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| Bridgwater
Bridgwater in Somerset, England, is a market town, the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and the leading industrial town in the county. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England, between two junctions of the M5 motorway and on the edge of the Somerset Levels. It is thought that the town was originally called Brigg, meaning Quay. In the Doomsday Book the town is listed as Brugie, while Brugia was also used. After the Norman invasion the land was given to Walter Douai (a Norman prince), hence becomming known variously as Burgh-Walter, Brugg-Walter and Brigg-Walter, eventually corrupted to Bridgwater. An alternative version is that it derives from "Bridge of Walter" (i.e. Walter's Bridge). Bridgwater had a population of 36,000 in 1998 (up from 22,718 in 1951, 3,634 in 1801, and 7,807 in 1831). Historically, the town had a politically radical tendency, being involved in several events of note on the national stage. |
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| Burnham-on-Sea
Burnham-on-Sea is a town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett. It suffered a major flood in 1607, and remained a small village until the late eighteenth century. The town is notable for its collection of lighthouses, including the Round Tower lighthouse of 1829, the Pillar Lighthouse and the Lighthouse on legs. Burnham is now a popular seaside resort, and is home to the shortest pier in Britain. A number of marble carvings from the former chappel at the Palace of Whitehall can be seen in the local church of Saint Andrew, to where they were moved in 1820 after having originally been removed to Westminster Abbey in 1706. Main School in town King Alfreds Community College. |
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| Cheddar
Cheddar is a town in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the Mendip Hills nine miles north west of Wells. The town has a population of 5,724 (2002 estimate). It is famous for having given its name to Cheddar cheese which is one of the most popular kinds of cheese. Although the cheese is now made worldwide, only one producer remains in the town itself. Cheddar's other main produce is the Strawberry, which gave name to the now disused Strawberry Line railway that ran from Yatton to Wells. Cheddar is also for Cheddar Gorge, the largest gorge in England, and for Cheddar Caves, where the remains of Cheddar Man were found. Nearby is Wookey Hole. |
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| Frome
Frome (pronounced "Froom") is a small town in Somerset, England, near the Mendip Hills. The town originally grew due to the weaving industry, and weavers' cottages can still be found, while grand Georgian terraces also grace the town. This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. Frome, a market town in the Frome parliamentary division of Somerset, England, 107 miles southwest of London. Pop. of urban district (1901) 11,057. It is unevenly built on high ground above the River Frome, which is here crossed by a stone bridge of five arches. It was formerly called Frome or Froome Selwood, after the neighbouring forest of Selwood; and the country surround is still richly wooded and picturesque. The parish church of St John the Baptist, with its fine tower and spire, was built about the close of the 14th century, and, though largely restored, has a beautiful chancel, Lady chapel and baptistery. Fragments of Norman work are left; the interior is elaborately adorned with sculptures and stained glass. The market-hall, museum, school of art, and a free grammar school, founded under Edward VI, may be noted among buildings and institutions. The chief industries are brewing and art metal-working, also printing, metal-founding, and the manufacture of cloth, silk, tools and cards for wooldressing. Dairy farming is largely practised in the neighbourhood. Selwood forest was long a favourite haunt of brigands, and even in the 18th century gave shelter to a gang of coiners and highwaymen. The Saxon occupation of Frome (From) is the earliest of which there is evidence, the settlement being due to the foundation of a monastery by Aldhelm in 705. A witenagemot was held there in 934, so that Frome must already have been a place of some size. At the time of the Domesday Survey the manor was owned by King William. Local tradition asserts that Frome was a medieval borough, and the reeve of Frome is occasionally mentioned in documents after the reign of Edward I, but there is no direct evidence that Frome was a borough and no trace of any charter granted to it. It was not represented in parliament until given one member by the Reform Act of 1832. Separate representation ceased in 1885. Frome was never incorporated. A charter of Henry VII to Edmund Leversedge, then lord of the manor, granted the right to have fairs on July 22 and September 21. In the 18th century two other fairs on February 24 and November 25 were held. Cattle fairs are now held on the last Wednesday in February and November, and a cheese fair on the last Wednesday in September. The Wednesday market is held under the charter of Henry VII. There is also a Saturday cattle market. The manufacture of woollen cloth has been established since the 15th century, Frome being the only Somerset town in which this staple industry has flourished continuously. |
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| Glastonbury Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry spot on the Somerset Levels, 30 miles south of Bristol. The town has a population of 8,800 (2002 estimate). The town is known for its history, including Glastonbury Abbey and Glastonbury Tor, as well as the many myths and legends associated with the town. The town is also known for Glastonbury Festival which takes place in the nearby village of Pilton. History The Joseph of Arimathea legend relates to the idea that Glastonbury was the birthplace of Christianity in the British Isles, and that the first British church was built there at Joseph's behest to house the Holy Grail, 30 or so years after the death of Jesus. The legend also says that earlier Joseph had visited Glastonbury along with Jesus as a Child. William Blake believed in this legend and wrote the poem that became the words to the most patriotic of English songs, 'Jerusalem' (see And did those feet in ancient time). Joseph is said to have arrived in Glastonbury by boat over the flooded Somerset Levels. On disembarking he stuck his staff into the ground, which flowered miraculously into the Glastonbury Thorn (or Holy Thorn). This is the explanation behind the