 || 11,050 || 11,148 || 11,040 || 11,717
|-
! Year !! 1901 !! 1911 !! 1921 !! 1931 !! 1951 !! 1961 !! 2001 !! 2011 !! 2021
|-
! Population
| 11,526 || 11,815 || 12,130 || 12,011 || 13,859 || 15,844 || 28,163 || 32,304 || 37,169
|}

According to the census in 2011, the ethnic breakdown of the population of Trowbridge parish was: White 94.8%, Mixed/multiple ethnic groups 1.9%, Asian/Asian British 1.5%, Black/African/Caribbean/Black British 1.1%, Other ethnic group 0.8%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E04011842 |title=Local Area Report for Trowbridge Parish |publisher=Nomis (Office for National Statistics) |access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> The population of the built-up area, which includes [[Staverton, Wiltshire|Staverton]] and [[Hilperton]] parishes, was 39,409 in 2011 and was estimated to have grown to 43,719 by mid-2020.<ref name="citypop-bua">{{cite web |title=Trowbridge (E35000362)|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southwestengland/wiltshire/E35000362__trowbridge/ |website=City population |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>

In 2018 the [[Office for National Statistics]] estimated the population of the larger "community area" at 45,822, making Trowbridge the most populous area in Wiltshire (excluding Swindon), with [[Chippenham]] close behind in second place and [[Salisbury]] third.<ref name="pop20182">{{cite web |title=Community area population estimates |url=https://www.wiltshireintelligence.org.uk/population/small-area-populations/ |access-date=6 December 2019 |publisher=Wiltshire Council}}</ref> At the 2021 Census, the population of the "built-up area" – consisting of Trowbridge, [[Staverton, Wiltshire|Staverton]] and [[Hilperton]] parishes – was 43,744.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Trowbridge built-up area: population statistics, 2021 Census |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southwestengland/wiltshire/E63005385__trowbridge/ |website=CityPopulation.de |date= |access-date=26 April 2023}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[Trowbridge railway station]] was opened in 1848 on the [[Westbury railway station|Westbury]]–[[Bradford-on-Avon railway station|Bradford-on-Avon]] section of the [[Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway]]. Today this line forms part of both the [[Wessex Main Line]] (Bristol–Westbury–Southampton) and the [[Heart of Wessex Line]] (Bristol–Westbury–Weymouth), while the original route to Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon is used by the TransWilts service. Other services from Trowbridge join the [[Great Western Main Line]] at [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and [[Chippenham]], or join the [[Reading to Taunton line]] at Westbury.

Trowbridge is about {{convert|18|mi}} from junction 17 of the [[M4 motorway]] at [[Chippenham]]. The [[A361]] runs through the town, connecting it to [[Swindon]] to the north-east and [[Barnstaple]] to the south-west, while the north–south [[A350 road|A350]] primary route to [[Poole]] passes close to the town.

The nearest airport is [[Bristol Airport]], which is {{convert|30|mi}} west.

==Education==
[[Primary school]]s in the town include Bellefield Primary School, The Grove Primary School, Holbrook Primary School, Oasis Academy Longmeadow, Paxcroft Primary School, The Mead Community Primary School, Newtown Primary School, Castle Mead School, St John's Catholic Primary School, Studley Green Primary School and Walwayne Court Primary School. Children may also attend schools in adjacent parishes including North Bradley CE Primary School, Hilperton CE Primary School and Staverton CE Primary School.

