EIGHT hundred years of treasured county archives should be in safekeeping in a place giving maximum security and protection, away from a risk situation that could be hazardous or perilous to those records and the lives of staff and general public.
Building the county archives office on the unsafe site at Cocklebury Road, Chippenham, alongside two huge electrical power transformers endangers that building and its contents. One transformer did explode in 1991, causing burn-out of its housing and a major power failure for Chippenham town. Likelihood of explosion there exposes possible disaster striking our county archives records, burning them completely to dust and ashes.
On BBC1 (February 8, 2005, Fire Wars) a national fire investigation officer stated that if a paper fire burns ferociously in a large building no entry can be made, and the fire has to be left to burn out.
Why wait for disaster to strike? Remember Trowbridge Town's motto Respice Prospice Look back, look forward. The long derelict Usher's brewery site in the safe and accessible heartland of the county town of Trowbridge is the ideal location for both the county archives office and our civic library. Let vision become reality!
Heritage, being a human right, must be safeguarded. I care do you?
D BILTCLIFFE
Hilperton
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