existence of a hybrid hawthorn tree that only grows within a few miles of Glastonbury. This hawthorn flowers twice annually, once in spring and again around Christmas time (depending on the weather). Each year a sprig of thorn is cut by the local Church of England priest and sent to the Queen to feature on her Christmas table top. The original Holy Thorn was a centre of pilgrimage in the middle ages but was chopped down during the English Civil War (in legend the roundhead soldier who did it was blinded by a flying splinter). A replacement thorn was planted in the 20th century on Wearyall hill but many other examples of the thorn grow through out Glastonbury including those in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. In some versions of the Arthurian myth, Glastonbury is conceived of as the legendary island of Avalon. An early Welsh story links Arthur to the Tor in an account of a face-off between Arthur and the Celtic king, Melwas, who had apparently kidnapped Arthur's wife Queen Guinevere. Geoffrey of Monmouth first identified Glastonbury with Avalon in 1133. In 1191, monks at the Abbey claimed to have found the graves of Arthur and Guinevere to the south of the Lady Chapel of the Abbey church, which was visited by a number of contemporary historians including Giraldus Cambrensis. The remains were later moved, and lost during the Reformation. Local people: |
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| Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town in West Somerset, England. Since 1974, Minehead has been administered by the West Somerset District Council. Since 1991, Minehead has been twinned with St. Berthevin, a small town close to the regional centre of Laval in the Mayenne département of France. The major tourist attraction of this town is Butlins holiday camp. Other attractions include the old train station which terminates here The West Somerset Railway and Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club, Somerset's oldest golf club, established in 1882. The town park is off of Blenheim Road. It is the birth place of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. The town is overlooked by North Hill and is situated close to the Exmoor National Park. One popular local tradition involves the Hobbby Horse, who takes to the streets on the eve of the first of May each year, with accompanying musicians, for four days. |
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North Petherton
The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Nortperet. The name derives from the area's location to the north side of the River Parrett. A former market and administrative centre, North Petheron is now largely a dormitory town for workers in Bridgwater (3 miles to the north east) and Taunton (8 miles to the south west). The centre of the town is designated an Area of High Archaeological Potential (AHAP), and a number of buildings have been given listed building status. North Petherton is situated on one of the historic communication routes through Somerset, and a turnpike through the town was opened between Bridgwater and Taunton in the 1730s. The opening of the nearby M5 motorway in the 1970s which relieved major traffic jams on the A38 through the town, also added to the attraction of the town for commuters and has consequently lead to the construction of several new housing estates. In 1984 the town was provided with a small public library. As a result of a revitalised fund-raising campaign (originally begun decades earlier), this was followed a few years later by the construction of a Community Centre which has since been extended. The town boasts the minster church of St Mary the Virgin, with a highly decorated tower which, at 120 feet / 36m high, is claimed to be one of the tallest towers in the West Country. The building is mainly dated from the 15th century, with a minstrel gallery from 1623, a peel of six bells, and a clock built in Bridgwater in 1807. The annual North Petherton Carnival takes place in November, on the Saturday after the Friday Carnival at Bridgwater, featuring most of the same participants. The Walnut Tree (rebranded in the 1970s from the Clarence Hotel, and before that as the New Inn) which now provides the only hotel accommodation in the town, was formerly in competition with the George Hotel (now the George Inn), where monthly petty sessions (court hearings) were formerly held. A minor skirmish of the English Civil War took place in August 1644 outside what was then the cornhill, now the area of Fore Street between the Community Centre and the George Inn. Trade and Industry North Petherton was the first town in England (and one of the only ones) to be lit by acetylene gas lighting, supplied by the North Petherton Rosco Acetylene Company (dating from at least 1898), operating from a plant in Mill Lane which has since been demolished to form a carpark for the local doctor's surgery. The adjacent church was the first building supplied, no doubt acting as a useful advert. Street lights were provided in 1906. Acetylene was replaced in 1931 by coal gas produced in Bridgwater, as well as by the provision of an electricity supply. In the past the town hosted a Starkey Knight and Ford brewery on Fore Street (demolished in the late 1960s), several maltings, a light engineering works (Trig Engineering, since moved to Bridgwater), and in earlier times at least 7 watermills. Basket making and the manufacture of associated products including wicker furniture, was also a significant industry, at one time employing over 100 people in small factories and homes, until its decline in the second half of the 20th century. The products were distributed nationally via the railway station at Bridgwater. Nearby King's Cliff formerly provided a source of building stone for the town dating from at least Medieval times. The production of cloth and leather goods also used to take place in the town, the former being commemorated in the name of the road known as Dyer's Green. Local employment is now largely restricted to service businesses and farming. The extensive cider orchards that used to surround much of the town in the 19th century had largely dissapeared by the end of the 20th. Parish of North Petherton Royal Forest of North Petherton Hundred of North Petherton The Alfred Jewel |
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| Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet is a small rural town in Somerset, England, situated five miles to the east of Wells and just south of the Mendip hills. The town has a population of 8,440 (2002 estimate). The town contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council.
