Axminster
Encyclopedia
Axminster is a market town
and civil parish on the eastern border of Devon
in England. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe
which heads towards the English Channel
at Axmouth
, and is in the East Devon
local government district. It has a population of 5,626. The market
is still held every Thursday.
Axminster gave its name to a type of carpet. An Axminster-type power loom is capable of weaving high quality carpets with many varying colours and patterns. While Axminster carpet is made in the town of Axminster, this type of carpet is now manufactured all over the world.
: the Fosse Way
from Lincoln
to Seaton
, and the Dorchester–Exeter
road. There was a Roman fort
on the crossroads at Woodbury Farm
, just south of the present town.
Axminster was recorded in the late 9th century as Ascanmynster and in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as Aixeministra. The name means "monastery or large church by the River Axe" and is a mixture of languages; the river name Axe has Celtic origins and mynster is an Old English word.
The history of the town is very much linked to the carpet industry, started by Thomas Whitty
at Court House near the church in 1755. The completion of the early hand tufted carpets was marked by a peal of bells from the parish church as it took a great amount of time and labour to complete them.
In 1210, a charter was granted to the town that included the right to hold a weekly cattle market which took place in the market square until it was moved to Trinity Square in 1834. It then moved in October 1912 to a site off South Street where it was held for 94 years. It finally closed in 2006 in the aftermath of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak. A building on the site then continued to be used for a general auction until all the buildings were demolished and replaced by a housing development.
The town was on the coaching route from London to Exeter. In 1760 a coaching inn
named The George Hotel was opened on the corner of Lyme Street and Chard Street on the site of an old inn called the Cross Keys that was destroyed by fire in 1759. Over 16 coaches
a day would stop at the hotel in its heyday for refreshments and to change horses, the building still stands but it is currently unoccupied. Axminster was on the route of The Trafalgar Way which is the name given to the historic route used to carry dispatches with the news of the Battle of Trafalgar
overland from Falmouth, Cornwall
to the Admiralty in London in 1805 and there is a plaque commemorating this fact in the town centre.
Axminster railway station
was opened on 19 July 1860, with the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR) offering direct services between Queen Street Station in Exeter and Yeovil
. The station building was designed by the LSWR's architect
Sir William Tite
in mock gothic style. In 1903, the branch line from Axminster to Lyme Regis
was opened. This branch line was closed with the Beeching
cuts, in the 1960s. One engine has been preserved on the Bluebell Line
, in Sussex
, while the station was dismantled and reconstructed at New Alresford
, on the Watercress Line, in Hampshire
.
Axminster is the southern starting point of the Taunton Stop Line
, a World War II
defensive line consisting of pillboxes and anti-tank obstacles, which runs north to the Somerset
coast near Highbridge
.
Nearby Kilmington
was used as a location for the 1998 LWT adaptation of Tess of the d'Urbervilles
. The celebrity chef and TV presenter Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
has his River Cottage H.Q.
at a 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) farm in the Axe valley. He has since purchased an old inn of the town to convert to an organic produce shop/market and canteen.
, Colyford
, Combpyne
, Dalwood
, Hawkchurch
, Kilmington
, Membury
, Musbury
, Raymond's Hill
, Rousdon
, Shute
, Smallridge
, Tytherleigh
, Uplyme
and Whitford
.
, Trinity House, and several independent retailers.
The Guidhall is a theatre with meeting rooms that hosts many events and clubs such as Axminster Drama Club and Axminster Operatic Society.
at Ilminster
and the A35
from Southampton
to Honiton
, which has been diverted by a bypass to the south of the town.
is on the West of England Main Line
that runs from Exeter
via Salisbury to London Waterloo
.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
and civil parish on the eastern border of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in England. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe
River Axe, Devon
The River Axe is a river in Dorset, Somerset and Devon, in the south-west of England.It rises near Beaminster in Dorset, flows west then south by Axminster and joins the English Channel at Axmouth near Seaton in Lyme Bay...
which heads towards the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
at Axmouth
Axmouth
Axmouth is a village and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England, near the mouth of the River Axe. The village itself is about 1 km inland, although the parish extends to the sea. The village is near Seaton and Beer...
, and is in the East Devon
East Devon
East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Sidmouth, and the largest town is Exmouth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Honiton with the urban districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St. Mary, Seaton, Sidmouth...
local government district. It has a population of 5,626. The market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
is still held every Thursday.
