SOMERSET

 

AXBRIDGE

BATH

BURNHAM-ON-SEA

CHEDDAR

CHEDDAR GORGE

CLEEVE ABBEY

CLIFTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE

DUNSTER

EXMOOR, EXEBRIDGE AND EXFORD

GLASTONBURY

ILMINSTER

MALMSMEAD

MINEHEAD

PORLOCK WEIR

WASHFORD

WATCHET

WELLS

WESTON-SUPER-MARE

WILLITON

AXBRIDGE

Coming from the south, visitors can see how the medieval town of Axbridge hugs the southern slope of the Mendips. Approaching from the north, the Levels spread out below the town. An important wool-producer in the Middle Ages, the town has always been at the crossroads, the centre of things, indeed it was a river port in earlier times.

Now most traffic bypasses this sleepy little town, it's a lovely spot to relax and explore, with a charming brick-paved central square, and some interesting old buildings.

This is King John's Hunting Lodge, now the town museum, situated right in the square. It was built around 1460 AD - more than 200 years after the death of King John, who used the Mendips as a Royal hunting ground.

And this is the church of St. John The Baptist, set just off the other end of the square, and accessed via a long stone stairway

BATH

What a lovely town! Full of elegant Regency buildings, and bisected by the river Avon, it's the jewel in Somerset's crown. So much so, that it has been added to the World Heritage list.

One of the many beautiful Regency crescents that litter the town, this is the Royal Crescent, designed by John Wood. His father - another John - had already designed Queen Square and the Circus. The interior of No.1 has been restored to its' Georgian glory and is open to the public.

The Roman baths were built in the 1st. century AD, and known by the Romans as Aquae Sulis. The baths are preserved, although no longer used. 

The entrance to Bath Assembly Rooms. They were designed by architect John Wood the Younger in 1769 as a public meeting place and events venue. They quickly became an essential meeting place for high society during Bath's heyday as a fashionable spa. There are four main rooms open to the public; these are the Ballroom, Tea Room, Card Room, and the Great Octagon

Pulteney Bridge, which has a row of shops along it, and the Weir. The bridge was designed by Robert Adam.

BURNHAM-on-SEA

Burnham stands on the north coast of Somerset, on the Bristol Channel, and is renowned for its' wide, 6 mile long expanse of beach. At the far end, you can just see the curious white wooden lighthouse, which you can walk out to in about 15 minutes.

CHEDDAR

As well as Cheddar Gorge, the village of Cheddar is also worth a stroll (when it's not absolutely packed with tourists of course). There's a lovely river runs the entire length of the village, with charming gardens and little ponds and weirs.

However, the town shows little of its' stone-age beginnings, or of its' medieval history other than the church and the market cross.

CHEDDAR GORGE

At its' deepest, the limestone walls tower 400 feet above the road. The gorge is one of Britain's more spectacular places to visit.

CLEEVE ABBEY

Now don't get confused, but Cleeve Abbey isn't in Cleeve, it's in Washford. It's another of the Cistercian Abbeys that King Henry VIII had destroyed, but Cleeve is a little unusual, in that, whilst the church was razed to the ground, the rest of the monastic buildings were left intact for the use of the local Lord.

The original name of the abbey was Vallis Florida (Valley of Flowers) but it later became known as Cleeve Abbey after the nearby village
The cloister buildings including the gatehouse, 15th century refectory with its glorious angel roof and 13th century heraldic tiles have survived remarkably intact.

the gatehouse. Above the entrance arch is an inscribed panel in Latin. This translates as 'Gate be open, shut to no honest person'

the angel roof of the refectory. It is supported by trusses that divide it into bays. The main trusses are supported by corbels, each decorated by an angel holding a shield. At the base of each truss there is a large projecting angel.

Below, the entrance to the Chapter House. A chapter house is where the monks meet daily to discuss Abbey business.

Unusually, there's a rose window in the sacristy, instead of high up on the end nave wall. Probably because the sacristy doubled as an extra chapel.  Although the sacristy is one of the best preserved parts of the abbey, the window has lost all of its medieval tracery.

the intact cloisters - the large arch on the right, is the laver, where there would once have been basins for the monks to wash before entering the rectory.

CLIFTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE

The Clifton Suspension Bridge, spanning the picturesque Avon Gorge, is the symbol of the city of Bristol. For almost 150 years this Grade I listed structure has attracted visitors from all over the world. Its story began in 1754 with the dream of a Bristol wine merchant who left a legacy to build a bridge over the Gorge.

24 year old Isambard Kingdom Brunel was eventually declared the winner and appointed project engineer – his first major commission.

There's a toll of 50p per vehicle to use the bridge, which takes you across the Avon Gorge and right into the heart of Bristol's docklands

From the viewing platform on the Clifton side of the bridge, there is a view of the Clifton Observatory. 

The complex hosts a cafe, camera obscura, and museum. It stands above the mythical Giant's cave.

The building was erected, with the permission of the Society of Merchant Venturers, as a windmill for corn in 1766 and later converted to the grinding of snuff, when it became known as 'The Snuff Mill'. This was damaged by fire on 30 October 1777, when the sails were left turning during a gale and caused the equipment to catch alight. It was then derelict for 52 years until in 1828 William West, an artist, rented the old mill, for 5 shillings (25p) a year, as a studio.

By 1842, West had converted the building into an observatory incorporating reflecting and achromatic telescopes and a camera obscura.

It is open to the public, but I've not yet have the chance to sample its' delights.

Now, would you like to see how the bridge and gorge looked in 1942?

DUNSTER

The medieval village of Dunster is in Somerset within the Exmoor National Park. With it's Castle, Yarn Market, Tithe Barn and a wealth of listed buildings, Dunster is a favourite destination for many tourists.

This is the Yarn Market, right at the heart of the village. Dunster was once renowned for its unique Dunster woven cloth, which can still  be purchased today. So important was the Dunster cloth trade that an Act of Parliament was passed in 1607 to regulate exactly how the kersey cloth type known as 'Dunsters' could be made.

George Luttrell, then owner of Dunster Castle, built the yarn market (below) in 1609. The belfry on top was used to signal the start of the day's market, and merchants would spread their cloth on top of the wide oak-topped walls.

The Castle sits right at the end of the main street in the village, but is actually accessed by its' own entrance off the main road outside the village. The Castle and grounds are open to the public.

EXMOOR, EXEBRIDGE & EXFORD

Tiny hamlet, which lies on the border of Devon and Somerset. In fact, the border is on the bridge which forms the divide between the two counties. There's a pub next to the bridge, the Anchor, which has a pleasant garden running alongside the River Exe. 

I have already covered Exmoor, Exebridge and Exford on the Devon page as they both straddle the border, so please see the pictures there.

GLASTONBURY

Apart from the usually muddy Glastonbury Festival, the town is home to Glastonbury Abbey and Glastonbury Tor.

Glastonbury Abbey is connected with legend to a degree that is unparalleled by any other abbey in England.
The Abbey is right in the heart of the town, and has strong Arthurian links. Indeed, King Arthur is reputed to be buried there. The Gatehouse to the Abbey stands right in the market place. The abbey was built on the site of a much older church.

(below) The first building to be rebuilt was the Lady Chapel, erected on the site of the Old Church in 1184.

Originally the site of a Saxon church, there are records going right back to the late 7th. century. There was a belief that followers of Christ settled here within the 1st century CE and built ‘The Old Church’.

Three distinct phases of Saxon church have been recorded, the last being part of Dunstan’s ambitious remodelling and expansion of the abbey. By the time of the coming of the Normans, the abbey was the wealthiest in England. 

With the coming of the Normans came a change in regime. Abbot Thurstin’s reforms were not welcomed by all of the monks, and tension ended in a bloody battle in which several monks were killed by Norman forces. The Norman abbey, however, continued to flourish, particularly under the rule of Abbot Henry of Blois. 

By the 16th century, Glastonbury’s mythic power peaked, with the final development of centuries of legend - the claim that Joseph of Arimathea was the abbey’s first founder. 
In 1534, the passing of the Act of Supremacy made Henry VIII the head of the Church of England and suppression of the monasteries began. Glastonbury held out as long as possible, but eventually Abbot Richard Whiting was arrested on a fabricated charge of treason and executed in 1539, marking the end for the monastery. 

