Rode
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- See also: Røde Microphones
Rode (formerly Road) is a village in Somerset, located five miles south-west of Trowbridge and 5 miles north east of Frome grid reference ST805540.
There was a murder in Rode in the 19th century.
Facilities in the village include a village school, shop, post office and a cricket club which was founded circa 1895.
There used to be a mill in the village which has now been converted into the The Mill pub. Other pubs in Rode are The Cross Keys[2] and The Bell.[3] Until the 1960s there was a brewery, the site of which is now a housing development, as is the site of the Tropical Bird Gardens, which closed in 2000.
In a recent football match against Wellow, another Somerset village, the part-time Rode team made up of locals beat the Wellow team by an impressive 7-1.
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[edit] Nautical
rode: (noun) anchor rope or chain.
[edit] Church
The church of St Lawrence dates from the late 14th and early 15th century. It was restored 1874 by C E Davis and is a grade I listed building.[4]St Lawrence Rode
[edit] History
Formerly a market town, Rode rose to prominence as a trading centre on the ceremonial borders of Wiltshire and Somerset. Originally mentioned in the Doomsday book, the old village was positioned around St Lawrence church along the main thoroughfare (Known as Rode Major). However, many parts of the old village have now disappeared and only the ruins can be seen from great height (Including an old pub called the Angel).
Rode's prominence was greatest after the 16th and 17th century when the wool milling industry boomed in the South West due to the meandering nature of its rivers, the space that allowed mill ponds and streams and its close proximity to the world port Bristol. At one point Rode was home to four/five wool mills creating great wealth to the village, which accounts for the large houses of past e.g. Rode Manor and present e.g. Langham, Milfield and Southfield House. It was during the 16th, 17th and 18th century that the village centre thrived and the amenities it offerred allowed it to be known as a town (according to local sources). The Kelly's directory in the 19th century suggests that at one point there were more than 10 shops along the high street, which have now been converted to houses.
The greatest moment in the mill industry was during the 18th century when a consortium of Rode mills won a competition to make Queen Charlotte's dress. In winning the prize it is said that the village invented the dye Royal Blue. Unfortunately, by the middle to the end of the 19th century the wool mills of Rode were struggling, like many in the South West region, where the industrial revolution and the invention of steam power caused mills to move to northern industrial centres.
Today Rode is largely a dormitory village offering good access to Bristol, Bath, Trowbridge and Frome. However its history and ruins remain and it has managed to preserve a historic centre in Rode Minor (the new village).
[edit] References
- ^ Mendip Parish Population Estimates 2002. Somerset County Council. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ Cross Keys. Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ The Bell Inn. Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ Church of St. Lawrence. Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
