Portal:Somerset

The Somerset Portal

Somerset (/ˈsʌmərsɛt, -sɪt/ ^ⓘ SUM-ər-set, -⁠sit), archaically Somersetshire (/ˈsʌmərsɛt.ʃɪər, -sɪt-, -ʃər/ SUM-ər-set-sheer, -⁠sit-, -⁠shər), is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Bristol, and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. The largest settlement is the city of Bath.

Somerset is a predominantly rural county, especially to the south and west, with an area of 4,171 km² (1,610 sq mi) and an estimated population of 1,012,934 in 2024. Bath is in the north-east of the county, Yeovil in the south-east, Taunton in the south-west, and the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare in the north-west. The city of Wells, the second-smallest city by population in England, is located in the centre. For local government purposes, the county comprises three unitary authority areas: Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and Somerset. Bath and North East Somerset Council is a member of the West of England Combined Authority.

The centre of Somerset is dominated by the Levels, a coastal plain and wetland. The north-east contains part of the Cotswolds uplands and all of the Mendip Hills, which are both national landscapes; the west contains the Quantock Hills and part of the Blackdown Hills, which are also national landscapes, and most of Exmoor, a national park. The major rivers of the county are the Avon, which flows through Bath and then Bristol, and the Axe, Brue, and Parrett, which drain the Levels.

There is evidence of Paleolithic human occupation in Somerset, and the area was subsequently settled by the Celts, Romans and Anglo-Saxons. The county played a significant part in Alfred the Great's rise to power, and later the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. In the later medieval period, its wealth allowed its monasteries and parish churches to be rebuilt in grand style; Glastonbury Abbey was particularly important, and claimed to house the tomb of King Arthur and Guinevere. The city of Bath is famous for its Georgian architecture, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The county is also the location of Glastonbury Festival, one of the UK's major music festivals. (Full article...)

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The Somerset Levels, seen from Glastonbury Tor

The Somerset Levels (or the Somerset Levels and Moors as they are called less commonly but more correctly) is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, England, between the Quantock and Mendip hills.

The Somerset Levels consist of marine clay "levels" along the coast, and the inland (often peat based) "moors". The area borders the Severn Estuary with its very high tidal range which used to cause marine flooding, but this is now largely controlled by various sea defences. The Levels are divided into two by the Polden Hills, with the catchment areas of the River Parrett to the south, and the rivers Axe and Brue to the north. This area is separate from the North Somerset Levels, which is located inland from Weston-super-Mare.

The total area of the Levels amounts to approximately 160,000 acres (650 km²). It broadly corresponds to the administrative district of Sedgemoor but also includes the south east of Mendip district. Approximately 70% of the area is grassland and 30% is arable.

Discussions have taken place concerning the possibility of obtaining World Heritage Site status for the Somerset Levels and Moors as a "cultural landscape". It was suggested that if this bid were successful, it could improve flood control, but only if wetland fens were created again. These plans were discontinued in June 2010. (Full article...)

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Trescothick in 2007

Marcus Edward Trescothick OBE (born 25 December 1975) is an English former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. He was Somerset captain from 2010 to 2016 and temporary England captain for several Tests and ODIs. Since retirement he has commentated and coached at both county and international level.

A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established himself as a regular member of the team. Trescothick made his One Day International (ODI) debut seven years later, against Zimbabwe in July 2000. His Test debut, against the West Indies, followed in August. Although former England captain Nasser Hussain likened Trescothick's build and batting temperament to that of Graham Gooch, his stroke play is more reminiscent of David Gower. (Full article...)

