This post features: Frome, Taunton, Wellington, Castle Cary, Bristol, Weston Super Mare, Wells, Glastonbury, Yeovil, Ilchester, Crewkerne, Bath and Bridgwater
Frome
The Church of St John the Baptist:
The River Frome:
The Town:
Taunton
Churches:
St Mary Magdalene was first built in stone as part of the reorganisation of Taunton by Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, by 1180. St Mary’s became the town church in 1308 when Bishop Hazelshaw of Winchester changed its legal standing from a chapel of Taunton Priory to a church. The tower was built in the 15th and 16th centuries, financed by the prosperity created by the wool trade, and was rebuilt in 1858-62 (in replica) under the guidance of the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. It is considered to be one of the best examples of a Somerset tower and at 163 feet (50 m) tall is a local landmark. It became a Minster in March, 2022… The church is mainly built of sandstone and has a painted interior, except for the ‘forest’ of pillars which line the four aisles – a rare feature in a parish church. Most of the statues and stained glass date from the Victorian restoration. St Mary, Magdalene, TauntonChoir practiceThese bells were delivered the day before this photo was taken. They arrived safely at St Mary Magdalene Church from Loughborough and, once blessed, will be put in place and bell ringing can re-commence…St James’ Church – closed to visitorsSt John’s Church – also closed to visitors
Historic Taunton:
Staying at The Castle Hotel, TauntonA Vauxhall Victor 101In TauntonIn TauntonSomerset County MuseumA display in the County MuseumSomerset Cricket Museum – also closed – housed in the remnants of Taunton Priory – destroyed during the Reformation
Riverside:
I wonder what their vision is…Taunton was known in Saxon times as Tone Tun (tun meaning farm or estate)…The River ToneThe River Tone
The Town:
The old County HallThe wretched new County Hall buildingsFine gates – the entrance to Vivary Park..This Caffé Nero building dates from 1578Tangier, TauntonThe Plough Inn, Taunton – if you like traditional ciders and ales served straight from the barrel, then you’ll like this friendly place
Wellington
St John the Baptist, Wellington Intriguing towerTomb of Sir John Popham – Lord Chief Justice of England under Elizabeth 1st and James 1st…Wellington is not as attractive as I had imagined but it does have the world’s smartest and poshest Wetherspoon
Castle Cary
Castle Cary’s museum of local life was closed – despite the signs indicating otherwiseCastle Cary’s posh post officeCastle Cary’s lock-up dates from 1779 and was known as a blind house due to its lack of windows. While there are over 150 surviving lock-ups in the country, this is one one of only 11 round houses left. It fell out of use following the County Police Act of 1839. It was restored in 1894 and 1998.The imposing Church of All Saints…A bit plain insideA fine Yew in the churchyard
Haynes Motor Museum
Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford (near Castle Cary & just off the A303) – I’d never heard of it before but it has been there since 1985…1959 Cadillac De Ville – in no way over the top…A Jensen CV-81965 Gordon Keeble – with a 5.3 litre Chevrolet engine – only 99 were made1952 Jowett Javelin – the pride of Bradford…
Bristol
The Cathedral:
Bristol Cathedral started life in the 1140’s as an Augustine Abbey…In the 1530s the medieval nave was being rebuilt, but it was never finished because Henry VIII dissolved the abbey in 1539. But Henry began to create a series of ‘New Foundation’ Cathedrals, and Bristol was included in 1542. The church, like other cathedrals created at this time, was then rededicated, in this case to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Bristol Cathedral is one of the finest examples in the world of a medieval ‘hall church’, with the vaulted ceilings in the nave, choir, and aisles all at the same height.
St Mary Redcliffe:
The very grand St Mary Redcliffe, considered a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. The 89m high spire dates from the 1870’s… The oldest existing parts of the current church date to the early 12th century, although the majority of it is late 13th / 14th century Gothic.
