C ~ THE TOWNS ~ CONTENTS

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CONTENT:

C01. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME BRUTON
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C02. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME IN CASTLE CARY
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C03. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME FROME
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C04. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME LANGPORT
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C05. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME MARTOCK
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C06. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME SOMERTON
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C07. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME WINCANTON
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C08. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME
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C09. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME
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C10. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME
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C11. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME
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C12. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME
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C13. SOMERTON ~ and ~ FROME
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Working to improve the community of Somerton And Frome.

We would appreciate any help, suggestions or constructive criticisms as to how we as a group of residents of the constituency can improve life and amenities, services and costs, liberty and freedom, crime levels and education, health care and representation in the towns, villages and countryside of Somerton and Frome where we live.
Teamwork works best for all of us.

C01A - BRUTON - Somerton & Frome

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C01A - BRUTON - Somerton & Frome

Bruton: At first glance, this small Somerset town, situated a few miles north of the A303 trunk road, appears to have been forgotten by time. Yet down its mediaeval bartons, along its riverside walk and from the hill crowned by its 15th. century dovecote, visitors are surprised by a remarkable blend of the ancient and the modern.

Bruton has Saxon origins and records Celtic, Roman and Dark Ages sites in the surrounding heights of land. The first church was built in about 690 and the town has housed an abbey and a royal mint. The Domesday Book notes a variety of farming and, today, tractors and hay wagons regularly travel the High Street.

Around the town are buildings formerly used in the wool and, later, silk industries. There were major processing plants for grains, dairy and meat products, many of which now have moved on. A strong tradition of education remains, with five significant schools enjoying enviable reputations. Music, literature and visual expression thrive in Bruton, with bustling Festival of Arts and the remarkable Packhorse Fair as highlights in May.

3,000 residents of all age groups make Bruton a thriving community. People from all over the world come to explore the fascinatingly close-knit architecture spanning five centuries, the history and, possibly their ancestral roots on the museum's data base. The sheer beauty of the surrounding landscape delights walkers who will wish to stay, lingering in the several excellent restaurants and bed and breakfasts.

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BRUTON
nestled in the valley, from the air.

For A Short HISTORY of BRUTON by Martin PASSMORE CLICK HERE

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Working to improve the community of Somerton And Frome.

We would appreciate any help, suggestions or constructive criticisms as to how we as a group of residents of the constituency can improve life and amenities, services and costs, liberty and freedom, crime levels and education, health care and representation in the towns, villages and countryside of Somerton and Frome where we live.

Teamwork works best for all of us.

TO HELP - PLEASE CONTACT US VIA THE CONTACT DATA ON THE HOME/CONTENT PAGE.

C02A - CASTLE CARY - Somerton & Frome

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C02A - CASTLE CARY - Somerton & Frome

"CASTLE CARY, a parish and market town in the hundred of Catsash, in the county of Somerset, 3 miles to the W. of Bruton, and 129 miles from London by railway, or 113 miles by road. It is a post town, and a station on the Wilts and Somerset section of the Great Western railway.

The parish is situated in a beautiful country, and contains the hamlets of Clanville, Dimmer, and Cockhill. Here was anciently a castle, which, in the reign of Stephen, belonged to Lord Lovell, and was garrisoned by him against the king.

The Lovells held the estate till the 25th Edward III., it then passed by marriage to the Lords St. Maur, and from them, in the same manner, to the Lords Zouche, who held it till the reign of Henry VII. C

harles II. is said to have taken refuge here after the battle of Worcester. The site of the castle is traceable, but no remains exist of the building."

From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003

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There is a good entry on Wiki if you CLICK HERE


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Working to improve the community of Somerton And Frome.

We would appreciate any help, suggestions or constructive criticisms as to how we as a group of residents of the constituency can improve life and amenities, services and costs, liberty and freedom, crime levels and education, health care and representation in the towns, villages and countryside of Somerton and Frome where we live.

Teamwork works best for all of us.

TO HELP - PLEASE CONTACT US VIA THE CONTACT DATA ON THE HOME/CONTENT PAGE.

C03A - FROME - Somerton & Frome

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C03A - FROME - Somerton & Frome

There is a very comprehensive entry on Frome in Wikipedia which you can view if you CLICK HERE

Cheap Street, Frome, Somerset

Cheap Street in Frome, Somerset is one of the best preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe.

It retains the original stone paved road way, and a water course down the centre of the street, a reminder of times before mains sewerage.

Today there are shops offering a wide range of goods and services, although the town has a special reputation for arts and crafts. The street is named after the word ceap, which originally meant "to sell."

Cheap Street is off of Market Lane and King Street in Frome, Somerset.

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Working to improve the community of Somerton And Frome.

We would appreciate any help, suggestions or constructive criticisms as to how we as a group of residents of the constituency can improve life and amenities, services and costs, liberty and freedom, crime levels and education, health care and representation in the towns, villages and countryside of Somerton and Frome where we live.