Rich in history, the market cross in the town centre dates back to the 1500s. It boasts England's oldest prison still in use. National treasures such as the Domesday Book were kept safe here in World War II. Archeologists uncovered a significant amount of Roman artifacts in the early 1990s at a site adjacent to the nearby Fosse Way. The town's first name derives from the Anglo-Saxon for sheep fold, pointing to the original source of the town's wealth. It was part of lands given to the Malet family by Henry I in 1100, making it one of the first double place names in the country. Shepton Mallet was a site of one of the original gatherings of the Monmouth Rebellion, after Monmouth rallied troops there in 1685 after landing at Lyme Regis. Many rebels joined the cause, but Monmouth had to return to Shepton after failing to take Bath or Bristol. The traditional wool and silk industries were joined by brewing in the 19th century. The Anglo-Bavarian Brewery, still a local landmark, was reputedly the first in England to brew lager. The town, home to Babycham, is still an important centre for cider production. |
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Somerton Somerton is a village in Somerset, England (until recently it was defined as a town, but has lost its magistrate's court). Although geographically a village, the (former) Parish Council has recently opted to become a Town Council. It used to be the county town, but Taunton now fulfills this role. It lies between Yeovil and Street, in the South Somerset district. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 901. Many historical tales have grown up about Somerton, notably the myth that it once possessed a castle, but this stems from a confusion with Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire; King Alfred supposedly burnt his cakes nearby; and rumours persist of tunnels running under the old town. The village's most noted feature is its roofed market cross (the Butter Cross) in the Square; there is also a fine, if short railway viaduct crossing the River Cary. The fine Square has many buildings of interest, including the so-called Town Hall, next to the Butter Cross. This building has never fulfilled the function of Town Hall but looks the part! Also on the square are the church (see below) and the Lady Smith Memorial Hall, also known as the "Parish Rooms". The Anglican Church, St Michael's and All Angels, is notable for a fine carved roof, with splendid lions and a small cider barrel purportedly carved by the monks of Muchelney Abbey. Sir John Betjeman was also inspired by an inscription on the candelabra. Somerton was hit by a (misdirected) bomb during World War Two, resulting in the loss of lives at the Cow and Gate Dairy. A memorial at the dairy site (later to become a district council depot, and recently bought by the Town Council for possible use as the site of a new hall) commemorates those killed. Somerton has two schools - the County Infants' school on Etsmome Terrace and the Monteclefe CEVA Junior school on Kirkham street. There is also a Somerton in Victoria, Australia. More information on the history of Somerton can be found in a volume produced by the W.I. and recently republished for the millennium. There is also a Somerton website . |
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Street Street is a town in the county of Somerset, England, situated on a dry spot in the Somerset Levels two miles south west of Glastonbury. The town has a population of 11,100 (2002 estimate). Its earliest known name of the settlement was Lantokay, meaning the sacred enclosure of Kay, a Celtic saint. In the Domesday Book it was recorded as Lega, a name still used throughout the country in the modern form, "Leigh", such as the villages of Lower Leigh, Middle Leigh and Overleigh to the south of the town. In the 12th century the Roman causeway from Glastonbury (part of the Fosse Way) was renewed, giving Street its name from the Latin "strata" - a paved road. The Society of Friends established itself there in the mid 17th century and among the close knit group of Quaker families were the Clarks: Cyrus, who started a business in sheepskin rugs, later joined by his brother James, who introduced the production of woollen slippers and, later, boots and shoes. Under James's son, William, the business flourished but most of the profits were ploughed back into employee welfare, housing and education. Ironically, the Clark children would often be seen barefooted in the town - not through poverty, but because they liked going barefoot (although it was rumoured that the Clark shoe experts believed shoes to be bad for the development of children's feet, and should only be worn when absolutely necesssary)! C&J Clark still has its headquarters in Street, but shoes are no longer manufactured there. Instead, in 1993, redundant factory buildings were converted to form Clark's Village, the first purpose built factory outlet in the U.K. |
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Taunton Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town name derives from Town on the River Tone - or Tone Town. It still holds a weekly market.