Axminster gave its name to a type of carpet. An Axminster-type power loom is capable of weaving high quality carpets with many varying colours and patterns. While Axminster carpet is made in the town of Axminster, this type of carpet is now manufactured all over the world.
History
The town dates back to the Celtic times of around 300 BC. It lies on two major Roman roadsRoman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
: the Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
from Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
to Seaton
Seaton, Devon
Seaton is a seaside town in East Devon on the south coast of England. It faces onto Lyme Bay, to the west of the mouth of the River Axe with red cliffs to one side and white cliffs on the other. Axmouth and Beer are nearby...
, and the Dorchester–Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
road. There was a Roman fort
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
on the crossroads at Woodbury Farm
Woodbury Farm Roman Fort
Moridunum was a fort and small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Its remains are located at Woodbury Farm, immediately south of Axminster in the English county of Devon....
, just south of the present town.
Axminster was recorded in the late 9th century as Ascanmynster and in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as Aixeministra. The name means "monastery or large church by the River Axe" and is a mixture of languages; the river name Axe has Celtic origins and mynster is an Old English word.
The history of the town is very much linked to the carpet industry, started by Thomas Whitty
Thomas Whitty
Thomas Whitty was an English carpet manufacturer who founded Axminster carpets in 1755.The carpets were chosen by wealthy aristocrats to have in their English country homes and town houses...
at Court House near the church in 1755. The completion of the early hand tufted carpets was marked by a peal of bells from the parish church as it took a great amount of time and labour to complete them.
In 1210, a charter was granted to the town that included the right to hold a weekly cattle market which took place in the market square until it was moved to Trinity Square in 1834. It then moved in October 1912 to a site off South Street where it was held for 94 years. It finally closed in 2006 in the aftermath of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak. A building on the site then continued to be used for a general auction until all the buildings were demolished and replaced by a housing development.
The town was on the coaching route from London to Exeter. In 1760 a coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
named The George Hotel was opened on the corner of Lyme Street and Chard Street on the site of an old inn called the Cross Keys that was destroyed by fire in 1759. Over 16 coaches
Coach (carriage)
A coach was originally a large, usually closed, four-wheeled carriage with two or more horses harnessed as a team, controlled by a coachman and/or one or more postilions. It had doors in the sides, with generally a front and a back seat inside and, for the driver, a small, usually elevated seat in...
a day would stop at the hotel in its heyday for refreshments and to change horses, the building still stands but it is currently unoccupied. Axminster was on the route of The Trafalgar Way which is the name given to the historic route used to carry dispatches with the news of the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
overland from Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
to the Admiralty in London in 1805 and there is a plaque commemorating this fact in the town centre.
Axminster railway station
Axminster railway station
Axminster railway station serves the town of Axminster in Devon, England. Opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1860, it is now served by South West Trains’ London Waterloo to Exeter services. It is from Waterloo.-History:...
was opened on 19 July 1860, with the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR) offering direct services between Queen Street Station in Exeter and Yeovil
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
. The station building was designed by the LSWR's architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Sir William Tite
William Tite
Sir William Tite, CB was an English architect who served as President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was particularly associated with various London buildings, with railway stations and cemetery projects....
in mock gothic style. In 1903, the branch line from Axminster to Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. The town lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset-Devon border...
was opened. This branch line was closed with the Beeching
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
cuts, in the 1960s. One engine has been preserved on the Bluebell Line
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
, in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, while the station was dismantled and reconstructed at New Alresford
New Alresford
New Alresford or simply Alresford is a small town and civil parish in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. It is situated some 12 km north-east of the city of Winchester and 20 km south-west of the town of Alton...
, on the Watercress Line, in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
Axminster is the southern starting point of the Taunton Stop Line
Taunton Stop Line
The Taunton Stop Line was a World War II defensive line in south west England. It was designed "to stop an enemy's advance from the west and in particular a rapid advance supported by armoured fighting vehicles which may have broken through the forward defences."The Taunton Stop Line was one of...
, a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
defensive line consisting of pillboxes and anti-tank obstacles, which runs north to the 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...
coast near Highbridge
Highbridge, Somerset
Highbridge is a small market town situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels near the mouth of the River Brue. It is in the County of Somerset, and is approximately north west of Taunton, the county town of Somerset. Highbridge is in the District of Sedgemoor, being situated approximately north...
