Welcome to the Rudloe and environs website.

Here you will find news, articles and photos of an area that straddles the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in north-west Wiltshire.

Contributions in the form of articles or photos are welcome. Even those with completely contrary views to mine!

Thanks to the website builder 1&1 and Rob Brown for the original idea.

Rudloescene now, in January 2014, has a sister, academic rather than anarchic, website about Box history here: http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/

It contains thoroughly professional, well-researched articles about Box and its people.

Contact rudloescene through the 'Contact' page.

Limestone quarries opened up at The Ridge, Eastlays, Elm Park, Brockleaze and Monks Park in the 19th century. During the first world war, Ridge Quarry was used for TNT and cordite storage. In 1935, Ridge Quarry and others were requisitioned by the War Office and adapted by the Royal Engineers. Ridge and Tunnel quarries along with Monkton Farleigh were collectively known as the Central Ammunition Depot (CAD).

Many bungalows/prefabs were built all around the Corsham area for the thousands of workers who came from far and wide (Ireland, the north-east) to work at CAD and at other underground factories including Bristol Aircraft, BSA, Parnell and Dowty.

The Carfrae family, John, Lily and their children Margaret, John and Robert along with Lily's mother Hannah Churchill lived at The Ridge before moving to Aldhelm Cresent at Boxfields. Phil Allen who married Margaret's daughter Carol has sent photos of the family's time at The Ridge which enabled this webpage to be established. The title photo shows Margaret, Robert and John.

John (Jack) Carfrae was posted to India with the army and lived there with his wife Lily and their daughter Margaret. Their son John was born in India in 1939 when Margaret was 3 years old. Lily, Margaret and John returned to England in 1943 aboard the steamship Stirling Castle via Bombay, Durban and New York. Bob Carfrae was born that same year.

Upon their return to England they lived at Uckfield in East Sussex before moving to The Ridge. Margaret remembers her father going on night patrols around the area and carrying a side arm. They lived at The Ridge until the early 1950s when they moved to Peel Circus (Hudswell) for a time and then onto Boxfields - photos of the family at Boxfields may be found here: Carfrae family archive.

A history of Ridge Quarry may be found here: https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/ridge-quarry/