History of Saltford - Saltford Parish Council

Oil painting of Saltford Lock, the River Avon, and a nearby storage building
Saltford Lock, image copyright SPC.

Saltford’s two claims to fame are that it has the oldest continuously occupied private house in England, and that it is the location of the first ever recorded cricket match in Somerset.

But there is much more to Saltford’s history. From its nationally protected geological Site of Special Scientific Interest to a Scheduled Ancient Monument at a site mentioned in the Domesday Book, there is plenty to find out about Saltford’s past.

For detailed information on documents, maps, photos and artefacts from or about Saltford, visit Saltford’s online museum run by the Saltford Environment Group (SEG).

The Brass Mill, located on The Shallows, is now a visitor attraction run by an active team of volunteers. The Brass Mill site is regularly open to visitors during the summer months, please see the Saltford Brass Mill website for details.

If you are a Saltford resident interested in finding out about your family history, please see SPC’s ‘How to start researching your family history‘ sheet, which signposts to local resources that may be of help.

More information about the history of Saltford can be found in the many printed resources available from Saltford Community Library (as part of the Libraries West network). The local studies library and archive for the Saltford area is located at the Bath Record Office (located at the Guildhall, Bath).

Fossil in wall in Saltford

Many ammonites and other fossils can be spotted in Saltford’s walls and buildings. Saltford has a fascinating geological history with Lower Jurassic rocks used in many of the older houses in the village, as well as seen across ploughed fields. The rocks, mainly Blue Lias limestone, have abundant fossils and show that 180 million years ago the wider region was once under a warm, shallow sub-tropical sea.

Some limestone exposures in Saltford are extremely important in understanding local and regional geology and have been protected as Regionally Important Geological Sites (RIGS) in recognition of this. A gravel deposit from the last ice age near Avon Lane has national protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

A Saltford Environment Group (SEG) circular geology trail walking guide was produced in 2021 so residents and visitors can explore local geology for themselves. Produced by Simon Carpenter and supported by the Geologists’ Association Curry Fund, ‘Saltford – Walking through the geological past‘ is a descriptive walking guide that can be downloaded for free.

The oldest artefact from the Saltford area, a stone axe with a hole for a wooden handle, dates from either the late Neolithic (stone age) or the early Bronze Age. Several other artefacts show habitation of the Saltford area in pre-historic times, including Neolithic flint deposits and iron age pottery shards.

Saltford’s inhabitants during the Roman period would have farmed and produced goods to sell in the bustling city of Aquae Sulis (Bath) during its Roman heyday.

Many Roman artefacts Saltford have been discovered, of particular note the Carthaginian coin dating 300-264 B.C, now at the British Museum, alongside other coins and jewellery. Roman roof tiles and everyday pottery shards often turn up in ploughed fields in the village. Several Roman coffins have also been found in Saltford.

Saltford Environment Group have supported excavations to look for evidence of a Roman villa within Saltford’s current boundaries, further to the Roman villas already known at Keynsham and by the ‘Twerton Fork’ junction just c.1.5 miles from Saltford.

Saltford Manor House
Saltford Manor (photograph copyright Cllr Jon Godfrey)

The Domesday Book entry for ‘Sanford’ or ‘Sandfort’ records residents (by type i.e. ‘serfs’, as is typical of the document) as well as Saltford’s watermill showing that industry has been taking place in Saltford for over 1000 years. Saltford was one of 75 manors in Somerset alone given by William the Conqueror to Geoffrey Mowbray, the Bishop of Coutances. Mowbrey was a warrior-bishop, who fought alongside William at the Battle of Hastings and played a key part at his coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 1066. 

Evidence that Saltford was an established village by the late Anglo-Saxon period is demonstrated by the village’s entry in the Norman’s Domesday Book, a record of the ‘Great Survey’ created by order of William the Conqueror written just two decades after the Norman invasion. Written in medieval Latin, the main purpose of the survey was to identify what taxes had been owed during the reign of the last Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Confessor, and therefore what taxes William could raise.  An Anglo-Saxon burial ground was discovered in c.1936 to the north of Saltford near Avon Farm.