Other Fine Bristol Churches:
The Lord Mayor’s Chapel opposite the CathedralThe Church of St NicholasSt Stephen’sInside St Stephen’sInside St Stephen’sChrist Church with St EwenSt LawrenceTemple ChurchSt Peter’s – badly damaged in the war and left as a memorialThe Round Church: originally part of a monastery built in the 1130’s – the church was round – but got straightened out in the 14th century…The Round ChurchSt Philip’s and St Jacob’s – it seems to be a car park nowSt James’ ChurchAn unnamed former church near St James’, now subsumed into an office block
Two of the Ugliest Churches Ever:
The shockingly ugly Clifton Catholic CathedralIt is as abysmal inside as it is outside…The Anglican All Saints Church – the original curch was badly damaged during WW2 but instead of a sympathetic restoration the Church of England took “inspiration” from the Catholic Cathedral just up the road…
Historic Bristol:
Alms-houses dating from 1483The Three Kings of CologneOfficially opened in 1925, the Wills Memorial Building houses the University’s School of Law and the School of Earth Sciences. The Wills Tower is 68 metres high…Bristol Museum & Art Gallery dates back to 1823Queen Square – with a statue of King William III – I have no idea who the woman is or why she wanted to be in the photo I was taking rather than the one her husband was trying to take…On the south side of Queen’s Square is the site of the first American Consulate in Britain, established in 1792, to protect the interests of American citizens in Bristol.The old George’s Brewery. In 1961 the brewery was acquired by Courage, Barclay and Simonds Limited. Brewing continued on the site until closure of the brewery in 1999. The accounts office of the old Courage Brewery (formerly George’s Brewery)…The brewery closed in 1999…The GranaryThe Hatchet Inn: the oldest pub in Bristol
The City:
Bristol Temple Meads StationJohn Cabot was an experienced Italian seafarer who came to live in England during the reign of Henry VII. In 1497 he sailed west from Bristol hoping to find a shorter route to Asia. After a month, he discovered a ‘new found land’, today known as Newfoundland in Canada. Cabot is credited for claiming North America for England and kick-starting a century of English transatlantic exploration. And this is how we remember him…The Bristol OdeonThe former Edward Everard printing works, this Art Nouveau building was designed by Bristol architect Henry Williams around 1900. The print works closed in 1967 and it became offices until 2017. Work is underway to restore the building and turn it into a hotel, with retail and office space
City Streets:
Looking up toward Bristol University and the Wills Memorial BuildingKing StreetThe Christmas StepsThe oddly named Orchard Street
Street Art:
Colourful underpass…
Harbourside:
An 1878 Stothert and Pitt “Fairbain” steam craneIt’s rubbish – 90kg of rubbish – equivalent to the amount of litter left on Bristol city streets on a typical Friday night. The aim of the sculpture is to encourage the good citizens of this fine city to put their litter in the many bins rather than simply dropping it…I stayed in the Radisson hotel with magnificent views from my room on the 16th floorThe view from room 1603The view from room 1603
Weston Super Mare
The impressive Odeon Cinema in Weston Super MareSilica; a bus shelter, kiosk, public artwork and electronic information display, all rolled into one (Weston Super Mare)Weston Super Mare from the end of the pier
Wells
Wells was the largest city in Somerset for several hundred years, flourishing not only because of the existence of the cathedral, but also because of a local trade in wool and cloth. As the church owned much of the land and business, great wealth was accumulated and this was used in the construction of one of the most outstanding examples of ecclesiastical architecture in Britain, the main part of the cathedral construction being carried out between the 12th and 13th centuries. The 160-feet high central tower was added during the reconstruction work which followed a fire in the 14th century.
The Cathedral:
Built between 1175 and 1490, Wells Cathedral has been described as “the most poetic of the English Cathedrals” and set in the medieval heart of England’s smallest city. Wells is the earliest English Cathedral to be built in the Gothic style and has an international reputation. As well as its iconic West Front, Wells Cathedral has unique features that separate it from other English cathedrals including the beautiful ‘scissor arches’ supporting the central tower; a structure which was added in 1338 after the weight of a new spire on the top of the tower threatened to collapse the whole thing. The Cathedral houses one of the largest collections of historic stained glass in the country. Experts agree that the Jesse Window at Wells Cathedral is one of the most splendid examples of 14th century stained glass in Europe, narrowly escaping destruction during the English Civil War. The Cathedral also boasts the famous Wells Clock (which is considered to be the second oldest clock mechanism in Great Britain), the fascinating octagonal Chapter House and one of only four chained libraries in the UK.
The Bishop’s Palace:
Gates to the Bishop’s PalaceThis medieval palace has been the home of the Bishops of Bath & Wells for over 800 years. The first bishop of Bath & Wells received a crown licence to build a residence and deer park to the south of the cathedral. Within the fortified Palace walls lie the ruin of the Great Hall, the Bishop’s private chapel and 14 acres of gardens, including an arboretum. This moated palace has an imposing gatehouse with portcullis and drawbridge giving the impression of a castle structure.
