Bathampton, a small and pretty hamlet near Bath in Wiltshire has much of interest, including the burial place of Captain Arthur Phillip, one of the most famous men in Australian history.
“I’m going to buy a toll bridge when I retire,” Simon remarked. We were sitting in the meadows beside the River Avon watching a steady stream of traffic crossing the Bathampton Toll Bridge. He proceeded to count the cars and came up with an average of six a minute. Apparently it is actually some 2000 vehicles a day and at 80p a car, the sums certainly add up!
The historic Grade II bridge and tollhouse were built in 1872 on the site of an earlier one from the 1850’s; before that there was just a ferry crossing. A board advertising the historical prices is fixed to the wall beside the toll house – it is certainly very comprehensive.
There are another three (free!) bridges in quick succession before one actually reaches Bathampton, firstly crossing the A4, then the railway and finally the Kennet and Avon canal. However, our destination lay on the north side of the canal: the 13th century church of St Nicholas’ which was largely rebuilt around 1750.
History can be found in unexpected places. Ask any Australian who Governor Phillip was and they will immediately identify him as the first governor of the colony who landed with the First Fleet in 1788 at Botany Bay. However ask them where he is buried and very few, if any, would know that this famous founding father lies in a quiet country graveyard in Wiltshire, England.
A little background first: Arthur Phillip was born of a German father and English mother in 1738 and educated at Greenwich Hospital School. He was apprenticed to the merchant navy at the age of 13 then joined the Royal Navy at 15. He saw action in the Seven Years War, tried farming in the quieter interludes and then in 1774 joined the Portugese in their war against Spain.
George Rose, Under Secretary to the Treasury and a Hampshire neighbour, knowing of Phillip’s farming experience, may subsequently have been influential in getting him the post as Governor Designate to the proposed British penal colony on the east coast of Australia. The area was chosen on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist who accompanied the voyage of Captain Cook in 1770.
The First Fleet set sail on the 13th May 1787 with 11 ships and some 750 convicts and after a voyage via Rio de Janiero and South Africa, the leading ship, HMS Supply, landed at Botany Bay on 18th January 1788. However due to the poor soil and lack of reliable water in the area they decided to go on to Port Jackson and on 26th January 1788, they landed at Sydney Cove, named in honour of the Home Secretary of the day. In the end, the convicts were largely petty criminals from the slums who knew little about farming and in the early years the colony was in grave danger of starving to death.
However the colony won through in the end with the aid of Phillips’ tactful and far sighted management of the convicts and though he only actually spent six years in New South Wales they were vitally important years which set a firm foundation for the future growth and prosperity of the country. Slavery was actually abolished in the colony twenty years ahead of England.
Citing ill health, he sailed for England in 1792 and settled near the restorative waters of Bath which were obviously quite beneficial as he married his second wife, Isabella, in 1794. Finally, just 3 months after receiving his final promotion to Admiral of the Blue, he died at 19 Bennett Street, Bath, on 31st August 1814. Having previously suffered a stroke, he apparently fell out of a low-silled window. He left an estate of £25,000 which rather begs the question did he jump or was he pushed – despite rumours, nothing was ever proved.
Which brings us to Phillip’s tomb with its balustrade of Australian blackbean wood and floor of Wombeyan marble which is found immediately inside the entrance to St Nicolas’ church. He is buried with Isabella. The adjacent Australia chapel has stained glass windows with the crest of the Federal Government and the six Federal States. The kneelers were provided by Tasmania and there is a rather fine embroidery work depicting the voyage which was produced locally: truly a joint effort.
There is a good display below the bell tower on the life and times of Phillip but the church has a couple of other things of note: Walter Sickert, the famous Victorian painter, is buried in the graveyard as is the last man to die in England in a legal duel; the latter’s grave is tucked away beneath the trees to one side and consists of a large flat slab.
A little further beyond the church is the picturesque Kennet and Avon canal with its colourful barges and the handy George Inn with outside seating, though I don’t rate the food very highly. As you wander the canal bank to the east, you reach the area where an old steam flour mill was given a new lease of life in 1900 with the manufacture of Plasticine, invented by William Harbutt. Production ceased there in 1983 and the place is now residential. Bradford on Avon is 7 miles away and Bath is only 2 miles to the west: the canal path is great for cycling or walking so a visit to either is quite doable.
We turned for home, passing the Bathampton Mill pub, a better choice for food with a nice river view, though I can imagine it getting very busy in the summer. The Old Mill Hotel on the northern side of the bridge is a hideous modern rebuild that still manages to look very dated; better by far is the nearby Bailbrook Lodge which offers smart B&B accommodation handy for both Bathampton and Bath (keep an eye open for good value special offers on Travelzoo).
When it was our turn to cross the bridge, I searched for change to pay the 50p toll for the motorbike. “Give him a pound, we might get a Beatrix Potter 50p!” Simon suggested. And guess what – we did!
