Trowbridge has a population of around 40,000 and serves a wider area to the west of Wiltshire and the east of Somerset, with excellent public transport links including frequent rail services to London and Wales. We have an excellent range of shops including national chains and local independents as well as a six-day-a week indoor market and weekly outdoor market which takes place on Wednesdays. Supermarkets are conveniently located close to the town centre, with some free parking.
The town has a very historic past: Trowbridge has been connected to weaving for over a thousand years and its development as a centre of high quality woollen cloth has left a rich legacy of fine domestic and industrial buildings ranging from the late sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century, which according to English Heritage ‘is a quite exceptional chronological range for industrial buildings in a town centre’.
Situated in one of the renovated mills in The Shires shopping centre, Trowbridge Museum tells the story of West of England woollen cloth production. Highlights include a Spinning Jenny (one of only five left in the world) and working looms. In the nineteenth century industrialisation and the embracing of new technology within the West of England cloth mills had a major impact on Trowbridge, resulting in it being described as ‘The Manchester of the West’.
The woollen cloth industry has left a rich and notable architectural legacy, ranging from the late sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century. A variety of trails, available from the Museum, highlight the town’s rich history.
The town has a wide range of businesses including the major banks, legal and financial services, as well as being home to Wiltshire Council, major employers include apetito, The Consortium, Hitachi Capital, Platinum Motor Group and Cereal Partners. Trowbridge is also proud to be a Fairtrade town.
Health and education are well catered for with several GP practices, a minor injuries unit at Trowbridge Community Hospital, a number of dental practices, and other services as well as many primary schools, two academies and a Catholic college, as well as the Trowbridge campus of Wiltshire College.
Click on Community Information in the left-hand panel and you will find links to many of the companies and organisations which provide services and facilities in and around Trowbridge.