City Centre:
Wells marketThis pub used to be the jail and dates from 1549
St Cuthbert’s
The church has 8 surviving reredoses dating from 1470 (a reredos is an ornamental screen covering the wall at the back of an altar)William Barlow – Bishop of Wells from 1548-1553 – did his best to destroy the reredoses
Glastonbury
The Abbey:
The earliest historical evidence of the monastery at Glastonbury comes from charters of the late 7th century which show grants of land made by three Saxon kings, matching the earliest archaeological evidence of a church here.Glastonbury Abbey – destroyed in 1539 during the dissolution of monasteries courtesy of Henry VIII
Churches:
St Benedict’s Church, Glastonbury St John’s Church, Glastonbury
The Town:
Glastonbury Market Cross was erected in 1846…GlastonburyGlastonburyGlastonbury
Yeovil
St John’s Church:
St John’s Church, YeovilSt John’s Church, YeovilSt John’s Church, which dates from the 14th century, is delightful insideLooking around the church you could be forgiven for thinking that Yeovil is gurt lush
Town Centre:
WW1 Memorial, YeovilHendford House, Yeovil dates from 1776 and became a hotel in 1927Hendford Manor, Yeovil dates from around 1750Originally the Three Choughs Hotel, this building dates from the 17th century (a Chough is a bird in the Crow family)Yeovil market swings into actionThe River Yeo, also known as the River Ivel, rises in the village of Poyington in North Dorset. Distance from source to the confluence with the River Parrett is approximately 46km…The River YeoI had a pint of Palmers IPA last night – Palmers have been brewing in Bridport, Dorset since 1794…
Ilchester
The Fleet Air Arm Museum, IlchesterThe museum would be of interest to anyone interested in aeroplanes, helicopters and modern naval historyThe cabin is tall enough to stand up in – if you are less than 6ft tall (1.83m)…Concorde could carry 100 passengers in an all first class cabinThe cockpit is cramped Fog’s lifted, Captain, all clear for take-off…
Crewkerne
The town hall, Crewkerne, which is a little gem of a town – not only is it gurt lush it is also gurt posh as its only supermarket is a WaitroseThe White Hart, Crewkerne dates from around 1500The George, Crewkerne is a 17th century coaching inn on the Plymouth to London routeCrewkerneCrewkerne
St Bartholomew’s:
St Bartholomew’s, the 15th century parish church of Crewkerne St Bartholomew’s, the 15th century parish church of Crewkerne St Bartholomew’s, the 15th century parish church of Crewkerne The War Memorial in the churchyard of St Bartholomew’s, Crewkerne
Bath
Founded by the Romans as a thermal spa, Bath became an important centre of the wool industry in the Middle Ages. In the 18th century, under George III, it developed into an elegant town with neoclassical Palladian buildings, which blend harmoniously with the Roman baths. It gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1987.
The City of Bath is of Outstanding Universal Value for the following cultural attributes: The Roman remains, especially the Temple of Sulis Minerva and the baths complex (based around the hot springs at the heart of the Roman town of Aquae Sulis, which have remained at the heart of the City’s development ever since) are amongst the most famous and important Roman remains north of the Alps, and marked the beginning of Bath’s history as a spa town. The Georgian city reflects the ambitions of John Wood Senior (1704-1754), Ralph Allen (1693-1764) and Richard “Beau” Nash (1674-1761) to make Bath into one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, with architecture and landscape combined harmoniously for the enjoyment of the spa town’s cure takers. The Neo-classical style of the public buildings (such as the Assembly Rooms and the Pump Room) harmonises with the grandiose proportions of the monumental ensembles (such as Queen Square, Circus and Royal Crescent) and collectively reflects the ambitions, particularly social, of the spa city in the 18th century. The individual Georgian buildings reflect the profound influence of Palladio (1508-1580) and their collective scale, style and the organisation of the spaces between buildings epitomises the success of architects such as the John Woods (elder 1704-1754, younger 1728-1782), Robert Adam (1728-1792), Thomas Baldwin (1750-1820) and John Palmer (1738-1817) in transposing Palladio’s ideas to the scale of a complete city, situated in a hollow in the hills and built to a picturesque landscape aestheticism creating a strong garden city feel, more akin to the 19th century garden cities than the 17th century Renaissance cities.
