We move into Melksham for a new series of Then and Now.

Melksham, a spa town, was once famous for its woollen industry. In the 1800s there was a total of 14 clothiers resident in the town but with the decline of the wool trade in 1890 a period of industrial development was set in motion with businesses such as the Avon Rubber Company and Spencer's Engineering Works coming into existence.

Our archive picture this week shows one of these, Spencer's on the main Chippenham road out of Melksham. Once one of the largest employers in the town, Spencer (Melksham) Ltd started as a small works at the corner of Union Street and Bank Street.

The company moved to the Beanacre site in 1903 and before the Second World War they had built up a reputation internationally for many aspects and techniques of mechanical handling. In the immediate post war years, work was devoted to re-establishment of peace-time trade and by the 1950s the demand for Spencer equipment both home and overseas was heavy.

Heavy workloads in 1956 led to the modernisation and extension of both the head office and works, the establishment of a research and development section and a canteen was also constructed. In 1962, the company became a member of the Elliott Automation Group of Companies (later GEC Mechanical Handling).

The business closed in 1990 with part of the site becoming a retail centre. After years of decline the building we see in our archive picture was demolished and the site is now being development by Bloor Homes for one and two-bedroom apartments, priced upwards of £130,000.