New Estate

Chilvester Park, as it was known in 1994, was a new housing development on the edge of Calne, permitted by the planners in return for a contribution towards a relief road around the north of the town, which would not otherwise have been built for many years. It was a sunny, springlike day with shade temperatures in Calne reaching 10 degrees, so I had gone out to view the progress. Because I had a 'proper' camera some of the builders asked if everything was OK, assuming I was a building inspector.

The impact of the development could most clearly be seen from a newly diverted footpath that led from Chilvester Farm on the A4, across Bury Hill down to the canal path in Berhills Farm. The Curzon Park estate is visible on the right hand side of the picture.

A pasture called Bury hill, lying south of the Chilvester estate and the London-Bristol road, c. 1520 belonged to the guardians of Robert Hungerford, the lord of Studley manor. It descended with the manor in the Hungerford family and in the mid or later 17th century was part of BERHILLS farm. The farm also included land in Calne's open fields or land allotted to replace it. The farm descended with Studley manor in the Hungerford, Crewe, and Milnes families and to Raymond O'Neill, Lord O'Neill. In 1999 Lord O'Neill owned the land south of the London-Bristol road but not the other land.

(Taken with a Pentax ME, on Boots 200 print film, scanned on a printer-copier-scanner from a BonusPrint 6x4 print)

L.
13.2.2013

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Portishead - Glory Box (Live on Jools Holland) (First TV Appearance, November 1994)