It is said that Richard Whiting, hoping to appease Henry VIII, sent his steward Jack Horner to London with a Christmas gift. The gift, a pie, had hidden under it's pastry crust, the deeds of twelve manors. On the journey, Jack opened the pie and removed the deeds of Mells Manor, in the village of Mells. 

Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said ‘What a good boy am I!"

The Abbot lived in considerable splendour and wielded tremendous power with the main surviving example of this power and wealth to be found in the Abbot’s Kitchen (below), one of only three surviving medieval examples in the world.

(below) The tower on top of Glastonbury Tor can just be seen in the distance

The Holy Thorn which grows at Glastonbury Abbey has become part of the legend of Joseph of Arimathea. According to the story when Joseph arrived in Britain he landed on the island of Avalon and climbed up Wearyall Hill, exhausted he thrust his staff into the ground and rested. By morning his staff had taken root and it grew into the miraculous thorn tree which flowers every Easter and Christmas.

Disaster struck in 1184 when a great fire destroyed most of the abbey including the Old Church. Rebuilding began immediately, with the support of King Henry II.
A few years later, the monks of Glastonbury announced the discovery of the body of King Arthur and his queen, Guinevere, (really?) a claim that helped draw much needed funding, which had ceased with Henry II’s death two years before. (ah, that explains it!)  By the end of the 13th century the church was complete, and Arthur’s bones were reburied in a lavish ceremony attended by King Edward I and Queen Eleanor. 

With its connections to the Legends, the mysticism surrounding it, and the Festival, the little town is full of some very strange shops, selling mystic artefacts and decidedly hippy-style clothing and such.
Still, it is a very pleasant place for all that.

(Above): the church of. St. John The Baptist, in Glastonbury High Street. This church stands on a Saxon site, though the first church on record dates from 1175.

(above) the George Hotel, built during the Middle Ages to house pilgrims.

ILMINSTER

Although in Somerset, Ilminster is where I turn off the A303 to go down through Dorset to Uplyme.
Ilminster is mentioned in documents dating from 725 and in a Charter granted to Muchelney Abbey (10 miles (16 km) to the north) by Æthelred the Unready in 995. Ilminster is also mentioned in Domesday Book (1086) as Ileminstre meaning 'The church on the River Isle' from the Old English ysle and mynster. By this period Ilminster was a flourishing community and was granted the right to hold a weekly market, which it still does.
In 1645 during the English Civil War Ilminster was the scene of a skirmish between parliamentary troops under Edward Massie and Royalist forces under Lord Goring who fought for control of the bridges prior to the Battle of Langport.

MALMSMEAD

Malmsmead is not a name known by many outside of the local population, but if you have read R.D. Blackmore's book, Lorna Doone, then you will recognise it as the mouth of Doone Valley. The tiny group of buildings is accessed via a small packhorse bridge, or more usually, via a ford through the fast-flowing river. It's not an easy place to get to, being well-hidden down a tiny, very steep lane from the small hamlet of Oare, itself well off the main road.

If you haven't read Lorna Doone, I can recommend it. 

The novel is set during the turbulent years of Monmouth's Rebellion (1685) and tells the story of a young farmer of Oare, John Ridd, who finds romance with the adopted daughter of a family of Exmoor outlaws, the Doones.

The tale of the Doones is said to be culled from real Exmoor history, related to Blackmore by his uncle, who was for a time rector of Oare church. The real-life Doones were said to be a band of Scottish outlaws, Stuart sympathizers who fled to Exmoor, where they preyed upon travellers from a hideout in the remote passes of Exmoor, beyond Badgworthy Water.

MINEHEAD

I must say, Minehead is not one of my favourite places. The seafront is somewhat shabby and run down, and dominated by the huge Butlin's Holiday Camp at one end of the seafront. I'm not one for the usual sort of seaside town anyway.
However, what it does have, is the terminus for the wonderful West Somerset Heritage Railway.
This is the longest heritage steam and diesel railway in the country, at a little over 20 miles long. It winds its' way through beautiful countryside, stopping at several little villages, until it reached Bishops Lydeard.
It's well worth taking a trip and just relaxing and admiring the views.

