Gavin Tyte - November 15, 2008 I think the community used to have street parties. Certainly, this is one idea that has been bouncing around in the community for the past year. I think it's a great idea.

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Gavin - October 20, 2008 In all likelihood, it may have been a pill box built for when the invasion of England was imminent during the second world war. Such structures are commonplace. However, there were coal mines across the hills in Twerton, so it may have been one of these? Perhaps some old maps may shed some light? Anyone else?

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I am doing my family tree and live in the South East, so getting to Twerton is quite a journey.

I was wondering if anyone can tell me if there is a church yard/grave yard at a place called Twerton way? I believe my Grandfathers brother to be buried there. Any help would be brilliant.

Thanks in advance.

Janette

gavin - September 21, 2008 Hi Janette There is St. Michael's Church in Twerton with a graveyard Did you mean 'Twerton Way' or Twerton... way! Cheers Gavin

tree1 - September 28, 2008 Hi Gavin thanks for your comment.I did mean Twerton Way.Is there actually a place or road called Twerton Way ? with a church/grave yard.i would love to know what is said on the headstone. thanks for your help Janette

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Does anyone know anything about the short lived Twerton Fountain which was placed in the high street back in the early 1900s?

Apparently, Bath City Council commissioned a fountain for Twerton and installed it only to take it away soon afterwards to do road works. People of the village expected the fountain to reappear, but it never did. Rumour has it that it was spotted in a dump somewhere. I think it may have been when Twerton was incorporated into Bath, but can not be sure.

I know about it from a book that was in the Bath Library. It was like a scrapbook of articles about Bath and was very entertaining.

gavin - September 6, 2008 This sounds fascinating! I'll ask around and see if anyone knows anything.

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kyalien - September 7, 2008 The only thing I can think of is that in this period, Tweron Mills were considered "state of the art". Maybe the relation of yours had specific knowledge of new technology that was being inserted into the plant and therefore would have been hired by one of the Twerton mills to either install it or to run it.

Joe - September 12, 2008 Not much to go on and I'm no historian, but one thing which forced people to travel far afield to find work at that time was the Enclosure Acts. Areas of land that everyone had a right to use for grazing their animals were suddenly sealed off. This was a direct attempt by Parliament to force people out of subsistence farming and into the workforce needed in manufacturing areas. The effects were extreme. Again, I'm no expert, but if this family were laid off work with so many children to support, might they have had to return to their home parish to receive the Poor Relief??

PB1958 - September 17, 2008 Hello Jane If you havent already read it, then you might find the chapter " The Cloth Industry of Twerton 1780s to 1820s " by Nicholas von Behr, useful background reading. It can be found in Volume 6 of Bath History series of books, isbn 0948975-42-3. Your local library should be able to get hold of a copy for you to lend. My local library is very good at getting books from other librarys for me. The chapter doesnt mention Notts specifically but if your family is like mine then they may have been drawn to Bath mills with the promise of work and somewhere to live.

thimble - October 8, 2008 I am a direct descendant of Daniel Comery. The history of the Twerton Mills was sent to me by a local (to Twerton) historian in 1999. She told me that her researches showed that Samuel Paul Bamford probably took over the existing watermill in 1789. He introduced new machinery including Richard Arkwright's Waterframe. He is known to have ordered the machinery direct from Richard Arkwright in Nottingham. Bamford would have needed skilled men to install the machinery so it would seem logical that he would have emloyed men who had worked for Arkwright in Nottingham. The dates of Daniel Comery being in Twerton coincide with Bamford taking over the mill. It is not unreasonable therefore to assume Danel was there about Bamford's business. Mavis

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I've been reflecting on rubbish recently. There seems to be so much of it in Twerton, littering our streets.

The other day, I was walking with my kids in the High Street and we were walking behind another family. The dad threw his cigarette packet wrapper on the floor and one of his kids dropped a sweet wrapper. I picked up their rubbish and put it in a bin for them - and, with a smile, I politely asked them not to do it.

