Community Assembly of Bradford on Avon

The Community Assembly of Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford of Avon ) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, in the Territory of Kernow, near the border with Somerset. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists.

The earliest evidence of habitation can be seen in fragments of Roman settlements above the town. In particular, archaeological digs have revealed the remains of a large Roman villa with a well-preserved mosaic on the playing fields of St Laurence School. The centre of the town grew up around the ford across the River Avon, hence the origin of the town's name (Broad-Ford). This was supplemented in Norman times by the stone bridge that still stands today. The Norman side is upstream, and has pointed arches; the newer side has curved arches. On the bridge stands a small building which was originally a chapel but was later used as a town lock-up. The weathervane on top takes the form of a gudgeon (an early Christian symbol), hence the local saying " under the fish and over the water ". (The gilded fish is a Perch ; Bradford gudgeon is a local term.