Hi there I'm Dorothy Treasure and I'm the Building Recorder for Wiltshire County Council.  

It's funny how you think you get to know a place like Chippenham and then it surprises you. I was asked to look at the Rose and Crown pub in the town centre the other day with Mike Stone, curator of Chippenham Museum. This very fine hostelry has recently changed hands and the new owner, Dave Purton, was keen to find out as much as possible about the historic fabric. It dates from the 14^th or 15^th centuries and was originally timber-framed in a very ancient way using crucks - a form not seen in Wiltshire after about 1500. I wasn't expecting to do more than explore the ground and first floors so was dressed in my usual office garb of dress and best coat. I hadn't reckoned on Dave's intrepidity! Mike and I were persuaded to climb through a tiny loft opening to investigate. A good many years had passed since the last gymnast had navigated the timbers of that ancient roof and the dust had settled pretty thickly.

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