Axbridge was a rural district

Rural district

Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...

 in Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was named after the town of Axbridge

Axbridge

Axbridge is a town in Somerset, England, situated in the Sedgemoor district on the River Axe, near the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. The town population according to the 2001 census was 2,024.-History:...

.

It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894

Local Government Act 1894

The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...

 as a successor to the Axbridge rural sanitary district

Sanitary district

Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1875 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures:*Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies...

.

In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

. The area was split between three districts. The civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

es of Banwell

Banwell

Banwell is a village and civil parish on the River Banwell in the North Somerset district of Somerset, England. Its population was 2,923 according to the 2001 census.-History:...

, Bleadon

Bleadon

Bleadon is a village and civil parish in the historic countyof Somerset, England. It is about south of Weston-super-Mare and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 1,068.-History:...

, Butcombe

Butcombe

Butcombe is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The village is situated just north of Blagdon Lake, in North Somerset. The parish has a population of 232 and mainly consists of family-owned farmland...

, Churchill

Churchill, Somerset

Churchill is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is located in the unitary authority of North Somerset, on the western edge of the Mendip Hills about east of Weston-super-Mare...

, Congresbury

Congresbury

Congresbury is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the Unitary authority of North Somerset, and in 2001 had a population of 3,400. It lies on the A370, roughly equidistant between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport, approximately south of Bristol city centre,...

, Hutton

Hutton, Somerset

Hutton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish, which has a population of 2,627, is within the Unitary Authority of North Somerset and located on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, close to Weston-super-Mare....

, Kewstoke

Kewstoke

Kewstoke is a civil parish and village in Somerset, England, within the unitary authority of North Somerset, located next to the strip of coast called Sand Bay...

, Locking

Locking, North Somerset

Locking is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is a predominantly quiet residential area of North Somerset, south east of the town of Weston-super-Mare and houses a large farming contingent....

, Puxton

Puxton

Puxton is a village and civil parish, north west of Axbridge in the Unitary Authority of North Somerset within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England.The civil parish includes the isolated hamlets of East Hewish and West Hewish.-History:...

, Wick St. Lawrence

Wick St. Lawrence

Wick St. Lawrence is a civil parish and village in Somerset, England. It falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset. The population of the parish, which includes Bourton, in the 2001 census was 1,296.-History:...

, Winscombe

Winscombe

Winscombe is a village in North Somerset, England, close to the settlements of Axbridge and Cheddar, on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, south-east of Weston-super-Mare and south-west of Bristol...

 and Wrington

Wrington

Wrington is a village and civil parish in North Somerset, England. It lies in the valley of the Congresbury Yeo river about east of Weston-super-Mare and south-east of Yatton. It is both a civil parish, with a population of 2,896, and an ecclesiastical parish...

, and part of the parishes of Blagdon

Blagdon

Blagdon is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Somerset, within the unitary authority of North Somerset, in England. It is located in the Mendip Hills, a recognised Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. According to the 2001 census it has a population of 1,172...

, Burrington

Burrington, Somerset

Burrington is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the Unitary authority of North Somerset, north east of Axbridge and about east of Weston-super-Mare...

 and Loxton

Loxton, North Somerset

Loxton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is close to the M5 motorway in the Unitary Authority of North Somerset. The parish includes the village of Christon and has a population of 202.-History:...

 became part of the Woodspring district

North Somerset

North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....

 in the new county of Avon

Avon (county)

Avon was, from 1974 to 1996, a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England.The county was named after the River Avon, which runs through the area. It was formed from parts of the historic counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset, together with the City of Bristol...

, with the remainder of the district becoming part of the Sedgemoor

Sedgemoor

Sedgemoor is a low lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh . The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels...

district in Somerset.