The population of Anglo-Saxon Saltford was substantial enough to warrant a church, as shown by St Mary’s Church tower, the base of which dates from the latter end of the period and possibly supersedes an earlier church building. Apart from its Anglo-Saxon tower base, the majority of St Mary’s Church is early Norman in origin. St Mary’s Church still retains its Norman (possibly late Anglo-Saxon) octagonal font, which was damaged by the Roundheads during the Civil War. The churchyard area to the south of the building dates from the Norman period, with the area to the east used from 1894. The churchyard closed for burials in 1991, and Saltford Parish Council now has responsibility for its safety management (all other enquires need to be made to St Mary’s Church Office).

Though Norman in origin, St Mary’s Church has been altered and extended over the years. It once had a porch located on the south side of the building, clearly visible when approached on the path leading from Queens Square. The entrance at the west end of the building, as used today, was created when the building was remodelled in 1832 (many churches during the 19th century required major restoration works, St Mary’s included). The top of the tower has changed over the years too, including an increase in height, and the addition of pinnacles typical of the Victorian period. The church tower houses a single bell which is rung on special occasions. Today St Mary’s is a typical small village church, its size reflective of the population it was built to serve.

Saltford’s oldest dwelling is Saltford Manor, dating from the middle of the 12th century. It is thought to be the oldest continuously occupied private house in England. Saltford Manor retains many Norman features, including the tall narrow window visible at the back of the house.

Saltford Manor, and the adjacent St Mary’s Church, were both monastic establishments of Keynsham Abbey an Augustinian abbey founded in c.1166. It is believed that the medieval fishing ponds behind the manor and church were used to supply fish to the inhabitants of Keynsham Abbey. No doubt having such a powerful religious centre close by would have impacted on the lives of the inhabitants of Saltford. Keynsham Abbey was disassembled on the direction of Henry VIII in 1539, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. A small section of its ruins can still be seen today in Keynsham Memorial Park, a useful website about the remains of Keynsham Abbey and its history can be found at https://www.keynshamabbey.com/.

Saltford High Street

In 1303, Saltford was recorded as being in the Hundred of Keynsham (a ‘Hundred’ being a unit of local government and taxation, its size being between a village and shire). The Hundred of Keynsham had been conferred upon Keynsham Abbey at its foundation in the 12th century. The first named rector of St Mary’s Church was recorded in 1321.

The area now known as Saltford’s ‘old village’ developed in and around the areas between the High St, watermill and what is now the A4 Bath Road. Today this forms today’s Saltford Conservation Area, as outlined in this map.

Records show that there were several schemes suggested during the Elizabethan era to link the River Avon with the River Thames, but none of these occurred. In 1606 a Bill was introduced to Parliament to make the River Avon navigable but it failed to pass. Sir John Harrington, godson to Queen Elizabeth I, attempted to make the River Avon navigable to Bath but was unsuccessful. It was later made navigable from Bath to Hanham Mills under Queen Anne, by deed dated 10 March 1724 with work starting soon after, and it being fully open by 1727 at a cost of £12,000.

Documents detail the history of residences on Saltford’s High Street to the early modern period, including no.5 which still has its Tudor fireplace. Cottages belonging to mill workers dating from the 1600s can be found on The Shallows. Many former houses on the High Street also date from around this period, including Metz Cottage, Norman House and 18 High Street, which were all built around 1600. Fir Cottages on the High Street, now rebuilt as ‘Fernbank’, was used by the Parish of Saltford as the Poor House from 1615 (until a workhouse was built in Keynsham in 1838). Springside was constructed in 1684, and the row of cottages adjacent know as Collins Building (opposite to Rose Cottage) are also of 17th century origin.

St Marys Church Saltford
St Mary’s Church (Photograph copyright Cllr Jon Godfrey)

In 1643 the river crossing at Saltford was used by armies during the Civil War, and soldiers were billeted in the village.

St Mary’s Church tower was recorded as being attacked by the Roundheads. Internal parts of the church were also damaged. Its Norman (possibly Saxon) font was stolen during the attack, and used as a trough for animals prior to being returned to the church.