.
Nearby Kilmington
Kilmington, Devon
Kilmington is a village near Axminster in East Devon off the A35 road.It includes Coryton, a brick house with Portland stone dressings built in 1754-6 by Benedictus Marwood Tucker, sheriff of Devon in 1763. Some remains of the older mansion can also be seen at Old Coryton.The parish church of St...
was used as a location for the 1998 LWT adaptation of Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, also known as Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman, Tess of the d'Urbervilles or just Tess, is a novel by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1891. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British...
. The celebrity chef and TV presenter Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a British celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer and "real food" campaigner, known for his back-to-basics philosophy...
has his River Cottage H.Q.
River Cottage H.Q.
River Cottage H.Q. is the base of operations for a cookery/food training centre from chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage series.-River Cottage H.Q.:...
at a 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) farm in the Axe valley. He has since purchased an old inn of the town to convert to an organic produce shop/market and canteen.
Geography
Devon villages within 5 miles (8 km) of Axminster include; ChardstockChardstock
Chardstock is a village and civil parish located on the eastern border of Devon, England off the A358 road between Chard and Axminster.The attractive village is surrounded by farmland and woodland and is within the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village church dates from...
, Colyford
Colyford
Colyford is a village in East Devon, England. It is adjacent to the town of Colyton to the north and lies within its civil parish boundaries.-Features:...
, Combpyne
Combpyne
Combpyne is a hamlet in East Devon off the A3052 road between Colyford and Lyme Regis in Dorset.Situated in a Devon combe, this scattered hamlet includes a medieval manor house, a 12th century church and a village pond known as 'The Harbour'...
, Dalwood
Dalwood
Dalwood is a village and county parish in the East Devon district of the English county of Devon. It is approximately 3 miles away from the nearest town, Axminster, and 5 miles away from Honiton. Dalwood can be accessed by the nearby A35 road. The village is placed within the Blackdown Hills Area...
, Hawkchurch
Hawkchurch
Hawkchurch is village in East Devon England, 3 miles north east of Axminster on the border of Devon and Dorset, and about 6 miles south of Somerset.It is 4 miles north of the tourist and fishing village of Lyme Regis...
, Kilmington
Kilmington, Devon
Kilmington is a village near Axminster in East Devon off the A35 road.It includes Coryton, a brick house with Portland stone dressings built in 1754-6 by Benedictus Marwood Tucker, sheriff of Devon in 1763. Some remains of the older mansion can also be seen at Old Coryton.The parish church of St...
, Membury
Membury, Devon
Membury is a village three miles north west of Axminster in East Devon.The village has a 13th century church dedicated to St John the Baptist with a tall slim tower...
, Musbury
Musbury
Musbury is a village and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England. It lies approximately 2 miles away from Colyton and 2.5 miles away from Axminster, the nearest towns. Musbury is served by the A358 road and lies on the route of the East Devon Way, a 40-mile footpath following the...
, Raymond's Hill
Raymond's Hill
Raymond's Hill is a residential area off the A35 road in England about south east of Axminster in East Devon, and about northwest of Charmouth in West Dorset....
, Rousdon
Rousdon
Rousdon is a village in East Devon off the A3052 road between Colyford and Lyme Regis in Dorset.The small village developed around the Mansion of the Peek family in the early 19th century...
, Shute
Shute, Devon
Shute is a village located west of Axminster in East Devon, off the A35 road.It is surrounded by farmland and woodland beneath 163-metre Shute Hill. St Michael's Church dates from the 13th Century and includes a large memorial to Sir Wiliam Pole...
, Smallridge
Smallridge
Smallridge is a hamlet in the East Devon district of Devon, England. The hamlet is situated about 1 mile north of the town of Axminster.It is close to the A358 road, and is within the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, Tytherleigh
Tytherleigh
Tytherleigh is a village in East Devon close to the border with Somerset on the A358 road between the towns of Axminster and Chard.The Tytherleigh Arms public house in the village displays the Tytherleigh family coat of arms on its sign. The village is on the route of the Fosse Way Roman Road....
