Rowde
| Rowde | |
|---|---|
 Village hall & parish church behind it | |
| Population | 1,073 (as of 2001) |
| OS grid reference | ST9762 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DEVIZES |
| Postcode district | SN10 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2007) |
Rowde is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire.
History
The village now mainly consists of modern brick built houses, but a number of 17th century buildings still remain in the centre of the village including the George & Dragon public house. The George & Dragon was predated in the village by another pub, a timber framed and thatched building that was destroyed by fire in 1938, a replacement The Cross Keys now stands in its place.
On the outskirts of Rowde is the site of the Caen Hill flight of locks of the Kennet and Avon Canal. The canal rises 237 feet by means of 29 locks, 16 of them in a straight line at Caen Hill [1]. The Kennet and Avon Canal was constructed between 1794 and 1810 and served to link Devizes with Bristol and London. The canal fell into disuse after the coming of the railway, but has been restored, and is now used for leisure purposes.
The hamlet of Rowde Hill, consisting of around 15 residences, lies around 2 km west of the village towards Sell Green and Melksham.
Amenities
The village and parish church is dedicated to St. Matthew [2].
Local government
Rowde is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It also falls within the area of the Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions. In the 2001 census, the district ward of Bromham & Rowde had a population of 2,880 persons.
Location
Position: grid reference ST977627
Nearby towns and cities: Devizes, Calne, Melksham, Chippenham, Swindon
Nearby villages: Bromham, Seend
See also
External links