‘Jeffrey’s Lodge’ on the High Street was originally a farmhouse. Its name change is said to originate from the building being the accommodation for the infamous Judge Jeffreys who stayed there after the Civil War during the trial of rebels, though there is no known evidence to support this claim.

Brass Mill Saltford

On 3rd September 1702, during the first year of her reign, Queen Anne was recorded as passing through Saltford on her way from Bath to Bristol. She made the journey to have lunch with the Mayor, Sheriff and Town Clerk of Bristol. It is recorded that she and her entourage – including her husband Prince George of Denmark and members of the nobility – travelled in 13 coaches, each pulled by six horses, along The Shallows, a section of Mead Lane, then up a ‘track’ which is probably what is now known as Avon Lane. It would have been a remarkable sight for residents. She returned the same route later the same day. A later copy of an account of her visit, as recorded by John Latimer, can be found here on the SEG website. Queen Anne is the only monarch known to have been in Saltford. She was the last monarch of the House of Stuart, and reigned from April 1702 to August 1714, dying at the age of 49 (her husband Prince George of Denmark died in 1708).

Although there has been a watermill in Saltford for over a thousand years, the building visible today, today known as the ‘Brass Mill’, was built in 1721. Its waterwheels were used to power machinery. It was built by the Bristol Brass Company which was established in 1702, and was one of nine mills along the River Avon belonging to the company.

In 1723 a lady called Francis Flood came to Saltford, some think as she was on her way to Devon. She became unwell whilst in the village, possibly with small pox, and as no one would give her lodgings found shelter in a barn. As her condition worsened she contracted gangrene resulting in her feet and lower legs dropping off. A memorial to her feet can be found near the porch area of St Mary’s Church.

In 1727 the tidal River Avon was made navigable from Hanham to Bath via a series of locks. ‘Kelston Lock’ is close to Saltford Marina, with ‘Saltford Lock’ located about a mile away, adjacent to the Jolly Sailor public house. The Jolly Sailor Inn was built next to the lock in 1749 for the bargemen who needed accommodation, food and drink. Bargemen were employed to pull the barges along the river in teams of five men, though horses were later used.

The Crown Inn, a public house situated prominently on the A4 Bath Road, was a staging inn when it opened in c.1748, located on an historic coaching route on the A4. The inn offered accommodation, food, music and stables. It was formerly known as The Saltford Inn. The building itself is thought to date from the late 17th century, with mid-18th century extension, mid 19th century and modern alterations. It is Grade II listed as ‘The Crown Hotel’.

The first cricket match recorded in Somerset took place in Saltford on 3rd July 1751 on a ‘Saltford meadow’. See SEG’s website for an account.

Notable Saltford residences built during the 18th century include Saltford House, a square Georgian mansion, constructed in 1712. A blue plaque marks the residence between 1856 to 1867 of Admiral Benedictus Marwood Kelly, who fought in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars and served on the anti-slavery patrols off the west coast of Africa. He made major additions and repairs to the building. Admiral Kelly’s wife, Juliana, was known to generously distribute coal, cloaks and soup to poor families.

Adjacent to Saltford House is another notable residence now know as The Tunnel House, built in 1744. It is a Georgian three storey building famed for being purchased by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who built a tunnel underneath between 1836 and 1838 for his GWR London to Bristol line.

Brass Knocker House was built in 1747. Originally called Mount Cottage, it was subsequently named after its shiny brass knocker made at the Saltford Brass Mill. The building was used as a beer shop, grocery shop, an inn, and a post office.

Old photograph of Saltford Ferry

An early 19th century white turnpike house can be seen on the left when entering Saltford from the direction of Bath. There would have been a gate across the road (A4 Bath Road) which opened once the toll was paid. There would also have been a milepost as from 1767 mileposts were compulsory on all turnpikes so travellers were aware of distances. Though one does not survive by the turnpike house, an old ‘7 miles to Bristol’ sign can be seen embedded in the wall on the same side of the road further up the hill.

Saltford’s first parsonage, Saltford Rectory, was built in 1814 and was in use until 1987. Located by the outlook (formerly Cox’s Close) at the top of The Shallows, it is now a private residence, with Saltford’s current rectory located on Beech Road.

St Mary’s Church has a embroidered Coat of Arms on display dating from 1815, created around the time of the Battle of Waterloo.

