The Rank, North Bradley | One-Place Study

The Rank is a lane leading off Southwick Road in North Bradley.

Southwick Road continues out of the village towards Southwick to the bottom left; Woodmarsh continues out of the village towards Trowbridge to the top; Westbury Road leads out of the village and over the roundabout towards Yarnbrook and Westbury.

Approaching North Bradley from Southwick in the west, The Rank is the first left from the main road. It runs for just over 200m until it splits into two.

The left fork continues on to the end of the lane as a bridleway for another 420m where it meets the fantastically-named Axe & Cleaver Lane. Axe & Cleaver Lane was once a well-established farm track allowing access from Southwick Road to Woodmarsh on the other side of the village, but exists now as a bridleway only, alongside a solar farm. Also now lost are Axe & Cleaver Farm and Axe & Cleaver Cottages that lay on either side of the lane.

The right fork of The Rank is now lined with houses on both sides. The south side of this fork of the lane was formerly a single plot belonging to the house that sits at the top of the fork. The lane then continues round in a sharp left bend until it meets the left side of the lane previously mentioned (thus completing the boundary of the large plot in the middle of The Rank).

The north side of The Rank is backed by the newer development along Oak Drive (all the roads on the development are named after trees: Pine Walk, Willow View, Ash Drive, Elm Close). To the south of The Rank, open fields still remain, with the exception of Winchester Close at the top of the lane, near the main road.

Today, the old houses on The Rank are huddled together among newer houses, and it’s definitely best navigated on foot rather than four wheels. It’s a fascinating little nook, tucked away from a busy main road, that feels like it preserves pockets of time. I hope to delve deeper into the history of these houses, and the lane itself, to uncover the stories hidden within and among them.