Teamwork works best for all of us.

TO HELP - PLEASE CONTACT US VIA THE CONTACT DATA ON THE HOME/CONTENT PAGE.

C04A - LANGPORT - Somerton & Frome

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C04A - LANGPORT - Somerton & Frome

The historic town of Langport, on the banks of the River Parrett, claims to be the smallest town in England. Langport and all the villages around are part of the picturesque Somerset Levels.

Langport lies at a crossing point on the River Parrett, so the Romans built a causeway here, having recognised the use of this waterway to the sea. The town was a prosperous settlement throughout the period of the Roman occupation, as barges transported goods to the sea from here. However its use as a port declined during the Saxon period, as the river had a tendency to silt up. The hill above the river was in a strategically defensive position from which the river crossing could be controlled, so the Saxons found this an ideal spot for a fortress.

The town is described in the Domesday Book as “Lanporth” which is believed to mean the long port from the Old English words “lang” and “port”. The final battle of the English Civil War took place on nearby Sedgemoor in 1645. Langport continued to be a port until the late 18th century, when the river was no longer navigable for larger vessels.

The ancient market town has several interesting and distinctive houses on Bow Street, the main street of the town. Apparently the name of this street is believed to have been derived from the Roman villa which once stood there. It is believed that the fronts of the buildings along this street are built on the foundations of the original Roman causeway - which is why they lean slightly backwards, not having the same support at the rear! The “Hanging Chapel” gatehouse of the original town walls has a chapel above.

Today Langport is a pleasant town and its riverbank is a prime attraction. People visit for the fishing and canoeing, or just to walk or picnic along the riverside. There is a visitor centre in town, and it is possible to hire bicycles to ride the cycle way along the river.

One of the sites within easy reach of Langport is Muchelney Abbey, only two miles to the south. This Benedictine Abbey is the second largest in Somerset and was founded on the island of Muchelney in the Somerset Levels in the 8th century. The 16th century abbot’s house has some interesting carved stone doorways and superb fireplaces. The Abbot’s Lodging was just completed before the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII

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Working to improve the community of Somerton And Frome.

We would appreciate any help, suggestions or constructive criticisms as to how we as a group of residents of the constituency can improve life and amenities, services and costs, liberty and freedom, crime levels and education, health care and representation in the towns, villages and countryside of Somerton and Frome where we live.

Teamwork works best for all of us.

TO HELP - PLEASE CONTACT US VIA THE CONTACT DATA ON THE HOME/CONTENT PAGE.

C05A - MARTOCK - Somerton & Frome

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C05A - MARTOCK - Somerton & Frome

"MARTOCK, a parish and small post town in the hundred of the same name, county Somerset, 3 miles E. of South Petherton, and 4 W. by S. of Ilchester, its post town. It is a station on the Yeovil branch of the Bristol and Exeter line of railway.

The name of this place is said to be derived from "mart" and "oak," a market having been formerly held under an oak tree near the centre of the town, where now stands a fluted column designed in imitation of the pillar of Trojan at Rome.

The market has long been discontinued, but the town is still considerable, consisting principally of one street about a mile and a half in length. It, is situated on a small stream, tributary to the river Parret.

The parish includes the tythings of Long Load, Ash, Bower Hinton, Coat, Milton, Stapleton, and Witcombe. A portion of the inhabitants are employed in glove-making, and others in weaving sailcloth.

A court-leet is held in October by the lord of the manor, anciently presented by James I. to Lord Konteagle, for his services in detecting the Gunpowder Plot. The surface is pleasingly varied, and the soil chiefly clay."

From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003

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Working to improve the community of Somerton And Frome.

We would appreciate any help, suggestions or constructive criticisms as to how we as a group of residents of the constituency can improve life and amenities, services and costs, liberty and freedom, crime levels and education, health care and representation in the towns, villages and countryside of Somerton and Frome where we live.

Teamwork works best for all of us.

TO HELP - PLEASE CONTACT US VIA THE CONTACT DATA ON THE HOME/CONTENT PAGE.

C06A - SOMERTON - Somerton & Frome

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C06A - SOMERTON - Somerton & Frome
There is a very comprehensive write up in Wikipedia which you can see if you CLICK HERE

Somerton Community maintains a web site which is an exemplar to all small towns, there is little point in our duplicating on their really good site if you CLICK HERE


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Working to improve the community of Somerton And Frome.

We would appreciate any help, suggestions or constructive criticisms as to how we as a group of residents of the constituency can improve life and amenities, services and costs, liberty and freedom, crime levels and education, health care and representation in the towns, villages and countryside of Somerton and Frome where we live.

Teamwork works best for all of us.

TO HELP - PLEASE CONTACT US VIA THE CONTACT DATA ON THE HOME/CONTENT PAGE.