Kellaways: A Wiltshire ‘Radiator Springs’

Maud Heath’s causeway and St Giles church, Kellaways. Image: Rosemary Waterkyn

The Pixar movie Cars is principally set in the fictional town of Radiator Springs, a once thriving community that has fallen on hard times. Located in rural Arizona, Radiator Springs prospered because of its position on Route 66, a major road that connected Chicago and Los Angeles. However, the town's fortunes changed dramatically with the construction of Interstate 40- a new road that bypassed Radiator Springs entirely. Travellers stopped passing through, businesses struggled to survive, and a once-vibrant community became nearly abandoned.

So, what does this have to do with Kellaways, a tiny hamlet a few miles from Chippenham, north Wiltshire? Surprisingly, quite a bit. In 1474, a widow by the name of Maud Heath lived in Kellaways, probably in the house owned by her nephew, the lord of the manor, John Bagot, a rich Bristol merchant. Kellaways stood on an ancient road, part of a longer routeway that connected Bristol with London and bypassed Chippenham. In that year, probably to ensure the continued flow of goods and travellers, Maud set up a trust to maintain a section of the road from Bremhill Wick to Chippenham Clift (allowing travellers to avoid Chippenham Bridge).  It is hard today to get an impression of the village at this time. It comprised Bagot’s moated manor house, a church, cottages, and probably a mill, all of which have now disappeared, although the church and mill were subsequently replaced. In the 14th century, even after the black death had taken up to 60% of the resident population (the death toll experienced at nearby Christian Malford), the village had 43 adult residents assessed for the poll tax in 1377. Goods and travellers passed through the village, some walking, some on horseback, and others in carts and carriages. All benefited from the legacy left by Maud. It also created a business opportunity for residents and no doubt some families and businesses thrived (as they did in Radiator Springs). But the travellers and the trade they brought were dependent on one thing: Kellaways Bridge to take them across the River Avon.

Nearly two centuries after Maud's gift, the English Civil War raged through the country. Kellaways was owned by Thomas and Robert Long, uncles of the noted Royalist commander James Long. Between 1643 and 1645 (unfortunately the sources do not allow a precise date) Parliamentary forces tried to destroy Kellaways Bridge to stop its use by Royalist forces. They succeeded in partially destroying the structure and probably sacked the Long mansion at the same time (by 1655, what was left of the house was sold to the local miller, after which the house seemingly disappeared). The act was to have devasting effects. The bridge was not adequately repaired and became dangerous. Like Radiator Springs, traffic continued but went via a different route (one which went through the centre of Chippenham). And very quickly, the village apparently shrank. The church became ruinous, a farmhouse seemingly replaced the moated manor house, the lord of the manor was no longer resident and the population contracted. Unlike the movie Cars, however, a Lightning McQueen did not discover the ailing community to save it from slipping into obscurity. And, the routeway used by travellers and traders for 100s of years between the Bristol and London became no more than a country lane. By 1801, the entire population of Kellaways was just 12 and the hamlet comprised little more than a farm and a mill.

Maud Heath's legacy lives on in a footpath or causeway still maintained by her trust after 550 years, but the village her generosity once supported has faded, and today the hamlet of Kellaways looks much as it has done for 200 years. Unsurprisingly, when 19th-century historians began to consider the legacy of Maud Heath, they imagined her gift assisting no more than local women journeying to market in Chippenham. While the fictional Radiator Springs found new life as Lightning McQueen's racing headquarters, Kellaways stands as a real-world testament to how easily communities can decline when transport routes change. A historical Radiator Springs whose story deserves to be remembered.