, Uplyme
Uplyme
Uplyme is a village which lies in East Devon on the Devon-Dorset border and the River Lym, adjacent to the Dorset coastal town of Lyme Regis. It has a population of approximately 1700.-History and background:...
and Whitford
Whitford, Devon
Whitford is a village near Axminster in East Devon.It is situated on on the western bank of the River Axe, which is crossed via a small bridge with a weir under it on a lane that joins the A358 road at Musbury...
.
Landmarks
Axminster MuseumAxminster MuseumAxminster Museum is a town museum situated in the Old Police Station and Courthouse opposite St. Mary's Church in the centre of the town of Axminster, Devon. It was founded in 1982....
Backdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural BeautyBlackdown HillsThe Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England, which were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991....- East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural BeautyEast Devon AONBEast Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers over of the East Devon countryside .This countryside includes eighteen miles of Heritage coastline...
- East Devon WayEast Devon WayThe East Devon Way is a long distance footpath in England. It runs for 38 miles between Exmouth in East Devon and Lyme Regis in Dorset.Landscapes seen on the path include; estuary, high open commons, woodlands and river valleys. The route includes some fairly steep climbs but is generally not...
Forde AbbeyForde AbbeyForde Abbey is a privately owned former Cistercian monastery in Dorset, England. The house and gardens are run as a tourist attraction while the estate is farmed to provide additional revenue...- Jurassic CoastJurassic CoastThe Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....
- Lambert's CastleLambert's CastleLambert's Castle is an Iron Age hill fort in the county of Dorset in southwest England. Since 1981 it has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest on account of its geology, archaeology and ecology....
Loughwood Meeting HouseLoughwood Meeting House-External links:*...- Musbury CastleMusbury CastleMusbury Castle is an Iron Age Hill fort situated above the Village of Musbury in Devon. The fort occupies a commanding hill top approx 175 Metres above Sea Level overlooking the Axe valleyat Ordnance Survey ....
- Shute BartonShute BartonShute Barton, located at Shute, near Axminster, Devon, England, is a mediaeval manor house, today a property of the National Trust.Shute Barton is one of the most important non-fortified manor houses of the Middle Ages still in existence. It was commenced in approximately 1380 and finally completed...
Leisure facilities and shops
The town has Cloakham Lawns, the Axe Valley Sports Centre and Flamingo Swimming Pool, a library, several churches and a museum of local history. Shops include two supermarkets, a small department storeDepartment store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
, Trinity House, and several independent retailers.
The Guidhall is a theatre with meeting rooms that hosts many events and clubs such as Axminster Drama Club and Axminster Operatic Society.
Education
- Axe Valley Community CollegeAxe Valley Community CollegeThe Axe Valley Community is a state non-selective mixed community college with 890 students, located in Axminster in the South West of England. The school has benefited in Business & Enterprise specialism since September 2004 and has provided Post 16 education since the opening of a Sixth Form in...
- Axminster Community Primary School
- St. Mary's Primary School
- All Saints Community Primary School
Road
Axminster is at the crossroads of the A358 which links with the A303A303 road
The A303 is a 92-mile long trunk road in England. It is the main road between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon. The M3, the A303 and the A30 together make up one of the main routes from London to South West England, running from London to Land's End in Cornwall...
at Ilminster
Ilminster
Ilminster is a country town and civil parish in the countryside of south west Somerset, England, with a population of 4,781. Bypassed a few years ago, the town now lies just east of the intersection of the A303 and the A358...
and the A35
A35 road
The A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
to Honiton
Honiton
Honiton is a town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. The town's name is pronounced in two ways, and , each pronunciation having its adherents...
, which has been diverted by a bypass to the south of the town.
Rail
Axminster railway stationAxminster railway station
Axminster railway station serves the town of Axminster in Devon, England. Opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1860, it is now served by South West Trains’ London Waterloo to Exeter services. It is from Waterloo.-History:...
is on the West of England Main Line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
that runs from Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
via Salisbury to London Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
.
Notable people
- Steve BenbowSteve BenbowStephen George "Steve" Benbow , was a British folk guitar player, singer and music director, who was influential in the English folk music revival of the 1960s. His obituary in The Times described him as "a seminal influence on a whole generation of guitarists".He was born in Tooting, Surrey and...
, folk musician - William BucklandWilliam BucklandThe Very Rev. Dr William Buckland DD FRS was an English geologist, palaeontologist and Dean of Westminster, who wrote the first full account of a fossil dinosaur, which he named Megalosaurus...
, geologist and palaeontologist