A memorial to King Bladud, who founded Bath 1,000 years before the Romans arrived, shown here with one of his pigs. Legend has it that Bladud suffered from leprosy and, on seeing how his pigs responded to wallowing in the hot mud springs, he gave it a go. Lo and behold his leprosy was cured and he dedicated the springs to the Celtic goddess, Sul. The Romans subsequently named the city Aquae Sulis…
The Abbey:
A Christian convent was established here in 676. In 1090 a cathedral was built. The present Abbey was built in 1499 on the ruins of the old cathedral…The Abbey was dissolved in 1539 and not repaired until 1572-1618In 1860-73 the Abbey was restored by George Gilbert ScottThe tomb of Lady Jane Waller, who died in 1633
Other Churches:
St Michael’s WithoutA nice, bustling community churchSt Michael’s Within was built in 1717 on the site of St John’s Hospital, which was built in 1174…
City Centre:
Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage site thanks to its Roman baths…The Roman BathsThe Cross SpringHere you can see inside the Cross BathSally Lunn’s house dates from 1482 and is reputed to be the oldest house in Bath…Pultney Bridge was built in 1774 and designed by Robert AdamThe shops on Pultney BridgeThe Guildhall and Art GalleryThe Guildhall and Art GalleryThe Royal Mineral Water HospitalThe New Theatre Royal, built in 1805This block of shops in Old Bond Street dates from around 1780Bath Ales was founded in 1995. I’d always found their beers a bit dull. In 2016 they were bought by St Austell and so I was keen to try some of their beers to see if they had acquired some of the old St Austell magic. Prophecy, a 3.8%abv pale ale, was very nice indeed…The centre of Bath remains astonishingly unspoilt – although this shopping centre and the surrounding streets are fairly new they, like virtually all buildings in the city centre, are limited to 4 stories and the exterior clad in a sympathetic stone…
Bridgwater
Historic market town Bridgwater is home to the most illustrious of Somerset’s famous street carnivals and the largest illuminated carnival in Europe. The Visit Bridgwater website has an excellent section on local history: https://bridgwater-tc.gov.uk/visit-bridgwater/
The Church:
The parish church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest building in the town, largely built in the Early English style but mixed with Decorated and Perpendicular. Internally, the archway leading to the tower appears to be Early English and from the early thirteenth century. At the west and north sides of the nave, windows are set in Early English casings. Decorated windows of the fourteenth century can be found elsewhere with the remaining being fifteenth century Perpendicular, indicating how the church was regularly undergoing change in its earlier years.The red stone of the 174 foot high tower came from Wembdon and the fawn sandstone from Ham Hill, floated down the river on barges. It was from this tower that the Duke of Monmouth surveyed the king’s troops’ encampment at Westonzoyland in 1685. The church was closed to visitors unfortunately…
The Town:
Robert Blake was born in Bridgwater in August 1598 and his home is now the town’s Blake Museum. It was a time when the country was divided between those who supported the Catholic king and those who supported a Puritan Parliament. Blake’s younger brother had already emigrated to America due to persecution for his preferred religious practice. The family were devoutly Puritan. Against this background, in 1640 Blake stood for Parliament and was elected, although his time as an MP for the town was short-lived. At the next election, Blake was defeated by the Royalist Colonel Wyndham, governor of Bridgwater Castle. At the start of the civil war Blake set about organising and training troops for the Parliamentarian cause. Military successes quickly fell his way, winning battles at Bodmin, Bath and Bristol, followed by further glory at Lyme Regis. Taunton was held by the Royalists but Blake soon captured it. After the fall of Bridgwater, Blake captured Barnstaple and then Dunster. The war effectively over, Blake returned to Bridgwater to become its MP once more. Cromwell felt that he was not making best use of Blake’s skills and offered him overall command of the New Model Army. Blake declined, having taken ownership of re-building the navy. Blake continued to rebuild and improve the navy, introducing welfare for sailors. With those better motivated crews, he defeated the residual Royalist privateers in the Channel Islands, defeated the Dutch navy under the command of Van Tromp and later de With, defeated the Barbary pirates and defeated the Spanish at Santa Cruz, Tenerife…This statue commemorates the annual carnival and the famous Bridgwater Squib – a firework –The Carnival Inn – a Wetherspoon pub – takes its name from the annual carnival, held on the first Saturday in November, to commemorate the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The carnival was first held in 1882 – a Victorian invention – like many traditions we assume to be hundreds of years old…The name Penel Orlieu is derived from the junction of Orlue Street and Paynell Street. Until 1935 it was the centre of the cattle market…
The River Parrett:
Although only 60km long, the River Parrett has several tributaries and is tidal for 30km. Although 16km from the sea, Bridgwater has had a port exporting and importing since the the early 13th century. In 1820, the Bridgwater to Taunton Canal scheme was proposed mainly in order to combat the problems of the river silting up to such an extent that the river was impassable at its higher reaches after long, dry spells. By 1838, the Grand Western Canal had been linked to the Bridgwater to Taunton canal at the Taunton end. This meant that once the canal was opened all the way to Bridgwater, it was possible to travel from Bridgwater to Tiverton by canal. In 1837, Royal Assent was granted to extend the canal to Bridgwater and to build a dock, which opened in 1841 and is still in use. To add to the infrastructure, a link to the Bristol to Exeter Railway was built and this also reached the town in 1841…
