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The Two Pigs is one of the 2 pubs in the village of Pickwick in the heart of rural Wiltshire. Situated on the A4 between Chippenham and Bath. The Two Pigs has been a Grade II listed building since 20 Dec 60 and is described in the DoE Lists of Buildings of Special Historic Interest (Feb 1990) as: Inn, mid 18th Century possibly refronting an earlier range. Ashlar with stone tiled mansard roof, coped West gable and end-wall stacks. Tall 2-storeys plus attic. 3-window range. 2-hipped 9-pane dormers. Main front with covered eaves cornice and floor band, window range not central. 3-first floor 12-pane sashes, one to ground floor left, pair to ground floor right. 6 panel door between in unmoulded surround. PickwickPicAnglo Saxon word for a Point. Locally: Pikked for an acute point of land.WicOld English word for a dairy farm.The village of Pickwick is set between Chippenham and Bath on the A4. It grew up as a result of the coach traffic between London and Bath. Nowadays it has been incorporated into the larger town of Corsham despite the jealously held sense of independence by the villagers. The hamlet of Pickwick was originally divided into 3 areas: Upper Pickwick Middle Pickwick (shortened to Middlewick as in Middlewick Lane) Lower Pickwick The original entrance to Middlewick Lane was closer to the Chippenham end of the hamlet roughly where the road to Woodlands is now. In the mid 1500s the roads through Pickwick were in a sorry state and are recorded as impassable during the winter months. There is mention of ploughmen being granted ale for smoothing out the roads in the Springtime and of payment of 1/9d from the parish. The Hare and Hounds public house was the home of Mr Moses Pickwick who was found (as Moses) in Pickwick (hence Moses Pickwick) and it later became a coaching house for the Bath to London coach service. There is no evidence that Charles Dickens ever actually visited Pickwick. It is more probable that he saw the name Pickwick on the side of a coach during one of his visits to Bath and used it in the title of his book. |
| Updated 29 June 99 |
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