I've been involved in two organized Litter Picks recently, one at the City Farm, and another at Redland/Pennyquick Park. Every day, as I walk my kids to school, I try and pick up some of the litter on the pavement. But the answer isn't more bins (although we could do with some) or more organized litter picks. The answer is for a community to change its attitude - to be transformed.

Today is Good Friday. I reckon that if Jesus was here, he'd be picking up other people's rubbish. Isn't that what the cross is all about?

One man in his 70s saw me picking up rubbish in Fairview Road. We had a good chat about our community. He shook his head and told me that people won't change. However, I'm unashamedly more optimistic! I believe people can change for the better. Why? Because I've changed. I have been transformed.

Together, we can work towards a better Twerton.

Jackie - July 2, 2008 As I write, somebody is watering their neighbour's garden, while they are away on holiday. When someone's washing machine broke down a neighbour did their washing for them. For years our street supported a lady in her nineties with daily visits and meals, until she moved into a residential home. While I was on holiday an anonymous good samaritan fixed my wall. More good work goes on in my street in Twerton, than in the 'posher' area where I used to live. There is more to Twerton than institutions, smart retail outlets, and tidying up the litter. What about the positive aspects of Twerton culture? Lots of ordinary decent folk help one another every day in Twerton. Has anyone else got other examples?

kyalien - August 27, 2008 I remember back during the Silver Jubilee in 1977 and how the whole community came together on Cleeve Green. It seems so long ago and I swear that it couldn't have been as idealic as I remember it as I was only four years old, but it did leave an impression on me.

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I recently visited a well-known DIY warehouse to purchase new kitchen cupboards. The kitchen department had a sale on, and if I spent over £300, I would be eligible for a 20% discount. I made my selections, paid the money and received my discount. However, when I got home, I discovered that I had mistakenly purchased products from two different kitchen ranges. Apparently there was a difference between Maple Contemporary and Maple Modern!

The next day I returned to the store to exchange one style for another, but I wasn't allowed to do a straight swap. I had to first get a refund, and then purchase the new bits. The total amount was about £100. When I went to pay for the exchanged products I asked for my 20% discount, explaining that I had purchased £300 worth of kitchen products the previous day but needed to exchange some of them. However, the sales assistant explained that this would not be possible because the discount only applied to transactions worth over £300. This new transaction was only £100 and therefore not eligible for the discount. I politely asked to see the manager of the kitchen department.

The manager was a very pleasant lady and she informed me that had I made an account with the kitchen department, it would not have been a problem because they would have had a list of my purchases and therefore I would be eligible for the 20% discount. I produced my receipt that clearly listed all the items that I had purchased the previous day. She explained that a till receipt was not acceptable.

Now, I wanted to get to the bottom of this so I asked if she could look at my receipt and use her managerial powers to apply the 20% discount that I was owed. Although she empathised with my situation and agreed that I was owed the discount, she shrugged her shoulders and explained that it was out of her hands, saying, "I'm sorry, but the machine won't let me do it."

joe10000 - February 16, 2008 Hi Gavin, In the first case, the manager of the DIY store was being difficult, I daresay even not telling the truth. A store manager especially in a very large retail unit will have the power to overide most till systems and add discount at any level, I think she was using the 'machine' as an excuse (which is frequently done) The garage however is very genuine. Cash and Card transactions are managed in different ways and if she were to do what you asked which is to run up an extra 50p on card then it would throw the whole accounts out. Maybe not much just for you but if this was to happen frequently the garage would start losing money. This is because for every card transaction the retailer is usually charged a flat fee AND a percentage of the card transaction value. So YOU would get the full 50p cash out of the till, but the garage will probably only get 10p back for it after the charges are taken into account.

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gavin - January 28, 2008 I don't think it's fair to heap any blame on Councillor Ball. Nearly all the sites on Twerton High Street are privately owned. The councillors have little input into who does what and where. The planning department have some say on what type of building but not who takes on the lease. The small pharmacy is moving to the new Boots double unit. Timebank Plus is the shop with all the posters in the window - and they do a great service for the community. I agree that Twerton High Street has huge potential - but I'm not convinced that inviting Tesco in is a good idea. They just swamp the competition and we will see fewer small businesses. I would rather see Twerton High Street be as successful as say, Moorland Road - with a multitude of diverse small retailers.