[[Secondary school]]s in Trowbridge are [[the Clarendon Academy]], [[the John of Gaunt School]] and [[St Augustine's Catholic College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://johnofgauntschool.org/|title=The John of Gaunt School|publisher=The John of Gaunt School|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clarendonacademy.com/|title=Clarendon Academy|publisher=Clarendon Academy|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.st-augustines.wilts.sch.uk/|title=St Augustine's Catholic College |publisher=St Augustine's Catholic College|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref> All of the secondary schools also operate their own [[sixth form]]s. Larkrise School is a [[special school]] for children aged 3 to 19.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.larkriseschool.co.uk/|title=Larkrise School|publisher=Larkrise School|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref>

[[Wiltshire College]] has one of its four campuses in Trowbridge offering a range of vocational courses for school-leavers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wiltshire.ac.uk/college/centres/trowbridge/|title=Trowbridge campus|publisher=Wiltshire College|access-date=15 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816061956/http://www.wiltshire.ac.uk/college/centres/trowbridge/|archive-date=16 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Healthcare ==
[[Trowbridge Cottage Hospital]], now Trowbridge Community Hospital was opened in 1870.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 April 2024 |title=Trowbridge Postcards & Ephemera". |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/93838966@N02/8619441405 |access-date=8 April 2024 |website=Flikr.com.}}</ref>

==Shopping and entertainment==
The town centre is compact, and the focus for shops is the ancient Fore Street; the more modern [[The Shires Shopping Centre|Shires]], Shires Gateway and [[Castle Place Shopping Centre|Castle Place]] shopping centres provide a variety of outlets.

The civic centre, opened in 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trowbridge.gov.uk/venues-for-hire.php|title=The Civic Centre|year=2011|website=Trowbridge Town Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825222116/http://www.trowbridge.gov.uk/venues-for-hire.php|archive-date=25 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> and next to the town's central park, is a conference and entertainment venue and is home to the town's information centre as well as Trowbridge Town Council. A nearby leisure development includes an [[Odeon Cinemas|Odeon]] cinema and several food vendors ([[Wagamama]], [[Nando's]] etc.).

The former [[Trowbridge Town Hall|Town Hall]], a large Victorian building, is a performance and exhibition venue and is also used by community groups.<ref name=":0" /> At [[Wiltshire College]] the Arc Theatre is used by students and local groups.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wiltshire.ac.uk/rss/arctheatre|title=Arc Theatre|website=Wiltshire College|access-date=19 December 2018}}</ref> There is a concert hall at [[Wiltshire Music Centre]] in neighbouring [[Bradford-on-Avon]].

Trowbridge is part of the historic [[West Country Carnival]] circuit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=John |date=2024-01-27 |title=Carnival 'may not be able to continue' as urgent appeal launched to save it |url=https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/24076748.trowbridge-carnival-future-balance-chair-steps/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Wiltshire Times |language=en}}</ref> There is an annual multi-day folk music festival called [[Trowbridge Village Pump Festival|Trowbridge Festival]], formerly Trowbridge Village Pump Festival; the 2024 edition was held at [[Southwick, Wiltshire|Southwick]], near Trowbridge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=John |date=2024-07-26 |title=All you need to know ahead of 50th anniversary festival this weekend |url=https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/24475834.need-know-trowbridge-festival-starts/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Wiltshire Times |language=en}}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:St James, Trowbridge (27447389711).jpg|thumb|St James, the town's parish church]]
Methodism was introduced to the town by local evangelist [[Joanna Turner]] in the 18th century. Trowbridge was the birthplace of Sir [[Isaac Pitman]] in 1813, developer of the [[Pitman shorthand|Pitman]] system of shorthand writing,<ref>[http://www.nndb.com/people/917/000095632/ Sir Isaac Pitman], born in Trowbridge: [[NNDB]] website. Retrieved on 25 January 2008.</ref> who has several memorial plaques. [[Matthew Hutton (archbishop of Canterbury)|Matthew Hutton]] (later archbishop of Canterbury) was the town's rector from 1726 to 1730.<ref>[http://www.pisle.com/troweb/ttc/museum.htm Matthew Hutton, Archbishop of Canterbury] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107004527/http://www.pisle.com/troweb/ttc/museum.htm |date=7 January 2008 }}, town's rector: ''Troweb'' website. Retrieved on 25 January 2008.</ref> The poet [[George Crabbe]] held the same position from 1814 until his death in 1832.<ref>[http://www.britainunlimited.com/Biogs/Crabbe.htm George Crabbe, poet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031027120759/http://www.britainunlimited.com/Biogs/Crabbe.htm |date=27 October 2003 }} and rector of Trowbridge: ''Britain Unlimited'' website. Retrieved on 25 January 2008.</ref>

