Call for new street names to reflect a town's history (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Call for new street names to reflect a town's history

NEW street names should reflect the history of the local area. That's the view of councillors in Wootton Bassett and they are hoping to enlist local residents to help make sure this happens in the future.

Coun Peter Roberts said: "The idea is to get away from the themes which we have been landed with recently, which don't reflect our heritage. Malmesbury, for instance, has done this much better than we have in the past."

He said that while developers suggest names for streets the council should be ready with a bank of relevant names that could provide better alternatives.

He said: "If anybody knows of any history of Wootton Bassett that they think should be remembered we'll use it for street names."

He suggested that Sir Henry Meux and Brigader-General Morgan were two examples of characters from the town's history whose names could feature.

Sir Henry Meux was the last lord of the manor at Vastern. When his estate was dissolved at the beginning of the 20th century his family gave the town hall to the Wootton Bassett community.

Brigadier-General John Hartman Morgan, a former Wootton Basset resident, was an international legal expert who warned about the rise of Nazism.

Anyone with any suggestions should contact the town council on 01793 850222.

, advised world leaders and subsequently was involved in the Nuremburg War Crime Trials.