Joe1000 - January 29, 2008 Perhaps it's a little unfair to put all the blame of the retail demise at the feet of councillor Ball, however I feel too much time was wasted in the 90's developing a community farm rather than paying attention to the local economy. I would strongly disagree with your assumption on Tesco. As an experienced retailer for over 15 years I know the retailing maxim 'location, location, location' very well indeed. Tesco would bring an INCREASE of footfall to the village which means the local shops and services become busier with potential to expand sales and profits. It's very narrow minded to assume Tesco wipes out competition wherever it goes. Take it from a retailer - I would gladly have a Tesco open up next door to me. I know i'd be 500% busier. Tesco would provide some great competition for the very poorly run and staffed Spar, with its dismal service levels, dark lighting and high prices. Timebank might well do some good things for the community, but should it really be located bang smack in the middle of a retail arena? Twerton needs to get away from this image that is portrayed that it's stuffed full of people who can't spell their own name or fill in job application forms. We need to get professional and stop harping on about being deprived etc, etc... A good thing would be for the guardians of Twerton to take a look around some Bristol suburb shopping scenes. Take a look at Hanham, Kingswood, Downend or St George - That's how you do local retail!!!!

gavin - January 31, 2008 True - Spar isn't the cheapest of shops in Twerton! However, I would rather see a supermarket chain with some element of ethical policy - such as co-op. My past experience of a Tesco metro opening in a small village was the co-op and greengrocer going under and then once the competition was out of the way the Tesco prices went high. Obviously, if you're a retailer and you're not competing with Tesco then it won't affect you and would have a footfall benefit.

julia - April 16, 2008 Surely the shops in Twerton parade closed because it was no longer viable for them to stay open? I for one was not impressed to see the new Boots open, why on earth would anyone want these large chains to take over thier neighbourhood? Timebank plus provides an absolutely priceless service to the people of our community, I am very capable of spelling my name and filling in a job application and yet have needed the help and support of timebank on a coupe of occasions. I have also been known to show my face in the charity shop, again a resource that benefits many of us on low incomes with families, and has been used for a long time by the older community for low cost household goods, and more than that, a meeting place to stop, have a cuppa and enjoy a chat. I admit some of these units could do with 'sprucing up,' but I found some of your comments offensive.

joe10000 - April 25, 2008 Julia, No offence intended, however if you take a look at Moorland Road - that is what Twerton should be aiming for. Twerton was not originally some big council estate and charity case. Mr Cook and Mr Carr who virtually owned the place in the 1890's made Twerton the pioneer of wool/cloth milling industry in the south west. There seems to have been (certainly in the last 10 years) a perception that Twerton should be labelled as Deprived or Disadvantaged or plain rough. I for one do not want the area that I grew up in to be tarnished with such an image. I want it to be professional, well looked after and SMART. Timebank does invariably do a very good job, however that's not to say it couldn't improve it's window display to make it look professional rather than some kind of madmans been around with a pair of scissors and some pritstick. Boots will take the place ever so slightly up market. The more 'Blue Chip' retailers we can attract will help to improve Twertons image and stop it being labelled a dustbin by the local press and politicians.

Joe Scofield - June 24, 2008 The understanding of Twerton as a deprived ward comes not from some label that people have arbritarily decided to attach to the area, but from Government statistics. In the year 2000 Twerton had the overall highest level of multiple deprivation in Bath and North East Somerset, being the most deprived in terms of income, employment, health and housing. The location of the Timebank and it's window display promoting community services and events are exactly right in my opinion, as part of its purpose is to promote much needed social cohesion in Twerton.

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Southside News, January 2008



On this thread you can discuss some of the news items in the newsletters that are emailed by the elected councillors for Twerton, Whiteway and Southdown, summarised here: www.proudoftwerton.com/news.html.

So Twerton is to have it's first PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meeting soon. What are the most important issues for Twerton that should be raised at the meeting?

Don't just read this post - add your view!

Joe - January 25, 2008 Hello

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