[[Mary Mortimer]], born in Trowbridge in 1816, became an American educator. Sir [[William Cook (scientist)|William Cook]], born in Trowbridge in 1905, was involved with the development of the British [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear bomb]] at [[Aldermaston]] in the 1950s, becoming the establishment's deputy director.<ref>[http://www.localauthoritypublishing.co.uk/councils/trowbridge/facts.html Sir William Cook KCB Kt FRS] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006184711/http://www.localauthoritypublishing.co.uk/councils/trowbridge/facts.html |date=6 October 2008 }}, notable resident: ''Local Authority Publishing'' website. Retrieved on 25 January 2008.</ref>

[[William Roger Brown|Sir William Roger Brown]] (1831–1902), a Trowbridge mill-owner, employed more than a thousand people and donated a school, almshouses, and the [[Trowbridge Town Hall]] to the town.<ref>"Sir William Roger Brown" in ''The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine'' (1902), p. 230</ref><ref>"SIR WILLIAM ROGER BROWN" in Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, ''Armorial Families'' (1895), [https://books.google.com/books?id=KDw6AQAAMAAJ&pg=PR34 p. xxxiv]</ref>

[[David Stratton]], the film critic was born in Trowbridge in 1939.<ref name="Penguin">{{Cite web|title=David Stratton|url=https://www.penguin.com.au/authors/david-stratton|access-date=2021-10-11|website=www.penguin.com.au|language=en}}</ref> He founded the Melksham and District Film Society before emigrating to Australia in 1963, where he ran the [[Sydney Film Festival]] for 17 years, as well as presenting the film review shows ''[[The Movie Show]]'' on [[SBS (Australian TV channel)|SBS]] and [[At the Movies (Australian TV program)|''At The Movies'']] on the [[ABC TV (Australian TV channel)|ABC]].<ref name="Penguin" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-01-24|title=David Stratton documentary to offer a star-studded portrait of a very private man|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/24/david-stratton-documentary-offers-a-star-studded-portrait-of-a-very-private-man|access-date=2021-10-11|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

[[Nick Blackwell]], professional boxer and former British middleweight champion, is from Trowbridge, as are footballer [[Nathan Dyer]] (who played for [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] in the 2015-16 season<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/34121913|title=Nathan Dyer: Leicester sign Swansea winger on loan|date=1 September 2015|department=[[BBC Sport]]|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=7 February 2017}}</ref> when they won the Premier League), disgraced<ref>{{cite news|last1=Keogh|first1=Frank|title=Stephen Lee: Snooker player given 12-year ban for match-fixing|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/24223268|department=BBC Sport|work=BBC News|access-date=3 June 2016|date=25 September 2013}}</ref> snooker player [[Stephen Lee (snooker player)|Stephen Lee]], and [[Danny Talbot|Daniel Talbot]], winner of the {{nowrap|4 × 100 m}} relay at the [[2017 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|2017 World Athletics Championships]] in a time of 37.47sec – the third fastest time in history.

The [[Oliver Twins]], who created the [[Dizzy (series)|Dizzy]] series of games amongst others, and in 1990 founded [[Interactive Studios]] (later Blitz Games), grew up in Trowbridge. A building at [[the Clarendon Academy]] is named after the brothers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blitzgamesstudios.com/news/archive/Oliver_Twins_honoured_with_naming_of_school_building/41|title=News :: Archive :: Oliver Twins honoured with naming of school building|publisher=Blitz Games Studios|date=12 September 2013|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref>

[[Tom Gale (high jumper)|Tom Gale]], high jumper who represented Great Britain at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; went to school in Trowbridge.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tokyo 2020: Bath-born high jump star Tom Gale proud to be representing Team GB and Team Bath on the Olympics stage |url=https://www.teambath.com/2021/07/23/tom-gale-high-jump-tokyo-olympics/ |website=University of Bath/Teambath |date=22 July 2021 |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>

==Sport and leisure==

The town has a [[Non-League football|non-league football]] club, [[Trowbridge Town F.C.]], who play at Woodmarsh to the south of the town, near [[North Bradley]].

