Place Names of Calne: Woodroffe Square

Original housing on Woodroffe Square.

This development was named for William Woodroffe. Woodroffe's 1670 will provided 50s a year to pay for 5 poor boys born in Calne Borough* to be taught freely.

This was done at a school on Church Street, which closed in 1829, but the endowment carried on at the National School for Boys, which still stands as a private residence on The Green. Woodroffe's endowments were eventually combined with that of Fynamore's and Bentley's and provided a scholarship at Calne county school[1]. 

The original 1960s development was regenerated in 2019, with the demolition of numbers 49 to 60 Woodroffe Square, which comprised of 12 flats over 36 underlying garages. These were replaced by 24 properties of 15 two and three bedroom houses and 9 two bedroom apartments[2].

Some of the new properties on Woodroffe Square.

*Calne ceased as a borough in 1974.

References:
[1] Calne: Education | British History Online. 2019. Calne: Education | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp111-114. [Accessed 30 August 2019].
[2] Staff Reporter. 2019. Woodroffe Square Development Complete In Calne. [ONLINE] Available at: https://calnenews.com/index.php/calne-news/808-woodroffe-square-development-complete-in-calne?fbclid=IwAR1f3RyHUqkTHAQolcKrTiz2ZU6S5EFdkWnsI4scuaoP2-R4EFHoOhkmeCc. [Accessed 30 August 2019].