Brunel’s Great Western Railway opened between Bath and Bristol in 1840, and Saltford’s station opened in August of the same year. The station was rebuilt in 1874 after a fire. The line is still operated by GWR though Saltford’s station was closed on 5th January 1960. The former GWR station site is located above The Shallows, with access from the A4 Bath Road. On the opposite side of the road was The Ship Inn, an ancient inn once used for the changing of horses. During the building of the railway it was used as a pay office to page the workers, and when the station was open it was perfectly positioned to gain the passing trade of passengers. The building was also used as a post office in 1894.

Saltford’s original school was called ‘Queen’s School’, adjacent to Queens Square. It opened in 1847, funded by donations by rectors in the Bath area as well as £100 from Admiral Kelly of Saltford House. In 1874 Mrs Juliana Kelly – then Admiral Kelly’s widow – paid for the rebuilding of Saltford School. The old school building is now part of the church hall and in part a private residence. Saltford Primary School relocated to its current site on Claverton Road in 1961.

A second railway line was built between Bristol and Bath by the Midland Railway, which opened in 1869. The stretch passing through Saltford served Kelston, and provided a direct link between Bath, Birmingham and Manchester. It also connected in Bath with the Somerset and Dorset Railway, meaning Saltford residents could travel directly to Bournemouth by railway. Trains stopped twice a day, and a wooden station was built in Saltford that was accessed over fields by Kelston residents. To coincide with the arrival of the Midland Railway two thatched cottages were converted in the same year to create The Bird in Hand Inn. The inn was used by navvies working on the line. The bridge built over the River Avon to carry the railway is the only crossing over the river in Saltford. Following the disuse of the Midland Railway line, the former line is now the popular Bath and Bristol Railway Path, and is popular with cyclists and walkers.

The Saltford Regatta was a highly popular event which officially started in 1894. It was however preceded by the Bath Regatta on the same stretch of river, which was first held in Saltford in 1849. Saltford as a location was chosen both for its long straight section of river and also the proximity of the GWR railway station. Known as ‘the Henley of the West’ according to newspaper articles of the time, many hundreds of people came by train and boat to attend.

In 1861 Saltford is recorded as having 376 residents living in 86 dwellings.

A ferry from The Shallows to the opposite side of the river was used to take both passengers and livestock from one side to the other. Hannah Gregory was known to operate the ferry across the River Avon between 1886 and 1908. She and her husband Charles lived in Ferry Cottages, now Willow Cottages, on The Shallows. The passenger ferry was propelled using a pole, and there was also a large flat boat for wagons and animals to be transported. The ferry was particularly busy during the Saltford Regatta. The ferry was also in popular demand by Saltford residents on race days, due to the location of the Bath racecourse on the other side of Kelston Round hill.

From the late 19th century fingerposts like the ones seen in and around Saltford were a common feature of the town and countryside. A prominent one in Saltford can be found on the A4 Bath Road at its junction with Manor Road. The date of its installation is unknown but it is likely to have been in the late 19th century or possibly during the early 20th century. At its top ‘SCC’ can be seen for ‘Somerset County Council’ (Saltford is today under the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset Council, a neighbouring authority to Somerset County Council, and as such shares this historic legacy). The ‘Saltford Village’ finger was sadly destroyed in c.2022, and unfortunately B&NES Council stated that they did not have the means to replace it. The existence of fingerposts like these nationally ended suddenly in the mid-1960s. At this time the Government introduced the type of road signage we are familiar with today, and at the time requested councils to remove all their fingerposts. Many councils followed the advice but at the time Somerset County Council was one of a small number of authorities that left them in place, which is why so many can still be seen today, including in and around Saltford. Today they are viewed as an important legacy and an integral feature of the Somerset landscape. More about SCC fingerposts can be found in this Somerset Traditional Fingerposts document (appendix here) created by Somerset County Council and the South West Heritage Trust.

The first Saltford Parish Council was formed in 1895. The first meeting was held on the 2 January in ‘the Saltford schools in the Village Street’, presumably the former school building on Queen’s Square (now a private residence). The following people were elected: Messers J. C. Gilmour, Chairman; G. W. Roch, Vice Chairman; J. E. Mills, Treasurer; J. C. Roch, Clerk to the Council, and H. Highnam, Waywarden (i.e. a supervisor of highways etc).