[[Trowbridge Cricket Club]] play at [[Trowbridge Cricket Club Ground]] which is also used by [[Wiltshire County Cricket Club|Wiltshire County]]. The town's 1st XI play in the Wiltshire division of the [[West of England Premier League]].

Trowbridge Rugby Football Club, whose ground is at [[Hilperton]] to the northeast of the town, play in [[Southern Counties South]].

Trowbridge Sports Centre, on the same site as [[The Clarendon Academy]], has the town's only indoor swimming pool.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.placesforpeopleleisure.org/centres/trowbridge-sports-centre/|title=Trowbridge Sports Centre|website=Places for People Leisure|access-date=20 March 2018}}</ref>

A [[Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom|greyhound racing]] track was opened around the Frome Road ground used by Trowbridge Town F.C. from 3 July 1976 until July 1979. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the [[National Greyhound Racing Club]]) and was known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Julia|title=Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, page 419|year=1988|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-15-5}}</ref> A series of meetings were also held during 1953.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://greyhoundracingtimes.co.uk/2019/02/24/trowbridge/|title=Trowbridge Greyhound Stadium|publisher=Greyhound Racing Times}}</ref>

==Town twinning==
[[File:Welcome to Trowbridge - geograph.org.uk - 383389.jpg|thumb|Welcome to Trowbridge]]
Trowbridge is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with four towns: [[Oujda]], the area of Morocco where most of the town's immigrant population originate,<ref name="umec">{{cite web|url=http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/1203593.pdf|title=Understanding Muslim Ethnic Communities – The Moroccan Muslim Community in England|date=April 2009|work=Change Institute|publisher=Communities and Local Government|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826024414/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/1203593.pdf|archive-date=26 August 2012}}</ref> since 2006;<ref name="Trowbridge twinnings">{{cite news|title=Trowbridge – Market town twins with Arab city|date=2006-10-03|publisher=BBC News Channel|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/5401592.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=2013-08-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021084445/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/5401592.stm|archive-date=2007-10-21}}</ref>
[[Leer, Lower Saxony|Leer]] in Germany, since 1989;<ref name="Trowbridge twinnings"/>
[[Charenton-le-Pont]] in France since 1996;<ref name="Trowbridge twinnings"/><ref name="Archant twinning 3">{{cite web|url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns|title=British towns twinned with French towns ''[via WaybackMachine.com]''|access-date=2013-07-20|archive-date=5 July 2013|work=Archant Community Media Ltd}}</ref>
and [[Elbląg]] in Poland, as part of [[West Wiltshire]] district twinning, since 2000.<ref name="Trowbridge twinnings"/>
The town was the first in England to twin with an Arab Muslim country.<ref name="morocco">{{cite news|url=http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/trowbridgenews/display.var.934213.0.backing_for_link_to_morocco.php|title=Backing For Link To Morocco (from Wiltshire Times)|date=22 September 2006|access-date=28 July 2008|publisher=wiltshiretimes.co.uk}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of places in Wiltshire]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{EB1911 Poster|Trowbridge}}
*{{wikivoyage-inline}}
*[https://www.trowbridge.gov.uk/ Trowbridge Town Council]
*[https://apps.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityhistory/Community/Index/228 Trowbridge history (Wiltshire Council)]
*[https://www.history.org.uk/files/download/6637/1288275475/Trowbridge.pdf Out and about in Trowbridge] – Ken Rogers, ''The Historian'', Summer 2010 pp.&nbsp;28–31

{{South West Wiltshire}}
{{Wiltshire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Trowbridge| ]]
[[Category:County towns in England]]
[[Category:Towns in Wiltshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Wiltshire]]