Trowbridge 5.7

Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England on the River Biss in the west of the county, south east of Bath, Somerset, from which it is separated by the Mendip Hills, which rise to the west.Long a market town, the Kennet and Avon canal to the north of Trowbridge has played an instrumental part in the town's development as it allowed coal to be transported from the Somerset Coalfield and so marked the advent of steam-powered manufacturing in woollen cloth mills. The town was foremost producer of this mainstay of contemporary clothing and blankets in south west England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by which time it held the nickname "The Manchester of the West".The civil parish of Trowbridge had a population of 33,108 at the 2011 census. The parish encompasses the settlements of Longfield, Lower Studley, Upper Studley, Studley Green and Trowle Common. Adjacent parishes include Staverton, Hilperton, West Ashton, North Bradley, Southwick and Wingfield; nearby towns are Bradford on Avon, Westbury, Melksham, Frome and Devizes.