29th August 2025
Danny Howell writes:
The Warminster Bypass opened nearly 37 years ago. I have had in my possession for many years (although I can’t remember exactly how I acquired it) an unusual item of Warminster Bypass memorabilia. And it’s something that is functional too. It’s a chopping board with a handle. And there’s a hole in the handle so it can be hung in the kitchen.
The wording across the top of the board reads: “Warminster By-pass opened 29th November 1988.” Below that heading is a black and white illustration of Copheap and below that is a stylised sketch (not to scale and not totally accurate) of what is meant to be Warminster town centre. There are signposts pointing the way off the Bypass to Bath, Frome, Weymouth, Southampton, and Town Centre. Among the buildings depicted are Warminster Railway Station and Christ Church. The Marsh, east of Christ Church is shown and signposted. One building, near the centre of the town sketch, is differentiated by being coloured orange. It is the building that was the office and printing works of Warminster Press at Station Road. (This building has since been demolished to make way for the entrance and access road to the Waitrose car park.) On the roads in the town centre are depicted some lorries: two orange ones both labelled “Print”, and uncoloured lorries labelled ink and paper. A motorcycle is shown, having left Warminster Press and turned left out of Station Road, gathering speed and leaving exhaust smoke as it goes up what is meant to be East Street. The word “proofs” can be seen on the back of the motorbike.
All of this seems to suggest that this illustration was printed by Warminster Press. Maybe the board was produced for Warminster Press to give as complimentary gifts to their customers? The Bypass is shown with vehicles bumper to bumper in both directions. Some of the lorries shown on the Bypass are labelled Tesco, Yeoman, Benchairs and Cuprinol. Maybe these companies were clients for stationery and brochure printing by Warminster Press? One lorry is labelled “Crunch Quarries” – maybe this is some sort of joke or signifies how happy everyone was to have the many stone lorries diverted out of Warminster Town Centre?
Does anyone have any details about this item? Was it, as we think, produced with the involvement of Warminster Press as gifts for their clientele? Does anyone else have one of these?
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William Fryer, son of the late Rob Fryer, who owned and ran Warminster Press, has told us:
“My Dad produced this as his corporate Christmas gift in 1988 to celebrate the bypass being built. He gave them to his customers and suppliers. He owned and ran the Warminster Press which occupied the site that is now the entrance to Waitrose. You drive through his old office when you enter and leave the supermarket.”