In 1897 the minutes from 18 March show that all parishioners were asked to subscribe to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Fund.

Saltford Parish War Memorial

The turn of the century marked the beginning of the end for Saltford’s Brass Mill. Declining to adopt newer production methods, in time the Bristol Brass Company failed to keep up its competitors. Brass battery using hammers ceased at the mill in 1908 and brass rolling – with rolling mills powered by waterwheels – was stopped in 1925. The area around the mill is now used for mooring river boats.

On 11 November 1901, the minutes show Keynsham Rural District Council wrote Saltford Parish Council a letter to say they had obtained urban powers for Saltford and proposed to extend byelaws unless they received objections in three weeks. The Clerk of Saltford Parish Council was asked to obtain a copy of the new byelaws, but a later meeting shows that the only copy was in London, and therefore Saltford Parish Council had no opportunity to see them and so gave its objection to them. A later meeting goes on to say that a copy was obtained the following year. Saltford Parish Council then wrote to Keynsham Rural District Council to say it did not feel competent to object to any particular byelaw, but that it was unanimous that they are unnecessary to Saltford and that Saltford Parish Council ‘does not see the reason why the Parish should be saddled with an expense from which it will get no benefit of any extend seeing that no building of any extent is likely to take place here’. The Clerk recorded that several prominent rate-payers attended the meeting where this was resolved.

At the Annual Meeting in 1902, Mr J. C. Gilmour resigned as Chairman and Mr George Henshaw was elected as Chairman. It is recorded that Mr George Henshaw on behalf of himself and others presented a lamp and standard to the Parish of Saltford, which was erected at the bottom of the garden adjoining Queen’s Square.

Saltford Golf Club was established in 1904, with its Club House built the following year.

In 1906 Saltford gained its first motor bus service. It travelled from Saltford with its terminus at The Crown Inn, to Brislington, where passengers could then join Bristol’s electric tram service. Previous to this, the Bristol Tramway & Carriage Company had proposed their trams to run from Brislington through Keynsham to Saltford, where possibly it could meet an extension of the Bath Electric Tramways from The Globe roundabout. For various reasons this never occurred, and why the Bristol Tramway & Carriage Company decided to use buses instead of trams. Further motor bus services were added, including to the Globe roundabout to Bath’s electric tram service. It is note that in 25 January in the same year, Saltford Parish Council had discussed the proposed extension of the Bath Electric Tramways from the ‘Globe Inn’ to the ‘Crown Inn’ at Saltford. It is recorded there was much discussion for and against the scheme, and 36 voted for the resolution and 5 against. Over 100 years on, SPC continues to discuss and vote on transport matters.

Sadly several men from Saltford lost their lives during both the First and Second World Wars. Details can be found on the railings by the war memorial on the corner of Beech Road and Norman Road. The War Memorial has inscriptions as follows: 6 o’clock face: ERECTED TO THE HONOUR AND IN MEMORY/ OF THE SALTFORD MEN WHO FELL/ IN THE GREAT WAR OF 1914 – 1919/ (17 Names)/ “Greater love hath no man than this.” 12 o’clock face: 1939 – 1945/ (6 Names)/ “Their name liveth for evermore”. SPC has added plaques to the railings with details of those the 17 men who died in the First World War (1914-1918) and the six who died in the Second World War (1939-1945) as inscribed on the War Memorial. Please find copies of the information on the first plaque here and the second plaque here. Saltford’s War Memorial, a simple Celtic cross set on a plinth and base, was was erected in November 1920. It stands 330cm tall and is made of stone. It was originally located in the centre of the road close to its current location (centre of the High St at its junction with Norman Road) and surrounded by railings. It was moved to its current location in 1966 following it being damaged by a car. The railings in front of the War Memorial are assets belonging to Saltford Parish Council. The railings were updated by the Parish Council in 2018 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1.