History In the autumn of 1685 Judge Jeffreys was based in Taunton during the Bloody Assizes that followed the Battle of Sedgemoor. Lady Hariet Acland died at Tetton, near Taunton, July 21, 1815. In World War II the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal formed part of the Taunton Stop Line, designed to prevent the advance of a German invasion. Pilboxes can still be seen along its length. Grand Western Canal The canal was built as part of a failed scheme to link the Bristol Channel with the English Channel by building a canal from Taunton to Topsham. The plan was proposed in 1794 and construction work began after fund raising in 1796. The first section was built under supervision by John Rennie from 1810 to 1814 and runs from Tiverton to Holcombe Rogus on the Devon / Somerset border, running for eleven miles it is notable for containg no locks, instead it holds a constant height throughout. It primarily carried coal, limestone and its products. After promotion by James Green in 1829 a second section extended the canal by fourteen miles to Taunton and the Bridgewater & Taunton Canal from 1831 to 1838 . This Second section differs from the first section (and from most UK canals) in that it was designed to take tub boats rather than the more standard narrowboats. In a further deviation from the norm boat lifts were used instead of locks, there were considerable problems in construction with the lifts and also with the single inclined plane. This section of the canal, from Taunton to Lowdwells, was abandoned in 1867 and is now dry. The first section finally closed in 1925 (1962?), it was restored and reopened in 1971.
Blake famously declared that he had four pairs of boots and would eat three pairs before he would surrender.
[source: wikipedia] [more on Taunton] |
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| Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is an English seaside resort town in North Somerset, population 65,000 (1991 estimate). It is situated on the Bristol Channel approximately 18 miles (28km) south west of Bristol. The town has spread along the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury Hill and Brean Down. It is well known for its sandy beaches, although at low tide the sea can be over a mile from the beachfront. Weston comes from the Anglo-Saxon for the west tun or settlement. The descriptive part of its name is unusual because it remains in mediaeval Latin, meaning literally "on sea". It is pronounced mair rather than mahrey, however. Weston owes its growth and prosperity to the Victorian era boom in seaside holidays. Along with nearby Burnham-on-Sea, it benefited from proximity to Bristol, Bath and South Wales. With the coming of the railways, thousands of visitors came to the town, on works outings and Bank Holidays -- many mining families coming directly by steamer from Wales. To cater for them, Birnbeck Pier was completed in 1867, offering in its heyday amusement arcades, tea rooms, funfair rides and a photographic studio. Local traders, unhappy that visitors were not coming as far as the centre of the town, began the construction of a new pier closer to the main streets. Opened in 1904, and known as the Grand Pier, it was originally planned to be 1.5 miles (2.4km) long. It still stands in truncated form today, although amusements and cafes have replaced the original music-hall theatre it supported. Further development occurred after World War I, with the Winter Gardens and Pavilion, the Open Air Pool and an airfield all dating from the inter-war period. During World War II many evacuees were accommodated in the town. Weston suffered several bombing raids, damaging parts of the town centre. In the post-war period Weston suffered a large decline in popularity, like virtually all British seaside resorts. The advent of cheap foreign holidays and the break-up of large industries like mining contributed, as working communities became less likely to holiday together. The town had become a centre of industries such as aircraft production. Road transport links were improved with the M5 motorway running closely by, and the town now supports several light industries and distribution depots, and functions partly as a dormitory town for Bristol. The tourist traffic has never completely vanished and Weston nowadays could be considered to be weathering hard times moderately well. It has a shopping centre, helicopter museum, a sea life centre and miniature railway. Well-known former residents of the town include John Cleese, Jeffrey Archer, Rupert Graves and Jill Dando. The writer Bill Bryson has a wet time visiting, recounted in Notes from a Small Island. |
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| Yeovil
Yeovil is a town in south Somerset, England, on the A37. It has a population of about 30,000, and is the old constituency of Paddy Ashdown. It is home of the FA cup giant killing team Yeovil Town FC. Famous as a glove making town in the industrial revolution, its football team retain the nickname The Glovers still today. The town's main employer is Westland Helicopters. The town has two train stations; Yeovil Pen Mill serving the Bristol-Weymouth line, and Yeovil Junction on the London-Exeter line. Outlying villages include East Coker, the former home of the poet T.S. Eliot, Sutton Bingham, Stoford, Evershot, Halstock and Yetminster, the home of folk band The Yetties. Other nearby villages include Bradford Abbas, Corscombe, the former home of singer Polly Jean Harvey, and Pendomer, where William Dampier (1651-1715) the controversial English explorer, sea captain, and scientific observer was born. The name "Yeovil" comes via Anglo-Saxon from Celtic gifl, which means "forked river". |