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Districts of Somerset

Somerset (Unitary)
North Somerset (Unitary)
Bath and North East Somerset (Unitary)

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Image 1Bristol Airport, which is located in North Somerset (from Somerset)
Image 2A traditional cider apple orchard at Over Stratton, with sheep grazing (from Somerset)
Image 3A map of the county in 1646, author unknown (from Somerset)
Image 4Tyntesfield. (from Culture of Somerset)
Image 5Theatre Royal, Bath (from Culture of Somerset)
Image 6Brean Down from Steep Holm (from Somerset)
Image 7The ceremonial county immediately prior to the 2023 local government restructuring, with South Somerset (1), Somerset West and Taunton (2), Sedgemoor (3) and Mendip (4) as non-metropolitan districts (shown in pink), and just Bath and North East Somerset (5), and North Somerset (6) as unitary authorities (shown in yellow). (from Somerset)
Image 8A steam locomotive and carriages, on the West Somerset Railway, a heritage line of notable length, in spring 2015 (from Somerset)
Image 9Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton (from Culture of Somerset)
Image 10The River Brue in an artificial channel draining farmland near Glastonbury (from Somerset)
Image 11Glastonbury Tor (from Culture of Somerset)
Image 12The Avon Gorge, the historic boundary between Gloucestershire and Somerset, and also Mercia and Wessex; Somerset is to the left (from Somerset)
Image 13The flag designed to represent the historic county of Somerset in 2013 (from Somerset)
Image 14Tyntesfield (from Somerset)
Image 15The Huish Park ground of Yeovil Town F.C. (from Culture of Somerset)
Image 16The town of Glastonbury looking west from the top of Glastonbury Tor. The fields in the distance are the Somerset Levels. (from Somerset)
Image 17Palladian Pulteney Bridge at Bath (from Somerset)
Image 18The marina in Watchet (from Somerset)
Image 19The west front of Wells Cathedral (from Somerset)
Image 20Stone quarries are still a major employer in Somerset (from Somerset)
Image 21The west front of Wells Cathedral (from Culture of Somerset)
Image 22The Dunster Yarn Market was built in 1609 for the trading of local cloth. (from Somerset)
Image 23The Exmoor landscape with the native Exmoor Pony (from Somerset)
Image 24Sand Sculpture at Weston-super-Mare Sand Sculpture Festival of A Midsummer Nights Dream (from Culture of Somerset)
Image 25"Samurai" by Griffens CC, at Burnham on Sea Carnival 2006, part of the West Country Carnival circuit (from Culture of Somerset)

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Church of St Bartholomew, Crewkerne

Crewkerne
Co-ordinates 50.8803°N 2.7939°W

Crewkerne is a town situated 9 miles (14 km) south west of Yeovil and 7 miles (11 km) east of Chard in the South Somerset district close to the border with Dorset. The civil parish of West Crewkerne includes the hamlets of Woolminstone and Henley. The town lies on the River Parrett, A30 road and West of England Main Line railway.

The earliest written record of Crewkerne is in the 899 will of Alfred the Great. After the Norman Conquest it was held by William the Conqueror and in the Domesday Survey of 1086 was described as a royal manor. Crewkerne Castle was possibly a Norman motte castle. The town grew up in the late mediaeval period around the textile industry, its wealth preserved in the fifteenth century Church of St Bartholomew. During the 18th and 19th centuries the main industry was cloth making, including webbing, and sails for the Royal Navy.

Local ecological sites include the Bincombe Beeches Local Nature Reserve and the Millwater biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Crewkerne railway station is served by South West Trains on the main south western railway line. There are local supermarkets and local shops, and some local industry. The town been the birthplace of several notable people and has varied cultural and sporting facilities including those at Wadham Community School. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that the architect Hans Price was responsible for the distinctive look of buildings in Weston-super-Mare, England, during the Victorian era (example pictured)?
... that Portbury Ashlands is a new nature reserve on the site previously used to dump the waste from Portishead power stations?
... that Poundisford Park was set up as a medieval deer park by the Bishop of Winchester?
... that the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway has been described as "the most successful of all railways in Southern England"?
... that the Norman church in Pawlett, Somerset has a stained glass window showing Christ blessing children who are in modern dress and holding a teddy bear and toy boat?

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WikiProjects

Main project: WikiProject Somerset

Parent projects: WikiProject UK geography, WikiProject England

Nearby projects: WikiProject Bristol, WikiProject Devon, WikiProject Dorset, WikiProject Wiltshire

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Recognised content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Somerset}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.