In Saltford’s Churchyard at St Mary’s, which is managed by Saltford Parish Council, there are Commonwealth War Graves for three men who died in in the First and Second World Wars. Sidney Goddard – Stoker 1st Class died on 3 November 1915, age 26, whilst serving on HMS Larkspur. Henry Mitchell was a Private in the Wiltshire Regiment, he died from his wounds age 25 on 14 October 1917. George Hamilton was a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery, who died in 1945. A Commonwealth War Graves sign is positioned by the church gates.

It is recorded by Saltford Parish Council in 17 March 1919 that there was demand for houses owing to the demobilisation of young men following WW1 and young men waiting to be married. It asked the District Council to erect eight new cottages and suggested the site between the Mission Hall (near the current Grace Bible Church on Norman Road) and Tunnel House as a location.

On 16 March 1925, Saltford Parish Council discussed whether the time was right for Saltford streets to be lighted with electricity or gas. On a show of hands by those present it was 50 against electric lights, and 5 in favour of them.

Saltford Parish Council discussed the renaming of roads on 3 August 1928, and a request to the District Authority to attach name plates to the roads. The Council deferred this item until 19 December of the same year so Councillors could have time to think of names. At the December 1928 meeting, the Council voted that the following names of roads in Saltford be as follows: ‘Mission Hall Lane, formerly Boyd Road, to be Norman Road’; ‘Crown Lane to be Beech Road’; ‘Burnett Road to be Burnett Lane’; and ‘Jolly Sailor Lane to be Mead Lane’. On 29 May 1930, Saltford Parish Council resolved to recommend to the District Council that: ‘the road unofficially called Theresa Road be called Tyning Road’; ‘the road unofficially called Pennygreen Road to be called Rodney Road’; and ‘the houses on the late Homefield to be called Norman Park’. There was an objection on 9 January 1931 about the latter, and instead of ‘Norman Park’ it was proposed that it be called ‘Homefield Road’, a suggestion put forward to the District Council.

On 13 March 1929 Saltford Parish Council discussed whether there was any likelihood of the ferry being operational again. The reply was that ‘the boat was worn out and that the traffic was not sufficient to bear the cost of purchasing a new boat’.

Saltford Parish Council received a letter from Somerset Council as discussed on 30 June 1931 regarding the bye-law for speeding of the speed-boats on the River Avon at Saltford. Since the passing of the bye-law, it is minuted that Councillors at Saltford Parish Council ‘were of the opinion that those in charge of speed-boats were contravening the bye-law and that due notice was to be given to the police regarding the same’. On 14 September, it was recorded that a report from the police had been received about speeding by speed boats, and that a prosecution was being instituted.

In 1930 the Wills family with H S Radcliffe Esq JP of Saltford funded the conversion of the 19th century Methodist Chapel on The Shallows into a Working Men’s Hall. It remained in use by the younger men of the village for the decades following, having a snooker and billiards table as its main attraction, and was in use until just after Saltford Hall opened in 1961. Saltford Hall was built using donations from residents, following a community fund started in 1948. As well as funds, residents dug the foundations and built part of Saltford Hall. Today Saltford Hall is managed by the Saltford Community Association and forms the focus for many community events and activities. The Methodist Chapel / Working Men’s Club is now a private residence.

At the start of the Second World War in 1939 a hundred children from London were evacuated to Saltford, and were integrated into classes at Saltford School. The garden at the rear of the building was used to grow produce, and children would use Queen’s Square as their playground.

Saltford saw significant expansion and house building during the 20th century. Norman Road had many houses by the 1930s, and later in the same decade work began on houses in Claverton Road. Substantial development also took place during the latter decades of the 20th century. For maps of ‘then’ and ‘now’, please visit the Saltford Environment Group’s online museum ‘river and aerial views’ page. Many listed buildings survive in Saltford. The Keynsham and Saltford Local History Society complied this list, with further details about these buildings available on the Historic England website.

The modern Saltford Parish Council held its first meeting on 15th May 1991, following the outcome of the local election on 2nd May 1991. The Parish Council marked its 30th anniversary in 2021. For information about the first Saltford Parish Council, and how and why Saltford Parish Council was created, please see our ‘Marking 30 Years of Saltford Parish Council‘ account based on recollections from two former SPC Chairs.

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