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.

A feature of Weavern Lane at Slaughterford for many years

The derelict 17th-century Society of Friends (Quaker) meeting house in the woods above Slaughterford is shown in the second picture in the gallery below. I can find no reference at present but I recall hearing the story that after Cromwell ransacked Slaughterford Parish Church (forcing the parishioners to use Biddestone Church [interesting story here but slightly off subject]), the Quakers hid their meeting house in the woods away from the village proper - Wilts County Council's short piece on the meeting house is here: 

http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getchurch.php?id=1002.

And the story of the wrecking of Slaughterford Church, and much more of Slaughterford's history may be found here: https://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=19

In the 1990s, the site hit the local headlines as a grave robber had attempted to unearth a body here. His attempts (a relatively shallow trench) are illustrated in the picture of the grave.

The story of the stilettos is an odd one. They were initially pristine but, of course, over the years they have suffered from winds and weathers. I first saw them in, perhaps, the late 80s or early 90s. They have not moved as they are firmly bolted to the fallen trunk beneath. So this is art in the countryside. Latterly, a pair of pink, ladies boots was added, also firmly bolted to the trunk - see this BBC article which has a picture of the boots:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8314000/8314704.stm

The state of the shoes in 2012/13 may be seen here:  http://www.yourlocalweb.co.uk/wiltshire/middlewick/pictures/popup-583406-discarded-shoes-public-art/ 

along with the caption "Discarded shoes, public art?"

On a walk in April 2020 (The Time of Covid) we got talking to a gentleman in Weavern Lane at Slaughterford who had lived in the area for many years. The conversation turned to the stilettos; he gave the impression that he knew much more than he was letting on - see the introductory paragraph of  'Walks in the Time of Covid 7' here: Walks in the Time of Covid 7

Click on images to enlarge and view captions.