PORLOCK WEIR

The town of Porlock lies at the foot of Porlock Hill, too steep for cars towing caravans and huge lorries. If you turn off in the middle of the town and head for the sea, you reach its port of Porlock Weir. Tiny, picturesque, and well worth a visit for a cream tea!

WASHFORD

The village of Washford, some 6 miles outside of Minehead, is absolutely nothing to write home about. However, if you take Abbey Road, towards Cleeve Abbey, you find the White Horse Inn, a traditional 17th. century coaching inn. This is where I stayed, and a very delightful stay it was too. The Inn, which has very comfortable rooms, and which serves good food, lies on the bank of the Washford river.

WATCHET

Another of those delightful little ports that the North Somerset coast seems to abound with, Watchet has a very pleasant walk along the harbour wall, with a wide promenade, and plenty of seats where you can soak up the late evening sun.

In the Saxon ages. Watchet was important enough to have its' own mint. Coins minted in Watchet have been found in Scandinavia, suggesting that they were used either for trade, or to buy off Viking raiders.

The longest heritage steam railway in England, the West Somerset line, has a station right by Watchet Harbour, and the town is well-worth a stroll round.

'Yankee Jack' This statue commemorates John Short (1839-1933), an able seaman and bosun from Watchet. In the 1860s some of John’s ships ran the blockade in the American Civil War and because of this he was affectionately awarded the nickname of "Yankee Jack" by Watchet townsfolk.

(below) the gunship 'Gay Archer'. Very fitting, as Watchet was the scene of the only battle where a ship at sea was captured by men on horseback.

During the Civil War, a Royalist ship was sent to secure the town for King Charles. The ship stood offshore while the tide ebbed away, leaving only shallow water.

A Parliamentary force of mounted soldiers took advantage of the tide and galloped through the shallow water, their carbines firing volley after volley at the men aboard ship. Though the horses were up to breast level by the time they reached the ship, the carbine fire caused such a panic that the sailors surrendered.

The Ancient Mariner - it is rumoured that Watchet is the place where Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote his epic 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner'

WELLS

Wells, with a population of only around 10,000, is the smallest city in England.

This has got to be my favourite cathedral. The complex of the cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, and the Vicar's Close is somehow delicate and refined.

Wells takes its' name from the five freshwater springs, five holy wells, found there. The Romans built a mausoleum here, and in 705, Aldhelm founded a church here., which in 909 became a cathedral. The present cathedral was begun in 1180.

This is the Vicar's Close. The 'vicars' are actually the adult male choristers, and these are sort of 'grace & favour' houses. They were built around 1470. Vicars originally were actually deputies, who were appointed by the non-monastic canons to stand in for them in duties that they could not, or would not, perform, and were chosen for their skill in singing.

The close was originally 42 small houses, with  communal hall and chapel. But as times changed, and vicars were allowed to marry, the houses were combined into fewer, larger houses for their families.

 In the Middle Ages, the bishops of the combined see of Bath & Wells were in conflict with the townsfolk. They thought it prudent to fortify their palace with a moat and drawbridge. In the 1870s the daughters of Bishop Hervey taught the resident swans to ring a bell for food, and the tradition continues today.

The cathedral, for me, is the best I've ever been to, from the scissor arch to its amazing clock, resplendent with jousting knights who do battle every hour, it's just the best

Below - the glorious West Front. It is impressive by day, and spectacular when floodlit at night. The limestone carvings glow under the lights. When the front was first built, they would have been painted in bright colours.

There are two entrances to the Cathedral Green from the Market Place. On the left, is the 'Penniless Porch', where beggars used to hopefully wait for alms from worshippers, and this one, known as the Bishop's Eye. 

WESTON-SUPER-MARE

How different to Minehead! Weston is clean, bright, well cared for, with attractive gardens along the seafront, and an impressive pier. It also has one of the best motorcycle parks I've ever come across!

WILLITON

Unimportant to most, interesting to train buffs, Williton is where the rail sheds and workshops for the West Somerset Railway are.