Viki and a big woolly thistle in Bradford Road (photos by Jane Roberton)
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.
What is Howard celebrating? England winning their last 16 match in the World Cup? No, it's not played yet. France and Uruguay winning their matches? Perhaps not. No, in fact we're both celebrating a tranquil Bradford Road closed to through traffic on Sunday 1st July 2018. We're celebrating the difference between peace, quiet, birdsong, winged insects buzzing, the scents of summer and the mayhem of constant, racing, noisy traffic.
This was further brought into focus when an idiot in a black Audi A3, reg no. RJ14 FUU, whizzed by us, far too close and far too fast. He was clearly on an urgent mission to the back end of Rudloe Estate as a short while later he came shooting out of the estate on the wrong side of the road and headed off down Skynet Drive.
Just six on the 'pick' today (one has already set off and I'm taking the pic!) but in spite of this and the difficulty of picking litter in the long grass of summer, we managed to collect a fair amount (see last photo)
Viki and Jane set off down the Bradford Road towards Thorneypits thence to White Ennox Lane
Here's that quiet Bradford Road - twas like being back in the 19th century (I remember it well)
And here it is the other way with Howard busy collecting while I'm piddling about taking pictures
Continuing along the Bradford Road closer to Pickwick now and Howard has shot ahead whilst I was idly chatting
The 'Welcome to Corsham' sign is the limit of the litter pick in this direction
A quiet (no traffic) English Sunday morning in Bradford Road with much hedge bedstraw (gallium mollugo) in evidence
Thanks to government policies and local councillors' duplicity, this is the last summer for this lovely meadow at Rudloe. Whilst scores of local people objected to development here, Councillors Whalley (Corsham) and Parker (Box) acquiesced.
This illustrates unambiguously the attitude of Corsham and Box councillors towards Rudloe. Whilst proposed developments in Corsham town or Box village are resolutely resisted, these councillors have actively thrown Rudloe to the wolves by, for example, voting in favour of speculative, greenfield development here (at the March 2014 Northern Area Planning Committee meeting).
Another view of the lost meadow which will now become part of the west Cosham conurbation
Ah yes, back to litter picking but the point of the tirade above is that the loss of such a lovely meadow is far more significant to the local community than the littered state of local verges (Howard waiting patiently in Skynet Drive)
Hedge bedstraw and field scabious amongst the grasses in the Skynet Drive verge
The Skynet Drive verge and field margin with St John's wort and bramble predominating here
Another view of the field margin with cat's tail (grass), St John's wort and a common orchid
Continuing along the Skynet Drive field margin, field scabious now features along with St John's wort and hedge bedstraw
Returning to the litter picking, we are now in the shade of Park Lane trees heading towards Westwells Road
Hitting the litter-free (hopefully) open road in Park Lane in an old jalopy
Audience for Viki and Jane in Boxfields Road (photo by Jane Roberton)
Meeting up with Viki and Jane after our 'rounds' (Viki and Jane did Bradford Road towards Thorneypits, White Ennox Lane and Boxfields Road). Rob (Leafy Lane & A4) and Mike (Westwells Road) had already departed after depositing their bags.
August 2018 and the title pictures contrast the beauty of nature with the mindless abominations that modern life and consumerism bring to our planet. The beauty is the calystegia sepium growing across the Park Lane footpath; this particular abomination is yet another (see daipers and road kill - Jul 2018) Aldi bag for life with an assortment of foul, consumer 'stuff', including about ten soiled nappies, which will blight the environment for hundreds of years.
Just a few of the crew at the start of the 5th August Rudloe litter pick. About twenty Rudloeites turned up for this 'pick' which took in Leafy Lane, the A4, Bradford Road, Westwells Road, Skynet Drive, Boxfields Road and White Ennox Lane.
Mulberries to the right and mulberries to the left, John sets off down Westwells Road
Mike 'picking' at the entrance to ex-RAF Rudloe Manor No. 2 Site in Westwells Road
Apple 'litter' ... no, windfalls as we move into Park Lane below Fiveways Industrial Estate. There's enough apples here to make gallons of cider.
In Park Lane, John has decided to skip the apples and concentrate on the litter
John making his way up Skynet Drive with the £billion MoD Basil Hill site and the trees of Neston Park beyond
Rudloe Estate is screened by the trees of Bradford Road in this view from Skynet Drive
Now the view east to the Redcliffe, greenfield Park Place development with miscanthus in the foreground
Back to litter picking and John has reached the Rudloe end of Skynet Drive
Field scabious in the Bradford Road/Skynet Drive verge with Rudloe Estate beyond
John gets caught up in the Rudloe Grand Prix; actually these motorcyclists were just cruising within the speed limit
The Grand Prix passes and John's litter bag is getting rather large; there's another full bag by the old gateway just before the trees
John reflects upon the filled litter bags at the junction of Boxfields Road and Leafy Lane. Thanks, once more, to Dave Wright for organising.
2nd September 2018 brings this month's Rudloe litter pick with the crew meeting at the junction of Leafy Lane and Boxfields Road (see first picture below)
Some of the suited and booted pickers receive instructions from Dave Wright. This month we again had much-valued help from Jane Roberton (plus one) from Katherine Park and Marilyn and Varian Tye of Box
Not suited or booted, but armed, Mike awaits the starting gun in Boxfields Road
On the hunt for litter in Bradford Road we find a nice patch of mint
Tony and Howard setting off down a still rural Skynet Drive; next month brings the start of urbanization
This 'bag for life' in Bradford Road contained ten lemons; what an appalling waste
Rod wends his way back up Boxfields Road with his goodie bag
Varian and Howard with a not quite complete haul (more bags yet to come)
Debrief and discussion of things parochial before some retire to the Quarrymans
Girl power - Viki and Marilyn in the mood for a scrap
Looks like Howard and Varian are expecting those pickers 'where the sun don't shine'
What a relief; apparently they were just kidding but the girls are still wielding their weapons
Walking down Boxfields Road just a few hours later and someone had discarded this Greggs bag ...
... and a plastic Muller milk bottle. This is a constant battle!
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